The Eladrin are an ancient race of Fey sired by The Lords of Spring and The Lyn of Autumn. Eladrin are very in tune with all forms of nature -- they exhibit a natural geomancy, a sort of hyper-empathy that allows them to adopt features of animals, and powerful Eladrin souls may linger along the mortal realms as great Primal Spirits when their bodies pass on. The weakest and most common variant, however, are the Virago, described below.
Description[]
Virago are physically similar to the Eladrin presented in the 4th Edition Player's Handbook. They are tall, graceful, and (by human standards) unearthly beautiful. Most notably, Virago lack any sort of affinity for teleportation. Rather, they practice geomancy, a primal arte that allows them to manifest facsimiles of various animal parts. The Brightblossom clan, for instance, reveres the humble Mantid as their clan animal, and the leaders of the clan often manifest the chitinous armor and compound eyes of the Mantid Tenders to better their abilities for combat. Geomancy is not a very structured magic -- while one Virago might seamlessly manifest an animal part, flesh and fur fusing seamlessly, another might find their manifestations translucent green, their regular bodies partially visible through the manifestation.
Generally speaking, an Eladrin Virago stands 5'8" - 6'2" on average, weighing between 130 and 160 lbs, with most of their weight being carried as lean muscle. Their hair grows long and straight, with color and hairstyle varying highly between both clan and individual. Females are usually slightly shorter than males, but apart from standard humanoid dimorphisms, are much the same. Male Virago hardly ever have facial hair.
History[]
The Virago Eladrin are the weakest offspring of the Seasons' Heralds. They are fully mortal, and live primarily in the forests around The Triskelion (8 Clans) and The Waltzing Mountains (3 Clans).
The Brightblossom (Mantid) Clan met a Troinat expedition, and, fearing attack, drove the insect-men off. This has lead to the Clans, on the whole, becoming more xenophobic, especially to those outside the Triskelion's forests.
Virago Clans[]
Currently, there are 13 extant clans of Virago.
Brightblossom[]
Totem Animal: Mantid
Location: Eastern Triskelion Highly Xenophobic. Dislike Troinat.
Sunfeather[]
Totem Animal: Eroes
Location: Northeastern Triskelion Idealistic. Former members left to found the original two Waltzing Mountain clans.
Swiftclaw[]
Totem Animal: Orionid
Location: Southern Triskelion These Eladrin most resemble those from 4e cannon, as the have learned to manifest the teleportation abilities of the Orionids.
Grasswhistle[]
Totem Animal: Dobbit
Location: Western Triskelion Relatively peaceful tribe. Most food is farmed, rather than hunted or gathered.
Shaleshell[]
Totem Animal: Sichon
Location: Northwestern Triskelion Primarily Fisherfolk. Peaceful.
Bloodtooth[]
Totem Animal: Krin
Location: Southwestern Triskelion Small, violent tribe. Barely tolerated by other Triskelion tribes.
Amblecloud[]
Totem Animal: Sky jelly
Location: East of the Triskelion, Sil's grove. Alternatively psychotic and fanatic. Utterly dependent upon Sil's pheromones.
Venomhand[]
Totem Animal: Paraspider
Location: Southern Triskelion Very mystical tribe. Lives within Golden Forest
Skyshadow[]
Totem Animal: Manta Beast
Location: Waltzing Mountains Formerly the largest clan in the Waltzing Mountains. Bullies. Decimated by Gorand assault after they attacked a Mooskin colony. Derided by the Devilfur Clan, to whom the Mooskin is sacred.
Devilfur[]
Totem Animal: Mooskin
Location: Waltzing Mountains Regarding by many as insane. Prone to random acts of violence against other clans.
Earthwarder[]
Totem Animal: Gorand
Location: Waltzing Mountains Formed out of repentant Skyshadow members. Small but exceedingly powerful.
Thunderwaltz[]
Totem Animal: Stormbird
Location: The Triskelion Very few of their totem animals remain within the world. The Thunderwaltz tribe is similarly small.
Arborwrath[]
Totem Animal: Battlebriar
Location: The Triskelion Very aggressive tribe, solely dedicated to wiping out the mindflayer "incursion".
Society[]
Virago Eladrin live in small tribes from between 30 to 60 individuals. The way chieftains are selected varies from clan to clan, some are democratic, some are dynastic, etc, but all tribes maintain a council of elders, who jointly advise and guide the chieftains. The climate of Mishway lent itself to a semi-nomadic lifestyle, the varying clans moving back and forth across the faces of the Triskelion as they hunted dobbit, eroes, and the occasional krin. Due to the warm climate, the Virago tend towards a few, loose garments.
It's not uncommon to see Virago (of either gender) go hunting in nothing more than boots and loincloths, though some of the more developed clans will use fur armor and shields. The varying plants of the region can be crafted into dyes that, when applied to the skin under certain conditions (usually involving geomancy) can result in permanent tattoos, most commonly used on the face, neck, shoulder, and forearms.
The Archfey are considerably more well to do, mimicing the flowing robes and tunics favored by the Lords of Spring and the Lyn of Autumn themselves.
Virago do not formally marry, though monogamous relations remain the norm. Twice yearly, on the Spring and Autumn Equninoxes, the Virago celebrate, acknowledging new births, and meeting up with other nearby clans for a day of revelry. Because of this, Virago identify themselves as either "Springborn" or "Autumnborn", and measure age not in years, but in seasons, gaining one "season" at every Equinox celebration after their acknowledgement (usually the equinox directly following their actual birth).
Names[]
Archfey favor long, grand sounding names. Virago names vary highly between the clans, but if they do not adopt a grand name like the Archfey, they are more than happy to name theirselves or their kin after current events, nearby objects, or anything else that strikes their fancy.
Example Names:
Archfey (female): Luminaria, Lunar, Tethys, Scionna, Raltheri
Archfey (male): Gathros, Devenar, Milvrin, Sartoth
Virago (female): Moonbeam, Kayle, Harvest-Moon, Windsinger
Virago (male): Stalvos, Clavil, Lotus-Eater, Howler
Stats[]
to be added
- are* a PC race.
Classes[]
Favor primal classes such as Druids, Wardens, or Soulhunters.
Natural Talents[]
Limited geomancy (as outlined in 'Description')