Homebrew Fetchling Species Details

A haggard old woman stepped toward the imposing warrior, her ghostly white hand reaching for his face. The man shrunk back slightly at her approach, but gave a nod to his companions as they sought to know more about the distant lands from which she hailed. Bones of creatures he had never seen adorned her neck, and her clothes were black as pitch, torn from years of travel and hard usage. As the cold touch of her hand reached the fighter's senses, another sense overtook him - one of someone peering into his very life and seeing more than one ought to see at a first glance.

Drawing away from the uncomfortable man, she cracked a smile with her pale and wrinkled face, yellow eyes flickering with a sense of knowing.

"I know you now, young man. And now, the shadows can help you as well..."

 

By the standards of time in many worlds, fetchlings are known as such by outsiders, their ties to the shadow planes leaving room for other creatures to take advantage of their survivability as "fetchers" of rare materials. They are a sparse people, more of a result from exposure to the darkness of the Shadowfell than any true creation. Even so, their experience in the dark has taught them much, whether it be for the benefit or detriment to those around them. Fetchlings are survivors - living against all odds so that they may face down death and live to tell the tale.

A Withering Vivacity

With their exposure to the realm of darkness and death, fetchlings can often seem frail or lacking a true vibrance of life, but their appearances are deceiving. Their skin lacks true colour and can be anything from an off-white to a dark grey in terms of shade, with their hair often being black, white or a mixture of the two; males might sport facial hair that is sparse or thick. An individual can stand anywhere from 4 and a half to 6 feet tall, ranging anywhere from 75 to 225 pounds in weight. One of the tell-tale signs of a fetchling is found in their slightly sunken eyes, which are more brightly colored than many other races, often ranging between yellow and even violet. Due to all sorts of races taking refuge in the shadow planes, many fetchlings can have nonhuman blood, revealing hints of elf, orc, or other lineages. Fetchlings reach adulthood in their late teens and can live anywhere from a century and a half to two centuries.

Constant Wanderers

While originally from the Shadowfell, fetchlings often slip out and make lives for themselves in the Prime Material plane as wandering workers, storytellers or tradespeople. Those who turn to darker methods of survival even live as bandits or thieves, making good use of the shadows.

DISTANT ACQUAINTANCES

Not all civilizations know fetchlings as they are, as they undergo many names from civilization to civilization. They call themselves the Komirach, which translates roughly to "fellow sufferer". As some races have even gone so far as to enslave them to do their bidding, they are often hesitant to make alliances with others.

Dwarves. “There aren't many who can match us in terms of resilience, but it's sad to say they cannot handle drink as well as we, despite all of their protests.”

Elves. “They're graceful and lovely in life, but our shadows often make them uncomfortable. It's fine, though...much better to be an unseen stranger than a seen pincushion.”

Halflings. “Their luck for thriving against all odds makes some think that we are distant relatives, with the folk forgetting all the troubles of life with the coming of a new dawn.”

Tieflings. "We know what it means to be rejected by many for one's heritage. What is it they say? 'Misery loves company'..."

Surviving Traditions

Fetchlings do not often see death as an end to be feared, but a companion to be met and travelled with. For this reason, much of their culture and traditions are passed down orally with minimal amounts of written record. This can also work to the frustration of scholars, as tribes with entire histories are destroyed in the crossfire of wars or xenophobia, leading to much of their daily practices lost to the ages. While fetchlings are often seen on the fringes of other societies, they are surprisingly welcoming in their own. Not trusting physical structures much, large fetchling societies function more like large nomadic clans, settling for a few years before moving again.

Crushed, But Not Destroyed

While their lack of written record or institution might seem like a devastating impact on their culture, fetchlings learn to rebuild from the ashes and create new traditions to abide by, always maintaining a sense of serenity and quiet dignity. They have lived through tragedy again and again, and always know how to pick up the pieces.

Fetchling Names

Having lived on the edge between life and death for so long, fetchlings often devise names that deal with the natural cycle of the world around them. These concepts, when combined with their clan names, can create phrases that speak of what elders or parents see for their children's future. For example, a fetchling woman named Tariha Sal'te'Farulae might translate roughly to "The Dust That Settles On The Restless Feet". While many of their names sound different in their own tongue, fetchlings who live in human society often translate their names into a rough equivalent in the common tongue. They also don't have much differentiation in names between gender, so many if not all names can work with whatever gender your character might be.

Some examples of Komirach names might be: Ku'ran, Sarivhak, Cun'kilawe, Miannon, Fionn'Esha, Yasara, and so on.

Examples of Fetchling names translated to Common are: Wither, Dust, Ash, Rest, Silence, Comfort, and so forth.

Fetchling surnames are often derived from which clan they hail from, with some societies hosting hundreds of the same surname. Some examples of surnames include: Carach-De'Sala, Mill'sorefah, Harun'Katoh, and Shiva'Hialeh.

 

Fetchling Traits

Fetchlings are as diverse as humans in terms of ability and skill, but these are traits your fetchling possesses.

Ability Score Increase

 Your Constitution ability score increases by 2 and your Wisdom ability score increases by 1.

Age

Fetchlings reach adulthood in their late teens and live anywhere from one to two centuries.

Alignment

 Descended from living in a realm of shadow and death, fetchlings are taught from a young age to do what they must to survive, but their culture is not without honor as it is told through the ages. Due to a habit of self-preservation, they tend toward more neutral alignments.

Size

Fetchlings vary in height and build, from 4 and a half feet to a little over 6 feet tall. Regardless of your position in that range, your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision

Due to your touch of the Shadowfell, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Shadowfell Resilience

The life-draining forces of the Shadowfell have seasoned your body against that which would try to make you wither. You gain resistance to necrotic damage.

Shadow Sight

Your ancestors spent so long in the shadows, they no longer phase you. Magical darkness does not impede your darkvision.

Languages

Travelling from place to place and not staying for longer than they feel they should, Fetchlings often find themselves picking up the tongues of nations they visit. You can speak, read, and write Common and one extra language of your choice.