Cryptids

> "It's from the darkness that all things came. It's to the darkness that all things return. It may be scary; it may be different. But hold my hand. In its calm, we will sleep in the shadows together." - Lullaby of Shadow
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**Cryptids** are a race of dark, monster-like creatures native to the Underworld. Being born from the essences of dying life, they represent the remains of the people of the Nexus after they perish. In other words, becoming a cryptid is the fate of all sentient mortal folk, with death as the primary means in which they are created. Cryptids are the denizens most prevalent to the Underworld's uppermost layer, the Antelayer, existing in harmony with the shadow monsters and plant life that thrive there. While some cryptids gain the capacity to return to the Nexus, being responsible for much folklore and myth in the distant past, most choose to remain in the Underworld.

In a poetic sense, becoming a cryptid is akin to becoming the echoes of who you were. As it is one's essence given new form after death, it may be regarded as a kind of afterlife, or a reincarnation.

## Etymology

The term "cryptid", in real life, stands for animals that are believed to exist somewhere in the wild yet are unconfirmed by science. The meaning of cryptids in Where We All Sleep stems from their former statuses as cryptic, unknown beings that would be few in number in the worlds they originate from, prior to the opening of a Gateway. An example would be Aluzera's early experiences and the choice to use "cryptid" as their name in Common. The term used and its impact varies with the culture and language. Nevertheless, it would persist as the Common term.

The true name of cryptids, in Shadowtongue, is **Veil'tah**. The word is derived from the Shadowtongue words *aveila* and *zytah,* which together say "nameless people". The name itself is believed to mean "from the veil", and has long been associated with blessings and rebirth.

## Biology and appearance

Cryptids have bodies comprised of three major parts: their "essence" acting as their core, the translucent goo-like innards around it, and the protective layer they all possess. This layer is known as a "husk". Upon the removal or destruction of a husk, what remains is typically said to be the cryptid's "ghost"; indeed, the goo they're made from in most part is colloquially called "ectoplasm". Despite this rather simplistic look however, a cryptid's body is as complex as any living being and presents its own unique needs.

The husk, which is made from a mixture of durable, fabric-like compounds, has a similar function to skin: protection, sensation, and regulation. This is not all though, as a husk includes a skeletal and muscular structure that functions in tandem with their ectoplasm. As such, it is both a form of protection and a support system. Without it, cryptids in their ghostly forms lose strength and shape, resembling their husk only superficially. A husk may be lost when it either takes overwhelming damage, or when the cryptid chooses to shed it, whether permanently or temporarily. A shed husk may be reclaimed at any time by the owner, and *only* the owner. Husks may reject cryptids that do not own them.

When a husk is damaged, the response is either to allow it to heal on its own, or to stitch substantial wounds back together. However, when a husk is damaged beyond repair and loses cohesion, or it is lost some other way, the cryptid must wait for their husk to regenerate on its own. This can take quite some amount of time, with the process requiring anywhere between several days to several months depending on the severity. Fortunately, cryptids can live without a husk, but it can be difficult due to the cryptid's high vulnerability in this state.

In their ghost state, in exchange for their essence becoming exposed, cryptids gain new abilities to defend themselves. These abilities include intangibility, invisibility, and limited flight. Furthermore, as a vestigial defense mechanism, ghost cryptids reflexively freeze in place should a strong light be shined on them. Like the husk however, ectoplasm too may be lost. This happens when a cryptid is wounded and "bleeds". When a husk is missing, cryptids gain a thin film around their bodies that allows them to retain some cohesion, though they remain just as vulnerable to bleeding should they be harmed. Ectoplasm, and a cryptid's ghost form by extension, may be virtually any color. Given some time, ectoplasm may also regenerate, in a similar way to the replenishment of blood in other creatures.

The essence of a cryptid is, in a literal sense, their "soul". When looking inside a cryptid, it is similar in shape to a heart, but appears as a hazy mist when left by itself. As the consolidation of the cryptid's deepest memories, feelings, ideas, and thoughts, it is made from what could be considered "darkness at its purest" and boundless unknown energy. The making of essence is, however, poorly understood. While other creatures have always had functional "souls" in some form or another, it is *only* essence that permits the creation of a cryptid. As only sentient life in the Nexus has this capacity, cryptids are almost always born from that life, whether in death or other circumstances.

The destruction of a cryptid's essence almost certainly results in the cryptid's death. While a cryptid can regain their husk, and even their ectoplasm, they cannot live without their essence. Should it be destroyed, they will cease to exist, the remnants making passage to the Underworld and to the Source (should they not be impeded).

While cryptids are mortal themselves, they live very long lives. The longest lifespan of a cryptid is approximately 10,000 years. When dying of old age, cryptids do not further reincarnate, their remains making the same passage as they would from destruction.

### Appearances and Forms

Cryptids are as varied in appearance as the mortal people they are comprised from. They may be bipedal or quadrupedal, plantigrade or digitigrade, reptilian or mammalian. Cryptids, furthermore, often have unusual traits to them. These traits may include lanky limbs, multiple sets of eyes, elongated claws, and far more. They may or may not be traditionally "monstrous" in this regard. These traits are not due to any evolutionary factors, due to the circumstances under which a cryptid is made, and so thus vary quite wildly in form. While their internal biology always remains consistent, the possibilities for their outward appearance are essentially boundless.

There are some consistencies, however, that arise in relation to a cryptid's experiences prior to creation. Very commonly, a cryptid will vaguely resemble animals they were once familiar with and close to. The extent and meaning to a cryptid will often differ, though cryptids are often compared to chimeras due to this pattern. A cryptid may also take on another traits that bear some particular meaning to them, due to their experiences, though not always. Furthermore, they never appear the same as they did in their prior lives, being largely divorced from their former species, though they may still carry over some specific traits.

A cryptid's appearance is also mutable. As a husk is flexible, it may change over a prolonged period of time due to changes in a cryptid's self-expression or identity. However, without shapeshifting or manual modification, not all aspects of a husk are ideally in one's control, and may be due to circumstances beyond it.

From the moment of creation, cryptids typically have very grotesque appearances at first with relation to the circumstances of their death. A sunken, corpse-like look is most common. The cause of death may carry over into "scars" on the cryptid that can take a very long time to heal, even despite husk regeneration. In this initial state, their husk is also particularly fragile, and prone to rapid changes. Eventually, their appearance will settle.