Homebrew Atlean Spirit Species Details
He remembered morbidly well his gruesome fate. Left to drown, a bystander in someone else’s miracle getaway. Is this what God had wanted for him? Or had he been forgotten entirely? Now, though, he felt his conscience gather, as if restoring form to itself. He, the executioner, was many things. A memory was not one of them.
When he opened his eyes, it was a void below and above. A world unlike any he’d ever seen, but one he was oddly familiar with. His phantasmic tendrils flailed at the surface and brought him safely to land. His fingers were a ghostly lavender, his prideful boast reduced only to wispy laughter. He could hardly believe it—he was alive.
Atlean Spirits, though importantly their own species, derive their form from the Umbrians, the original inhabitants of Dianoct. Some spirits are born as spirits—some were killed in their lifetimes as Umbrians, only to rise millennia later. Without aging restricting their development or civil wars holding them back, the Atlean Spirits quickly became the most advanced species in all of Dianoct. Many spirits now feel less motivated to contribute to the peaceful world their leaders seek, knowing they’re comfortably ahead of every other civilization—some even suggest the spirits broaden their horizons past Saka Eru, the land of the spirits, and conquer others to spread their technology.
A Phantom Variance
Though all spirits share some common characteristics, spirits are widely spread and span all manner of appearance and culture. There is no typical spirit. An individual can stand from 6 feet to about 7-and-a-half feet tall, and they can weigh anywhere from 12-20 pounds. Spirits’ skin color can span anywhere from a light cyan to a deep violet, and they can have as few tendrils as one and as many as thirty; their faces are angular and generally sport wisps of all sorts as decoration. Many spirits in the modern day are born as such and descend from the spirits of Umbrians—hue and wisps generally depend on this lineage. When a spirit is born, it takes them roughly fifteen years to grow into maturity. Past that, spirits do not age—but they can still be killed.
Incorporeal Cohesion
Spirits tend to stay in large groups, since they often find loneliness to be a bore. There are no small towns filled exclusively with spirits—those that do exist quickly grow in size. Spirits born into the afterlife bond very closely with their parents and siblings. Family, and more generally relationships, are very important to the spirits’ culture, though this does depend on the location. The largest spirit city in Dianoct is Reapra, the capital of Saka Eru. Recently, though, Atlas has also become quite popular for wandering spirits. This has driven the humans who live there, and other species, to become defensive.
UNIVERSAL ENEMIES
Spirits are widely known throughout Dianoct to be a force of evil, despite themselves having no malicious intent. Rumors and propaganda are spread about by some other species, but it goes both ways. Because of their conquering nature, spirits have made themselves a few enemies:
Humans. “The humans are an emotional sort, prone to letting their feelings give rise to illogical actions. Don’t let their empowering words sway you—all they do is steal and lie.”
Elves. “Elves? They’re just self-righteous humans. If you wait for them to finish reciting the dramatic story of their past, they’re decent warriors. That’s more than the humans can say.”
Umbrians. “You really don’t want to mix with them. They’ll berate you for being inferior, for having not lived through some historical event. They can’t even let up their talk for those of us born into this life.”
Lasting Hatred
In the expansive history of Dianoct, spirits only began to appear very recently, about seven millennia ago. The event that sparked their creation was also the one that fueled their hatred toward humans: the Atlas Revolution. For thousands of years before the Revolution, humans enslaved Umbrians and conquered the lands of Dianoct. When magic first entered the world, the Umbrians broke free and nearly destroyed all life on the planet, though they managed to bring it under control. However, during that mass catastrophe, many uninvolved Umbrians fell prey to a fate not suited for them. This led to a resurgence of spirits about 2,000 years after the fact, and when they returned, they found the remaining Umbrians had chummed up to humans and now lived in harmony with them. Unsatisfied with this, many spirits began to attack the complacent humans and Umbrians, who had settled mainly in the original Umbrian capital, Atlas.
Much of the reason behind the war has been lost to time, but the spirits still rarely welcome any humans into their territory, fearing the chance they would once again be enslaved with no hope.
Conquerers to Complacency
Spirits seek out a wide variety of goals in life. Infinite time gives some ideas of infinite wealth, which can drive immense greed. Spirits are just as emotional as humans are, but culturally they focus more on logical thought and decision, so they’re very good at backing up their choices with morals and reasoning, even if a bit flawed. Many spirits, though, see infinite time as infinite time to waste, and find themselves sedentary. Spirits often do not stand for what they believe is right if it is against the popular consensus—they view their relationships with other spirits as too important to risk.
Spirit Names and Ethnicities
Having taken their roots in Umbrian culture, spirits tend to have Umbrian or Atlean names. Oftentimes their names will mean something literally, like referencing an attribute or an event in their past. Spirits are given names at birth, but these usually evolve as they get older and learn who they are.
The material culture and physical characteristics of spirits can range widely between locations. Spirits found in the cold lands of Altavia, for example, may appear a frosty blue and wear clothing resembling fur and snow, while spirits in central Saka Eru may be lavender and wear wrappings or ribbons. Generally, spirits adapt to their environment to make themselves as comfortable as possible—they may not die of hypothermia, but the cold is still unpleasant.
In Atla, there are five widely recognized racial denominations of spirits. These groups, and the typical names of their members, can be used as inspiration for your own characters, even if they aren’t spirits.
Reaprathai
Often called Sakirites because of the military legion established in their city, Reaprathai are tall, pale, and have many tendrils. Their skin is usually lavender, though it ranges from nearly white to a deep violet. They’re found primarily in Reapra and surrounding central Saka Eru.
Reaprathai Names: (Male) Akurxa, Daidaen, Hovai, Iratoko, Mekashi, Vathta, Ziek; (female) Aruvada, Destaena, Furan, Keswo, Meixet, Ruthlaena, Sakea, Xunashu; (surnames) Ailan, Deludo, Gokashta, Kitakawa, Nuskai, Ripren, Vusratan
Kitan Thus
The Kitan Thus, coming from the islands of the same name, are the oldest race of spirits in Atla, even before the Reaprathai. Through years of cultural assimilation, they primarily speak Atlean and use names from the Altavians. They appear shorter and skinnier than the Reaprathai, and their skin often comes in light shades of blue and purple. They often wear heavy clothing and scarves. The name ‘Kitan Thus’ itself is not very well-known except for the race, since the islands were renamed in Common to the Nine Stars, the literal translation.
Altavians
Found primarily in Altavia, the northernmost region of Atla, Altavians branched out from Reapra to conquer a large portion of the humans’ old territory. They appear tall and thick-skinned, with fewer tendrils to decrease surface area. Their skin is often a frosty blue, or even cyan, depending on how far north the settlement is. They wear fur harvested from various game and disguise themselves with white cloth to hunt in the snow.
Altavian Names: (Male) Avalro, Durtik, Gyolu, Irixen, Olthus, Tobayal, Zeito; (female) Alethra, Kara, Lunaya, Nailin, Petra, Valteri, Zoral; (surnames) Alustra, Delegar, Kovkol, Mashasi, Oxala, Shuemika, Vukries
Lithmusan
This group of spirits were killed on the opposite side of the Revolution and thus support humanity in the conflict. They primarily reside in the city of Lithmus Glade in Atlas, but they’ve since spread to Lunett and Magno. They have many tendrils, and their skin ranges from indigo to dark magenta. Like some Reaprathai, they sometimes have markings on their skin that open and close to simulate breathing.
Lithmusan Names: (Male) 513, 174, 891, 1024, 1132, 1734; (female) 132, 244, 553, 998, 1043, 1595; (surnames) Aru, Duma, Fevu, Gano, Ira, Kuma, Naka, Rumo, Shano, Xano
Eukarians
These adventurous spirits dwell deep in the jungles of Eukar (pronounced ay-yu-kar), a country south of Saka Eru. Their skin is often somewhere from a pale chartreuse to a dark olive green, all to stay hidden on the jungle floor. They usually have six to eight tendrils intertwined into two 'legs', which they use to keep disorientation at bay. They are the only type of spirit to have a mouth of any sort, a small opening on their face which allows them to smell predators in the woods. They can also use their mouth to talk, whereas most spirits use the vocal glands in their necks.
Eukarian Names: (Male) Bunai, Ethai, Kardai, Milai, Oshai, Raltai, Sa-Lozai, Ulxai, Zaigai; (female) Aptadae, Deltae, Gezae, Kalamae, Murilae, Rina-Tae, Thus-Vae, Umadae, Zolixae; (surnames) Aenuka, Belsoka, Kyona-Ka, Lustuka, Nepetka, Serpenka, Uthvaka
Atlean Spirit Traits
The Atlean Spirits are hard to generalize, but your spirit character has these traits.Ability Score Increase
Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and your Constitution score increases by 1.
Age
Spirits reach adulthood in their mid-teens and live forever until struck down.
Size
Spirits vary widely in height, from barely 6 feet to well over 7 feet tall. Regardless of your position in that range, your size is Medium.
Speed
Spirits move by flicking the air below them with their tendrils. Though you do float, your base walking speed is still 30 ft.
Languages
You can speak, read, and write Common, Atlean, and one extra language of your choice. Spirits pride themselves in adaptability and, given their lifespan, tend to pick up on languages fairly quickly. Atlean is the language most spirits use to communicate with each other, whereas Common is the language needed to communicate with other civilizations, such as the humans.
Phantasmic
Your skin is partially incorporeal and difficult to hit. Piercing and bludgeoning attacks will phase right through you— while they still do damage, that damage is minimized. Slashing damage is not reduced. As a result of your permeability, any unarmed action you make will be at disadvantage. This includes unarmed strike, grapple, shove, and environmental interaction (in combat only).