They are called by many names.
The undying, the ever-living, the eternal ones:
They are the strangers in the night,
Those who walk the world untouched by The God.
They are the unkillable ones, these deathless wanderers
Seeking to find meaning in our world of change
For there own lonely, forsaken lives.
They are the Immortal ones.
And they walk the world still, unknown and unknowable:
Daring to tread in the steps of gods of old,
Walking the quiet lines that lie
Between life and death, man and god, sanity and madness.
What does it mean to live forever? It does not. To live and to exist forever is not possible. Everything that begins, continuing. For some, each ending is a new beginning. Other beginnings can never end. Those you call immortal are merely the rare beings who walk the world lightly, and it touches then as lightly. For them, death is not an ending but a short sleep that eventually must claim even them for a final embrace.
Why do immortals exist? No one knows. There are stories of course: of gods and curses, phoenix’s and the first snows, fire and ice. Lies because they are stories. Truth because they are myths. Ignored, because they are legend. It is said that the gods know why immortals exist, but they choose to give no answer. For those few blessed - or cursed - with the ability to return from the dead and answer would be welcome for why they exist, perhaps even the truth.
Game Mechanics: Immortality works as a character enhancement. As an immortal you have Fast Healing of 5, meaning that you heal 5 damage at the beginning of each round. Unlike normal fast healing, you can also re-attach limbs and such and have them heal back to you. Some immortals have also had limbs regenerate over time, but it takes quite a while and tends to attract odd notice.
When an immortal “dies” they lose 1 life and return shortly in a flicker of white fire, body reformed and unharmed. When they’re “dead” they look and act dead to all intents and purposes until they return. Each immortal has a number of lives equal to their Constitution. Once they’re used up, you die for good. Also note that the pc is NOT aware of how many lives they have. After 10 deaths, immortals tend to get edgy. After 15, they actively avoid situations that could kill them. Immortals returning from death have sometimes had odd gifts or abilities bestowed on them, perhaps a result of the journey into death they made. Immortals also tend to be drawn to each other, like moths to flame.
Finally, an immortal still has a mortals memory. While playing a 800 year old 20th level fighter/sorcerer with 6 prestige classes could be fun, it wouldn’t be possible. A being can only recall so much. And most immortals learn very early on that learning to forget is perhaps the most valuable lesson they can teach other immortals.
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