Homebrew Eliksni Species Details

Scattered in nomadic clans around the Etrinnien continent, the Eliksni, sometimes called 'the Fallen', evoke fear and scorn. They hail from a parallel version of the material plane — from a world destroyed by the tyranny of the elven tribunal; an event referred to in their culture as 'the Whirlwind'.

They are immigrants, refugees, scouts, and scavangers. Residing in wastelands and ruins, they form tight hierarchical clans and don't take kindly to outsiders.

From Riches to Rags

The Eliksni are a hardy species and can survive in a wide range of environments without heavy armour or complex modifications to their physiology. Eliksni have four arms, partable mandibles and typically wear a helmet with a built-in respiration apparatus. Through means either natural or artificial, the Fallen can regrow their arms if removed from their body.

Fallen depend on a substance called Ether to survive, which only Servitors can produce. Servitors convert scavenged matter and energy, presented to them ritualistically by the Eliksni, directly into ether via unknown processes. While Servitors were revered in ancient times, they have now become a symbol of the degradation of fallen society and their lost glory. Higher-ranking Eliksni get a bigger ration of ether, and more ether allows Eliksni to grow in size; this is why Captains are taller than Vandals or Dregs, and why Kells and Archons tower over other Eliksni; the Kell of a House controls and distributes ether flow using their own personal Cipher. When an Eliksni is killed, a quantity of ether escapes its body and dissipates.

Strict Hierarchy

Eliksni society is divided into a number of Houses, none of which are known to maintain friendly relations with one another, save for the House of Judgment, which was meant to live among the other houses and keep the peace. Each House is ruled by a Kell, who acts as the political leader of a House and commands a Ketch - a great moving fortress based on lost technology. Prime Servitors are exalted as gods among the Fallen, inspiring fanatical devotion from the House to which they belong and providing a steady supply of vital ether and new lesser Servitors. Archons serve as both high priests and chief engineers of a House, mediating between the Kell and the Prime Servitor in addition to overseeing the maintenance of the House's machines. Houses require all three to be fully stable; without a Kell a House becomes prone to infighting, without an Archon a House's Prime Servitor is vulnerable to attack, and without a Prime Servitor a House cannot produce new Servitors for ether. As such, Eliksni do not take the loss of their leaders lightly. If any or all of these leaders were to be killed, then members of the House would panic and scatter, weakening the House to the point of being permanently broken.

Below the upper echelon of House leadership are the Barons and Captains and the individual crews they command. Captains are Eliksni who have managed to gather a following of Vandals and Dregs, who serve as the Captain's crew, commanding respect through brute force. Most Captains swear fealty to a certain House, but some operate independently. A step above Captains in rank are the Barons, whose authority are second only to the Kells so they command their own Skiffs as well as their crews.

The majority of Fallen Houses consist of Vandals and Dregs. Vandals serve as both seasoned infantry and skilled workers. They aspire to become Captains and one day lead crews of their own. Dregs are the lowest class in Fallen society. Docked of their lower pair of arms in a ritual of humiliation and obedience, Dregs zealously fill the roles of shock troops and menial labourers in crews. The life expectancy of a Dreg is notoriously short, but those few who survive to be promoted to Vandals are permitted to regrow their arms. 

Known Eliksni Houses

House of Devils - An unruly house known for their aggressive piracy and fearless scavenging. Of all the fallen houses, the Devils have adjusted to their new surroundings with the most zeal. They fly red banners, and tend towards martial combat and larceny. Their servitor is Sepiks Prime.

House of Winter - Preferring colder regions such as mountains and the northern territories, the Winters are hunters of opportunity. Often preying on caravans and explorers, they rarely venture near established colonies but prefer to keep to themselves. Distinguishable by their light blue cloaks, they tend toward more arcane forms of combat. Their servitor is Yaviks Prime.

House of Kings - The kings tend to reside in ruined settlements, keeping to themselves and defending their territory aggressively. Their power in combat is matched only by their cleverness - a settlement may not know they are being raided by Kings until they are at the door. Flying golden banners, they employ a range of combat styles to confuse and mislead their targets. Their Servitor is Rexus Prime.

House of Exile -The House of Exile is a smaller, newer House, made up of the malcontents and renegades of other houses after their sparking defeat at the Twilight's Gap. They have attempted to carve out a realm for themselves on the fringes of society, in spite of the heavy elven military presence. The Exiles serve no Kell or Archon, making them an abnormality among the Fallen. Distinguishable by their green regalia, the Exiles are subtle knives in the dark - experts at remaining unseen and striking their targets quick and quiet. Their servitor is Koviks-7, a bootstrapped beta-servitor.

House of Judgement - Scattered amongst the other clans, Judgement exist as priests of the Old Ways. Judgement envoys to preserve tradition and mediate conflict between the houses, often keeping a single representative in each clan.

House of Wolves - Defeated in the Vestian Uprising, the Wolves were splintered into two factions: those who recognised the Moon Elf queen as their new Kell, and those who refused to bow to the elves. While the latter factions were hunted down and largely exterminated, the majority of the house now serves queen Venn Ri in the Capital of Limina. Their servitor and source of ether is unknown.

House of Rain - Believed extinct, destroyed in the Whirlwind.

Religion

The Eliksni worship the life-giving Servitors, each clan having a named servitor as their deity. The Archon is the conduit through which the House communes with its prime servitor. An Archon will command a select group of Vandals as their acolytes.

Out in the world, Eliksni will tend to be fascinated by, and drawn to worship technological advancements - often the first to modify their bodies as a means of ascension to godhood. This practice is frown upon by most of the named clans, however, the Devils do have an experimental sect known as the Splicers who experiment with body modification.

Eliksni Names

As with much of their speech, Eliksni names include clicks, grunts, and hisses to the point that other peoples have a difficult time pronouncing them. Typically, Eliksni have one given name followed by their clan title - e.g. Siviks of House Devil. An Eliksni with no given house will tend to either use the honorific "of No House", or make up their own house title (however this will rarely be honoured by established houses).

An Eliksni of either gender may have one of these variants names, often heavy on their 'k' and 's' sounds: Dreksis, Elyksul, Hiraks, Kaliks, Merix, Phyksin, Siviks, Teleks, Visraa and Yaviks.

ELIKSNI BACKGROUNDS

Backgrounds that are most appropriate for eliksni include the acolyte, the criminal/spy, and the soldier.

Eliksni Houses are insular and remote, and few Eliksni live away from their kin. Those that do are usually rangers or fighters, often allied with those they deem worthy of their allegiance. Solitary Eliksni will rely on a stolen servitor unit which they will guard with their life, or risk withering and starving without.

 

Eliksni Traits

As an Eliksni, you have significant Dexterity and climbing ability.

Secondary Arms

Most eliksni possess four arms, allowing them to use actions otherwise prohibited when wielding a weapon & shield, two-handed weapon, or dual wielding. Eliksni use their primary arms to wield weapons. Whilst their secondary limbs aren't dextrous enough to wield extra weapons, they can be used to stow/use items & ingredients, grapple, or perform the somatic components of spells while their primary arms are otherwise engaged. Note that this does not mean they can take multiple actions - e.g. while an eliksni can't attack with a weapon and cast a spell as one action, their secondary arms could ready/stow an item or potion while attacking with their primary arms. (Not applicable to docked Dregs).

Ability Score Increase

Your Dexterity score increases by 3.

Age

Eliksni reach maturity by age 10. They have similar natural life-spans to humans, though this can vary depending on their access to ether. A lifelong Dreg or Vandal may only live 30-40 years, whereas a well-fed Kell could live past 100 if they are not deposed before then.

Alignment

Most eliksni are neutral and tend to act with the interest of their house or race on whole. House leaders and warriors might be lawful, while outliers and exiles might tend toward chaotic.

Size

Eliksni range from about 5 to 8 feet tall. Dregs will have thin, lightweight bodies that weigh between 80 and 100 pounds, whereas Archons and Kells will have thick, muscular bodies that weigh between 280 and 320 pounds. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet. Your additional limbs give you a boosted climbing speed of 25 - (not applicable to docked Dregs).

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Eliksni, and rudimentary Common with the use of translation apparatus (broken English for rp's sake).