Species name: Kronospasts
Full name: Deitic Kronospasmata
Average dimensions: Varied, no more than 2m tall.
Description: Kronospasts are small, chunky, muscular creatures that often glow with an ‘unholy’ light. When not shapeshifting, they appear as short, upright Panvok-like beings with stubby tails, two thumbs on both their hands and feet, and four eyes that blink out of sync. They are occasionally seen wearing gold or silver armour covered in engraved curls and spirals.
Colouration: Although they are shapeshifters, Kronospasts often keep one colouration throughout their lives, generally for easier identification. These colours often remain even while shapeshifting. As to what colours a Kronospast has, each individual decides when they are old enough to pick favourites. Often two colours are picked, but anything up to five is possible.
Abilities: Being Deitic creatures, Kronospasts have the ability to manipulate the world around them. Kronospasts are best known for their manipulation of the mind, confusing and controlling their prey. They can implant false memories, horrific dreams or premonitions in the minds of their victims and leave these to gestate for many years before coming to fruition. Kronospasts are tied with both gifts and curses, and have an innate ability to grant what one desires, in exchange for a small amount of suffering – because of this, Kronospasts are largely immune to pain. They also have standard Deitic abilities, such as shapeshifting, mutating others and telepathic links between all individuals.
Temperament: The majority of Kronospasts are incredibly lazy and laid back, often spending many a day lounging around creating miniature monsters and making them fight one another for their amusement. Kronospasts are tricksters at heart, very playful and joyous and enjoy nothing more than manipulating beings against each other, only to jump in at the last minute and reveal their pranks and run away laughing. They are also rather secretive and love hoarding the secrets of others.
Kronospasts in power have a slightly different attitude are generally less playful and far more serious, preferring to just get on with their jobs.
Diet: Kronospasts do not require food, but feel empowered when their trickery comes to fruition. If they do eat, their meals always consist of sugary, heavily processed foods, particularly marshmallows and candyfloss.
Life Cycle: Kronospasts are born as live young, and similarly to mammalian beings, suckle off their mothers for the first few months of their lives, feeding not on milk, but on Deitic energies and the knowledge of their parents. They take ten years to mature physically and fifty to mature mentally, often spending their first few decades in creches or sneaking about and following their parents around. Kronospasts have a strong control of their powers from a very young age, and can reach maximum strength in just two hundred years, although once a maximum ability power is met, few Kronospasts can go past that. Kronospasts can live for many thousands of years and can’t die of old age, but they are among the most susceptible to fall for mortals and give up their Deitic status.
Culture: There’s little to say about Kronospast culture. Outside of their ‘government’, it is a system of debauchery, partying and general messing around, what most beings would call ‘sinful’. For Kronospasts, the most important thing for them is to amuse themselves first and trick others second, with everything else being considered pointless.
Government: The Kronospasts are governed by a monarchy which dictates Kronospast laws and their relations with other races. A new Lord takes the place of an old Lord, should the former king step down or be somehow killed. The new Lord must be genetically related to the old Lord, and the Kronospast throne is generally passed down to the oldest son, or the most trusted should the oldest be considered too unstable to rule. Lords are considered the most powerful of the Kronospasts and dictate just how much Kronospasts can interfere with other beings. They are also in charge of the Kronospast justice system and law enforcement and have the right to imprison, try and execute anyone. Most Lords though are just and only do the bare minimum required to keep their society running.