Homebrew Anabagua Species Details

Before all the races on Boricubos came to be, there were the anabaguas, plant-like humanoids who are also known as the “Eldest” because of their unique position as the archipelago’s original inhabitants, created by the gods to watch over not only the archipelago of Boricubos, but also the people who would be sent to populate it in future years. In the Boricubosan creation story, it was the anabaguas themselves who were given seeds presented by the gods in order to plant the other races that now populate the archipelago, all save for the hurákani and the wolákani, who arose from the elements naturally many centuries later. Because they are the Eldest, many of Boricubos’ other races often look to them as spiritual leaders and see what advice the anabaguas give before acting.

The Beauty of the Land

The anabaguas take pride in their dominance over the jungles of Boricubos, often seeing themselves as superior to the other races because of their positions as leaders of the land and growth on the archipelago. They tend to hide this haughtiness well around others, disguising it as knowing better for the people of Boricubos due to their long lives and well known tradition of saving the other races during times of crisis, such as during hurricanes or volcanic eruptions. Though they cannot physically affect the earth like the wolákani or divert waters like the hurákani, they know the secrets of the archipelagos better than anyone else, including the magically protected sanctuaries that stay pristine in any conditions.

But what the anabaguas are most proud of is being the first race created by the gods to populate Boricubos, a fact that they never fail to mention if it becomes even tangentially relevant. In the rare interactions mortals have with the gods, it is usually a divinity speaking with one of the anabaguas, which only cements the idea that the anabagua people are, in fact, special. Because of their status as Eldest, the coquían, iguaca, and taínem often consult them before jumping headfirst into decisions regarding any important matters. Though with the gods currently divided and at war, this position has become tenuous, with less and less people coming to the anabaguas for advice.

With the current war in the heavens, the land of Boricubos is dying, and with them, the lifespans of the anabaguas have shortened dramatically. What used to be a several-thousand-year lifespan has been reduced to about two hundred years today, a fact which was only discovered when the oldest of the anabaguas began to wilt and die of old age, all at the same time. This event, known as The Blight, has ravished the population of the anabaguas, and because of this, the current population of anabaguas are made up of only the youngest and most inexperienced to make decisions. Though they act just as if they are just as knowledgeable as their deceased elders, they are a race in panic, not sure if they can live up to the legacy their ancestors left behind.

Delicate Flowers

The anabaguas are plant-like people to take the form of the orchids which are native to Boricubos. Though their leaves may be different colors, ranging from white to bright pink, all anabaguas have the same distinctive five white petals that are attached to their heads, surrounding their humanoid faces. The body of an anabagua is thin in frame, and green, just like the stem of a flower, with their arms and legs resembling giant green leaves. At the bottom of an anabagua’s feet are roots that they use to scramble along the ground, and also plant themselves in order to absorb nutrients. An anabagua plants new seeds every 50 years or so in order to grow new anabaguas as their children.

Draining Caretakers

The anabaguas all have the ability to transfer life from one organism to another, using necrotic energies to sap attackers or predators from their life forces in order to channel that into positive energies which can be used to grow the natural environment in Boricubos, or heal themselves if need be. There are some anabaguas who refuse to use this power, seeing it as a violation of life, but the youngest anabaguas see this as just a gift to be used in order to preserve the few lives they have left, after their elders have begun dying off.

The Great Jungle

The anabaguas people are expected to be responsible for the jungle on Boricubos as a whole, and with that responsibility comes a great deal of pressure. With the elders dying off without necessarily having passed on the practices of keeping the jungle safe from the greed of other races, it is up to the younger generations to find their own methods.

And so, the Eldest have taken to weaponizing what they call The Great Jungle, making it deadlier for the people who live in the coastal regions of Boricubos to traverse and therefore destroy with their civilizations. So instead of meeting with other racial and community leaders and teaching them about how to properly care for the jungle, the anabaguas have been creating all sorts of traps within the jungle’s most highly travelled routes, such as deadfalls, falling log traps, and even spiked pits. They have even gone as far as digging up and replanting certain dangerous flora near safe ones in order to trick bypassers into deadly scenarios and agitating local wildlife whenever intruders to the forest are near so that they attack said intruders. These are not necessarily meant as malicious attacks on others, but they are legitimately the only ways the younger generation of anabaguas knows how to protect the jungle.

Anabaguas Names

The anabaguas all take names which either describe themselves, or a plant that they particularly enjoy, with each anabagua choosing their own name when it comes of adult age. Before they become adults, they simply refer to themselves as “this one” or “that one”. All anabaguas are female, so there is no distinction between names.

Names
Beautiful Orchid, Colorful Lily, Flowing Kelp, Powerful Magnolia, Red Hibiscus, Ripe Avocado, Slender Grass, Sour Lemon, Strong Vine, Tall Palm

Society and Lands

The anabaguas tend to live in communities, often within secret glades found within the jungle, away from other races. This is to keep both a sense of privacy so as to enjoy the unspoiled beauty of nature, and so that they could hide their rapidly dwindling numbers due to the elders dying off in an unnatural fashion. The anabaguas are said to be in touch with the land more than any other race, so when the land is sick, the anabaguas are said to suffer as well, though it has never happened to this scale, where nearly 50 percent of the anabagua population was wiped out in the past three years alone. Because of this, they have become even more reclusive than they were before, hoping no other race takes advantage of their relative weakness at the moment. This has not worked to their advantage as other races have only become more and more curious about the anabaguas’ situation.

Each anabaguas village is led by the eldest anabagua in said village, a tradition that has held despite The Blight killing off the anabagua elders. This is to keep some semblance of normalcy despite these hard times, and because it is hard to simply change a mindset that has lasted for thousands of years.

Relations

The anabaguas have always been a reclusive race, but this has only been amplified by their elders dying off en masse. Even so, they are widely respected by the coquían, iguaca, and taínem, who often come to them for advice, whether it be because of disputes with other local communities, spiritual advice in godly matters, or even the most trivial of tasks. The elder anabaguas used to do this with ease, however, the younger generation has taken this role rather reluctantly, still believing themselves superior minds to think about such matters as anabaguas are wont to do, however, being much more cautious and less decisive in their decision making for fear of making mistakes. The baracúden tend to leave the anabaguas alone, seeing them as neither friend nor foe, and even live with the kelp anabaguas in harmony as they neither have to fight for territory nor resources.

The hurákani and the wolákani are a different matter entirely, with the anabaguas seeing them with jealousy, as the anabaguas used to be the only race in touch with nature before these living elementals were created about three hundred years ago as the newest races for the gods. They especially despise the wolákan, who they feel represent all that is wrong in the world: technological process, the advance of industry, and the spread of civilization into the natural world.

Baracúden

We rarely interact, except for the kelp anabaguas, who live in communities with them. The baracúden don’t try and eat us like they might with other races, because we are more akin to plants than meat creatures. In turn, our kelp sisters help keep these ocean communities clear from any harm that might come from the coastal cities, or from deeper within the depths.

Coquían

They, unlike so many other races on Boricubos, understand what it is like to respect nature. They come to us for advice often and willingly, and we gladly give it to them. Sometimes, we even allow a select few of them to stay in our communities to learn exactly how to help treat the land and pass on these teachings to the taínem people, who have grown less and less likely to visit us as of late.

Hurákan

Though they are indeed nature incarnate, they will never have the title of the first being created by the gods to have such an honor. The hurákani are by no means a dangerous race, but to praise them like they are anabaguas is just ridiculous. So what, they can blow a little wind and water, that’s just fine with us. What they represent though, the force of a hurricane, is dangerous. We shouldn’t act on this just yet, but there may come a day when we have to.

Iguaca

Like the taínem, the iguaca have been coming to us less and less as time goes on. It’s such a shame too; they used to be wonderful students, loving the ways of nature and taking care of it with the utmost importance, but now they have been tricked and deceived by the wolákan, who promise industry and the spread of civilization into The Great Jungle. The fact that they play mercenaries for both sides, is just a sad reminder of how far they have fallen.

Taínem

We are most disappointed in them for associating with the wolákan as they do, but there is still hope for them. Many still traverse the jungles in hopes of finding us and gaining our advice, but we must be careful. If they knew to what extent The Blight has diminished our numbers, we would certainly be getting a visit from their wolákan puppet masters and be forced to go to war.

Wolákan

How dare they think themselves our equal! They claim to be the earth, but are they not also fire? The same fire that would threaten to destroy the jungle if left unchecked? And their talk of civilization growing and advancing into the jungles, deforestation, and encroaching on our natural habitats! It’s hideous to think about what they would do if left to their own devices. They need to be stopped at all costs.

Religion

The two main deities that the anabaguas worship are Yokaho, the god of the land and harvest, and Boina, the goddess of the sun and volcanos, though most anabaguas tend to disregard the second part of her domain in favor of the first.

The anabaguas regularly hold festivals in these two deities’ honor, believing them to be the most important for all life on Boricubos. After all, what would the people be without land? And what life would there be on said land if not for good harvest? And how could the harvest come to be if not for the sun?

Adventurers

Most anabaguas adventurers are rarely seen outside of the jungle, not enjoying going to the coastal cities which they see as the potential destruction of the archipelago. That said, there are a select few anabaguas adventurers who are not so choosy about where they adventure, and simply relish the opportunity to help the races they see as needing their protection. As a result, most of the Eldest become druids, hunters, and rangers. A select few also become barbarians, shifters, and spiritualists.

Reasons for Adventuring

d8 Roll	Reason
1	Civilization slowly creeps in on The Great Jungle. It is your job to make sure that it doesn’t extend too far, else disaster would surely strike.
2	Your mother was one of the village elders who died mysteriously of The Blight, and you are one waiting. You will find a cure for this land and The Blight along with it.
3	All this talk of city folk being evil dastards who don’t care about the land can’t be all true. You want to see the coastal cities for yourself in all their splendor.
4	Nearly everyone you knew has died of The Blight. You have nothing to live for now, except to stop the corruption spreading through the land.
5	Your village was burned to embers, and there is evidence that it was a group of wolákan who did the deed. You won’t stop until you find the ones responsible.
6	An adventuring party came to your village one day in need of advice. One of the surviving elders gave you to them as a partner, telling you to teach them the ways of the anabaguas.
7	The war in the heavens has wreaked havoc on the earth below. You will become powerful enough to prevent even the gods from fighting one another.
8	You have just discovered that for whatever reason, you cannot plant seeds of your own. None of the healers in your village have an explanation. You will find one on your own.

Anabagua Quirks

d8 Roll	Quirk
1	I occasionally have to remind myself that no, just because I am an anabagua, does not mean that I am better than those around me. That is a tradition that should die due to The Blight.
2	I can’t help but correct others, except for other anabaguas, even when I am not entirely 100 percent sure about something. After all, I would know better than they do.
3	Whenever I am nervous, I rub one of my petals anxiously, The coloration has been worn down by the amount of times I’ve done this.
4	I am secretly terrified that The Blight is going to get worse, and the anabagua people are going to start dying younger and younger. It keeps me up at night to think that I might succumb to it.
5	I like to hide in the forest and wait for people to pass by, thinking that I’m an actual plant, then jump out and scare them.
6	Unlike most anabaguas, I am addicted to everything that comes with city life. The progress, the people, the different races, everything! It’s a shame my mother doesn’t see it the same way.
7	I try to convince my non-anabaguas friends to stay away from the jungle as much as possible and steer them clear of where I know there are traps. How do I know where they are? I put them there.
8	The jungle is my life. I would never willingly leave it unless it is threatened by outside forces. Which is unfortunately often.

Anabagua Traits

Anabaguas have the following racial traits as well as the subrace traits listed.

Ability Score Increase

Your Wisdom score increases by 2.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Terran.

Size

Most anabaguas are 3 to 4 feet tall and weigh anywhere from 30 to 50 lbs. Your size is Small.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 25 feet.

Weakness

You have vulnerability to fire damage.

Plantlike

Instead of eating or sleeping, you must use your Ingrain racial ability to rest in the same spot for 4 hours every day. The 4 hours spent ingrained give the full benefits of a long rest. If you fail to do this daily, you gain 1 level of exhaustion.

Siphon Life

As an action, you can choose one creature within 30 feet. That creature must attempt a Constitution saving throw or take 2d6 necrotic damage. The DC for this saving throw equals 8 + your Wisdom modifier + your Proficiency Bonus. A creature takes 2d6 damage on a failed save, and half as much damage on a successful one. The damage increases to 3d6 at 6th level, 4d6 at 11th level, and 5d6 at 16th level.

As a bonus action after the creature takes damage, you can heal another creature within 30 feet for an amount equal to the damage done to the initial creature.

After you use this ability, you cannot use it again until you take a long rest.