Pilgrim

**Tier:** Kindred

**Size Range:** L

**Proficiencies:** Void

**Traits:** Airborne+, Attuned+, Ephemeral, Heartfelt, Hidden, Keen Hearing.

*See Also:* Traits

## Description

Pilgrims are large humanoid creatures with horns, large sheep-like ears, hooves, a fluffy tail and an impressive feather-like cloak that usually covers their body. This cloak is mostly ephemeral, and unable to be damaged by most means, however it will provide little to no protection because of this, except from the cold. The cloak instead serves to both hide the Pilgrim from any detection and allow them to fly by forming into wing-like coverings over their arms. This cloak also serves to reveal a Pilgrim's colour, on the underside of these 'feathers'. They are born with a blindfold over their eyes, which allows a pilgrim to simply know its surroundings, but if this blindfold is ever removed, they will lose this ability in favor of the ability to see.

## Culture and Relations

Typically nomadic creatures, Pilgrims tend to wander the earth, sky, caves and ocean, searching for something to spend their time on, having fulfilled their purpose in their past life as a Belladon. As they are Kindred, they have no needs, and due to their physical form, they are very capable of avoiding conflict where they don't desire it. While they typically won't leave a notably large mark on the world, they are known to be some of the best record keepers and personal historians in the world.

Pilgrims generally regard other creatures that wear the cloak of a Pilgrim highly, as it is a Pilgrim's highest honor to grant its cloak to another creature on death. However, a black Pilgrim cloak is a sign of horror, as these must be forcefully carved from the corpse of a murdered Pilgrim, and wearing such an item is a show of unspeakable dishonor to the fallen. Pilgrim are rarely known to actively attack a creature it has just met, but a black cloak will provoke most Pilgrims to violence.

## Death

Pilgrims work on slightly different rules to other Kindred. As a life that simply didn't break from the power of the Belladon that it spawned from, they share some of the abilities of their predecessor, notably the lack of a lifespan. Pilgrims will live as long as they keep living, having almost full control over their existence, however this in no way makes them un-killable. If a Pilgrim is killed before it's ready, its cloak will turn a deep black, and it will become a Nexi. If a Pilgrim lives to an age where it no longer wishes to live though, it may give up its form to the void, becoming the spawn for a Bonbola child.

## As the Player

Pilgrims are a peculiar choice for a player, as they need to be very carefully balanced in order to be both effective and limited. Notably, the Ephemeral trait *must* be diminished in order to avoid an unkillable player, as it is impossible to physically influence a creature without a physical form. Furthermore, both Hidden and Airborne are powerful traits that should be addressed.

## Tier Shifting

### Augmenting

When a Pilgrim returns to a state of being a Belladon, they will typically have a very specific drive to do so, and thus will already have the purpose of their life decided, and simply need greater strength to achieve it. An ascended Pilgrim is one of the few times where a Brihn Belladon is found in the Earth or Sky spaces.

### Diminishing

The most common way that a Pilgrim will descend is through simply living too long without finding a purpose. Descended Pilgrims will notably lose most abilities of their cloak, as their cloak becomes heavier and more physical.

## See Also

It's recommended that you read everything in the basics page if anything here doesn't make sense, or at the very least the Character page.

For other species, see Species.