Slithern
From DevroWiki
Far in the east, islands shaded in mist are home to a mysterious culture Essence-evolved from the humble rat. For centuries they lived with no contact from the other races of Devro, until intrepid sailors from Drakenmoore landed on their shores. The Draks immediately laid claim to the islands, but the necromancers found untold resistance from a new mystical power – the shugenja matriarchs of the Slithern. Now, while still uncommon on the mainland, the Slithern have begun to leave their islands in search a means to combat the Drak infestation that crowds their seaboard.
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Personality
Raised in a magocratic matriarchy, female Slithern are usually much more outspoken and strong-willed than males. Males are lesser citizens by law, but most usually are treated as such by custom; they tend to be shy, quiet, and rare to display whatever talents they may possess. Most Slithern have a penchant for small, shiny objects; their clothing often display small, flashy sequins or brooches.Mystical training is commonplace in Slithern society; many learn the concepts of basic sorcery at a very young age, and many common folks possess some access to minor spells. Males and females alike are taught the ways of the shugenja, but only females may parlay that talent into any form of political clout.
Physical Description
Slithern stand between five and six feet tall, and usually weigh between 90 and 140 pounds. Males tend to be shorter and weigh less than females. Their faces and heads bear very rat-like qualities. These include pink ears, long snout, and glittering eyes. Their legs are bent like those of a rat, and their feet possess only three toes. Their bodies are covered in short, rough fur, ranging from gray to black; males tend to be more lightly colored than females. Dress is usually loose and light in the warm islands east of Drakenmoore.
Relations
Most peoples in Devro consider the Slithern an outside oddity – either a freak of nature or an alien being. This attitude has even pervaded into the scholarly echelons; most learned sages refuse to consider the possibility that the Slithern evolved naturally, even though Ulath mythology denotes that all other Elder races evolved from lesser animals and plants by means of the Essence. There is little hope that this attitude will change in the near future.
Regardless of this attitude, Slithern are not met with direct hostility; they are usually met with some benign astonishment, but nothing more. Their ways are foreign to most Devrians, as is true of the reverse; many Slithern find the average Devrian to be backwards, uncouth, unwashed, un-attuned, and uneducated.
The only people hostile to the Slithern (and vice versa) are the people of Drakenmoore. The Drak necromancers were the first to encounter the Slithern, and immediately attempted to lay claim to the islands inhabited by the Slithern. The Drak also disdain the bizarre magical tradition of the Slithern, and consider it debased and unholy. The Slithern take great offense at the unnecessary uses of necromantic power that the Drak represent.
Government
The Slithern government is a shugenja matriarchy, with the eldest priestess standing as the supreme ruler of the Slithern. Males have no place in political decisions. The high priestess maintains a small council of the other elder priestesses as advisors and enforcers of her edicts. All of these Slithern are powerful both in the ways of the shugenja and in the political arena in their own right.
Religion
The Slithern, like the Ophids, are monotheists, revering the Great Mother, a rat deity that is said to be mother to all Slithern, and protector of their race and lands to the east.
Alignment
There is a great degree of tradition in Slithern society; most Slithern are lawful. There is also a great reverence for the natural order and the principles of elemental magic that make up the Slithern shugenja traditions – therefore most Slithern are lawful neutral.
Slithern Lands
The Slithern control a series of islands to the south east of the Drakenmoore coast. These islands are normally warm most of the year round, and are possessed of many rare and unique forms of flora.
Language
Slithern speak Klak, a bizarre language comprised almost entirely of clicking and chittering noises. They have learned some languages of the indigenous monsters of their islands, including Goblin, Draconic, and Giant.
Racial Traits
- +2 Dexterity, -2 Constitution: Slithern are lithe and agile, yet thin and frail.
- Medium-size: As Medium-size creatures, Slithern have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
- Slithern base speed is 30 feet. They also possess a burrow speed of 10 feet.
- Keen Senses: Slithern can see four times as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. They retain the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions. They can also see twice as far as humans in normal conditions.
- +2 racial bonus on Climb and Hide; Slithern are adept climbers, living in scraggy cave networks and lush island forests. Years of this life has selected for those individuals that can also remain unseen from the forest predators.
- Automatic Languages: Klak. Bonus Languages: Goblin, Draconic, Giant
- Favored Class: Shugenja. A multiclass Slithern’s shugenja class does not count when determining whether he suffers an XP penalty for multiclassing. This mystical tradition is part of the way of life for all Slithern, regardless of whether they advance in its precepts or not.
- Regional Feats: Bloodline of Fire, Dreadful Wrath, Knifefighter, Spellwise, Stormheart
