Homebrew Eltruk Species Details

Enslaved People

The Eltruk are a race of humanoid giants that once served as slaves to the Ilytrek. Before they were enslaved, the Eltruk were the dominant power of Katashaka; that is, until the Ilytrek arrived from the Far Beyond and destroyed their civilization and enslaved their people. Their smooth, hairless heads bear only noses, and their mouths were once full of teeth kept round by their owners to keep them from trying to bite off the binding runes on their wrists, which could be activated to magickly clasp their wrists together and force them to their knees. Most enslaved Eltruk were timid and fearful, but a few were bold enough to attempt to escape their cruel owners. Slave Eltruk were kept in horrid conditions and forced to mate for strength, leading many to not treat their children with the same love as other races. An Eltruk can live almost 200 years, though very few ever survive more than 40 years as slaves. Eltruk have no purpose for or need of money or material possessions, and those that escaped most often lived out the rest of their long lives as sages, traveling and studying the world they were once kept from. It was very rare that two free Eltruk of opposite gender would meet and settle together, so few “freeborns” were conceived. Should an escaped or freeborn Eltruk have ever wandered across an Ilytre or into Ilytrid territory, they would have been seized and returned to slavery, with particularly cruel punishment to “let them better know their place”.

Fallen Empire

Long before they were enslaved, the Eltruk were a passionate and powerful people. They ruled much of Katashaka as benign emperors. Under their rule, the continent prospered. Their strongest territory was the City of Light - a large city of over 100,000 people of many races, strongly built to the northeast of the Torjin Mountains. The City of Light, also called Jsdroth in the native tongue of the Eltruk, was a large and prosperous city, the capital of the Eltrud Empire. Not only did the city boast large and tall towers, but also a deep and cavernous underground. While most businesses and such took residence within the towers, the people of the city, including the city leaders and the Emperor, lived beneath the ground. The “Undercity” as it’s called, is mysterious and reaches down to untold depths, and spans several miles. 

In the 2nd era, the Ilytrek appeared. They moved swiftly through the great empire, razing everything in their path, killing, ******, and maiming with their outlandish weapons. Though they easily cut through a majority of the Eltrud Empire, the Ilytrek were met with firm resistance when they arrived at the walls of Jsdroth. After a siege of many months, the City fell. The great Eltrud Empire is now a barren wasteland, almost totally devoid of life. As the Ilytrek marched through the Undercity, any that managed to escape fled to the regions of the Undercity that were practically untouched out of fear: the places called the Ykfaov.

When the Eltruk Empire was destroyed, so was much knowledge of their history, but some scholars believe their origins lie in a different part of the infinite multiverse. Among the most popular theories are those that speculate that they hail from a place filled with strange psychic energies, or that they are a long-lost breed of "Psychic giants". One of the most obscure theories states that they originated in a world where everything was much, much smaller, and that the Eltruk are actual giants in that realm. Unfortunately, their true origin may never be rediscovered.

 

Almost Human

In appearance, the Eltruk are almost human, save for three major differences: they have no eyes or ears, all of the Eltrud men are bald, and they are all much bulkier than humans, easily reaching an average weight of 250lbs. Even the scrawniest Eltru would provide a challenging contest for a strong human. Though they lack eyes and ears, an Eltru can still perceive its environment just the same as any other race using a kind of psychic vision. How they came to have develop these features is uncertain, though the few remaining carvings from the destroyed Eltrud Empire seem to depict their ancestors traveling another world, or even another dimension. Though this not-quite-human appearance may cause discomfort in some, it also allows them to easily pass a a well-muscled human by simply concealing their lack of eyes and ears.

Music and Muscle

In the cavernous underground of their now-fallen empire's capital, a loud sound could carry halfway across the city. It was there that the Eltrud society fell in love with music - one small band could entertain the entire city. After they were enslaved, this love for song did not fade or wane. The Eltruk's were forced to physically toil day after day, but their minds were left to roam. They would sing hushed lullabies to silence their children and avoid a beating, hearty songs on the few of their holidays they remembered, and rhythmic cadences to drive their miserable work. Singing is one of the few actions that most Ilytrek slave owners would often not punish, since the singing voice of an Eltru is truly something to behold.

To maintain their mastery of music, the Eltruk have what they call the "Notebearers." The Notebearers spend much of their lives in meditation, taking it in turns to hum the base note of the Eltruk for as long as possible while the others breathe or drink and eat. Every generation, a young Eltru is chosen to fulfill this role for the eldest of the Notebearers. Amongst the Eltrud society, the Notebearers political sway rivals that of the Emperor, though they are most often too occupied by their duties to take notice of the happenings of the world.

 Eltru Names

(Male) Jstrun, Lsfik, Tswem, Rshad, Wstoh, Qsune, Kseji; (Female) Umeni, Ymonh, Imuth, Emlef, Amwis, Omsjl; (Surname) Unt, Pev, Yyr, Qas, Cik, Lmt

Conventional Eltrud male names always begin with a consonant followed by an "s". Conventional female names always begin with a vowel followed by an "m". Conventional surnames are always 3 letters long in the Common language.

Eltruk Traits

Eltrud Racial Traits

Languages

When the Ilytrek enslaved the Eltruk, they stole and adapted their language. Over the millennia, Eltrud has changed into Ilytrid: a deformed version of the original language, which is now called Old Eltrud. You can read, write, and speak Common, Old Eltrud, and Ilytrid.

*Note: A character that understands Old Eltrud or Ilytrid, but not both, may understand the language of the other, but many words will be incomprehensible, meaningless, or have a different meaning.

Ability Score Increase

+2 to Strength and +1 to Constitution.

Size

Despite being a race of Giants, the Eltruk are not much larger than a human. Your size is Medium.

Age

While they were enslaved, many Eltruk did not much survive longer than 40 years, unless used for the purpose of breeding. When not enslaved, they mature around the age of 23 and live to over 200 years of age.

Alignment

Even before their people were enslaved, the Eltruk were an orderly people, leaning more towards Lawful alignments.

Incredible Strength

Though they are human--sized, the Eltruk are actually a breed of giant. Their muscles and bones are optimized for strength and power. It is also this quality that made them such useful slaves to the Ilytrek. You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift. You also have +2 to Strength Saving Throws.

Psychic Perception

Though the Eltruk lack eyes and ears, they can still perceive the world normally using their minds. Like bats' echolocation, their minds emit psychic "pulses" that allow them to not only "see" their surroundings, but also to hear them. You have +1 to passive perception, and Darkvision to 60 feet. You are immune to Blinding and Deafening effects, but Magickal Darkness imposes both on you. Also, because your mind is constantly open to the world, you are Vulnerable to Psychic damage.

Symbotium Sages

In the First Ages, the Eltruk were the dominant race of Katashaka. Their empire spread far and wide, as did their power and influence. While they built this vast empire, they discovered a new and incredibly rare kind of metal they dubbed "Symbotium". It is commonly known as the "living metal". Weapons and armor made from it were most often saved for the Emperors and their most trusted warriors, for they were greatly powerful.