Ilyr (Outsider)

Ilyr is a foreign‑born warrior raised among the Valenar warclans — not by blood, but by deed. Among the Valenar, Ilyr is a simple Elvish word meaning “outsider” — a neutral term used for non‑elves who live or work among the warclans. Some outsiders eventually pick up the warclans’ habits, skills, and expectations through daily life. Through relentless training, battlefield cunning, and a willingness to adopt Valenar ways, Ilyr become something rare: outsiders the warclans trust to ride ahead, strike first, and return with victory.

This background represents practical training, frontier experience, and the everyday competence required to live among the Valenar without being part of their ancestral traditions.

Ability Scores: Your time training under the tutelage of the Valanar elves emphasized agility, awareness, and resilience. You developed the physical control needed for Valenar bladework and the steady focus required for scouting and riding. Choose the ability score increase that best reflects how you approached that training—whether through disciplined movement, careful observation, or endurance.

The Ilyr (Outsider) Background allows you to choose between Constitution, Dexterity, and Wisdom. Increase one of these scores by 2 and another one by 1, or increase all three by 1. None of these increases can raise a score above 20.

 

Feat: You received direct instruction from a Valenar warrior in the practical techniques used by the warclans. This training focused on efficiency, mobility, and the use of traditional Valenar weapons.

 

Skill Proficiencies: Living among the warclans meant learning to notice details and handle the environment effectively. You became comfortable tracking movement across open plains, reading weather and terrain, and spotting trouble before it reached the camp. Depending on your role within the warband, you may also have learned to move quietly, handle physical challenges, or read people’s intentions.

 

Tool Proficiencies: Working around the warclans meant picking up a useful craft or skill. Whether it was maintaining leather gear, carving small functional items, or navigating unfamiliar terrain, you learned a toolset that supported daily life among the Valenar. This proficiency represents the practical, hands‑on tasks you handled regularly.

 

Languages: You learned Elvish simply by living among the warbands long enough to understand their instructions, conversations, and expectations. In addition, you picked up another language commonly encountered on the Valenar frontier—one useful for dealing with travelers, scouts, or neighboring groups.

 

Equipment: Your equipment reflects the standard gear given to someone who works around a warband: a scimitar, a longbow, basic travel clothing, and a carved token identifying your association with a particular group. None of it is ceremonial or prestigious—it’s simply what you used during training and travel.