Ashtam

The ashtam, literally “unshaped” in their native tongue, are a race of ancient humanoids whose bodies are made of wood, metals and stone. According to their lore they were once created as soldiers to fight for their creator in an ancient conflict. They were however left unfinished, as mere spirits without physical bodies to inhabit and still untainted by their creator’s evil intentions. Then the god Akram found them and decided to bring them with him when he retreated to Sijn where he taught them the secrets of shaping different materials so that they could fashion bodies for themselves to inhabit. On Sijn they continued to serve their savior and spread across the world, building great cities and learning much from the over-god. Their civilization was however destroyed when the demons came into being after Akram’s death, and they were forgotten save for the few ruins that remain to this day.

Each of the ashtam’s physical forms are made from different materials: rare minerals, precious metals, various species of trees and even some unidentifiable matter. The ashtam believe it a point of reverence to make their appearance as majestic as possible in honor of Akram who wished them to become a force for good in the universe. Though made from material stronger than mere flesh, something in the power that allows them to shape it into a living thing makes it more pliable even to a would be assailant’s blade so they are far from impervious to physical harm even if they are considerably sturdier. Likewise being made from gold, silver, copper or even platinum while having the appearance of an unfeeling golem makes a lone ashtam a target for those who have no qualms about using their sword.

As they were originally purely spiritual beings they do not procreate as other races do. When they feel that the time is right and that they have experienced enough the ashtam convene to pool some of their spiritual essence, often giving their most valued experiences and ideals to be carried on by their progeny. From this raw mass of spirits new ashtam souls emerge, each receiving some of their predecessors’ memories and experiences. The newborn souls are then taught by their elders while they inhabit a body made by their forebears, made mostly from stone and without many discernible features. An ashtam is considered to be of age, usually after five or so years, when they have a better grasp of their identity and they learn to fashion a new, permanent body for themselves. After this transition they are unable to separate their essence from their physical form but it is considered a small sacrifice for the ability to better interact with the material world. As the ashtam are fundamentally spiritual beings with undying bodies, they are virtually immortal when age is considered. They however have a tradition of choosing to pass on to the side of the gods when they reach around 500 years when their experiences weight heavy on them and they begin to have a vague longing of returning to a nonphysical form. Most ashtam would think it arrogance if one wished to live forever.

All of the ashtam currently alive on Sijn are the descendants of the city of Neshiram, located underneath the surface of Yaremac, where the residents of the ancient city stored their spiritual essence in a magical ritual and froze their entire city to prevent the demons from destroying it. Recently, after thousands of years, the last survivor and the leader of the city was awakened from his long sleep and he began to wake the unborn souls of his people.

Metaknowledge
Sadly the extended slumber of the yet unformed souls, the corruption brought by the demons and the damage to the ancient city has tainted the spirits of the ashtam. Dark thoughts and memories of the millions of mortals who have perished after the city was sealed have invaded the dreams of the sleeping souls and taught them things no ashtam before them could even conceive of. Some try to suppress their influence while others consider even the more displeasing experiences to be valuable. Only time will tell how far the evils of the world have corrupted the once noble servants of the gods while they seek their place in the changed world.