Etymology: moroi, Romanian vampires or ghosts which draw energy from living beings.
Moroi are fetches who have surrendered to the eternal darkness, that eater of worlds, instead of continuing to fight against it. They have become fallen and tarnished, losing many of their former powers — but gaining others in return, and the added boon of freedom from responsibility. Fetches become moroi out of anger, disillusionment, selfishness, arrogance, despair — virtually always a negative cause. They usually scorn the righteous and pure-of-heart who cleave to a purpose that surely is no more than wishful thinking. No moroi has ever been redeemed, and it is generally believed that they cannot be; to other fetches, and sometimes to moroi themselves, they are simply and purely evil.
Becoming Moroi
Those who welcome the darkness in do so for a number of reasons — out of hate and anger towards other fetches, out of despair at the lack of guidance and clear purpose which plagues them all, out of scorn towards the mortal mayflies the unfallen concern themselves with. At some point, each moroi decides they will have nothing more to do with the "purpose" of the fetch; they cross over to the dead world and seek out the darkness instead. Some set forth with the intent of becoming fallen; others seek out shadows with the expectation of death, but find themselves swallowed by the eternal night instead.
The depths of the darkness are strange and terrible, alien and incomprehensible; it is an experience no moroi forgets, but fervently desires to never revisit nonetheless. They do not speak of it to one another, much less to their unfallen kin; whether all moroi have the same experience or not is therefore a mystery. When moroi return, they are changed in all ways — different in appearance, in psyche, and in their magic.
Most moroi have red hair and gray eyes, regardless of their appearance before tarnishing.1
Appearance
The vast majority of moroi become red-haired and gray-eyed after tarnishing; thus, a moroi is immediately identifiable when wearing the fetch's body (i.e. on the dead world). The appearances of living moroi avatars are as diverse as those of any other fetch class.
Attitudes
Most moroi have a bitter and jaded outlook on life. While moroi and avatar can and do differ in the particulars of their attitudes and preferences, never is there a Jekyll-and-Hyde-like case of 'good' and 'bad' personalities. As with other classes of fetch, moroi and their avatars are two parts of the same soul, and so broadly complement one another rather than conflict. The attitude of a given moroi is generally dictated by the reason for their fall; e.g. a moroi who fell in anger has likely nursed that anger into violent hate towards the living and the 'dupes' who are their unfallen cousins.
Like all fetches, moroi know (or believe, depending on one's perspective) that "life" is an endless succession of reincarnations. Given that, and their choice to abandon guardianship of the living world, moroi by and large have zero regard for the mayfly lives and mundane concerns of mortals. Some are cruel and malevolent, causing harm with deliberate intent; others are simply callous and uncaring, acting according to their own needs and interests without care for how others are impacted.
Abilities and Powers
World-walking
Unlike normal fetches and avatars, moroi do not require mirrors to step between worlds; they can do so at any time and place. All any moroi needs is the intent to cross over, and the space in which to take a step.
Shadow-speaking
Not all moroi have an affinity for shadows; it seems to be related to age — specifically, how long ago one fell. Recently tarnished moroi, those fallen on Midgar or Earth, can only sense when shadows are nearby. Those who have been moroi since an older world can summon shadows, and when they command, the shadows will sometimes do their bidding — but only sometimes. To all evidence, shadows cannot speak to moroi in return — i.e. shadows cannot be used as scouts or spies, even if they were inclined to return after being sent forth.
Overall, attempting to control shadows is a chancy business: shadows will always come when summoned, but appear to have little regard for their summoner. Though fetches think of moroi as turncoats who gave allegiance to the Darkness, by definition allies of shadows, the reality is that moroi know little more of shadows than do their unfallen counterparts. What motivates shadows to obey — or ignore — any given moroi is as much a mystery to them as anyone else — even if the moroi don't admit it.
Soul-drinking
The power used by unfallen fetches comes from an unknown wellspring, generally referred to as the Light even though none know (or remember) anything about it. When one falls and becomes moroi, their access to this source is lost, and the Darkness provides no substitute. Instead, moroi must drain the energy of other living beings to fuel their magic. This draining occurs through physical contact, but must be deliberately activated; moroi cannot accidentally or indiscriminately draw energy.
For most purposes, moroi do not need to drain to the point of death; drawing from a healthy victim until that person becomes fatigued and sleepy provides energy for general magic use for up to a week. The victim is tired and lethargic for a day, then goes back to their normal life. However, moroi can easily drain a person to the point of death through physical contact — and because the majority of moroi are bitter and spiteful towards the unfallen, this happens often; moroi are not generally concerned about sparing their victims.
This ability and need has a second aspect, that which truly drives the fear unfallen fetches have of moroi: just as moroi can take one's life energy with a touch, they can drink down souls through a bite or kiss. Consuming a soul ends the cycle of reincarnation; if a fetch/avatar dies by any other method, they will still be reborn on the next world, but if their soul is swallowed by a moroi, the death is final. However, soul-drinking has a price for the drinker: fragments of the consumed identity persist in the moroi's psyche, ghosts which will haunt them for all time. Thus, although it is a greatly feared weapon, it is something moroi actually use very rarely. Death of the body is usually sufficient for the moroi's ends, and doesn't leave them with a ghost in their head.
There is no protection against either form of draining: no one is resistant. The sole defense is not letting a moroi get close enough to touch in the first place.
Tarnished Magic
When a fetch falls into darkness, their original magic becomes corrupted; some powers are lost, and others change in ways that might be considered "dark" or "evil". The particulars differ from one to the next; just as every fetch's powers are unique, so are the magics of moroi. For example, a fallen djinn who previously summoned fire might instead summon the essence of cold, or a black fire that swallows light instead of radiating it. A fallen nagual might carry corruption on tooth and claw, or have their natural animal shape transmuted into an unnatural horror.
There is some indication that the impetus for one's fall affects how the moroi's magic changes — a moroi who turned out of hate and malice, for example, generally has more "evil"-seeming powers than one fallen from disillusionment and despair.
Applying for a Moroi
Note: Moroi are a restricted character type. All moroi concepts must be approved by staff prior to creation.
Any fetch from any source tradition may become moroi.
This is a placeholder for how to apply for moroi.