Homebrew Aurumel Species Details

(Based off of Renegade Game Studios' Overlight RPG, including some description directly from their products. Best used if you know about the setting, people, etc.)

From the vibrant, varied shard of Veile, the Aurumel as a people have a single goal: cement themselves in time, keeping their memory alive through eons of change. With a similar appearance to the Haarkeen, each who idolizes vigor seeks to keep their own life bright enough to be remembered.

Few succeed at this struggle, and the cutthroat nature of history has drawn Aurumel society further and further into distrust of one another.

Warped Appearance

the Aurumel almost appear as Haarkeen, albeit ones writ tall and stretched. They’re taller than most Haarkeen, some even taller than a Hamanu. But they’re thin, very thin, with long bones of the arms and legs, seemingly out of proportion to the rest of their bodies. Their faces, on the few occasions that someone might glimpse them without a mask, appear fine-boned but gaunt. Similar tissue and muscle mass on a Haarkeen and it would be assumed that the individual was malnourished, or at least unwell, yet the Aurumel maintain an alluring beauty all the same.

Add to this the singular behavior of the Aurumel to decorate their bodies with implanted ornaments of precious metals and stone. Jewels, crystals, or plates of gold and silver are surgically anchored beneath the skin of forearms, or the backs of hands. The Aurumel will even change the shape of their flesh, as one trains the shape of a tree in a sculpted garden. Wires are used to shape the ears into fabulous shapes, while heavier metal bands are even used to force the neck, wrists, or fingers into a stretched and exaggerated form. It should be noted that tattoos and branding are not part of this custom, probably to eliminate any comparison to their brutish Pyroi neighbors.

Battle for Remembrance

The doctrine of impermanence is universal throughout the teachings of the other Folk, but the battle against the idea of impermanence itself, and against the fleeting nature of lives and things, is fought with unequaled ferocity and conviction by the Aurumel. Through their arts — from architecture to spontaneous poetry to baroque ornamental surgeries to the subtle manipulations of elemental principles — the Aurumel seek only to last. To grasp at time indefinitely. To leave a mark upon their shard or upon their city or upon the horizon, that says I was here.

The exact nature of this persistence varies from house to house and guild to guild but, on occasion, it takes that most Aurumel of forms: a particular technique which is passed through an interlocking spirit lattice of disembodied ancestors, reinforced by devotional crafting rites that invigorate a collective creativity which ensures its own future. Put more simply, this technique might simply be referred to as the masks of Veile.

The Masks of Veile

In Aurumel culture, there is perhaps no symbol more meaningful than one’s mask. The mask not only marks your station in society, quite visibly identifying you as a member of a particular house or guild, but also ensures that you carry with you the prestige or shame of your ancestral line. Finally, it creates a statement of continuity that conceals individual achievement in lieu of the greater exaltation of one’s house or guild.

Perhaps the most unusual manifestation of this practice is the Master’s Mask. This is a custom that allows the work of multiple generations to be completed, albeit symbolically, by the master that initiated the project. If a glorious sculpture takes three hundred years to complete, the mask is passed through a succession of artists who then continue their lives and work as if they were that original genius. In many cases, this crosses lines of gender and age. The mask may bestow a mother’s life upon a son’s body, for example. The son assumes the name and identity of his mother, all in service to the work, and his mother’s lasting legacy. There are some masters who have “lived” for well over a thousand years, carried on the backs of dozens of Aurumel bodies. It is in this way that a single work of craft, especially a grand work taking generations to complete can provide an Aurumel artisan immortality.

Culture of Corruption

In their search for immortality, Aurumel spare no thought for those impeding their way, resulting in rampant assassinations, coups, and treachery among the leaders of their folk. Guild wars and trade secrets are ways of life, though a rivalry with another Aurumel will be put aside to keep shared knowledge away from the other folk. Their is a certain sense of honor among these folk, and while a work may be replicated or outdone, destruction of another's masterwork is unthinkable, even to the most cutthroat of Aurumel. This unrelenting quest for life and remembrance puts off some individuals, but makes the Aurumel one of the most productive and progressive of the folk.

Aurumel Traits

Used to political dealing, Aurumel are naturally charismatic, as well as being some of the finest artisans on the shards.

Ability Score Increase

Your Charisma score increases by 2 and your Intelligence score increases by 1.

Age

Aurumel live slightly longer than Haarkeen, maturing by their 30th cycle, and most living to 90 cycles of age, though ages of up to 120 - 130 cycles are not uncommon.

Size

Aurumel, while appearing similar to Haarkeen, are usually much taller. Heights range from 5.5 to 7.5 ft. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 ft.

Natural Speakers

You have proficiency on the Persuasion skill.

Aurumel Weapon Training

You have proficiency with the Rapier, Longbow, Hand Crossbow, and Light Crossbow.

Master Artisans

Aurumel always have some connection to a trade, whether that is building an airship or fashioning jewelry. Choose a trade, and gain proficiency in a tool that is necessary for its undertaking. When making checks connected to your trade, you gain advantage.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write common, as well as read and write in Aurumel. Aurumel has no spoken form, only being used in writing, primarily for technical documentation, and is only rarely seen in everyday life. (Aurumel must be added to your character sheet manually)