[i]Memento Mori. Remember that you will die. That's the unavoidable truth of life. In ancient Rome a slave would stand behind a victorious general, softly whispering the words into his ear. To remind him that even with all his triumph and all his armies and wealth he would still one day part from this world. If you're one of [b]them[/b], though, it's not about when you die - it's about how you die.[/i] [i]You died, your heart stopped beating, the blood stopped flowing through your veins, your inner organs stopped receiving the needed oxygen. At least that is the scientific way to see it. But in a mystic, spiritual sense much more is happening. Nearly every religion believes that the body is the vessel to a spirit, that is influenced by the things a person does in live. They are all right in a way.[/i] [i]After you died you don't awake in heaven, nirvana or whatever you might have believed. You rise from your grave. You don't feel cold, you don't feel hungry, all you feel is an urge to go somewhere, a special place. A city. But you notice something, you are not alone. With you is a creature, a being. A symbol tied to your cause of death. A Memento Mori.[/i] --- Here's some [hider=Terminology and Definitions] [b]Revenants[/b] - Their mission is to bring final death, many creatures or humans try to claim immortality. A Revenants job is it to take it from them. They are initially created to complete one hunt. They are bound to a Memento Mori. Old age is never a reason for becoming an Revenant, there is usually an exceptional/odd reason which would not constitute a 'normal' death in the same way dying of age is. A Revenant is different from a human in that he has the resilience of the dead. Cold or sickness won't affect him. Other than for example a zombie, a Revenant has the same character as well as the same feelings and memories as the human it once was. [b]Momento Mori[/b] - An immensely powerful being created specifically for the Revenant based off of how they died. They funnel their powers through them so they may do their work. The form, personality, attributes and powers of a Memento Mori can vary heavily. Some can be humanoid, others animal like and even geometric. They often communicate with their Revenant, as well as with other Revenants or Memento Moris, but they generally do not do the latter two unless required. [b]Level Graded Spirit[/b] - Within the global magic community, there is a general model to help categorise spirits. Ungraded spirits are weak, mostly just fragile memories which cling to places and cannot impact the material realm to any degree, while a Graded spirit can have influence over the material realm and even greater power over the supernal realm. These grades go from 1-10, with 1 being something like a self-aware poltergeist and level 10 spirit being beyond manifestation, more akin to an 'aware concept' than anything else. A Revenants Memento Mori is a 6 on that scale. [b]Magic[/b] - It exists in this setting, as you can imagine, but it's generally kept very well hidden from the public. [b]Immortal Beings[/b] - It's in the name. This classification is about as broad as the Level Grade model for spirits, powerful vampires and magic users being among them.[/hider] [hider=Example Character:] [b]Name:[/b] James "Jimmy" Meyers [b]Age:[/b] 24 [b]Appearance:[/b] [center][img]https://lenscratch.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/runningoutoftime_younghomelessmansanfranciscomay2006silvergelatinprint16x16_inches.jpg[/img][/center] [b]Nationality:[/b] American [b]Personality:[/b] Jimmy is actually a very nice young man, he cares deeply about his friends, since they are the only possessions he ever had. He is however incredibly lazy and always up to no good. He lives in the today and never even thinks about tomorrow. Their is a side to Jimmy that is incredibly dark, he is willing to go incredible lengths to get what he wants, and could not care less if someone might get hurt. He feels left alone in the world and mostly blames his failures on society, he can be self-ironic however. [b]Background & Death:[/b] Jimmy was born to a poor family in Queens. His mother loved him dearly but died when he was 9. Then his father started drinking. There were only a few times when Jimmy's Father was abusive but being at home was still a torture for the young Jimmy. The first time he took drugs was with 12. It started with alcohol and weed, later Crack, Meth and Heroin. Jimmy took them all. He dropped out of school with 15, because he never showed up there. From then one Jimmy lived on the street. He abandoned his home and his father, who never really searched for his son after that. Jimmy did odd jobs for everyone who would be willing to pay, he sold his body, cleaned buildings, begged and stole money. All to get the next hit. It was a wonder he even made it to 24. Jimmy was a wreck he died of an fatal syringe of Heroin. [b]Name:[/b] Black Tar [b]Represents:[/b] To give up one's own live just to have a moment of euphoria. The slow and self inflicted death by addiction and drugs. [b]Appearance:[/b] [center][img]http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2013/104/6/2/syringe_crow_by_insanity_engine-d61p90g.png[/img][/center] [b]Personality:[/b] Black Tar is abusive and cynical. If he speaks he puts Jimmy down in every way he can. This aggressiveness is a product of Jimmy's own self pity and regret. [b]Abilities:[/b] [i]Poisonous Touch[/i]- Jimmy's veins seem darkly, even black when he touches someone and fills them with all the pain drugs can do to someone. A single, short touch, of one or two seconds can give the victim strong symptoms comparable to drug withdrawal. Up to five seconds severely paralyze the victim and weaken him. He might not even be able to hold himself on his feet. Over ten seconds of exposure to this ability will kill a person. Like a overdose. [i]No place like home[/i]- The only thing that has always accompanied Jimmy in his short live was the street. Now a city can be Jimmy's strongest companion. He can go into one smelling dark back-alley and come out of another in a matter of seconds. Street-dogs and rats that live from the garbage of the humans will flock to Jimmy and defend him. Doors of old, abandoned buildings seem to appear and open just for him.[/hider] As a note if you consider making a character: Keep in mind that, while Revenants may be potentially very powerful, fresh ones are not at the top of this settings food chain or anywhere near it. Think of a good, basic starting place which could then develop into something more in-depth and unique. Basically, just keep a sort of progressive story narrative in mind. A character should have two abilities at the beginning, these should grow and he will get as the story progresses. Also they way your character died may not be as important as the circumstances. A buddhist monk who set himself on fire in protest would have different abilities than a firefighter dying on duty. All characters will start in Chicago, where they were instinctively drawn to. This Rpg is heavily inspired by a Rpg I did a long time ago. I take not all the credit for the ideas. If you are interested just say it! If you have questions just ask!