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They wear clothing, veils, and masks to hide such deformities, both to disguise their true nature from outsiders and new members of the cult as well as to keep them from seeing reflections of themselves, as the sight of such things can cause outbursts of anger and violence in the reborn.Ĭult Agents. Sometimes the magic doesn’t take, so the reborn suffer decay, resulting in partially skeletal features, like a hand or foot, torso, or part of their face. Salamondre must draw on the power of the Heart often to rejuvenate his own form as well as those of his undead followers. They start off as hollow ones and are brought to completion over several sessions of ritual magic. Reborn brought back from death share all the features of the reborn made from the living but are sometimes in stages of incompletion. Most never leave the complex where the cult makes its home. Even then, they are bound to Salamondre through the Thrice-Cursed Heart and thus to the Song Undying. They are taught to restrain their urges, to temper their natural cruelty, so they can pass for human again. Both are watched carefully in the early days of their rebirth as they are prone to outbursts of violence and even cannibalism. Those whose bodies are reformed and raised from the dead are more bestial and less in control than those who are still alive and transformed. However, the taint of the Thrice-Cursed Heart lies heavy on their spirit, corrupting them on the inside and making them cruel, hungry things. Reborn made from the living appear alive, their flesh whole and unblemished with no sign of the decomposition normally associated with undead creatures. Due to the twisted power of the Thrice-Cursed Heart, they also become undead. This category also includes those that joined the cult as still living members in order to have diseases, deformations, and other ailments healed. Outside of the cult, or informally when speaking with outsiders, they are referred to as reborn.

Within the cult, they are known collectively as the Refrain-or more formally as Life’s Refrain. Through the Song Undying, Salamondre can fully restore the dead or dying, though they come back as undead.