Bodach



Keep two candles lit by the bedside frame

Light the torches outside and bless the flame

The Bodach come from lands unseen

A penny will keep them from your dream

~ Gnomish Nursery Rhyme

For centuries, it was believed the Bodach were merely a folktale among the earth fae, the quintesential "boogeyman" creating tales to frighten young Dwarf and Gnome children into behaving. This was until the fateful day they traveled up from their abyssal realm deep in the earth to make their presence known and the Underdeep has never been the same since (the limited information available on their kind was gathered by Gnome researchers and diplomats).

Personality/Behavior
Bodach's are at their very core cold and unfeeling but highly intelligent and inquistive, prizing the aquisition of knowledge above all things, believing allowing the lore of this world to be lost to the ages to be the greatest of all sins. Despite being highly emotionless, they are incredibly cordial and polite and will always treat anyone who approaches them with respect as long as they do the same. However an unsettling aura of sorrow clings to them at all times making it difficult to spend extended periods of time in their presence. The closest they show to positive emotion is when interacting with a skilled conversationalist or debater of which they hold high respect for regardless of species. The only exception to all this is the matters of sexual/tactile stimulation (see "Sex" entry below for more information). Adding to their eeries presence, no Bodach is only able to speak above a whisper except in the case of tactile simulation as mentioned prior.

Description/Biology
Gnome researches believe that the Bodach were once very much like regular Gnomes, perhaps even an origin species that lead to Gnomes, Dwarves and Halflings but after being exposed to the supernatural effects of "abyssal darkness" they were transformed into something else entirely. Badoch appear androgynous as a species, males baring the same slender and delicate builds as females and said to all have a haunting and eerie beauty. Despite such light builds, they are surprisingly strong and can overpower a full sized humanoid (6') with relative ease. Bodaich (plural) stand around 5 feet tall with jet black hair normally grown long, paper white skin thats said to have a phosphurescent glow when exposed to natural light and are naturally blind but have dark eyes like deep pits that swallow the light. While blind, they do have some kind of highly attuned sixth sense that appears to give them an even higher awareness of their surroundings than any working eyes could provide. They also tend to appear somehow less solid and less substantial than other fae. It’s not that Bodach are transparent or anything, they just feel less solid somehow as if layers of their very souls have been stripped away from them.

Climate/Terrain
Underground or anywhere dark

Territories
Bodach are the only intelligent species (as far as anyone knows) that calls the "Dark Underdeep" home, hundreds of miles underground where a supernatural force known as "abyssal darkness" permeates the environment. Its not just that light doesn't reach that far down; it ceases to function as a natural law.

Society
Bodach society is based around the aquisition of knowledge over all other pursuits. Each has their own particular topic or category they specialize in such as Languages, Cultures, Religion and will spend endless hours studying and trascribing texts. Due to the fact that they are not omniprescent and are limited to only the dark places of the world, they eventually took to information brokering, willing to exchange what they know for that which they do not. However, regardless of whether an individual believes their facts to be true, Bodaich hate nothing more than being lied too and will take drastic measures in the name of justice if they believe they'd been given false information...

Species Relations
As a society Bodach tend to only interact with other denizens of the Underdeep, however invididual Bodach tend to be attracted to anyone who prizes knowledge as much as they do such as Scholars, Teachers and Storytellers. They've developed the best relationship with Gnomes due to their shared curiosity and desire to learn. However most all races have reason to both fear and prize them for how dangerous it is to to dealings with them as well as the valuable lost knowledge they possess.

Gender Relations/Roles
There doesn't appear to be any distinction made between differing roles of males and females...in fact observations have made many wonder if they appear to even notice each others gender at all.

Love/Courtship
The effects of Abyssal darkness have rendered all unable to feel anything in the form of love or even joy; only a faint and lingering sorrow that they strive to relieve through their intellectual pursuits. They may respect or even admire one another for their intellect or curiosity but even bonds of friendship are unknown to them.

Sex
The way in which Bodach deal with sex is one of their most fascinating features. All Bodach are sterile; incapable of mating and it is believed the same finite number has always existed since their creation. With each other, sex is impossible and undesirable as neither is able to feel any sort of passion or emotional attachment. However...when engaged in physical contact with those of other races something remarkable occurs. They empathicly begin to absorb the joy and desire from their partner, and act as though generations of pent up frustration and emotion are pouring forth from their delicate forms even to the point where color momentarily comes back to their cheeks. In such a state, they are well known to begin producing sounds far louder than their usual whispered speech is capable of. In the moment it becomes an addiction and they desire more and more until they've been pushed to their very limit (and they do have a remarkable level of stamina) but once it ends, they return once again to their former dark selves. Tickling is particularly appealing to them, due to reasons unknown in which the sound of laughter is incredibly cathardic and euphoric for any Bodach in listening distance. As a result it is also a favorite form of punishment for those who have wrong them; dragging offenders through magical shadowgates into their realm of darkness to be tickled endlessly until they've had their fill. Stories of hellish hysterical laughter eminating upwards from the dark underdeep are the stuff of any Earth Fae's nightmares. They themselves are immune to being coerced with tickling, enjoying every moment as much as their tormenter although orgasm denial tends to be very effective...of course no one wants to intentionally incur their wrath.

Birthrights



 * Shadowgate: Although the Dark Underdeep is hundreds of miles below ground, Bodach have the ability to travel through magical "Shadowgates" and emerge anywhere on the surface world where no light touches, meaning they are far more likely to appear at night.


 * Loremaster: Bodach have eidetic memories and can recall anything they've ever read, heard or experienced.

Favored Class
As being very well learned and studious, Mages are the most common and can be of virtually any school although Thaumaturge with their pursuits of the understanding of the science behind magic are the most popular and Oracles are highly prized. Few are any form of combat types.

Combat
Bodach don't necessarily need anything in the form of tactics or fighting skill to make their offensive abilities known. Just the image of a full grown Dwarf, Elf, Orc or Troll being dragged by a single small humanoid kicking and screaming into a dark void is enough for anyone to avoid directly confronting one aggressively.

Development
Bodach were originally called "Bogies" and have actually existed since the earliest incarnations of the world; always wanting a creepy/shadowy race lurking in dark corners of the world listening in on the goings on of surface world fae. The idea was originally inspired by the "Sluagh", a race from the Changeling the Dreaming roleplaying game but after coming across the folktale of the Bodach who seemed to mix the aesthetics of both fae and restless spirit, I just mixed the concepts together.