OI-!

OI-!

Aura- San! Writer to writer, light and darkness, two peas and a pie! Just wanna say happy spooky month!

Oh, hello there ole chap. Happy Month of the Spoops to you as well! 👻

Cryas Darkstalkers Cast Bits 2

Check this out to see some information regarding some of the other characters I discuss about:

With that said, time to get into some more characters. Again, just some brief enough notes about each major character and their role in Cryas Darkstalkers.

Bishamon:

Same general backstory he has in the main timeline. A samurai who unfortunately fell prey to the temptation of the demon armor Hannya and demon sword Kien.

For decades, he went on a rampage throughout Japan, causing mass terror to the innocent civilians of Japan. Valiant warriors tried to stop this rampaging demon but would merely be more sacrifices to the bloodthirsty specter.

At some point in the late 1700s, he would have learned of the lands of China. Learning that such a landmass was far bigger than Japan, the demon relished the thought of oceans of blood and souls flooding the lands, ready to be consumed.

His activities would eventually reach the ears of Hsien-Ko and Mei-Ling, who would eventually track down and confront the heinous samurai from the east.

In essence, Bishamon would serve as the real first big threat the sisters would face in their journey, especially after they finally got a good feel as jiangshi warriors.

While it is a difficult battle as the samurai is quite skilled and empowered by the souls it has consumed, the sisters would prevail with their combined skills, tactics, and powers.

Upon defeat, the demon armor and blade lose control of their host, releasing Bishamon's soul. While the sisters are prepared to destroy the spirit in front of them, they would be stopped by Bishamon's wife, Orin. She too is a spirit, having cast aside her body to continue clinging to the mortal realm in order to find a way to free the man she loved.

Bishamon is found out to be fully aware of what has happened during his time under the control of Hannya and Kien. He wishes to repent for his failure to resist the temptation of those two caused the deaths of countless lives.

The four would eventually seal the cursed armor and blade in a special tomb per Mei-Ling's design. Bishamon and Orin vow to make sure none would tamper with the tomb so no one else would fall to the temptation of Hannya and Kien.

From then on, the couple would seek to work together to cleanse Bishamon of the sins that weigh heavy on his heart and soul.

Bishamon and Orin are basically the first allies the sisters make.

Pyron:

Serves as a major villain during the time frame that serves as the Vampire Hunter part of the mythos.

He is still an alien that was born on the planet Hellstorm. His evolution leads him to become an energy-based lifeform that takes the form of a living flame.

While he initially reveled in his self-proclaimed ascension to godhood via consuming his home world and traveling the cosmos to seek strong warriors and worlds to consume and fuel him, he eventually grew bored as he didn't get to have a good challenge.

Being a warrior at heart, while he did like to win, he more found pleasure and meaning in life via a rousing battle. Even when he limited his powers to be on equal footing with the many warriors he fought, he wasn't given the best showing and still triumphed.

In a sense, I see Pyron like a Saiyan. What he wants is a good fight. His godhood was more of a hinderance as he was the most powerful. But by being the most powerful, he had no worthy foes. Thus, his life lacked meaning. While he had bouts of dread over the prospect of no worthy battles, he would never allow himself to wither away. The only way he would die is via in battle.

I still have it so far that he did visit Earth at one point. However, I am not sure when he will in my mythos. Certainly, it would still be far in the past, but I am not feeling the time of the dinosaurs.

He is far more vulnerable to magical based attacks.

Jedah Dohma:

Serves as a major villain for the time frame of Cryas Darkstalkers that would be the Vampire Savior aspect of the story.

He actually has two people that were confidants of his. Ozom, like the original timeline, and now Sierra de Gilman.

Ozom is still a conniving, power hungry manipulator that eventually gets Jedah killed via a ploy he manages to play on Jedah. However, it will not be involving the Gate as the idea of that is different in Cryas Darkstalkers.

Sierra is a noble of the House of Gilman. She is an intellectual and philosopher. She actually forges a genuine friendship with Jedah as they have many discussions about the nature of Makai, political affairs, the future, their interests, their thoughts about various subjects, and doing what they can to assure their lands were kept in high spirits.

Jedah has the ability to hear souls. He has explained that souls give of special sound waves that sound like a song. In this way, he can learn about the individual, such as their lives, abilities, and aspects.

Jedah has noted of a very dull humming sound that he has never been able to pinpoint. It has come at random intervals and appears to be the hum of a soul.

His body is still that of a special, sentient liquid. With this, he can perform many physical alterations to his form for appearances, offense, and defense. The form he presents himself in is one of his choosing.

His traits and abilities are linked to his ability to wield souls. The more he can absorb, the more powerful he can get. While many beings can do this as well, Jedah is unnaturally gifted in this aspect.

Physically, he is not the mightiest. His magical abilities can become quite potent. His ability to manipulate his blood to create many forms of weaponry and attacks are incredibly versatile. However, what makes him a truly dangerous individual is his godly ability of regeneration thanks to his ability to utilize souls efficiently and his liquid body.

He plans out his goal far more carefully and thoughtfully in this mythos. In a sense, you could say he is stronger in this mythos due to not basically bum rushing his plans.

The Soul Bees still serve as minions for him in order to help carry out his plans.

Q-Bee:

She, along with her race, will get major redesigns. I am not a fan of the design she and the Soul Bees have.

'Q-Bee' is just a title. As for an actual name she has, she doesn't have one.

At the time of Jedah's revival and eventual creation of the Majigen, the current Q-Bee is a marvel of rapid adaptation. During Ozom's reign of the Dohma Lands, he nearly drove the Soul Bees to extinction. This triggered some drastic changes in the mindset of Soul Bees. While they are primarily driven to eat, reproduce, and survive, the ones who become the Q-Bee of the hive would slowly gain better intelligence over the decades of his reign.

While Q-Bee is not an intellectual, the one during the events of the Majigen has the ability to better plan things out for the survival of her race beyond instinctual reproduction and consumption.

While she serves Jedah, she only does so out of necessity and to ensure the survival of her hive. However, she and her Soul Bees are grateful of the chances for more meals under his command.

Under Jedah's orders, she and her fellow Soul Bees eventually lead to the death and consumption of many of the servants and families of the Noble houses. The only exceptions are Morrigan, Demitri, and Sierra.

Q-Bee rarely ever speaks using 'I'. Instead, she commonly uses 'we' or 'this one'.

I am so far thinking of potentially 3 different types of Soul Bees. Q-Bee, the largest of the Soul Bee race that have the capability to reproduce and are the most capable in combat. P-Bees, smaller Soul Bees that aid in the care of young Soul Bees, along with maintaining the hive. P-Bees can still fight as well and are not to be trifled with. Then I would think there are smaller Soul Bees that basically serve as Drone-like Soul Bees. They merely exist to serve the Q-Bee in combat. I'll figure things out more.

Lilith:

She probably has one of the biggest changes in Cryas Darkstalkers in regard to how her story goes and motives. Brace yourself for some big notes because I have given a lot of thought to Lilith as she is a big player during the time of the Majigen stuff.

Lilith is still born as a Soul Shard, one of the thirds from Morrigan's Soul. In a small pocket dimension of Belial's creation, this fragment of Morrigan's soul was left to basically rot, away from Morrigan. However, because Morrigan's soul was rather abnormally strong, even a third of her soul was able to do unusual things, beyond the fact that Morrigan even survived the soul shattering with no ill effects. Because this happened when Morrigan was young, the soul had cloudy fragments of Morrigan's memories that played effectively at random and on loop. This goes on for centuries, this shard only 'awake' for intervals to recall these memories. Not only that, to just be 'aware' that it was still around.

Lilith is found by Jedah still, but things are different regarding circumstances and why he allowed her a body. As Jedah was creating the Majigen, in the boundaries of the void, he heard the faintest sound of a soul. Upon discovering it as he realized the odd place it was in, he realized it was just a shard. By listening to the soul shard's broken song, he realized that it belongs to Morrigan. But the odd thing was this shard somehow had a sense of self awareness. Broken and primordial, but the fact it had a sense of knowing it existed was remarkable. Here is the difference: He only gave the shard a body in a strange sense of both mercy and curiosity. At the time, he had an argument with the only other being that was a friend to him. A close confidant. Unlike Ozom however, she never backstabbed him. However, she (Sierra) was against Jedah's plan and told him to reconsider, especially as Belial was out of the picture. But he refused. Despite his plans meaning she will also become one as well, he gave her a chance of mercy to live out her remaining time as an individual, unlike the other nobles who had already been slaughtered and sacrificed to the Shintai (except Morrigan and Demitri). In a fleeting moment, he allowed this shard to have a chance to experience life, even if fleeting.

In Cryas Darkstalkers, Lilith doesn't seek to return to Morrigan. The idea I am going with Lilith is basically like the Replicas in Kingdom Hearts, a subclass of Nobodies. To put it simple, Nobodies are beings without hearts…initially. They have a body and soul but lack hearts. However, they in time would develop new hearts as they would begin to forge new bonds and create memories. In time, they become whole once again. In this case, this is what I am going for with Lilith. In essence, she isn't a succubus. She is effectively a Soul Shard. She has no soul of her own initially, just a body and mind. But in time, something would start to trigger in her. However, this doesn't mean she still doesn't seek Morrigan. She seeks her for different reasons this time about. See after she was given a body and was with Jedah for some time, as she dreamed and her mind began to solidify, she then could truly wonder about this girl she would see in her dreams. Jedah never answered her, merely telling her they were just her having lucid dreams. But Lilith didn't accept this. In time, she would leave Jedah as she got fed up with not getting an answer. She needed to know because for her simply, she doesn't know who she is. She only can vividly remember meeting Jedah, him telling her the name she has, and that she was wondering around in a daze till he found her and nursed her to good health. She thinks this girl holds the key to who she is. Upon meeting Hsien-Ko, Mei-Ling, and Caisla (OC of mine, will explain at a later day) in the Majigen as she wondered around, the sisters would think the girl she is seeing in her dreams might be Morrigan. That is Lilith's catalyst to join with the trio, along with the fact they were willing to help.

The body she initially has is at the mercy of Jedah. Her body was the amalgamation of part of his blood and part of the shard's power. His magic and what the shard had is what keeps her body together. At any moment, Jedah could just end her if he so wishes, but he chooses not to. However, his death would result in the collapse of her body, which isn't discovered till it is too late.

She has a familiar in the form of a bat made of energy. Unlike Morrigan, she treats this bat like a friend and is very close to them. This bat familiar is eventually named Ori.

No, she doesn't use the last name 'Aensland'.

Huitzil:

In Cryas Darkstalkers, both the name Phobos and Huitzil are used.

Phobos is the name of the robots that Pyron commands.

Huitzil is the name given to the last remaining Phobos unit in existence. He is named by the homeless Mexican boy, Cecil.

He follows the kid as when he was found amidst some rubble by Cecil. Somehow, he causes the Phobos to become active. However, their memory has been heavily damaged, and they lack a master to listen to. Upon seeing the child and eventually running diagnostics and calculations, the unit makes the decision to follow the child as its new servant.

Overtime, Huitzil and Cecil form a genuine bond close to that of brothers.

They get wrapped up in the events of the Majigen because a portal opening in Mexico near them allowed a Soul Bee to take the child as a snack. Huitzil would follow the kidnapper in order to save Cecil and exterminate the Soul Bee. However, they would wind up stuck in this strange realm.

Hoo boy, quite a lote. That is all for now. As always, if you have any questions, feel free to ask me! I'll be back in time with more bits of lore and stuff. 😎✌️

Lore Bits: Of samurai and bees

Have had some thoughts lately about two different characters and wish to now share with ya'll what I have crafted for Cryas Darkstalkers lore within this installment of Lore Bits. Today's focus will be on the cursed samurai, Bishamon and the demon bee, Q-Bee.

Bishamon:

Born on January 18th, 1673, during the Edo Period of Japan in the northern region of what would become the Aomori Prefecture.

'Bishamon' is actually not his name. This samurai's true name is Zenbē (善兵衛).

Being a samurai, he was part of a clan. His clan was know as the Tsugaru Clan (津軽氏)

Thus, his full name would be Zenbē Tsugaru (津軽 善兵衛, Tsugaru Zenbē).

He would eventually marry a woman who went by the name, Orin (オリン).

An accomplished and skillful warrior, he was well respected as a force of nature on the battlefield with his tactics, keen eyes, and mastery of his arsenal. Despite many battles, he had managed to live quite a long life by the standards of Japanese at the time. However, a life-changing event would occur in 1722 when he was age 49.

The enemy of his clan, the Nanbu Clan, were making their way into Tsugaru territory, seeking to conquer.

Initially, Zenbē's clan had sent the younger blood to fight. Despite some initial success, the tides were turning in favor for the Nanbu. As word of the ever-snowballing losses for the Tsugaru kept coming in, Zenbē grew worried for not only his people, but especially Orin.

One night, he had a dream where the voice of two spirits sought to provide him with the answer he needed. Upon waking up, he went to the location without telling anyone where he was heading.

Trekking up a mountain, Zenbē happened on the ruins of a monastery. Within, as told by the spirits in his dream, he came upon an armor and blade. While the armor looked intimidating and something within him felt uneasy, the promise of becoming an unstoppable warrior who could save his clan from ruin clouded his judgement. Aware of his age and too worried for his wife and people, he donned the armor and blade.

Immediately, the demonic influence of the pair, Hannya and Kien, began taking hold of Zenbē. With the promise of battle, they initially allowed Zenbē to keep control. Going into a battle that was going on, the Nanbu forces were slaughtered by Zenbē as their arrows couldn't stop him and their weapons bounced off him.

However, after the battle was won, Hannya and Kien would take control. Turning on his fellow Tsugaru kin, the demonic kinnies began a murderous rampage to quench their thirst for blood and souls. Seeing what he was doing, Zenbē desperately tried to regain control, but was powerless.

In time as they slowly began their spree of terror, Zenbē would begin to have his mind be clouded by the kinnies. However, one key moment would allow him to almost regain control.

When Zenbē came across a familiar building, he happened upon his wife. In the fog of his mind, he realized what was going on and tried to stop as his memories of Orin were coming to the forefront of his mind. However, he would kill his wife. As the pair were about to consume her soul, Zenbē's sheer rage and grief allowed him to regain control. However, it would not last as the kinnies, in a last-ditch effort for survival, sought to quell their host. Promising him that they would keep her safe within, allowing the two to stay together. This allowed them to regain control. Hannya and Kien would not seek to double cross on their word, only to make sure that an outburst like that would not happen again.

Upon coming across a temple and seeing inscriptions about the deity, Bishamon, the kinnies sought to rename their host to Bishamon. Their idea was to strike fear into the mortals with the idea that this god of war now walks among them, seeking only for their blood and souls.

This rampage would go on across Japan and eventually make way into China from 1722 till 1807.

After an intense battle with the demon of the east, Hsien-Ko and Mei-Ling unknowingly freed Zenbē and Orin from their imprisonment after defeating 'Bishamon'.

Despite effort by Hsien-Ko to break the kinnies by sheer force and Mei-Ling using her Xiānshù arts to banish them, nothing either sister did worked.

Hannya and Kien, per an idea by Zenbē, would be sealed in a tomb among the eerie, volcanic landscape of Mount Osore. With the idea in place, Mei-Ling was able to at least place many talismans upon the kinnies to quell their ability to seek a new host.

Upon making way to Japan and traveling to Mount Osore, a tomb at the highest, most dangerous peak was dug up. The sealed Hannya and Kien were placed deep within and the tomb was promptly sealed

From then on, Zenbē sought to dedicate the rest of his time to seeking a way to permanently destroy the pair as a way to redeem his soul from the horrors he committed upon the innocent. Orin would stick by him to aid in his goal.

While his wife and the sisters would call him by his true name of Zenbē. he decided that as penance, he would keep the mantle of Bishamon as to not tarnish his clan, nor name, any further that he already did with his foolish decision he made all those years ago.

Before I explain about Q-Bee, I must first explain more about Soul Bees as a species/race in Cryas Darkstalkers.

Soul Bees are a race of lifeforms that evolved from a species of Makaiin bees many eons ago. Makaiin bees were a parasitic, solitary species that sought to infect hosts in order to reproduce. However, a mutation occurred that paved the way for the evolution of Soul Bees of the current day.

Soul Bees are a eusocial race that work together for the good of the hive. Among their structure are three sub-species: D-Bees, P-Bees, and the Q-Bee.

D-Bees:

D-Bees, ranging in heights of 1ft to 2ft play the role of scout, hunter, and gatherer of the hive. They scour the territory in order to gain information to inform the hive. Information is not the only thing they seek as they also hunt down a valuable resource: souls.

If a suitable prey is found, the D-Bee will use their speed, venom, stingers, and claws to kill their prey. They do not seek to confront above their weight class as they must manage their energy output properly.

Once victorious, the D-Bee consumes the body and then gathers the soul to keep safe for transportation to the hive. The soul is kept in a specialized organ in their abdomen.

In the time between scouting and hunting, D-Bees will also seek flowers in order to gain nutrients to help fuel their bodies. This allows them to be pollinators in Makai, allowing for a large variety of flora to grow.

Can live for about a few years.

P-Bees:

P-Bees, standing around 3ft to 4ft, take on a number of roles in the hive, from maintenance, caretakers of the brood, defenders of the hive, and distributors of food supplies.

In their role of maintenance, P-Bees will make repairs and improvements to the hive. They make sure everything is sturdy enough for food storage, a 'nursery' for the brood, and for the Q-Bee. The hive is constructed from a specialized mixture of saliva, pollen resin, natural wax produced by D-Bees, and sediment from the surrounding area. While the outside primarily uses sediment for a tougher structure, the inside for the comb structures used to store the brood and food supplies use the other listed materials to allow for some flexibility, while being strong enough to withstand their weight.

The eggs, larvae, and pupae make up what are known as the brood. These are cared for by the P-Bees as to ensure the population is maintained for the good of the hive. When the Q-Bee has laid her batch of eggs, the P-Bees will gather them and place them in special combs so they can be kept safe till they hatch. From there, they are cleaned and fed by the P-Bees till they eventually become new D-Bees and P-Bees.

Built stronger and sturdier than D-Bees, the P-Bees are capable of defending the hive should a curiously hungry predator seek a meal. They have stingers and claws, but unlike D-Bees, fully have the support of the hive close-by, along with food supplies to keep them energized. P-Bees seek to kill when the hive is threatened. When victorious, the prey, along with fallen P-Bees, are consumed for nourishment. Any souls are given to the Q-Bee.

Gathering the honey produced by the Q-Bee, this substance is stored in specialized combs around the hive. The P-Bees are tasked with feeding the entire hive, making sure everyone gets their share of this highly nutritious substance.

Lifespan of about a few decades.

Q-Bee:

Standing at a titan 8ft to 9ft tall, the Q-Bee is the heart of the hive. She plays an important role in the repopulation of the hive and the reason the species are known as 'Soul Bees'.

When D-Bees comeback with souls or P-Bees manage to defend the hive and get souls out of the endeavor, all souls are given to the Q-Bee. Ingesting the souls, Q-Bees begin a specialized process in breaking down the soul in order to get at the unfathomable energy within.

While D-Bees and P-Bees can process stray spiritual energy for nourishment, their bodies are not capable of digesting a soul. Any attempt to do so would prove catastrophically fatal. However, the Q-Bee has evolved to not only do this safely, but efficiently.

The vast energy is used to feed the Q-Bee's ravenous need for energy to do several things: produce eggs, fuel her body so she can digest more souls, and create a viscous substance used to feed the hive known as honey. The honey of Soul Bees is packed with an immense of energy and the nutrients P-Bees, D-Bees, and the brood need to survive and thrive.

While the rest of the hive will put their lives on the line, should a powerful threat start to prove too much, the Q-Bee will step in as the final line of defense. Despite her immense size, she is fully capable of flying with great speed and maneuverability.

Beyond her speed, she is equipped with claws, stingers, and venom like her fellow D-Bees and P-Bees. However, these are far more deadly with her sheer size and speed, allowing her to impale and tear with ferocity.

Another trait she has are specialized toxic scales that can be emitted from her wings. These scales can irritate the skin and lungs of victims.

The Q-Bee exoskeleton evolved to be extremely tough.

Using specialized signals via vibrations and pheromones, the Q-Bee can rally and fully control her hive to fight more effectively beyond their instincts.

Unlike the rest of her hive, the Q-Bee is the only one with a fully-fledged soul and thus the capability to think at an intellectual level beyond instinct. This allows her to plan and strategize.

The Q-Bee is the only one capable of speech and thus has the ability to talk with other lifeforms. In general, she can speak the Makaiin tongue to some degree.

Jedah managed to make contact with a Soul Bee hive millenia ago. He was curious about the ability of the Q-Bee to so easily reduced souls to tangible sources of nourishment. In studying her, he gained a better understanding of souls and thus his own being and ability to manipulate spiritual energy.

In return for allowing his studies, he granted them protection and a steady source of 'food' to maintain the hive.

When the time comes for the end of the Q-Bee's life, a signal is given to D-Bees to seek a suitable host. Prepping them with more honey than usual, D-Bees seek to find a competent host and bring them back to the hive alive. Once one is brought back, the host is paralyzed via a special venom. From there, the Q-Bee emerges to pierce the host and insert a special larva inside their still living body of the victim. From there, the Q-Bee dies. The body of the victim serves as an incubator and food source of the quickly growing larva. Once ready, the still growing Q-Bee will emerge from her incubator. The hive will then seek to care for the new Q-Bee till she has fully reached maturity within a few days of rapid growth and change. From there, she will then care for her hive and assume her role.

The soul of the past Q-Bee is used as the first soul to be consumed by the new Q-Bee to begin her role in creating a new brood and food for her hive.

In the chance a Q-Bee dies in combat, the soul of the Q-Bee will influence a P-Bee, likely the strongest, to undergo an extremely quick metamorphosis. While this will cause some of the food supply and fellow P-Bees and D-Bees to be consumed to fuel the transformation, once the P-Bee has transformed enough to become the new Q-Bee, the soul of the deceased Q-Bee will then feed herself to the new Q-Bee to allow for the extreme hunger to be quenched and to quickly get the hive back into healthy order.

Due to her role, the life span of the Q-Bee can be for around a century.

That should do it for this installment. If ya got questions, feel free to ask and I'd be happy to elaborate on some Cryas Darkstalker lore regarding what I talked about. 😎😙

Hsien-Ko and Mei-Ling Lore Bits 4

I had made mention of bringing up some new information that came to mind during my research. And now, I am ecstatic to share! 😄Brace yourself for not only cool additions to their lore, but some Mandarin Chinese script here and there. 🧧

The Igyou Tenshin no Jutsu (いぎょう-てんしん-の-じゅつ) was the name of the art used by their mother and them in the original lore. However, that name is Japanese. After finally getting a translation of this skill (Change Oneself to a Strange Form Technique) then finding a way to translate that into Mandarin, I finally have a name for the art in Cryas Darkstalkers!

異形變形術 (Yìxíng Biànxíng Shù) is the new official name of the art. In English, it means Irregular Shape Change Skill. Also for fun, the simplified script for ya'll: 异形变形术

Jiangshi can enter into a state known as 狂暴 (kuángbào). Basically, translating to 'frenzy', this is a state where a jiangshi is driven into an unpredictably violent rampage for Qì if they have gone too long without feeding.

Hsien-Ko is no different in terms of the requirements to enter kuángbào. However, as she still possesses a conscious, unlike most jiangshi that come into existence. When in frenzy, her body forces her mind to be locked deep away as the desire for Qì takes over.

Even if Qì is obtained, the frenzied Hsien-Ko would still go on a rampage as with her mind locked away, Mei-Ling can't influence Hsien-Ko. The only way to stop her is for Mei-Ling to reattach in her talisman form and bring back Hsien-Ko.

As she is also a jiangshi by nature of the Yìxíng Biànxíng Shù, Mei-Ling does require Qì. However, she doesn't enter into kuángbào via a hunger for Qì. Only via sufficiently strong magic interference can cause her to go frenzy.

When Mei-Ling does get hungry for Qì, she tends to get lethargic and irritable.

Mei-Ling can transform into a form known as 護身符 (hùshēnfú). With her role as 'the mind', she has to help regulate the flow of Qì in Hsien-Ko to allow 'the body' to function at full power while also having control of said power.

While the term hùshēnfú basically translates to amulet/talisman, the specific form she takes on is joss paper, 金紙.

金紙 (jīnzhǐ) translates to 'golden paper. The texture of her form is that of coarse bamboo paper, the traditional material for joss paper. Interestingly, the golden color is a signifier of being an offering for deities.

The script on her form translates to 'keep this on your body to keep you safe'.

While in her talisman form, Mei-Ling has a special enchantment on her granted by the Yìxíng Biànxíng Shù. This enchantment is known as 奇異守護 (Qíyì Shǒuhù).

Qíyì Shǒuhù, or Strange Protection, allows her to be able to perform her function as 'the mind' by granting her hùshēnfú form total immunity from practically any form of magic. The only real way to 'damage' her is to physically break her talisman form to force her back to her true form. Ripping, shredding, and cutting the form are the best ways.

Even when her form is attacked by physical means, Mei-Ling's true form doesn't suffer actual harm. However, she can't change back for some time as her Qì needs to reconstruct the form internally. This can not only leave her vulnerable to genuine harm but means that Hsien-Ko can't be at full strength for the time being.

Mei-Ling did attempt to reverse engineer the Qíyì Shǒuhù to provide Hsien-Ko with this form of protection. Years of tinkering, she eventually had to stop by the pleads of Hsien-Ko.

Despite the fruitless endeavor, her trying to figure out this enchantment did help her eventually craft one for Hsien-Ko that allowed for the phasing of her body through clothing, along with manipulation of it. Something that would be applied to the clothes that she would make for Hsien-Ko in the future.

轉生術 (Zhuǎnshēng Shù) is the final art taught to Xiānshùshī who have been recognized with the title of Shīfu. Translating to 'Reincarnation Skill', Zhuǎnshēng Shù is said to allow the caster's soul to be able to safely depart for the afterlife.

Because the Yìxíng Biànxíng Shù transformed them both to jiangshi, their souls have been tethered to their bodies as a fuel source to allow them to continue living and replace the metabolic functions of their bodies.

The sisters are incapable of passing on via natural causes. The only ways the sisters can truly die is either being killed or allowing their bodies to fully consume their souls. The first option is not a way that either sister wishes to die and the later would lead to their erasure. A true death in a way.

The Zhuǎnshēng Shù is the only means that allows the sisters to pass away peacefully. Once they save their mother and have a final conversation with her after awakening from a long coma, Mingxia bestows not only the mirror and necklace back as a gift to her daughters, but also the knowledge of the Zhuǎnshēng Shù to recognize them both as Shīfu.

As mentioned above, the Yìxíng Biànxíng Shù turned Hsien-Ko in the body of a jiangshi and Mei-Ling into the mind of a jiangshi. The rest of this Lore Bits shall be dedicated to what the Yìxíng Biànxíng Shù did to Hsien-Ko, to Mei-Ling, and to both. First, to both:

Metabolic functions ceased in both sisters. For all intents and purposes, they are dead.

Qì is required to not only satiate their bodies, but to allow for limited bodily functions, like their digestive systems, movement, and brain function.

Neither sister needs to breathe oxygen.

Innately, both sisters are granted the ability known as Qì Absorption. This art is executed by a focused deep breath that allows for spiritual energy to flow from the target into their bodies.

Both have a high tolerance for temperature variance. The only way they can feel hot or cold is via extremes of either.

They possess a sensitivity to the presence of living beings and of stray spiritual energy.

Both have the ability to walk on air for brief periods of time.

They age physically very slowly.

Food can be eaten, and liquids can be drunk and processed by their digestive systems. The energy obtained from this can be used, but since their bodies require Qì to make their digestive systems work in the first place, this can't be a substitute for consumption of Qì, only slow it down.

As for how Hsien-Ko is specifically affected:

Sunlight debuffs Hsien-ko, specifically during the times when the sun is up directly in the sky. The reason for this is that the amount of energy from direct sunlight disturbs the imbalance of Qì she suffers innately from.

Thankfully she is not harmed by the rays of light, but she can feel its effects on her.

Unlike when she was human, Hsien-Ko is incapable of properly controlling her Qì.

Thanks to the innate imbalance of Qì flow in her, Hsien-Ko requires the consumption of more Qì compared to Mei-Ling.

Being 'the body', Hsien-Ko possesses a healing factor. The more Qì she has in reserves, the better her regenerative abilities are.

Despite the lack of full control of her Qì, Hsien-Ko innately has greater physical strength than she could ever achieve with Qì control as a human.

Hsien-Ko's nails have the ability to grow to 152cm (5ft). They are very durable and can be used to slash or pierce particularly vulnerable targets.

Hsien-Ko's body can easily contort into very unnatural poses and directions.

Oddly, her tongue can extend her tongue by 92cm or roughly 3ft.

While the best way to consume Qì is via Qì Absorption, Hsien-Ko can also sap Qì via physical contact. But this is less efficient.

Hsien-Ko cannot enter REM sleep naturally. In fact, she hardly needs to sleep. While initially seen as cool, Hsien-Ko desperately wanted to experience sleep, especially during the times she must be in the coffin. With help from Mei-Ling, she found ways to be able to rest.

The only way Hsien-Ko can enter REM sleep is via talismans crafted by Mei-Ling with the enchantment to allow it.

As mentioned above, Hsien-Ko can enter kuángbào via a hunger for Qì. However, she also can enter the state via being too far away from Mei-Ling for too long or via a disturbance to her Qì at an extreme caliber.

If not in kuángbào, should any talisman be placed on Hsien-Ko, she will be left paralyzed. However, if commands written in Manchu or Chinese scripts are on the talismans, she will be forced to obey the commands against her will.

The only commands she will not obey are ones that bring harm to Mei-Ling, her 'mind' to her 'body'.

Hsien-Ko undergoes the most physical changes to her form. Her skin is now a shade of light blue. Her eyes are that of a golden yellow. Her hair color is now a deep blue violet color, along with a wilder style.

Moss does grow on Hsien-Ko. However, she does strive to get rid of it when grows sufficiently on her body.

Finally, how Mei-Ling was affected:

Unlike Hsien-Ko, Mei-Ling didn't experience many physical changes. Her hair changed style and color to of a more umber shade rather than her original near dark brown color. Her eyes changed to that of a brilliant jade green.

The only giveaway that Mei-Ling is not human to the average individual is her lack of body heat.

Mei-Ling in her talisman form can possess other individuals, the ability of control varying.

Being 'the mind', Mei-Ling has a deep sensitivity to Hsien-Ko's thoughts and emotions.

When she sleeps, often enough she will suffer nightmares, ranging from reliving the night her mother sacrificed herself to the time her frenzied sister nearly killed her.

However, some nightmares are the perspective of Hsien-Ko's fears and memories.

Not only does she serve to stabilize Hsien-Ko's Qì, but also her emotional state as to ensure Hsien-Ko can serve her function in combat. A negative filter in a way.

While she can and does strive to work through this, there are times where she will breakdown and require comfort from Hsien-Ko. In turn, Hsien-Ko does her best to maintain a cheerful mood that is born from her being in a good headspace and not because Mei-Ling had to absorb some of the brunt of her emotions. Plus, to also make her big sister feel better. 🥹

After being comforted, Mei-Ling generally is capable of experiencing pleasant dreams. Assuring both sisters are in a great mood.

Mei-Ling generally sleeps for about 7 hours.

That should end this Lore Bits. Quite a lot to go through, but finally happy to get this out! 😎 Hope you enjoy learning about Hsien-Ko and Mei-Ling of Cryas Darkstalkers. 😊

Cryas Darkstalkers Cast Bits

So, I only really have designs for the characters I have shown via lore blogs. However, I already do have thoughts for many of the other cast. So rather than wait till I have designs to make longer lore blogs, I'll give brief snippets about how each have changed for the mythos and their general role.

Jon Talbain:

He is still a werewolf, born in the wilderness of the northern forests of the United Kingdom.

His father is still Baraba Kreutz, while his mother now has a name: Cathwulf Talbain. Cathwulf has a pet dog, an Airedale Terrier known as Norward.

He still has an ordeal of being unable to fully control his werewolf form. It is via the help of many of the years that he eventually can learn to control his Qi and control his bestial form.

He will have a fairly northern accent thanks to his mother.

He does learn martial arts from a Japanese master he finds in the mountains of the main European continent. The master does go by the name of Gallon.

He does eventually become friends with Felicia and becomes a relative mainstay in the Rose household from his travels. Their relationship is strictly platonic, despite Ramona making sly remarks about Jon being a fine man for her daughter.

Victor Von Gerdenheim:

Victor's 'birth' year is changed to 1831. No current month or date as of yet.

Honestly, aspects of his lore are inspired by the story he had from the Udon mythos. One of the very few things I can praise about those comics.

Professor Gerdenheim sees Emily and Victor as not only his creations, but also his children. He wishes to use his knowledge to further improve them, especially Emily since her 'heart' is defective compared to Victor's.

He and Emily both speak fluent Germen, but eventually learn English. Victor does tend to talk in the third person, but eventually learns to better improve his speech over the decades.

After the events of Victor and Emily's introduction into the mythos, their goals both involve making their father proud in their own ways. Victor wishes to get strong to help protect the village and his big sister from those who would cause harm. Emily wishes to follow in her father's footsteps to continue his research so that one day his studies could be fully realized and help the people.

Demitri Maximoff:

He is born in Makai.

He plays an antagonistic role, generally being a menace and nuisance to the various protagonists in the Cryas Darkstalkers mythos and eventually to even a few individuals from the Cryas Chronicles reality.

After his failed coup against Belial, he, his castle, and those in it were banished to Earth as a sign of humiliation and contempt for the vampire lord. Not only that, but the vampires who remained in Makai were under heavy watch.

However, there was another added thing in Cryas Darkstalkers. Belial cursed Demitri that so long as he lived, Demitri's power would always never be able to reach its full potential no matter how blood he consumed. Not only that, but he couldn't pass through the Gate to return to Makai.

With no knowledge of the curse, Demitri's time on Earth is spent trying to feebly regain his power and more to once again rechallenge Belial. However, he does seek to try and make a base of operation on Earth.

Despite not being at his full power, he still proves to be quite a powerful creature of the night.

His hatred of Belial extends to Morrigan. In essence, those who bear the family name of Aensland are his mortal enemies and must be crushed under his heel so he can take the throne and power of the ruler of Makai.

He does still have his harem of women. They are Patricia, Elizabeth, Francoise and Angelica. They are the ones that he gives the best treatment to in regard to their duties him compared to all his 'loyal' subjects.

His clothing is gonna be changed. Despite my desire to make fun of Demitri and see him as this dumb onion head, I will take him seriously enough in my mythos. Thus, no skintight clothing. It was and still is stupid looking.

Despite being a Makain by birth, I will likely try to design him with some sense of coding to a region on Earth. For exactly where, I still need to think about that.

While he does speak in a way to give a sense of regality to his mannerisms, he is not above going more brutish and animalistic in his tone when the time calls for it.

Zabel Zarock:

His birth year will be completely different to better match the idea of when he rose to stardom as a metal musician. For now, a current year of 1968 is in mind.

He is born in Australia, but this time will have an accent and speech mannerism to match that along with his cultural love of metal.

He becomes a zombie at a relatively young age, in his early 20s.

Despite the short time span of becoming a zombie, he amasses power at an unbelievable rate.

He begrudgingly works under Ozom, with Le Malta being Ozom's middleman to insure Zabel upholds his end of the bargain.

Despite Le Malta's initial role, he actually grows to have a good friendly, brother like relation to Zabel. Zabel does treat him like he would anybody else but does grow to like his company.

Lord Raptor was his stage name when he performed. He still goes by that name a lot during his concerts as a zombie and when out killing for souls. Only a few people are aware of his real name of Zabel Zarock.

NO, he and Hsien-Ko are not a couple in this mythos. However, I would like to give an idea of what I plan. This next bullet point will be longer, but I need to stress this very badly.

Upon his first encounter with the sisters in the brush of Australia, he merely saw Hsien-Ko as just another jobber out to kill him. A buzzkill basically. Despite being stronger than her, something about her willingness to keep fighting despite being badly injured and losing sparked something in his heart and mind. Her ferocious fighting spirit lit a flame in him that made him respect her and even grow to find this sheila as quite the catch. He would throw the battle to let her 'win' and eventually make his escape after teasing her with his honest answer as to why he allowed her to live and win. I want to explore the idea of his crush on Hsien-Ko being built on his respect for her after that first encounter. While the sisters clearly would want him dead since he is a murderous menace, the dude proves to be too slippery to fully kill. If anything, he basically likes to annoy her when he can come across Hsien-Ko. Not only to see her react but catch more glimpses of her.

Zabel is basically a chaotic antagonist. While he generally is a terrible individual, he is quite the goober with how he just lives by his own rules. However, there will be times where he does lend a hand to Hsien-Ko based on the circumstances. It is not often but does occur.

After his first encounter with the Shao sisters, he has no intention to harm or kill Hsien-Ko. By proxy, this is the same for Mei-Ling, but only because she is related to Hsien-Ko.

He wants to gain enough power to kill Ozom so he can be free from him and just go about living his undead life his own way. He does hope that maybe in time, perhaps he could even somehow get his sheila to aid him in killing Ozom.

Sasquatch:

His father is the leader of their tribe and is known as Tundra.

Their tribe is located in the artic regions of northern Canada.

The Bigfoot race once lived in Makai, but eventually left via a gate that no longer is active. The original location of the gate that brought their ancestors to this land is regarded as a sacred place and holds major cultural significance.

I am still uncertain how big of a character and role he will play in the overall mythos, but the sisters do encounter him and the Bigfoot during their travels through the North American continent.

Rikuo:

I'll be honest, I don't really have anything in mind. He will get a redesign and his people will live near the region of Brazil. But overall, the merkin and Rikuo play no major role. Just will do things to build the world and stuff.

Oh, I guess I will refer to his race as Merkin. I could say Merfolk, but I already refer to Felicia's race as Catfolk. So, want to spread things out with my vernacular.

Anakaris:

Same as Rikuo, but I do at least have a story event in mind with him. But again, he is a minor character in the grand scheme of things.

Likely, time travel will be eliminated from his lore since I do not want to deal with such story elements. But still, Anakaris will be quite the powerful pharaoh.

And yes, he still has commandments.

Okay, I think I will stop here for now. Just give you a taste of lore cast bits. I'll give some more at a later date. Feel free to ask any questions and I'll be happy to elaborate. 😉

Is BB Hood in this universe? If so, what's her deal?

First of all, thank you for your question and being the first one to ask!😆🙌

Next, allow me to answer this question. BB Hood is in this mythos as an antagonist. In a sense, not only is she the whole idea of 'humans being monsters' or 'wolf in sheep's skin' ideas, but she is also a high-functioning sociopath. She only cares about her desires and sees everyone else as a tool for her to use for her own gain. There are at least two exceptions to this: her grandmother and her dog Harry. Granted, while the dog is part of her tactics of deceit, she does care for the dog to keep it healthy and cared for.

As for when she shows up, she is active during the events of the mythos when Jedah is doing his whole thing of getting worthy souls. In the Majigen, she basically serves to be a persistent antagonistic force to the group of characters who have banded together to go confront Jedah and get out of this new realm. While only human, her vast arsenal of weaponry and combat tactics make her a danger to everyone involved.

The only other thing I can add is that I personally see that she doesn't have a real name and it is never known. BB Hood and Bulletta are aliases she has gone by. I personally like Bulletta, but either name works in Cryas Darkstalkers. As for her age, I don't have one fully in mind, but she is intended to not be an adult. Probably teenager years. As for her country of origin, while I don't have one in mind, I'd probably go for her being European, specifically from the areas of the Nordic regions or even Russia.

While it isn't her current design as of yet, have this old sketch of Bulletta I made some years ago: