The Descended

The Descended, alternatively called the broken, blindmen, pale shadows or darkhousers are a human subspecies of monsters found in the deeper depths of Kthonos.

Physical Attributes and Behavior
The descended are darkest legacy of the Ancients. Their origins are unknown, though some theories have been put forward. Some say they were cruel magitech experiments of the Ancients. Some say they were humans put under a grim curse from some unknown dark god. The most prevailing theory, though, is that they are simply humans who fared the worst after the Collapse of the Ancients, running and hiding in the dark of Kthonos and losing their humanity as they adapted to their new home.

The descended, despite having human ancestors, have evolved out of their intelligence. They are now like animals in mind, no smarter than a wolf. They have adapted supremely to their environment -- they have lost their eyes, no longer needing them in the impenetrable dark, and instead have enlarged ears to assist with echolocation. Their skin has lost all pigment and is even slightly translucent, and they are entirely hairless. Their bones are springy and elastic and their forms are slight and elongated, allowing easy maneuvarability in small holes. Their nails have sharpened to claws and their teeth have moved further out from their jaw, making them suited to their predatory habits of hunting large cave salamanders and arthropods in packs.

Descended are considered by virtually all who have the misfortune to come across them as creepy at best and existentially horrifying at worst -- particularly by humans. They are altogether too human to not be unsettling -- their forms are human, their movements are human, their shouts of fear and pain and pleasure and aggression are human. Worst of all, though, is their numbers -- the lower you go, the more and more you'll find. There are far more of them than there are humans on the surface. The worst part of the descended is knowing that they, with their hideous forms and their lost humanity, won. The surface humans are not the true successors of the Ancients' legacy -- that honor belongs to the wretched descended.

Stats
Tags: Horde, Stealthy, Organized

Claws (d8 damage, hand); 3 HP; 0 armor

Special Qualities: Echolocation

Moves:


 * Spring from darkness


 * Use pack tactics


 * Throw rocks