Application Round

I am a being without substance. No name, no age, not even a body - I exist by "borrowing" those of other beings. My current host is a human scientist called Tyler, formerly a leader of an expedition that brought him and his crew first to my world, where I claimed his very soul, then to a rustic world known as Narthania. It is here on a secluded island that I currently reside, along with my "minions" if you will.

This body is not his, however - that perished over a thousand years ago. Over the centuries I have been hopping from corpse to corpse; as one decomposed beyond usability I would find another. This body used to belong to an Elven man who was dispatched some years ago. It has held out well, but there is a reason for that.

When Tyler's body died, his now tainted spirit left for the "Dwelling of the Dead", where creatures on this world go when they cease to be in the physical world. It is also home to the eight elemental Goddesses, who sensed my presence and banished Tyler - and now me - from their domain. Before leaving however, I took the Dark Goddess Shada with me - it is her who has preserved this body so that I may use it indefinitely.

It is debatable whether the spirit who plays host is the lucky one. I use Tyler's intelligence and other qualities where need be, fattening him up with my powers. That, together with whatever body I inhabit, allows me to pursue my prey - I build my strength by consuming souls; absorbing their skills, their attributes, all that they once were becomes part of me. I can't do that with a living creature, but that is easily taken care of.

My finest work would have to be when Tyler's body was still alive. The crew had not long arrived, and a young native happened along. It is standard procedure for these humans to question an indigenous creature, but I had other plans once I realised his potential. He was in fact my first experiment before infiltrating Shada - I tried to do the same with him, using Tyler's scientific know-how to blend my essence with a serum containing other surprises. That didn't go wrong so much as unprecedented - it was a happy mistake however, as he has proved useful in various ways. I would consider it the worst of my deeds not through what I did to him, but what he now does to others as a result.