Homebrew Ethera Species Details

Nothing in Ryujaka is ever as it seems: mirages and illusions are embedded into the substrate of the world, time and distance as fluid as the changing seasons. Many spirits embody such unpredictability, controlling their shape and form on a whim, and it’s common knowledge that the form and sex of powerful Kami can shift in an instant. But while fluidity is universal for spirits, no race embodies the nature of illusion more than the Ethera. Lightborn masters of lies, a word from and Ethera is as slippery as a beam of light.

Deception given form:

The Ethera originated as the twinkling offspring of Kami of light, mirages, and illusion magic, and share their ancestors perchance towards deception. A Ethera can take on a wide range of appearances, using their inherent illusionary abilities to cloak themselves in whatever form they desire. But this is no mere change in appearance: an Ethera embodies their new identity fully, mastering not only distinct personalities and presentations, but also being able to switch between them at the drop of a copper piece. Over the course of their life, an Ethera develops a number of different identities, switching between them as mundane beings change from summer to winter outfits. For all intents and purposes, an Ethera can many people in one body.

  Peel back their illusions, and a Ethera’s underlying nature is revealed: they appear as twinkling humanoids composed of solid, mirage-liker light with vague features. While this form defines their biological sex, like many spirits they are able to shift this idenitty similarly to how they manipulate their illusions. Removing their illusions is for an Ethera the equivalent of gratefully removing ones armor after a long day of marching, and for that reason is only done when alone, is forced, or is in the company of trusted companions or lovers. Overwhelmingly, Ethera present themselves cloaked in their illusions, but when deception is not tantamount, many Ethera enjoy sprinkling their new forms with a common trait that defines their spiritual nature, such as glowing eyes or a faint trail of twinkling light.

Unparalleled lie crafters;

Lies are part of every Ethera’s religion. From birth an Ethera practices the art of deception, learning from peers and through experience how to wrap the truth in the world with beautiful lies. Unlike most other races, for whom deception is a means to an end, the act of lying is to an Ethera as secondary, indeed necessary, as the simple act of breathing. A reality in which things are constant and predictable is little more than a dead world: illusion and misdirection are the color of life, and Ethera see the act of lying as necessary for life to flourish within a fascinating field of falsehood. Many see deception as an art form in of itself, and dedicate their lives to crafting lies so thick, complex and beautiful, reality pales in comparison. Any other race would quickly diagnose such lying as pathological, but for the Ethera it’s the only way to live.

Their enamoration of deception means an Ethera’s morality can be quite odd compared to other races. Concepts like honor and loyalty, while understood by the Ethera, are not as critical in their relationships with others. More important is the manner by which objective and goals are pursued; if a con man tricks someone into selling their farmland for a pittance, an Ethera would see no moral issue involved, but if that same con man proceeded to rob that person at knife point, then such actions would be considered unethical and cruel. Good and evil are not as black and white for an Ethera, which can make their outlook at times unpredictable. Overwhelmingly, Ethera see nothing wrong with deception; if they are tricked, they will laugh it off and thank their deceiver for the excellent lesson. This means they can be easily confused why others become angry at their own lies. Indeed, throughout Ryujaka Ethera are often viewed with suspicion, and particularly honor bound individuals can become quickly hostile. Despite that, their skills at deception are useful for countless reasons, and their ability to craft lies and stories make them excellent entertainers and storytellers. 

A Community of Illusions:

One might expect a community of chronic liars would quickly fall into disarray, but on the contrary, the hidden communities of Ethera tend to be quite quaint and peaceful. This may be because concepts like slights and dishonor matter little when everyone expects everyone else to deceive them. Ethera communities are loose conglomeration of multiple families, led by the family whose web of deception has ensured the most allies and resources. Power struggles occur silently and with civility, exchanges of blackmail and bribery determining who has the most power, and a deposed leader will graciously concede and retire to their island manor bought through embezzled funds.  The laws in Ethera society is loose and prone to change, and unprepared travellers will often find they have unwittingly donated a significant amount of their wealth to the construction of a new building or well. Direct conflict and violence is harshly opposed, with exile the immediate punishment. Beyond that, Ethera go about their days happily deceiving their neighbors, exchanging lies and false stories as others would exchange pleasantries. A popular game among Ethera involves a pair exchanging various stories, then asking a set number of questions to each other to determine which are true and false.

An Ethera born outside of their society can expect and unpredictable life, especially if born from a mixed union, as the offspring will always be an Ethera. Best case scenario, the Ethera had previously revealed their true nature to their partner, otherwise someone will be in for a shocking revelation. As Ethera matures, and begins to craft their various identities, they must come to terms with being surrounded by people with more consistent personalities and find a balance between maintaining close relationships and satisfy their desire to misdirect. For many, their nature proves stronger than the nurture of community, and it’s not uncommon for an Ethera to disappear one day from their community, to find new identities and craft different lies in a new land. For this reason, the Ethera have spread across Ryujaka, living mirages hidden within most communities. 

The Twists of Adventure:

Stable living is not usually conducive to the creation of interesting lies, and many Ethera turn to the roads early in life. The journey may be to develop new identities or gain inspiration for different deceptions, but given their personalities, it may be simply due to being chased out for an ill-conceived plot. Their tendency to craft tales and misdirect means Ethera gets pulled into dangerous situations, but being able to use their wits to escape and succeed is just another way they pay respect to the concept of lies. And while Ethera love to lie, that does not mean they can become genuinely become invested in some cause, be it for good or evil. However, what an Ethera’s true mission is often unknown to anyone but themselves. 

When they are immersed in their fabricated identity, an Ethera is able of finding traveling companions as easily as anyone. It’s when their true identity is exposed that an Ethera’s ability to form bonds is tested; in most cases, Ethera will choose that moment as the perfect time to head off on their own. But rarely, over the course of dangerous trials and missions, they will find companions that recognize their true ideals and decide to offer a modicum of trust and honesty with them. For the fellow adventurers of an Ethera, there are not many things they can be confident about their ethereal companion, but they can certainly be confident of their bravery, skill, and comradeship. 

Ethera Names: 

An Ethera has as many names as it has identities, adopting the appropriate naming style for the body it is using. However, Ethera do have true given to them by parents, which they use with close relatives and companions. Traditionally, Ethera names are based around the appearance of their true physical form, with no significant differentiation between male or female names, and with origins from various languages.

Ethera Names: Aurora, Twili, Dawn, Lune, Kira, Sombra, Shade, Prism, Sol, Lux

Ethera Traits

Your Ethera character has the following traits.

Ability Score Increases

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

Age

Ethera mature at around the same rate as Humans, but have slightly smaller lifespans, rarely living past 70 years.

Alignment

Chaotic alignments are a natural fit for Ethera, given their tendency to lie. They are equally likely to turn to good or evil.

Size

While their illusions are able to mask their true form, Ethera are medium creatures and cannot easily mimic other creature sizes.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Fluid Morphology

The standards of sex and gender of mortals is more inconsistent for spirit races, and many have the ability to change their sex and gender gradually. As an Ethera, you are able to change your sex over the course of a long rest. This is a complete change in biological sex, and can be to male, female, intersex, or asexual.

Masters of Deception

You gain proficiency in the Deception skill. Your learned to lie even before you learned to walk.

Illusion Heritage

You know the Minor Illusion cantrip, and can cast Disguise Self at-will. Charisma is your spellcasting modifier for these spells.

Lightborn

 As a bonus action, you may begin radiating bright light out to 10 feet, and dim light out to 20 feet, or use another bonus action to stop. Once per day, you may use your action to brilliantly flash with blinding light. Every creature within 10 feet of you must make a Constitution saving throw (save DC= 8 + your Charisma modifier + your proficiency score), or become blinded. Creatures who do not depend on sight for vision are immune to this effect. You regain the use of this ability daily at dawn.

Languages

You can read, write, and speak Common, and Kamigo.