Immortal

Immortal (Race)

"Immortal" refers to any individual born of any other race who, upon dying for the first time, resurrects spontaneously some amount of time thereafter.

Immortals have been shown to only contain a fragment of a soul, rather than a whole, intact one. It is believed that each of these fragments, if ever brought together, would form a single soul and, as a result, some sort of cosmic entity or a god.

Immortals can only be slain by decapitation. Upon decapitation, the immortal's soul is released in a powerful display of mystical energy, usually resulting in some collateral damage, and that energy is absorbed by another nearby Immortal, usually the one that caused the decapitation. The immortal recieveing the soul fragment then becomes more powerful. All Immortals seem drawn to one another, perhaps because the fragmentary soul longs for completion, and they seem to be able to sense one another, even if they cannot see one another, at least at somewhat close range, and they use this ability to detect one another and pair off in duels. Once they manifest, Immortals are unable to bear or conceive children and are functionally sterile.

Immortals live by a number of rules when engaging one another in an effort to claim another soul fragment. They include the following:

1) Immortal duels are one-on-one affairs.

2) Immortals must always identify themselves to one another before beginning a duel.

3) No non-Immortal may witness a duel between Immortals or become otherwise involved.

4) Duels may not be conducted on hallowed or unhallowed ground.

Immortals have been, from time to time, known to break one or more of these rules. It is not clear if there is any external force dictating that these rules be adhered to, or if it is simply a "gentleman's agreement" between Immortals. Certain Immortals have been know to seek out violators of these rules for correction or elimination, such as the Immortal known as Quattro.