The Bound

The Bound are a race of planar spirits magically bound to items to serve mages as intelligent servants. While Bound are created to serve, their longevity and intelligence means they frequently outlive or escape their summoner and go on to make a life of their own.

Planar Entities Bound appear as humanoids of all shapes and sizes, and typically have markings or features reflecting the plane they were summoned from. Bound are created from the energy of their home plane when they are summoned, rather than being independent entities that will be temporarily moved to the material plane. As such, they are not truly extraplanar - while they are composed of planar energy, they are created on the material plane. As Bound are composed of extraplanar energy, they always align themselves with their source planes when they are created. However, they are sentient creatures, and as they live out their timeless lives, they frequently find their own path, regardless of the tendencies of their plane.

Servants and Wanderers Bound are generally created to serve a powerful wizard as servants who are both easy to control and intelligent enough to learn, grow, and capably fulfill any task a master could ask. As they strongly tend towards alignments from their source planes, they typically are happy to serve duties on the material plane that are within these alignments. However, a Bound that is mistreated or becomes disenfranchised with its master may start plotting its escape. Even Bound that remain in good standing with their masters for the duration of their service typically end up on their own. Bound do not age in the same way that mortals do, and barring violence, a Bound can potentially survive indefinitely. With skills learned from serving a powerful master and a natural tendency towards a strong alignment, many Bound become adventurers, wandering the land while searching for power, justice, or just something new.

Living Items Bound get their namesake from the magical items they are created with and bound to. While bound need to eat, drink and breathe like any other humanoids they walk among, they can rest undisturbed for centuries as dormant magic items. These items usually play into what the bound was created to accomplish; Bound weapons may have been created to serve as assassins or warlords, Bound armor may serve as a sentry or bodyguard, and Bound trinkets were likely responsible for assisting with magical rituals.

Bound Names Most bound are assigned names when they are created, which likely draw inspiration from their purpose and the creator's language. However, many Bound choose new names once they are free of their master, which could be from any culture they identify with.