Homebrew Eliksni Species Details

Physical Description

The Hierarchy

Eliksni have a growth cycle that continues after reaching maturity, but it relies on ether. The more ether eliksni receive, the bigger and stronger it is possible for them to become. The stages are, from lowest to highest, dreg, vandal, captain, archon, and kell.

Dregs have their lower arms capped, and are usually small and frail. They require the least ether to survive, but are the weakest form a mature eliksni can assume as a result. Should the distinguish themselves from the crowd, now that eliksni are so threadbare, this is when they receive a name and regain the use of all four arms, as a vandal. Those even further distinguished may become captains, with better armor and a commanding position. Greatly distinguished captains may become advisers to their kell, and are given the title of baron. At the top are two large and powerful leaders, an archon and kell. An archon sits below a kell, and is the intermediary between the rest of a house and its kell. Rarely do simple complaints make it beyond the archon, and it is also the archon's duty to ration ether among the house after the kell is sated. Should a kell fall, it is usually the archon of the house that assumes the position.

Ether

Ether is essential to the survival of an eliksni, and in large enough quantities it is also what triggers their growth. As a race that worships machines, the eliksni have a wide arsenal of them at their disposal. Simple floating drones, such as "shanks" are nothing more than guns with a camera and artificial intelligence to aid in combat. However, there are greater machines employed by eliksni called "servitors." Servitors and prime servitors are the source of the eliksni's ether, as it is they who process metal into ether in the first place. Specifically, the prime servitor of a house is almost like a demi-god to the race, and receives the majority of scrap metal the house gathers. The archon and prime servitor together ration ether using a cipher, and the act is often ritualized and religious, leading archons to also be referred to as priests. Lesser servitors are capable of storing ether from the prime for longer periods, as well as making ether themselves when in the field to support squads that remain away from home for longer periods.

History

Eliksni Captain

The eliksni, or "Fallen" as the common people know them by, are a nearly extinct four-armed, bipedal humanoid race. They are a space-faring race that worship great machines and the ether that powers them. During "the Whirlwind," an event that also occurred on Earth later which was called "the Collapse," their great machines were destroyed and their life-giving ether was all but lost. Now they hide in ruins, scrounging for scrap metal and converting it into ether to survive.

Society

Fierce and Fanatical

Eliksni organize themselves into houses led by the ruthless Kells. House unity is fickle as the eliksni will only follow power. If a Kell exhibits weakness, their followers will abandon them. As fickle as house unity is, house alliances are more so. To eliksni, an alliance is a unity of two houses and two Kells cannot rule together.

A Lost Society

Eliksni were not always brutal. Their homeland was destroyed in what they call the Whirlwind. What was once a prosperous society fell into disarray. Houses were exterminated, Kells fell into combat, and the houses that did escape were reduced to scavenging for survival. Since the "Great Machine," which humans call "The Traveler" abandoned them, their people they are rarely seen and have become distant myths. The remaining houses dwell deep in forgotten ruins or on the rickety ships they flew in on.

Houses and Kells

Houses are organized into a strict hierarchy with the Kells at the top. The Kell determines the actions of a house and what their ideals are. The house works to please the Kell, as it is the duty of the house to operate as the Kell sees fit. Kells become Kells by performing heroic acts. It is possible for a Captain to rise to Kellhood and challenge the existing Kell for the right to lead. The challenge ends when one Kell lies dead. Of the remaining houses, House Winter, House Devils, and House of Wolves are the largest. They reside very far from one another, as the Kells do not trust each other. The ruins they reside in are full of old machines they can siphon for ether.

Eliksni Names

Eliksni name themselves after they reach the rank of vandal. In eliksni culture, having a name is great honor. It is a sign that you are no longer at the bottom of the chain of command as a dreg. Eliksni sounds harsh and contains many consonants and growling noises. Eliksni lack lips and have two rows of sharp teeth, leading them to have difficulty with specific sounds in other languages because of their differing anatomy. One particular feature of the language that can make it almost impossible for other races to speak is the inclusion of guttural clicking noises, which may still be heard when eliksni speak other languages.

Eliksni also has its own script, which consists of an alphabet and letters that can be fused in pairs, such as when two of the same consonant would be written side by side. Letters are mostly simple, perhaps only containing a single stroke with a curve or a straight line and circle.

Male: Draksis, Greyor, Kaliks, Saviks, Skoriks, Aksor

Female: Beltrik, Drevis, Peekis, Pirsis

Eliksni Traits

Eliksni will have several racial traits.

Ability Score Increase

Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2 and another ability score is increased by 1 based on your subrace.

Lawful Alignment

Alignment. Eliksni believe order above all else. They follow lawful alignments.

Darkvision

Darkvision. 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.

Extra Arms

Extra Arms. You have two extra smallers arms. Due to their placement, they cannot be used to wield weapons or shields.

Eliksni Training

Eliksni Weapon Training. You have proficiency with martial weapons and light crossbows.

Two Eyed Shot

Two Eyed Shot

Prerequisites: Level 12, 16 Dexterity

• Gain +4 to attack rolls with eliksni weapons
• Gain +1 to Dexterity

Skolas' Curse

Skolas's Curse

Prerequisites: Level 8, 16 Strength

• Gain +1 to Strength
• Your Elikcni weapons deal 2 additional damage dice