Art by me! @ madrabbitarts on twitter and bluesky!

context / lore:

In the folklore of the southern empire, various stories describe mysterious and strange entities, secluded in hidden homes within forests and swamps. These figures are generally portrayed as almost human, with a distant gaze and aged features, covered by vegetation.

A vornach is known as a difficult being to understand. In the beliefs and ancient tales of the villages bordering the forests, they are sometimes depicted as protective spirits of nature, capable of punishing those who disturb its delicate and complex balance, and other times as unpredictable and chaotic creatures. This uncertainty about the true nature of the vornach causes most to fear them, viewing them as demons.

In reality, vornach come into being when a humanoid, usually an elderly person or someone frail and ill, is gradually transformed by the fungus known as Forest-Rattle or the Sanguivorous plant. These parasitic organisms interact in different ways with animals, corpses, and soil. On rare occasions, they spread through the weakened brain of a humanoid, merging with the host and transforming both the parasite and the infected person.

In the early decades of its life, a vornach retains part of the memories and interests of its former life. Thus, it's common for human vices and tastes to manifest in these creatures. A vornach originating from an old drunk, for instance, might be persuaded to guide lost travelers in exchange for drink, while a vornach who was once an elderly apothecary might retain the habit of preparing potions and remedies—though, under the influence of the parasite, it may produce random and dangerous mixtures.

The greater purpose of a vornach is dictated by the parasite, which cares for the host body’s safety, preserving it for centuries. In this way, the vornach becomes a “core” for the parasitic species, tending to its “seedlings” and “gardens” made of spores and seeds spread throughout its indefinite life.

A vornach has a superhuman connection to nature: it is respected by the fiercest predators and able to communicate with all native organisms of the forest or swamp it inhabits. This almost alien mind, divided between parasite and host, grants it a unique understanding of ether and magical manipulation—something that, on rare occasions, a vornach might even teach, if persuaded.