Beholders

Hope WotC doesn't come after me. Anyways, these probably aren't what you think they are...

A Beholder, also known as an Evil Eye, is a small jellyfish-like creature native to Felarya. They are extremely rare; it’s possible to travel in Felarya for centuries without encountering a single one, however they can appear in just about any zone in the world.

Beholders are small, spherical creatures about the size of a human ocular orb, made out of a gelatinous substance with a firm surface. Beneath the creature dangles several thin, filament-like tendrils; these are what a Beholder uses to get around, either by swimming through water, climbing a surface, or pulling itself along the ground.

On the “top” of the creature, a crystalline structure is embedded within the gel-like substance that comprises its body; this crystal can occur in a variety of shapes and colors which typically varies by the species of the Beholder. The body of the animal itself tends to have a wide variation in color, and may have circular, ring-like patterns, mottling, or simply be one solid color.

Beholders pose no threat at all to giant-sized creatures, but they can be a grave concern to smaller races, particularly those that are magically-inclined. Beholders are parasitic creatures, which survive primarily by draining the magical energy of a host organism to sustain themselves. The way they do this is one of the most horrifying experiences on Felarya, aside from being devoured alive by a giant predator; the Beholder actually implants itself into the host organism’s body, through an eye socket… even if the socket is already occupied by a perfectly healthy eye.

Beholders seem to prefer a sentient host; while the creatures themselves have miniscule brains and are mostly non-intelligent, it is believed by some that they have some minor psychic ability that allows them to pick up the thought patterns of nearby life forms. It is suggested that this is how they hunt for potential hosts, and a Beholder has never been observed taking a non-sentient host if any other option is available.

Once they have located a suitable host, Beholders will make their way towards the humanoid, in a manner that depends on the species of Beholder and the environment. Once it is close enough to strike, it will attempt to launch itself at the face of its targeted host; this is the best chance one has of a last second evasion, by swatting it out of the air or otherwise keeping it away from your face.

Should the Beholder manage to get within close proximity of the target’s face, it will immediately lash out with its tendrils, lancing them into and through one of the host’s eyes. At this point, removing the Beholder is virtually impossible without causing severe damage to the individual; attempts to rip it out will only destroy his or her eye, and cutting off the tendrils will still leave the eye in ruins.

What follows next is a fairly excruciating process, as the Beholder releases enzymes from its tendrils that begin to dissolve the host’s eye from the inside out, while pulling itself closer and closer until it can actually squeeze its body into the eye socket while ejecting the remnants of the socket’s original occupant. The tendrils probe slowly and carefully, precisely attaching themselves to the optic nerve… which is also pretty painful.

The good news is that eventually, the victim will be able to see again out of his new “eye”; once the Beholder is settled in and attached, it makes a perfectly functional attachment for the rest of the host’s life. The bad news is, from start to finish, the process takes between 3 to 5 hours. Even worse is that the Beholder constantly consumes the majority of a host’s innate magical energy; the appetite varies by species, but typically what little is left over is insufficient to cast anything but the most simple spells (like lighting a candle, or moving a single sheet of paper). A spellcaster who falls victim to a Beholder is no longer going to be able to cast spells.

An unusual benefit, however, is that various species of Beholders have specific magical abilities that they grant upon a host; there are some drawbacks to using these powers, but many are useful enough to be worth the risk. Using the powers is physically exhausting upon both the host and the Beholder, however; and even more dangerous is the fact that it makes the Beholder hungry, leading it to consume more of a host’s energy. Should a host fail to keep a Beholder well-fed, and meet its energy consumption demands, the Beholder slowly begins to starve… releasing mild toxins into the host’s brain that can accumulate over time and lead to insanity.

Hosts with very little magical potential who happen to fall victim to a Beholder all eventually go insane; a process which is sped up a little more every time they use the ability granted to them by the parasite. Hosts with naturally high magical potential, on the other hand, may live in a state of near symbiosis with their Beholder; so long as they don’t mind not being able to really use their magic. Someone with an extremely large capacity for magical energy might even be able to support two Beholders, one replacing each eye; however, such individuals are even rarer than Beholders are.

In general, a host will be able to safely use the powers of his Beholder one or more times a day, the exact number differing based on the individual, the species of the Beholder, and their respective magical supply and magical consumption. Pushing past that “safe” limit is extremely unwise, but possible… to an extent.

People who have fallen victim to a Beholder are said to possess the “Evil Eye”… or even be possessed by it; they are considered particularly unlucky as well. As for why that is…

“Out of all of the dangers on Felarya, you had to stumble across the one only 1 in 10,000 people encounter?”

Sure, you got a cool power out of it; don’t be surprised if people decide not to hang around you. Bad luck on Felarya is practically a death sentence, and who is going to risk some of yours rubbing off on them?

Particular species of Beholders include, but are not limited to the following:

Gorgon Eye

This species of Beholder is typically found only in jungle areas, although it has a wide possible range within them. It is capable of swimming and is an adept climber; making it even more difficult to avoid is the fact that it is capable of springing forward half a dozen feet in one leap.

In appearance, a Gorgon Eye is a deep green, jade-like color. The crystalline lens on its “back” is shaped somewhat like the slit pupil of a snake, and can occur in nearly any color, although yellow, black, and purple are most common.

The power of a Gorgon Eye can typically be used three times a day safely; when used, a green flash of light appears from the Beholder. Anyone who sees the flash without suitable protection (spells, certain kinds of goggles, another Gorgon Eye) will instantly be paralyzed for five minutes. The host is not immune to this effect, although the Gorgon Eye itself is; if he wishes not to be affected, he will have to cover or close his “normal” eye and look only through the Gorgon Eye when he uses the power.

Gorgon Eyes are greedy creatures, and consume a host’s magical energy at a horrendous rate; a spellcaster who is hosting one will not even be able to cast a cantrip, let alone a real spell. This also means that they’re less suitable for non-magical hosts; a host who lacks the magical energy to keep his Gorgon Eye fed will go insane sooner rather than later.

Merciful Eye

One of the more helpful species of Beholder to be found on Felarya, it isn’t really known where Merciful Eyes live. There aren’t reports of them being encountered in any specific place; every appearance has been somewhat random. This is unfortunate for many people who go out hoping to deliberately find one; especially since they typically meet with bad ends.

A Merciful Eye is solid white in color, resembling a human eye much more closely than other species of Beholders. The only variations in its coloring are on its back, around the crystalline lens that serves as a pupil; Merciful Eyes typically have a circular pattern that somewhat resembles an iris, making them look almost like a normal eye from a distance. However, the crystal resembles a small, golden four-point star or cross.

Merciful Eyes have one of the highest consumption rates of any Beholder, typically using up 99 percent of a host’s magical energy each day. In addition, their power can only be used once a day without side effects; however, even with these drawbacks, a Merciful Eye is a fantastic thing to have. When its power is activated, with a specific target in mind (which can be the host); a Merciful Eye emits a wide beam (or aura, if the target is the host) of golden light which spreads over the target and mends all of their wounds, heals all of their energy, and cleanses their body of any impurities (except Beholder toxins; it’s not that easy to one over on them). Within seconds, someone can be restored from the verge of death (ie, they’re dying but not actually dead yet) to full health, making a Merciful Eye an invaluable resource on Felarya.

Mage’s Malice

The aptly named Mage’s Malice is one of the Beholders most hated by Felarya’s spellcasters, and pretty much the one that gives all the other species a bad reputation. Like Merciful Eyes, one can encounter a Mage’s Malice just about anywhere, but they tend to be found most commonly near ancient ruins and high-magic areas.

A Mage’s Malice looks somewhat like a jewel at a first glance- they tend to be shiny and multicolored, closely resembling a round and polished gemstone. The crystal embedded in their back varies in shape but almost always bears a vague resemblance to some kind of magical rune; it’s this that often leads unsuspecting magic-users to pick one up and inspect it closer to make out the rune.

Mage’s Malice Beholders consume all of a host’s energy magical energy each day; they don’t let any of it go to waste, or allow the host to make use of it. Mages are no longer able to cast spell, should they fall victim to one of these Beholders. However, a Mage’s Malice is a bit less finicky than other Beholders; as long as the host is of at least average magical potential and the Beholder is able to consume all of that, they tend to be satisfied.

The ability of a Mage’s Malice can be used twice a day reliably, and sometimes even up to four, without negative side effects. When it is used, a slightly shadowy pall sweeps over everything that the host sees through the Beholder within 50 yards. This ‘shadow’ only lasts for three seconds before dispersing, but it has a drastic effect; all ambient magical energy vanishes. It just disappears, as though it was never there to begin with; the current theory is that it is forced into a lower dimension by an entropy-like process. This means that any spell being cast within that area, or spell passing through that area, or other magical effect within the target area… is immediately negated.

This is obviously a powerful anti-caster ability, however, there are limitations. First of all, it only works on ambient magical energy; energy that is freely floating in the environment. A creature’s innate magical energy supply is unaffected; while they can not cast spells in the targeted area until the effect expires, they do not actually lose any of the energy inside of their body. Obviously, this means that the ability can not be used to kill creatures made up purely of magical energy; it just does not work that way. A ghost is not the background magical energy present in the environment, it is an entity composed of magical energy; so it will be unaffected during those three seconds, although it may have difficulty using certain abilities while in the effect zone.

Titan’s Tear

Titan’s Tear is named for the tear-shaped blue (sometimes white or red) crystal embedded in its back. It is most commonly found in mountainous regions and forests, usually at higher altitudes (near the canopy). They have been known to cling to trees and rocks for days, patiently waiting for a potential host to pass underneath, and dropping down onto their heads.

A Titan’s Tear is usually a deep bronze color, making the crystal stand out sharply in contrast. They have a fairly low energy consumption, and can be used up to six times a day. This makes them more suitable than other species of Beholders for hosts with low magical potential.

The ability of a Titan’s Tear Beholder is not as noticeable as others when activated; when used, the crystal ‘tear’ gleams slightly… and for 1 minute, the host received the benefit of a powerful enhancement effect. For those sixty seconds, he or she is nearly as physically strong and durable as a giant naga, despite being of much smaller size. The host would actually be able to survive a full strength blow from a Naga’s tail; not without pain, of course, but without turning into a fine red mist. And a punch or kick from the host would hit with close to the same force a Naga could put behind their own strikes. However, each activation only lasts for sixty seconds, and the expiration of the effect is just as hard to notice as its activation… a host who doesn’t pay close enough attention to the elapsed time could very well find themselves in a predicament!

Silver’s Quickening

Like the Titan’s Tear, a Silver’s Quickening Beholder conveys a powerful enhancement effect upon its host. It is also metallic in color, like the Titan’s Tear. The most common place to encounter this type of Beholder is in fast-moving waters, such as rivers or rapids, although it is also capable of moving up onto land.

As its name suggests, a Silver’s Quickening is solid silver in color, except for the jagged circular crystal on its back. The crystal can occur in just about any color, and appears vaguely like a starburst. When activated, the crystal becomes multi-hued and prismatic (like a rainbow), for as long as the effect is active.

A Silver’s Quickening can be used twice per day; anything beyond that is simply not safe, no matter how high one’s magical potential is. This is because the Beholder drastically speed’s up a both a person’s perception and physical reflexes, to the degree that they can move with supernatural speed for thirty seconds. Unfortunately, those thirty seconds seem to take an eternity to tick by, with the accelerated sense of perception… and they come to an end abruptly, often catching the host unprepared. Sometimes, it leads to severe injury, from the host exiting the state of heightened awareness and slamming into a tree or other obstacle at high velocity. After the second ‘activation’, a person’s perceptions will be skewed for a while, and require an hour or two of rest before things return to normal.

I could see non-mages 'breeding' them to equip their soldiers with. Very nice ideas, and a nice departure from the regular Beholder.

TheQuantumMechanic wrote:

Once they have located a suitable host, Beholders will make their way towards the humanoid, in a manner that depends on the species of Beholder and the environment. Once it is close enough to strike, it will attempt to launch itself at the face of its targeted host; this is the best chance one has of a last second evasion, by swatting it out of the air or otherwise keeping it away from your face.

Should the Beholder manage to get within close proximity of the target’s face, it will immediately lash out with its tendrils, lancing them into and through one of the host’s eyes. At this point, removing the Beholder is virtually impossible without causing severe damage to the individual; attempts to rip it out will only destroy his or her eye, and cutting off the tendrils will still leave the eye in ruins.

What follows next is a fairly excruciating process, as the Beholder releases enzymes from its tendrils that begin to dissolve the host’s eye from the inside out, while pulling itself closer and closer until it can actually squeeze its body into the eye socket while ejecting the remnants of the socket’s original occupant. The tendrils probe slowly and carefully, precisely attaching themselves to the optic nerve… which is also pretty painful.

Aw---AWW...RIGHT WHEN I WAS ABOUT TO GO TO SLEEP!
*twitch*

I like the idea anyway, but I despise the idea of going to sleep tonight only to dream out little living eyes implanting themselves in my head. Jeez. >_<

I'll think about it more tomorrow, but tonight I'd rather not.

Malahite wrote:

I could see non-mages 'breeding' them to equip their soldiers with.

Felaryan super soldiers. I hadn't really thought about that.

Malahite wrote:

Very nice ideas, and a nice departure from the regular Beholder.

Thanks. I wanted to do something similar to the concept, but I decided to try and put a different spin on it. I have a few more ideas for other variants, but the balancing is kind of tough; I'm having to be much more vague and arbitrary than I generally like to be.

Also, I'm not quite sure if I've overdone it with the limitations, or have it just about right. Your thoughts on the matter would be appreciated; I'm trying to go for things that would be extremely powerful or useful if used intelligently, without really giving someone the ability to bulldoze through every situation.

A mere sixty seconds of super strength or thirty seconds of super speed doesn't really seem like much; but I think that someone could accomplish a lot in half a minute to a minute, if they use their brain and use their time wisely. But I dunno... maybe I'm off base, and should bump the duration up?

S-Guy wrote:

Aw---AWW...RIGHT WHEN I WAS ABOUT TO GO TO SLEEP!
*twitch*

Whoops.

S-Guy wrote:

I like the idea anyway, but I despise the idea of going to sleep tonight only to dream out little living eyes implanting themselves in my head. Jeez. >_<

I'll think about it more tomorrow, but tonight I'd rather not.

Heh. Alright, fair enough. Good night, and... uh... watch out for those tendrils?

I'd say the short term is alright, if only because it means it's more balanced and likely from such a small organ. I suggest a sort of side effect if one doesn't 'vent' a magic-sucking Beholder, however. Be it the Beholder getting full and remaining less draining for the time, having a magical outburst from the eye (Laser Eyes!), something with the backup of magical energy if not released.

Creative, interesting, and best of all gruesome!

Malahite wrote:

I suggest a sort of side effect if one doesn't 'vent' a magic-sucking Beholder, however. Be it the Beholder getting full and remaining less draining for the time, having a magical outburst from the eye (Laser Eyes!), something with the backup of magical energy if not released.

Hmm, I like this idea a lot. Maybe completely random 'activations'; depending on the particular species of Beholder, this could be anything from a minor annoyance, to a major problem. Accidentally randomly paralyzing people around you, negating that healing spell someone was casting on you, or suddenly jumping into super speed at a completely inappropriate time could be pretty darn awkward.

Blowing your "once a day" uber heal, because you let your Beholder get stuffed and then went and stubbed your toe?

Priceless.

The Nordic Ninja wrote:

Creative, interesting, and best of all gruesome!

Thank you, thank you. I aim to please.

On the Proper Care and Feeding of Your Beholder

A Beholder is not merely a biological prosthesis that replaces a person's eye and gives them neat powers, nor is it a pet; A Beholder is a seperate living organism. Although most varieties are non-sentient and have only limited intelligence, they do tend to display what could be vaguely described as personalities; these generally become more distinct the longer a Beholder is linked to a host.

It is important never to forget that Beholders survive by draining a large percentage of their host's innate magical potential (or mana, if you'd prefer); if a host does not have enough personal power to keep a Beholder well-fed and healthy, he or she needs to find a way to make up the difference by other means (siphoning magic out of the environment, use of magical items or potions, etc.) or suffer the consequences.

In return for the host's magical energy, the Beholder grants it use of its specific power a certain number of times a day. It's kind of like firing a loaded gun; once you run out of ammo, you either have to reload, or trust that the bullets you already fired were enough to do the job. "Reloading" in this case means pushing the Beholder's limits, which is taxing both on the creature and on the host. Not only can it leave a person physically and mentally exhausted, but the Beholder is immediately going to need to feed to replenish itself; if you don't have enough energy stored up, you are in serious trouble.

Some hosts may try to cheat by "saving up" their abilities; intentionally not using them at all for one or more days, so that when they do want to use them, they can use them many more times before they reach the limit. This can work... up to a point. If a Beholder is not allowed to discharge its power somewhat regularly, it becomes "overloaded"; and this is not really a good thing. Past a certain point, which varies depending on the species but also by the individual Beholder, a Beholder will no longer be able to contain itself and have to vent the stored up energy.

This typically takes the form of completely random "activations", until the Beholder has completely burned off the pent-up energy; until this has occurred, its power is not under control of the host, only the Beholder. This can lead to embarrassing and/or awkward situations, or even complete disaster if it happens at the wrong moment. Randomly zapping things around you with heat rays shooting out of your eyes isn't likely to go over well with the locals or the boss (if you're a minion). And that's just for the basics; some powers have true potential for chaos, and might just result in you being banned from Negav or other cities.

Once the Beholder has managed to burn off the excess energy (which might take days; there's no telling when or how often it will discharge itself), it settles back down and begins to listen to the host once more. The host will be able to use it for the normal daily uses, but all of those extra "shots" he or she tried to save up will be expended. Some Beholders are finickier than others when it comes to this; there are a few species which will immediately begin randomly discharging if allowed to build up for more than 24 hours! While there are others that might be stretched to three or four days, under extremely lucky circumstances.

However, once a Beholder begins discharging, it can not store up any more energy until it has spent the excess (you don't continue to build up "shots" while it's trying to get rid of them). In addition, just because you manage to build up three days worth of uses once, don't assume the Beholder will automatically let you get three days worth out of it next time! If those three days took a lot out of it the last time around, it might just decide to start discharging after a day or two this time to save itself the hassle. They might be living in your body, but you are not the boss of them; keep that in mind, or you are definitely going to have problems.

Great and really original idea here !
I just fainted upon the part where you describe the attaching process XD

Karbo wrote:

Great and really original idea here !
I just fainted upon the part where you describe the attaching process XD

Hehe... So far, the response I've gotten has been mostly that. "Oh, my god! Creeeeepy... but I love it!"



Really happy people are enjoying this.

So, here's a couple more as a present, with a few more I'll be posting later.

Angel Eye

Despite its name, the Angel Eye species of Beholder is not actually an angelic creature; instead, it is a fairly simple parasitic organism like the rest of its brethren. When it is encountered, it is typically in urban areas; this is one of the few species of Beholder known to enter cities, towns, and other settlements. In fact, they will actually make their way into buildings such as homes, shrines, or churches… anywhere that people tend to gather. People praying at a shrine or inside of a cathedral make excellent victims for this “gift (or punishment, depending on the belief) from above”!

An Angel Eye is typically a solid white in color, with a narrow ring-like crystal with a sizeable diameter in its back. The crystal can be of any color, just like a Silver’s Quickening; in fact, there are a few similarities that lead many to theorize that the two species are closely related. When activated, an Angel Eye’s crystal takes on a prismatic hue, shifting colors constantly chasing one another clockwise along the ring… or counter-clockwise, if the Beholder is in place of the left eye (why this change of direction occurs is unknown).

The Angel Eye gets its name from the ability it bestows: when activated (up to five times a day), the Angel Eye creates a “halo” of light around the host’s head. Rather than floating above the head, as with an angelic halo, the ring is placed at the host’s eye level. While looking into this ring, which has a duration of approximately ten minutes, the host’s vision range extends to 360 degrees around them, with the normal vertical peripheral vision along the circle. If they want to focus up or downwards, they have to move their eyes up or down, which tilts the circle in that direction.

This is a species of Beholder popular with warriors and high-ranking soldiers; not only is the 360 degree vision a valuable advantage when fighting numerous enemies or for improving your situational awareness… but the Angel Eye also has a very low mana consumption rate. You would pretty much have to have no magical ability at all for this species of Beholder to threaten your health. Obviously, the Angel Eye can also be amazingly useful to explorers during their stay in Felarya; so long as they have fairly good vision to begin with. Unfortunately, this Beholder doesn’t actually improve your eyesight, so if you have 20/300 vision… you get 20/300 vision all around.


Holy Lance

Holy Lances are a peculiar breed of Beholder; their existence lends credence to many theories that Beholders were actually developed as weapons by some long-lost Felaryan civilization. Almost all Beholders of the Holy Lance species have been recovered from ruins or ancient sites where civilizations dwelled long ago. How they manage to survive dormant for so long without a host is unknown, but once they are discovered they will aggressively attempt to implant themselves in a humanoid being.

Despite their name, Holy Lances aren’t restricted to a certain color; they do occur in white, but black, red, yellow, or other colors are just as common The crystal of a Holy Lance is amber in color and tends to be shaped like a rhombus, with some minor variation; some Holy Lances have a sharper and more angular diamond-shaped crystal, while others have a diamond with rounded edges and sloped curves.

The ability of a Holy Lance can generally be used one to three times a day; when triggered, there is a slight “charging” period during which the crystal briefly glows… followed by a brilliant discharge of golden light. This light takes the form of a focused beam of energy that only lasts a split-second… but is capable of inflicting grievous harm on infernal, undead, and negative energy-based entities. Minor creatures, like the smallest and weakest demons (imps and the like) and undead constructs, will be destroyed outright.

More powerful, “lesser” demonic creatures and undead may be critically injured if the beam strikes a vulnerable spot, while “greater” demons and above will find it extremely painful and weakening, but not life-threatening. At least, not a single beam; they may be able to withstand multiple hits, but no demon is going to want to. As one might expect, this particular form of Beholder is very rare and highly sought after, especially by demon hunters and would-be vampire slayers.

However, Holy Lances tend to have somewhat erratic “personalities”, and have sometimes been described as “skittish” or “paranoid”. They have been known to occasionally discharge beams at undead, demonic, or negative energy entities regardless of whether their host wants to or not. If you happen to have a Succubi friend and fall victim to a Holy Lance, she may be understanding at first… but getting blasted in the face is going to get real old, real quick. Also, if you are a king trying negotiate with a Prince of Hell… don’t send someone hosting a Holy Lance as your ambassador. It will not end well.

Edit: This one ran a bit longer than I expected; it was sort of difficult to explain the effect accurately. So it gets the post to itself, and the other Beholder will have to move in with a friend.

Kaleido Catapult

Unusual in appearance and capabilities, this species of Beholder can be encountered practically anywhere in Felarya… although only on land. It doesn’t seem to be able to swim; however, it is an agile climber… and capable of leaping over twenty feet from a standing start! It also seems to be able to detect potential victims from a great distance away, traveling much further than other Beholders will to get to them.

Making a Kaleido Catapult even more difficult to detect until it’s too late is the fact that it is almost completely translucent, its body often a pale greens blue, amber or another color that allows it to blend in fairly well among the background of Felarya. Its crystalline structures are difficult to notice as well; rather than having a small solid crystal mass embedded in its back, a Kaleido Catapult’s crystal takes a different form. It is broken up into a multitude of tiny, colorful snowflake-like particles, which float throughout the gelatinous substance of its body.

A Kaleido Catapult can typically be activated several times a day; the energy consumption depends on the scale of the effect. When active, the crystal particles float near the surface of the eye, constantly shifting and rearranging into intricate patterns like a Kaleidoscope. This allows the host to perceive a great deal of information simply by glancing at a physical object (such as its mass, velocity, inertia, angle, and other details vital to movement). This is more of a side effect than the main ability of the Beholder, however.

The primary ability of a Kaleido Catapult, and the reason for its name, is creating a thin iridescent disk of light, which shifts through colors and patterns much like the crystals inside the Beholder. This disk can be used in a number of ways, due to its peculiar property; upon coming into contact with the disk, an object or entity will be flung away from it… with the angle, velocity, and other properties of movement precisely chosen by the host! The disk appears where the host wants it to, which can be either floating in mid-air or against a solid surface (such as the ground) that he looks at; but once it is created, it can not be moved. After one instance of repelling an object, the disk vanishes; if nothing comes into contact with it, the disk will expire after ten minutes. A disk can be created under an object or being, but only if they are not physically attached/rooted to the ground (you can’t fling a tree or rooted Dryad, but you can fling a car because it is separate from the ground).

By precise control of the disk’s properties, it can be used as a trampoline, or as a “safety net” by setting one on the ground and altering it to counteract the inertial forces of your fall. Even better, it can be used as an actual catapult (hence the name) to hurl boulders at a giant predator, or as a trap to hurl the predator themselves! It can also be used to reflect a physical projectile (such as an arrow, bullet, or rock) back at an opponent… or even as a “shield” by setting it to cushion and stop the force of an incoming blow.

Unfortunately, the larger the size and mass of an object and the greater its speed, the more energy a Kaleido Catapult requires to repel it. If all you intend to do is fling around pebbles with the same force you could throw them with your arm… you could probably do that all day. If you are jumping off a 100ft. cliff and “bouncing” back up safely, you might be able to do that three or four times before you will fall down and not come back up. To repel an object on the scale of a giant predator with all the force you can muster would require an entire day’s worth of one’s mana supply, and that’s assuming you have a high magical potential.

As you might imagine, Kaleido Catapults have EPIC potential for people who like to pull pranks… and no, you can not hurl a giant naga into orbit. Supersonic speeds are far beyond the Beholder’s capabilities, let alone escape velocity. Nice try, but no.

Phantasmal Marble

This species of Beholder can sometimes be found in areas that have a lot of spiritual activity; anywhere one might find ghosts, elementals, nature spirits, etc. A Phantasmal Marble draws its name from its crystal; located in the center of the creature, it is a opaque orb that is a marbled blue and white in color. The crystal takes up nearly half of the creature’s body; the rest of which is translucent and misty.

When activated, the crystal of a Phantasmal Marble will begin to glow; simply by looking at a single object or person, the host can cause it to resonate on a spiritual level. This makes the object “solid” to spiritual entities; a sword that is the focus of this ability will be able to cut them as though they were flesh, and a wall becomes a solid barrier to them. If used on a living being, that being can actually physically interact with a spirit as though he were one himself, or the spirit was a living creature!

However, there are limits to this ability; the first and foremost of which is that an object has the same amount of spiritual mass as its physical mass. A wall made of paper or thin glass affected by this ability will not stop a huge elemental spirit; the spirit will simply crash through it. In addition, this ability can only affect a single “thing” per use, and the object must be distinct from any other object- something that is considered a part of the targeted object will be affected, but if the targeted object is a part of something else the ability can not work.

For instance, you might be able to use the ability on a tank (assuming you had a massive amount of magical potential), which would affect all parts of the vehicle itself. However, try to fire the main gun at a spirit, and you quickly discover the problem; the cannon shells are not physically part of the tank, so they are not included in the effect and would pass harmlessly through a spirit. If you had a gun, and wanted to try and shoot a spirit, you would have to use the ability on each individual bullet, and not the gun itself.

In addition, if you use this power on a weapon (say, a sword), it is true that you can strike an immaterial spirit with it; however, it is also true that the spirit can use it. If a spirit manages to grab your sword and take it, it can take a swing at you; and because the sword still has a physical presence, it will cut you. The power can also be used on the host to affect herself; this allows one to grapple with and fight a spiritual entity hand-to-hand. However, it is usually a very bad idea; now that you are physical in relation to it, the entity can eat you… and once you are inside of it, you effectively become part of the creature. Even once the Beholder’s power expires, you will not merely drop out of the stomach of the immaterial spirit; you are stuck there. Thus, only the very brave or very desperate would try such a thing.

There is also a limit on the size of the object a person can affect. As usual, the larger the object’s mass, the more energy is required; most people simply do not have the magical potential required to affect something on the scale of a giant naga… and even if they could, the effect would wear off in a matter of seconds. It is easier to affect things the size of a human being or smaller; the average person might be able to affect an object the size of a fist twelve times in a single day, for fifteen minutes at a time. A larger object, such as a sword or armored chestpiece, six times in a single day, for perhaps ten minutes at a time. And something the size of a human being, twice daily for five minutes. Anything larger than a human, only once a day; the effect would only last for a couple of minutes, and probably require all of the average person’s magical energy.

Note: While this Beholder allows you to make something able to touch a spirit, it does not allow you to see a spirit. If you do not have other means to do so, or the spirit chooses not to make itself visible to you, you are going to have a rough time.

Alicorn's Horn

Even among a type of creature as rare as Beholders tend to be, the Alicorn’s Horn is an especially rare species; there have only been two discovered and documented in Felarya, making it somewhat legendary. There are most certainly others out there; however, due to their scarcity no one is sure quite where to find them. Currently, nothing is known about the hunting habits of the Alicorn’s Horn species; although rumors suggest they primarily take hosts that are dying or weakened from poison and unable to escape them.

The body of this species resembles a human eye almost perfectly, complete with fake (non-functional) blood vessels! However, the crystal of an Alicorn’s Horn looks nothing like the iris and pupil of a human eye. Instead, the crystal is a golden, many-armed spiral (shaped like a spiral galaxy), with two arms being longer than the others in symmetrical opposition. The Alicorn’s Horn is famed for its remarkable powers; it is one of the very few species of Beholder that bestows both an active and a passive benefit upon its host.

Once an Alicorn’s Horn has implanted itself and the host has made it through the adjustment phase, he or she will immediately gain the passive ability for as long as the Alicorn’s Horn is alive. Through the Beholder, the host will be able to perceive any toxin, whether biological or synthetic, existing within an object, substance, or organism. This takes the appearance of thin, crooked dark lines spreading throughout an object like veins, radiating outwards from a dark “spot” that represents the originating point of the toxin. To the eye (the Beholder) of this host, someone who had been bitten by a snake would have a large dark spot surrounding the puncture wounds, with the “veins” spreading outwards from it and matching the progress of the venom through the person’s body. A goblet of wine containing poison would have those crooked lines flowing through it like currents, warning the host that his drink was unsafe.

Even the smallest, most non-lethal poison will appear in this manner, although generally, the more powerful the toxin, the darker the spot and veins. The host of an Alicorn’s Horn can identify poisonous plants and venomous animals at a glance; a Giant Naga or Dridder will have lines at the corners of her mouth, radiating outwards a short distance from each fang; a plant that is poisonous to eat or that can fire venomous thorns can be identified in the same manner.

The activated ability of an Alicorn’s Horn can be used once every 12 hours. When it is used, there is hardly any noticeable effect; the only thing visible to most entities is a small flash of light from the crystal. It only occurs for a split-second, and if you aren’t looking directly at the host when it happens, you will probably miss it. This flash is the “horn” of the Alicorn being fired; there is no actual projectile, visible or invisible. It is more of a spiritual/conceptual process.

An object, substance, or creature “pierced” will have all poison currently contained within it purged; generally, this process occurs nearly instantaneously if it is the originating spot that is “pierced”, and more gradually if it is another place on the body. The closer to the origin of the toxin, the more rapid the cleansing process occurs. One drawback is that this purging is not exactly painless when used on a living creature; it has been described as having “a giant, red-hot nail shoved through you”. It is the piercing that is the painful part; after the initial shock, the pain gradually fades away as the magic does its job. This ability can be used on the host as well, to rid himself or herself of poisoning.

Because there is no actual visible magical projectile, an Alicorn’s Horn can be difficult to use. It is something like Zen Archery; the host has to mentally draw a line between themself and the target and aim through the target. Someone who can not properly visualize piercing the target with an “invisible arrow” will not be able to use the Beholder’s power successfully. Generally, it requires a great deal of focus and a still target; only someone with exceptional concentration and mental capabilities would be able to hit a swiftly moving target- the “horn” doesn’t lock on or anything. If the target is no longer in the path when the power is activated, it “misses” and you have to wait 12 hours before trying again. Like its cousin the Merciful Eye, an Alicorn’s Horn can not remove Beholder toxins (nice try, pal!); however, it can purge just about any other toxin… including destroying an Atropa, if you can manage to hit its heart!

Warning: An Atropa will go well out of its way to kill you, if you have an Alicorn’s Horn Beholder. We’re talking “I will set myself on fire and run around the entire forest just to make sure you and everything for miles around burn with me” out of its way. Consider yourself warned; Atropas hate everything, but they especially hate you.