Natural souls

Natural Souls protect Augmented from Arcane Radiation.

Types

Natural Souls

• Aves
• Carnivora
• Arthropoda
• Cephalopoda
• Ruminantia
• Glire
• Terra
• Reptilia
• Spectral
• Golem

Wild Souls

• Fungi
• Perissodactyla
• Cnidaria
• Marsupialia

Player souls

Type		Total	Primary	Additional
Natural souls	🦚 Aves	11*	6	5
	🐅 Carnivora	12**	6	6
	🦋 Arthropoda	7	5	2
	🐙 Cephalopoda
	🦌 Ruminanita	5	3	2
	🐇 Glire	4	4
	🌲 Terra	9	9
	🐍 Reptilia	2	2
	👻 Spectral	11***	8	3
	💎 Golem	2	2
Wild souls	🍄 Fungi	1		1
	🦏 Perissodactyla	2		2
	🪼 Cnidaria	1		1
	🦘 Marsupialia
Totals		67	45	22

* 11 souls, 10 augmented as 1 character has multiple Aves souls.

** 12 souls, 9 augmented as 2 characters have multiple Carnivora souls.

*** 11 souls, 10 augmented as 1 character has multiple Spectral souls.

Data retrieved from the Taken Page on 2026-08-24 at 17:03 (Etc/UTC).

Shifting

The Temporary Transformation

(... the more fearsome and monstrous form)

Patho-Gen will tell all new Augmented arrivals that their ability to fully transform should be available... now! Yes! Immediately, characters will find that once they tune into the Augmenter implanted in the most vital part of their body, they can tap into the neighboring soul that resides within their body. This is called Shifting. Shifting is exactly what Patho-Gen wants from Augmented characters, because it gives them those incredible powers!

Characters will have a fully bestial figure that they can Shift into at will. This form will be monstrous and exhibit the formidable nature of their soul type. For example, one who bears a Cephalopoda-type soul may have many tentacles, slick skin, suckers, an enlarged cranium, the whole kit and kaboodle. Likewise, a Glire-type soul will have their ears, strong legs, sturdy and sharp claws, long teeth, fur... This is where Augmented characters are the most monstrous they can look. These will be forms that are even more intense than their final, developed corruption (see more about that below), and will gradually drain the user's energy.

Shifting will be mildly uncomfortable for character to engage, and might take some practice at first. But it may feel comfortably intuitive for others who are capable of focusing inward. At first it may be easier to perform a "Half-Shift," where only some of the most monstrous features are engaged, such as a bulky limb with dangerous claws. Within two months, characters will be fully capable of harnessing their Shifting abilities. And sometimes, these forms might accidentally be Shifted into during intense emotional outbursts.

Shifted forms are where ALL of a character's most monstrous traits should be activated. They appear most fearsome when Shifted, and are strongest when they're Shifted too. And not only that, but their most primal, animal senses will be strongest—and most difficult to ignore. With practice, the Augmented will be capable of great things. Two souls are better than one, in this world. And who knows? This is only the beginning.

Corruption

The Permanent Transformation

(... the everyday look!)

Patho-Gen will warn you about this, erm, unfortunate side-effect. With great power comes a small price... if becoming hairy, feathery, scaly, or undead is your idea of a 'small price.'

Over the span of FOUR to EIGHT months, all Augmented characters will find themselves gradually corrupted by the soul they've inherited. This is what happens when the Natural Soul influences its host, resulting in physical, mental, and behavioral changes that reflect that of the Natural Soul's. These will be permanent changes, separate from their ability to Shift into a monstrous form. A Carnivora-type soul will develop a prey drive, distorted dentition, and plenty of fur; a Terra-type will find that down to a cellular level, they've developed plant cells, and may have an instinct to do whatever it takes to survive.

Be warned: these will be some painful months. Bone, organs, musculature, and even vasculature may distort and twist; bodies will demand a lot of calories, diets may change, hair distribution and texture may change... Their bodies may require new or different resources to survive as they're corrupted by their brand new soul-buddy. How you choose to subject your character to this bodily distortion is up to you, and depending on how much they change, they will experience pain like they've never experienced before.

The nitty-gritty of these changes can be explored on each individual Natural Soul's page, listed above and below. Each soul type is influenced not only by its genus, family, or category, but also with some folklore inspiration. If Patho-Gen is asked why a person with an Aves-type soul can do things no mere bird could, such as commune with the dead or manipulate wind... who knows! Perhaps there's more to learn about these Natural Souls, eh?

Soul abilities (WIP)

Type		Improved/reduced sense						Elemental manipulation/magic	Mental	Physical
		Sight	Hearing	Smell	Taste	Touch	Other			Self	Others
Natural souls	🦚 Aves	++	+	-			Soul and wind sight	Wind	Mental coercion through song
	🐅 Carnivora		++	++						Regeneration, healing
	🦋 Arthropoda			+	+	-/+	Othersense (for Katalyth)	Soul dependant	Intent detection	Soul dependant web/silk spinning	Soul dependant poisons etc.
	🐙 Cephalopoda							Water	Curse placement
	🦌 Ruminantia							Earth, rock	Lie detection	Shapeshifting (retain weight)	Poison breath
	🐇 Glire									Shapeshifting (retain weight)
	🌲 Terra							Plants	Psychotropic type mental effects	Regeneration	Type specific: poison, healing, parasitism
	🐍 Reptilia				+
	👻 Spectral							One element of: Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Dark, Electric		Shapeshifting to one of: bats, wolves, owls, rats, goats, spiders, cats, opossums
	💎 Golem					-		Earth, metal, rock	Susceptible to suggestion	Immunity to poisons
Wild souls	🍄 Fungi
	🦏 Perissodactyla
	🪼 Cnidaria
	Marsupialia

Additional Souls

Additional souls can be obtained with Rewards points.

These come with flavour text. So far, the following have been received:

Character	Date	Type	Flavour
Momo (yesdoubt)	2025-08-10	Fungi (Wild)	What Momo hears is particularly unearthly... or particularly earthly, to view it another way. It's like his ears are being clogged with something, distorting everything around him into a dull, oddly-meaty throb. Is it a pulse, or some other kind of beat? It grows louder, closer, and conveys with it a sense of ominous suffocation, as though his own heart, his own essence was being drowned out along with the rest of the world.... It vanishes just as quickly as it came, and the sudden clarity in its wake might be its own form of disorienting. Altogether the experience only lasts for a few minutes, but it might have felt like it took much longer.
Johann (hallankind)	2025-08-06	Spectral	wow it turns up i'm not doing flavor text here either
Northly (northling)	2025-09-01	Arthropoda	Congratulations to Northly on her acquisition of one(1) stray Arthropoda soul! Along with the immediate pain at the soul's acquisition, she will hear a quiet skittering, chittering sort of noise in the back of her head. It will feel like something is crawling in there too, a disconcerting sort of invasion, as though her bones were being trampled upon by an uncertain amount of very small, very light legs. It's itchy in the worst sort of way, and the sound builds into a hiss. It's hard to tell whether it's from one or many throats, or whether it's a throat at all that's producing it. After a handful of minutes it fades away, and Northly is free to enjoy her new soul buddy.
Mel (opposed)	2025-10-18	Carnivora	There is always space for more Horrors.... Alongside the considerable discomfort of the wayward soul slotting itself into place, are voices, just at the edge of Mel's hearing. Beyond her hearing, really, as the conversation slips in and out of range. "--too simple, too limited..." "...even raising predators for?" "...settled..." "--can be culled, but we can't send just cattle--" Even in its near-unintelligibility, it provokes a sense of immense frustration. But there's nothing to sink your teeth into.
Hubert (bloodypath)	2025-10-18	Perissodactyla (wild)	In addition to the physical discomfort, Hubert will also find himself abruptly unconscious. How delightful! He could probably use the rest; holidays are exhausting in their own way. Hubert should also be used to by now, the carnival version of the Katalyth music. Here it is again, invading his dreams. With it is a bubbling of voices all around him, the conversation of a crowd, just out of sight. ...maybe this will help? Even if, oh- I think we're too late? ❌ He's already 🥺 We can't take it back         that's okay ... Please take good care of it. 🥹Please take good care of us ...somehow the emojis are audible too. But it ends, and Hubert may awaken, free to explore whatever the hell just happened.
Vanitas (bleude)	2025-10-24	Spectral	Vanitas really out there enhancing his lifestyle.... It's barely audible- mostly inaudible, really- but in the midst of that pain as the second soul settles in, there's voices whispered deep in his head. "Where do you think-- ...? No one's seen-- .....for years now." "....this again... but it would be convenient-- ...our own." With it, even sharper than the pain, is an absolute wrath, a suffocating blackness of utter hatred, but you drown in it before you can drown anything else.
Elijah (viciousabyss)	2025-10-24	Cephalopoda	Eli living the luxurious life here, complete with a new soul friend.... When the soul arrives, alongside the requisite pain of its implantation- are voices, just at the edge of his hearing. "--you to stop talking with it. It's not real debate- just imitation--" "...when you-- ...it almost looks like it's still intelligent."
Pom (feistro)	2025-11-22	Carnivora	What is a Pom for, but to fit ever more dogs inside? There's the pain, as this strange new soul slips its way in, finding a home for itself in the cold of the world. But with it are voices, faint and fading, as lost as everything else it had once been. "...third time this week. Is this batch faulty... ...the implantation?" "...back yet... but what do you bet we're only using these because there's so many?" You feel trapped. The words mean progressively less to you until there's nothing left.
Pal (megatheorem)	2025-11-29	Cnidaria (wild)	A pal to cnidarias the world over, or at least to this specific wayward soul. A sharp pain comes with its implantation, as though on the receiving end of intangible stingers. In the midst of it is sound, sharp and oddly clear, though piecemeal, as though only fragments have survived of some much greater piece. It's something old. The conversation clips in and out, but the speakers (at least two of them, but it's hard to tell for certain) sound insistent, even desperate. What they're saying is incomprehensible. But it doesn't feel like gibberish; it's a language, but not the one currently spoken on Pathos, the one that's been implanted inside every Augmented One to ease communication with the locals. You feel... detached. This has very much to do with you, but you're indifferent to it. You're patient, and in their haste they will leave an opening. All you have to do is wait. ....The sound cuts off, taking the foreign impressed emotions with it, leaving nothing behind but a sore neck and a new friend.
Dorothea (reprisings)	2025-12-02	Arthropoda	The pain is sudden, the sharpness coming all at once, a throb that's in itself almost deafening. At the edges of it are words, like a conversation held at Dorothea's periphery. "...surprised, you know. ...things, but the souls, they're as large as...." "... ...heard? ... ....most of the souls we're working with need... .....broken down, allowed to meld together to create something more..... using the result." Your head is a mess, as if a thousand different voices were screaming at once, and not in any kind of unison. One after another they die out, until yours is the only one left.
Tighnari (sighnari)	2025-12-05	Fungi (wild)	Has all that effort communing with the mushrooms paid off, or is it a coincidence that Tighnari has gotten himself worse than spored.... No voices accompany the arrival of this soul, only the pain, the burn as it attaches itself, demanding a place even if it had been welcomed in. Which isn't to say that there's not still sound of a sort, though it's more of a sensation. A moment of feeling connected to the ground beneath him, but in a way that's different from that of his Terra soul. A sense of being connected to the whole of the island- even radiating beyond it, stretching towards the rest of Pathos, with the faintest of echoes coming from across the ocean. Immense pain comes with it, but it's also... detached, peculiarly endurable, agony turned into an abstract concept. A heightened awareness of Katalyth, of arcane radiation? This feeling of being connected passes quickly, but it leaves a lingering impression of the enormity of radiation in the world. And that it's old. New to Pathos, perhaps, but old.
Rowan (ralliesprotests)	2025-12-06	Carnivora	Unrelated is the sudden attachment of a new soul, a piercing pain in their neck akin to having jaws closed around it. Somehow, rather than aggression it conveys desperation. Alongside it is sound, a nearly-inaudible itch of it, in the back of their head. "....to train. ....manageable than the first batch. Look, it stopped." "...don't like it. It's eerie... ....malformed, I don't... ....getting out. ... ...the point, to be dangerous, but we need better failsafes than the Calling."
Kaeya (shadowsincryo)	2025-12-27	Carnivora	There's so many wolves out there that need homes- and this one has found its way into Kaeya. As with all soul implantations there's pain, a spike of it that radiates through everything. And with it, sound. The voices go in and out of range, a palpable frustration in them that doesn't compare to yours. You wish you had seen it. You feel resentful that you hadn't been there- and even more that you were left behind. .....group escaped the other day. ... ...up when I got there, but you could- you... ...scared. It took me everything I had not to tell them I warned them!" "...awful but maybe this means they'll start listening to us. ...day handling the beasts up close- but it's only when... ....mauled and loses samples that it...."
Kaeya (shadowsincryo)	2026-01-01	Carnivora	Kaeya really taking to heart that a lone wolf is a sad wolf... no chance of loneliness now, with three in there. The experience should be familiar by now. And maybe it's because this new soul implanted itself so soon after the last, but the conversation seems to be a continuation of the prior one. "So... do you... .....out to collect them?" "....trackers are putting ...the woods already. It's not ideal... ...to the city again, you know... ...a problem solved."
Vincent (ofmisfortune)	2026-01-19	Carnivora	The pain of sudden soul implantation is sharp, a constriction within the throat, in more than the throat- though there's no physical cause. Voices arrive with it, somewhere too close, but indistinct. You're being prodded by something you can't see, but you're not allowed to move enough to snap at it. "....using these.... were more... ....look stable to you? "....jaws just... do that... ...than the ones that are full of eyes. Why is it always eyes? Or teeth?"
Malkuth(ignoreher)	2026-01-22	Terra	There's never any warning for these implantations, but the pain is immediate, a lance through the neck. But you don't need a throat to breathe from. What is a throat, a neck? Something you've left far behind. You're repulsed by the creatures around you, and withdraw into yourself, where their words can't reach. None of it matters; you will endure. "...delicate's the right word... ... finicky. ...splice together more....." "...ever kept a plant... ...wilt if you look... ...you could burn them, and they won't die."
Dante(followyourstar)	2026-01-25	Terra	As though Dante weren't haunted enough, another spirit decides to call them home. Just as haunting are the scraps of conversation that accompany the pain of its implantation. "....that we should be using.... ....kill their hosts... ....wrong about that." "That resilience is.... ...grotesque, but have you seen.... ...off exposure like it's nothing." "...already dead! And the disfiguration isn't nothing." Emotion drowns out most of the words, the blanks filled with grief, and the need to wring all sound and life from the bodies of those cruel enough to outlive you.
Dedue(sworndevotion)	2026-01-25	Ruminantia	Rather than being stabbed, it's more like a collision, when this stray soul catches on and stays there. The pain is almost an afterthought to the itch, a frustrated burn that runs through your core, a flash of memory that's already faded to scraps. The voice that comes with it is no clearer, a noise that's drowned out by silence. "....type that I've... ....assess. ......some routine samples. ...hurt more than a pinch. ...you lowering your head?"
Lauralae (rakta)	2026-01-25	Reptilia	The implantation of a soul doesn't seem to be something that can be done without pain- as when Lauralae's new occupant slithers in, a stab of pain through the throat comes with it. The sort of pain that spreads, inflaming every nerve it touches, even if they were already dead. But there's no malice there, as it takes shelter. Amidst the pain of its burrowing, voices are left behind, far more indistinct than the fear. "....just don't like them. At least the plagues... are furry. Even some of the.... ...move, the way they look at you...." "There is something fundamental.... If we fail here... ...still be around. I think that's- kind of reassuring." "...won't have to look at them...."
Gregor (verminous)	2026-01-26	Carnivora	Muscle suddenly seizes. A new soul burrowing its way in is never a comfortable thing, and to be locked into this state, scarcely capable of breathing, makes the fog of distant conversation that much harder to understand. But is it even worth trying? ".... next. Skip the autopsy, unless... ...Not just more eyes, wherever...." "...twice what we were told last week. What's wrong... ....culling this many?" Stronger than anything else is the sense of apathy. It's sunk so deep that your bones are leaden, that even were you given an open door or a bared throat, your lethargy would keep you from taking either. All grows dulled- even the pain, which finally fades as the voices do.
Silco (zauneyete)	2026-02-02	Cnidaria	Silco, weird? Who would ever accuse such a thing.... Silco may feel a creeping feeling of dread, in the moments preceding the implantation. It's not baseless when the stings arrive, dozens of them, lashing at skin whether it's covered or not; there's no protection from it. Despite the pain of the invisible stings- as they leave no trace of injury behind- the emotion that comes with it is one of satisfaction, and for a few minutes, at least, it would be difficult to tell that it's not his own. It at least makes the pain easier to bear, as it feels disconnected from himself.... No voices come with the new soul, but it's not for a lack of hearing. Instead, there's more of a sense that this new companion... could not care less for what's around it. Why would it listen to lesser things? Why would it remember them?
Enhanced Person No. 5 el5n	2026-02-07	Aves	Another wayward soul makes its nest in a pleasing spot; did the bird recognize like company, or was it the work of chance and opportunity? In any case, invisible claws are dug, the creature coming home to roost. And with it, a fading recollection. The only voice is 'your' own, a call of defiance that's wrapping around a core of fear. There is no response, nothing else around besides the dull hum of machinery. There's never been a response but every day you call until your voice gives out. The real world that exists around Five is overlain with concrete, but it's too dark for any details to be made out. You don't know how long it's been like this; time has lost all meaning in the dark and the solitude. No one ever comes, and the vision finally fades entirely.
Flins lunarnocturne	2026-03-03	Ruminantia	It's not a comfortable thing, when a wayward soul finds its new home, but the way this one slips in is a little easier than most. A kind of hallucination comes with it, but it doesn't convey much in the way of sound. It's quiet; maybe there's a rustling of leaves, a stir of wind. But it conveys mostly a sense of contentment, of one's needs being currently met, and with no danger on the horizon. It's blessedly uncomplicated, and there's no thought to the future. When the darkness arrives, it's just as swift; it barely even has a chance to hurt. The sensation fades after a few minutes, and Flins will be right where he was when it started, just with a new soul companion.
Kalim Al-Asim istandwithmycancelledwife	2026-03-07	Aves	The arrival of a wayward soul is painful, disorienting- an intensity as sharp as it is brief. And it is quite brief, at least, the duller ache that follows almost a relief. An itch of sound comes with it, a conversation happening at the edge of hearing, something that fails to ever fully come into focus. "....a favorite type? I think mine are the birds- they're just so striking. ....a pity we have to keep their mouths sealed shut." "Be careful who you.... ...picking favorites- I know what you mean, but people have been replaced for less."
Gale Dekarios stoplickingthedamnthing	2026-04-08	Ruminantia	A good Ruminantia-soul can be hard to find; a prey animal that survives knows how to make itself scarce when necessary. And maybe that instinct persists even when it's shed all flesh, reduced to something more fundamental. But it's abrupt as ever, a soul flushed out of the dark, escaping... it's hard to say. But beyond the pain of its arrival comes a sense of fear, of being in the midst of being chased down. If there's a predator involved, it's a strange one; there's no impression of claws or teeth or guns. No voices come with it. Only a brief sense of being pulled at, soul-deep. It's more than a little uncomfortable- and in a way that's different from the piercing agony that came with the new soul finding an agreeable place to hide. But it disappears as the previously-displaced Ruminantia melds itself to Gale. Whatever was after the deer can no longer reach it within the greater security of the herd.
Verso versoul	2026-05-16	Perissodactyla	While the arrival of the soul is as painful as it ever is, it's short lived, giving way to a flush of fever. The mental fog it generates includes voices- distant, yet surprisingly clear. Though it might not be right to call them 'voices', so much as thoughts, transcribed into something that contains meaning. oh... oh...!! 😯 We're sorry about this         One got away from us 😶😓 You'll look after them, won't you? This might be for the best afterall (Somehow, the emojis are audible.) The voices fade in a hurry, as though rushing to avoid having to explain themselves....
Florian Leickenbloom creepyfingers	2026-06-02	Aves	A sharp stab to the throat- it's a piercing pain, rather than a strangling sensation, and the throbbing heat that follows is an echo of what it had felt like the first time Florian had his neck operated on. However disorienting this Augmenter-related pain might be, even more so is the rush of absolute fury. It out-intensifies the pain, it's something impossible to contain- not in the sense of demanding an outburst, but the kind of emotion that could tear skin, could burst delicate hearts. Even as it begins to fade, it'll be difficult to separate the emotion from himself, to recognize that its origin- this utter hatred of circumstance, this defiance- belonged to the fragile creature now nesting in his soul.
Johann hallankind	2026-06-03	Aves	wow it turns up i am not writing any more flavor text
Jamil Viper snizier	2026-06-03	Aves	It seems there's no avoiding the pain of a stray soul taking shelter in an unfamiliar body. But with the pain are impressions. There's a mood of restlessness, but it's surprisingly not anything unpleasant. It's closer to anticipation, really, the urge to get started- to get away. To escape from familiar surroundings and be somewhere else entirely. You know the direction, you can't stray from it- and maybe you don't have a choice in any part of this after all... But it'll be satisfying to escape, all the same. Right as the feelings fade, there's a fleeting sense of panic, and a renewal of pain that had just begun to ease- before a complete and utter silence. It's hard to tell how much time has passed like this, its perspective disjointed. But at the trailing end of it is a mix of fear and relief, and a fierce determination to not lose the way again.
Gilbert Nightray belovedscars	2026-06-03	Aves	The wayward soul slams into place, a flare of pain that echoes through the throat, and spreads to the rest of the body- reminiscent to the Augmenter's original implantation. A sudden slap of emotion comes with it, and it's one of overwhelming confusion, to the point of near panic. Even as this soul was the one to make contact- it gives an impression of having not expected this, and finds the experience a distressing one. ...Or maybe it's reflective of something earlier, a memory conflated, a feeling of being upsettingly caged. Trapped, squeezed, crushed- pressed down to nothing and with nothing left to do but wait. It's horrible... but all it can do is wait, and as the minutes pass, its consciousness and all emotion with it fades.