The Fearhosts are the monsters which plague the land of Vumaya. They were previously gods and deities, now corrupted by The External. They existed on a separate (but closely tied) plane to the mortal one, invisible to mortals, but when The Awakening occurred they were forced to merge with the mortal plane. The corruption was an extremely painful and unnatural process, and it caused the gods to lose their sentience and become almost animalistic - only acting on impulses and retaining no memory of their previous lives. The most powerful and dangerous are The Eight Major Fearhosts, who were the creators of Vumaya.
When a mortal witnesses a Fearhost, the strain of comprehending its form causes immense pain. Those who do survive will have their mind altered forever. Beholding a Major Fearhost will result in instant death.
Under the cut are the Eight Major Fearhosts and their descriptions. (cw // potentially disturbing imagery)
The Earthshaper
Once controlled the lithosphere of Vumaya, shaping mountains, valleys, dirt and rock. As a Fearhost, it is a colossal black earthworm with skin of volcanic rock and magma flowing inside of it. It has the ability to split itself into pieces and create new worms - thus there are now hundreds of smaller ones beneath the ground. Every so often they convulse which triggers major earthquakes.
The Tideformer
Once the god responsible for controlling the hydrosphere. As a Fearhost, it is a deepsea monstrosity with a glowing skeleton and eyes. Wherever it swims, the water turns pitch black and all that is visible is the blue features. It only appears in the ocean and other large bodies of water.
The Windguider
Controlled the weather. As a Fearhost, it manifests as a skeletal monster with long waving tendrils. It is completely silent. Its body stretches from the ground to the heavens above.
The Lifebreather
As its name suggests, it was the origin of all life on Vumaya. It is a pulsating mass of flesh, muscles and tendons with a single floating eye which never blinks. It leaves a trail of blood wherever it goes. The eye is blind - it feels its way around. It can also manifest from spilt blood.
The Mediator
A dark, skeletal figure with a single glowing eye. Never looks directly into it if you want to keep your sanity, for it is a window into the plane of gods. Its surface has a faint iridescent sheen, like oil. Unlike most Fearhosts, The Mediator seems to have retained some of its sentience and actively avoids mortals.
The Defender
A creature made solely of keratin and bone with many horns twisting on its head. They never stop growing, penetrating into its skull and blinding it. Once a valiant protector of Vumaya, it now lives a painful existence filled with blind rage. It wanders Xedraeka's Teeth attacking anything that moves.
The Reaper
The opposite of The Lifebreather; took life out of the world. The Reaper ended the lives of souls and redistributed their essence. As a fearhost it manifests as rotting flesh in the shape of a scythe. Its eye is permanently closed.
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The Narrator is also a major god, but did not fully turn into a Fearhost.
(@chronicallylatetotheparty asks should be turned on now!)
To answer your question: Yes! Legacy does in fact ride a Fearhost. It's one of the reasons she came to be the most feared sorceress in the No-Lands.
The lesser gods and spirits which were corrupted into Fearhosts are less dangerous than major gods. Before the Awakening they were closer to the mortal plane - meaning that mortals can look upon them without too much stress to the mind.
After the Awakening, the destruction wrought upon the world left a power vacuum. Millions died, including powerful figures and royalty. People began clamoring to fill their places, and one way they did this was harnessing the power of minor Fearhosts. These could be tamed by exceptionally strong-willed individuals. Keep in mind, this was not easy; many died in the attempt. All Fearhosts are wild, terrifying, and unpredictable.
This also means that most of the 'royalty' in present-day Vumaya has no true royal blood. Once the new rulers were established, they used their Fearhosts as tools to control others. These monsters were passed on to their children and soon became twisted heirlooms. Not all royal families had them.
This is Duwira, Legacy's mount whom she found in the No-Lands near Pruizau. She is a former desert spirit turned Fearhost, and there are many legends about her taking the lives of lone travelers. She is a being of sand, blood and bone. Her approach is heralded by sandstorms and the scent of decaying flesh.
Gonna kick things off with some info about the setting for OFAF! Here is everything you need to know about the world of Vumaya.
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The story takes place on a planet similar to Earth, the only difference being the vast stretches of barren land and the sky, which is permanently subdued. In most areas there is low visibility. Vumaya's core is the centre of the planet - a glowing white mass which powers all life. It’s different from other planets in the sense that it is ‘living’, and the core acts as the heart which is constantly beating. It has many networks and branches connected to the surface which keeps it healthy and working. The only landmass is a supercontinent, about the size of Pangea.
Vumaya was created by The Eight, a syndicate of gods who combined their powers to build the planet from scratch. The sheer amounts of divine energy used in the creation process caused many lesser deities to appear too.
Life went on as normal until the Awakening, an event triggered by Khaarial; the first and only Angel created by The Eight. In short, he was previously exiled from Vumaya and suspended in an other-worldly prison of sorts which drove him mad. Upon his return, fueled by revenge, Khaarial summoned The External (a sentient dimension of cosmic horrors and unknowables) to Vumaya. The External clashed with Vumaya’s realm before passing over it, causing The Eight (and all the other deities) to become corrupted and morph into monsters. Because of this, it is sometimes referred to as 'The Storm'. The corrupted gods would eventually be known as Fearhosts. The few humans who survived the Awakening retreated further into the edges of the continent, the other 70% of the population eradicated. The areas where the Fearhosts are most abundant are called Red Zones. The deeper you go, the more horrifying the monsters become. This set civilization back centuries, and an era of fear began. Once a prospering age of advancement, the people of Vumaya live in a medieval world as they struggle to survive. The planet still functions, but without The Eight major gods to watch over it, Vumaya is slowly dying.
