19

CN

29

TRUE

7

3

22

Mortic Mortics are humanoids overwhelmed by negative energy who still cling to life, surviving as twisted amalgams of living and undead. Though they feel unnatural cravings and resemble corpses, mortics live, breathe, eat, sleep, and procreate. However, a mortic can suspend their living functions simply by holding their breath, becoming more like a true undead. Mortics are largely new to Golarion, with most created in droves when the Whispering Tyrant destroyed entire cities with his Radiant Fire, a magical explosion fueled by the collision of negative and positive energy. From among the corpses of these tragedies rose mortics, living survivors mistaken for corpses and left behind as a result. They found themselves in a twilight state—neither fully alive or undead. The necrotic pollutants of the Gravelands and the Isle of Terror continue to create mortics, seeping into neighboring lands through the air, earth, and water to infect the populace. Though most of the living in these lands fear becoming transformed, some believe becoming a mortic is their best chance of survival in the face of the encroaching hordes of the dead. A mortic’s powers differ by ancestry, though they do have a few commonalities. Reading or hearing scripture induces headaches, and they experience great discomfort when treading upon sacred ground. For those who were religious in life, these new changes can be devastating. Other Mortics The mortics presented here are four of the most prevalent variations. Others—such as relictner dwarves, shadern goblins, and jitterbone halflings—are also common. Etioling When the primal spark of the First World nestled in a gnome’s heart is engulfed in Radiant Fire, it fights back, pushing against death with riotous life and creating an etioling. Within their small frames, churning positive and negative energy fiercely battle for dominance, occasionally causing convulsions and babbling speech. This intense inner conflict warps an etioling’s primal magic, transmogrifying it into an occult hybrid singular to these unfortunate mortics. Nearly devoid of color, etiolings have vibrant eyes and pulsing green veins. Their bodies force the corrupting negative energy out through their pores, where it distills on their skin, covering them in a thin layer of ectoplasm and concentrated death. Around them, the world withers. Incapable of focusing for long, etiolings are impulsive and moody, rapidly alternating between kindness, malice, and trickery. They forget themselves, their friends, and the things they once loved.

5

22

150

negative healing

3

22

Common, Gnome, Necril, Sylvan

10

4

4

4

4

4

19

Creature

19

19

21

17

darkvision

Small

25

21

29

TRUE

3

Rare, Gnome, Humanoid, Mortic

5