Lore24 May 6: The Pale Things

The Pale things are wretched creatures. Once humanoid, now their bodies are warped to animalistic, new forms. Some start to look like insects, some transform into something closer to a reptile, or even something unlike any other being. They stalk the forgotten places of the world, preying on the lost and foolish who happen upon them. They drain their victims of their blood, their white flesh flushing gem-like with red. Then they return to their long vigil, for they cannot die to starvation, old age, or illness, only to blade or magic.

Many think they are a form of undead, brought back from the Underworld to feast upon the blood of the living. That is incorrect. The truth is, in fact the opposite: the Pale Things are beings of life stretching cancerously forever. For this reason they are difficult to kill, according to some they can live for minutes or even hours without a head.

Where the Pale Things come from is a mystery. Most think it is a curse, bestowed by the gods for wanting eternal life, eating the flesh of sentient beings, or some other transgression. Other think they were tricked by demons into this mockery of life. Yet others claim they were changed by contact with terrible intelligences from beyond the stars. Whatever the truth, they all agree that killing them is a mercy.

 Image from Bloodborne

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