[ WP ] You were born with a large birthmark in the shape of a dragon . However , this is just a coincidence ; there is absolutely nothing magical about it , and you 're getting really tired of explaining this .

I. 
 
 Though the Spirits are unified by their ability to manipulate sleeping minds, many of them had chosen to abandon the “ Old Ways ” of the Elders. The Elders are deceptive by nature. Consuming a man ’ s soul through his dreams did not appeal to the pacifists among them. No, instead, the Exorcised dwelt among the still living, condemned by those with greater powers for disowning what was once theirs to share. 
 
 
 Mistaken for dreams of fantasy and legend, Spirits begin their weaving of magic and manipulation through appearing as mythical beasts. Elders, as self-proclaimed gods, identify as dragons. No other Spirit may do so, of course. This would be unheard of. As the Elders teemed in the hours of dusk, their Exorcised counterparts lay in stasis. There powers were gone but not forgotten, for they could not be tormented by the Elders as the humans were. 
 
 
 Exorcised, during the day, can be any sort of living thing. Lesser Spirits became houseplants, others like trees in a forest. Greater Spirits typically take the form of a domesticated animal, like a cat or dog; depending on their personality, of course. No supreme Spirit controls the outcome of an Exorcised. It is as simple as a coin flip, whether or not one is considered to be great. How each Exorcised chooses to live – that is, morally – once they ’ ve abandoned their powers, is entirely up to them. They may exercise their exorcism, if you will. 
 
 
 Most Exorcised choose to live as guardians for the living. To become Exorcised, a Spirit first endures the pain of a Torment; the nightly affliction of an Elder upon a sleeping being. This suffering occurs in a concentrated, short dosage. Imagine the sting of an insect, directly to the temple. Now inject that insect with a toxin so subtle that you only know it ’ s there because I ’ ve told you so. Its toxicity climbs quickly, escalating as though you were running up one instead of waiting to the side with the others. At its peak, your mind shuts down. 
 
 
 And this is the deepest sense of pain. 
 
 
 This occurs only while one sleeps. When dusk arrives, it brings with it an unknown sense of calm. Elders feed on this peace, knowing that the human has become unsettled. Lies become truth, and the self can no longer be trusted. And the cycle begins. 
 
 
 Through this slightly altered process, these Spirits emerge as Exorcised. In first hearing the stories of the Old Ways inflicted upon man, compassion and empathy arose within a select few. Less than half of them, to be sure. 
 
 
 Elders understand the decisions of the Exorcised. They jest at their fallen comrades, as if to believe that there ever was a war to begin with. This rage stems from within Spirits. The majority, a little more than half of them, insist that it is a defining characteristic to cultivate over eons and eternities. To be an Elder is to be deceit. To be an Exorcised is to betray. 
 
 Now, it should be said that there is indeed power left within the Exorcised. But it is no longer theirs to keep. Whether lesser or greater, these titles defining only the Spirits ’ form and ability, each Exorcised subtly uplifts the humans around them. 
 
 
 A divine aroma from a rose. The unburdened loyalty of an animal. These are the Exorcised. 
 
 
 -- - 
 
 II. 
 
 Each man and woman is marked with a creature, in the form of a tattoo, at birth. These are visible on the inner sides of the dominant hand ’ s fingers, and are often kept hidden; out of shame, of course. Particular markings on particular people are said to be curses, for those with more intricate tattoos tend to suffer more greatly than those with seemingly invisible ones. 
 
 Artists, the Spirits with no affiliation to Elders or Exorcised, are assigned with creating these markings. This too is decided by a coin flip. 
 
 No choices are made prior to the actions of an Elder ’ s first Torment or an Exorcised ’ s sole banishment. It is once these processes have begun that the human becomes aware of the existence of Spirits. 
 
 Exorcised help and Elders hurt. 
 
 And so it will always be. 
 
 -- - 
 III. 
 
 You were born with a larger than average birthmark, extending past the inner workings of your fingers and reaching over and around the knuckles on both hands. These form a dragon. Its face seems old and bitter to you. 
 
 It must be just a coincidence. 
 
 There is absolutely nothing magical about it. 
 
 You ’ re getting tired of explaining this to yourself. 
 

