Malign Portents: The Idoneth Deepkin Are Hungry
The Idoneth Deepkin are blighted soul-starved Aelves who, when they cannot survive on their own, must take the souls of other mortals in order to use them to sustain themselves. Like a monster from the deeps, they strike unseen, leaving nothing but terror in their wake.
So it goes with Malign Portents. The Idoneth Deepkin continue their rampage, again mostly unseen but for the carnage left in their wake. This time we follow the story of a Necromancer who was approaching a fort armed with a special mirror, filled with spectral warriors who hunger for the flesh and souls of the living. Only when he arrives at the fortress, he instead finds that the gates are open and the people within seemingly gone.
And here we get the characteristics of how the Deepkin attack. It’s very reminiscent of a good monster movie (Jaws especially) in that we don’t really see them. In fact, most of the time they leave no survivors. And no real trace that they’ve been there, other than a characteristic smell of seawater and the signs of water damage.
This is in part because the Idoneth have specialized mages who conjure forth the “ethersea” which allows them to float/swim through the air as though their native sea is present. Which both explains how they are able to ride sea-creatures (or bond beasts) into battle though they are on land, and also gives everything this creepy watery look. In the story, the Necromancer finds a woman who appears to be floating in the air, as though suspended in water.
There’s a room full of these bodies–and this is the important part, they are definitely still alive when the Idoneth are through with them. The Deepkin definitely took their souls, leaving the bodies these empty husks that still have pulses and blood and so on. It’s kind of chilling, actually–this helped showcase how the Deepkin fit in to the rest of the Mortal Realms, and it’s very cool. We’ll be sure and have more news about these Fish Aelves as it develops, but for now, enjoy the story.
