Homebrew Illumian Species Details

The Illumians are a race created by sorcery. Through painstaking ritual, they have developed a mystical connection to the magic runes that make up their alphabet. Glowing sigils surround them, granting the power of an eldritch language made flesh.

The Illumian first appeared in the 3.5 sourcebook Races of Destiny. The lore here is taken from that sourcebook and I claim no credit for it.

Ritual of Words Made Flesh

The most important event in illumian history is the founding of the race itself - an event that happened mere centuries ago. Tarmuid was a monk, scholar, and powerful wizard who lived in a far-off island monastery. A natural linguist, he began to notice certain patterns in ancient magic texts he was translating. Overtime, Tarmuid discerned a common pattern to how various ancient languages expressed magical concepts.

After years of research and experimentation, Tarmuid developed his own language, based on the underpinnings of magical expression. Tarmuid called this language, invented from the bones of long-dead languages, lllumian. As Tarmuid became more adept at speaking Illumian, he noticed that each word he spoke carried residual magical power that infused both the speaker and anyone who heard the words. Tarmuid sought a way to use the language itself to create a vessel that would be receptive to the power with in his words. After countless failed experiments, Tarmuid developed the Ritual of Words Made Flesh, a spoken rite that would transform any human who heard it into a creature infused with the power of the lllumian language. Through the ritual, what was once human would become illumian - the Illumian language in tangible, humanoid form.

Tarmuid performed the ritual on himself, becoming the world's first illumian. He quickly shared his discovery with the humans living in the monastery, and they too became illumians. Only after creating several hundred illumians did Tarmuid begin to worry that the Ritual of Words Made Flesh could be twisted to other purposes, creating less useful transformations or even utterances that would destroy those who heard them.

Tarmuid convinced his fellow illumians of the ritual's danger, but they in turn persuaded him not to destroy the instructions for performing the Ritual of Words Made Flesh. Instead, the illumians split up into small groups and scattered across the globe, each group taking along part of the ritual's instructions. Those groups soon evolved into the cabals that are today the foundation of illumian society, and each cabal still guards part of the Ritual of Words Made Flesh. Because illumians now reproduce infant illumians normally, the ritual isn't needed to sustain the illumian race.

Illumian Society and Culture

The outside world sees illumians as power-obsessed schemers who wall themselves off in isolated strongholds - and there's certainly an element of truth behind the stereotype. But what non-illumians don't realize is that illumians wouldn't want it any other way. Illumians relish the opportunity to wield power from behind the scenes, because doing so demonstrates their mastery while employing the studied caution that is an illumian trademark.

lllumians live in isolated strongholds known as cabals. Each cabal forms a support and training network for the machinations of the senior leadership. Equal parts fortress, monastery, college, and way station, the cabal is the center of illumian life. Almost all illumians grow up within the cabal's walls, learn a profession from the cabal's instructors, and strive to earn a seat at the "Black Table" where the cabal's leaders rule.

The day-to-day life of an illumian is dictated by the needs of the cabal. Younger illumians spend their time in training, while their elders act on orders from the Black Table. Depending on a particular illumian's station and abilities, the Black Table's directive could be anything from "Operate the cabal's pottery kiln" to "Summon a powerful elemental and bind it to the cabal's service" to ''Assassinate the mayor of the human town to the north."

The main social bond a typical illumian feels is to his or her cabal. Because the cabal raises its children together, bonds of family aren't nearly as important as they are to other races, but loyalty to the cabal is reinforced each and every day within the walls of the enclave.

A cabal consists of between one hundred and three hundred members. At any given time, more than 90 percent of a cabal's members live within the walls of the cabal's fortress-like enclave. There they study, raise their children, provide for the cabal's defense, and hatch plots for use in the outside world. Some illumians never leave the safety of their cabal's enclave, although most journey beyond its walls on missions from time to time.

Cabal Names

d%	First Word	Second Word
1-4	blood	wing
5-8	rust	dreamer
9-12	black (or other color)	pennant
13-16	first (or other ordinal number)	horizon
17-20	kiln	fire
21-24	storm	wind
25-28	pale	riders
29-32	war	horn (or other instrument)
33-36	frost	peak
37-40	dusk	watcher
41-44	drift	cloud
45-48	ruby (or other gemstone)	talon
49-52	ever	shade
53-56	astral (or other plane)	hunter
57-60	bitter	blood
61-64	oath	keeper
65-68	crypt	delver
69-72	final	veil
73-76	dark	tower
77-80	lore	born
81-84	autumn (or other season)	leaf
85-88	thorn	slayer
89-92	tide	chant
93-96	oak (or other plant)	maw
97-100	sword (or other weapon)	wine

Library of the Sublime

A race founded by scholars and obsessed with language, the illumians are inveterate book collectors. The greatest aggregation of their lore was the Library of the Sublime, a fortress on the Astral Plane where even the most fragile tome would be immune from the further decay of time. Protected by the demigod Aulasha the Librarian, an illumian city of scholars grew up around the library, collaborating on research into magic, the multiverse, and even more esoteric mysteries. It was said that the discussion in a single salon within the library would stagger the imagination of earthly sages, so great was the accumulated knowledge and wisdom there.

But knowledge itself is a treasure, and not everyone was content to let the illumians keep such treasure to themselves. Centuries ago, a powerful githyanki army led by Vlaakith the lich-queen herself laid siege to the Library of the Sublime, eager to acquire for themselves the knowledge within its tomes. The illumians of the library mounted a defense that was both strategically brilliant and appallingly desperate, but in the end the githyanki were just too numerous and powerful. They seized and looted the library, slaughtering any illumian who didn't flee. Then, the treasure trove of wisdom within the Library of the Sublime proved too much for the covetous githyanki, who fell into fighting among themselves over the books. Various githyanki factions absconded with parts of the library's collection, and many other books were lost in the battles that followed the invasion of the library.

Though the attack happened years ago, the tale of the Library of the Sublime still brings tears to illumian eyes. To this day, illumians hate the githyanki with a passion that overcomes the usual illumian pragmatism toward other races. Some illumians bear a grudge against the library-god Aulasha, because she was unable to prevent the sacking of the library. Entire cabals exist for the express purpose of rebuilding the illumian collection of lore until it again matches the shelves of the Library of the Sublime.

Elirhondas, Shadow Metropolis

Only a small number of cabals contain more than a few hundred members, so the only dense accumulation of illumians in one place is the metropolis of Elirhondas. Created by representatives from hundreds of cabals, Elirhondas is a city nestled deep within the Shadowfell. Few travel there except at the invitation of an illumian who knows the way.

It's possible to reach Elirhondas by traveling to the Shadowfell and walking to the city. Many cabals have planar portals within their enclaves that connect to Elirhondas directly. Even cabals without access to powerful magic have access to an Elirhondas portal that briefly opens at regular intervals (once a month or four times a year, for example).

Because Elirhondas is made of shadowstuff, it can be a frightening place to visit. It's a black-and-white world, where everything gently twists and warps before a visitor's eyes. Even illumians who call Elirhondas home are occasionally startled by a particularly menacing bit of shadow - a door that momentarily appears to be a gaping maw, or a tower that looms so large in the sunless sky that it looks ready to topple over.

In theory, Tarmuid rules Elirhondas, but he is rarely seen there, preferring to remain within his fortress abode. In practice, Elirhondas is ruled like an overgrown cabal, with a twelve-member Black Table and directorates that handle city functions. Unlike most cabals, the Elirhondas cabal stays out of political matters, focusing entirely on the defense of the city and the well-being of its visitors.

Language

The illumians were literally constructed out of their own language, infused with its essence. Understandably, it's a complex language. The Illumian alphabet has more than a thousand symbols, each corresponding to an entire syllable, nor just a single sound.

Illumian syllables often have a degree of meaning themselves. For example, the vaul sigil appears in the Illumian words for death (kreevaul), resurrection (vaulagrea), and reverence for one's ancestors (nevaulak). But an illumian word is more than the sum of its syllables, and not every word having to do with the soul contains the vaul syllable.

As a side effect, the written form of the Illumian syllable-based alphabet is extraordinarily compact. Even a long word can be expressed in four or five letters, so illumian books have fewer pages - or contain more information - than books written in other languages.

Illumian Phrasebook

If you're playing an illumian character, you can use the following Illumian phrases at the gaming table. Depending on your play style, you can use the actual Illumian words or their English translations.

• Pauthak kireyu! Literally, "Press the advantage!" The most common illumian battle cry, given as illumian soldiers charge into enemy ranks.
• Skellek zey! Another battle cry meaning "Sell yourself dearly," shouted to bolster the ranks when illumians are on the defensive.
• Tarmuid boradu. This saying, which translates as "Tarmuid is watching you," has a double meaning. It can be used as comfort in dark times when Tarmuid's help would be appreciated, or when an illumian is acting in an embarrassing or ineffective way (which Tarmuid would likely disapprove of).
• Gau halak. A grave insult in Illumian, translating approximately as "blank page." Illumians use the term to describe anyone or anything that is wasteful or not meeting its potential.
• Yeshae tal! Meaning "By the ritual!" this is a common exclamation of surprise or exasperation.
• Tar vu yote. Used to describe anything that's complete or unusually large, this phrase doesn't translate literally. But the Illumian language uses ten symbols in its alphabet to serve as numbers, and of those symbols, tar is the first and yote is the last. Thus, the expression has a meaning similar to the Common phrase "from A to Z," although it's used more broadly.
• Pretak chalu, ru faalu waskal. A common illumian proverb, "The illumian without fire within cannot warm others." It's used to encourage self-improvement in a way that benefits the whole cabal.
• Relakak ghautra ne kalu vash. Another illumian proverb, literally "Declare a winner at the end of the game." It's used to cheer on an underdog in any sort of fight or contest, or to caution a favored contestant against taking victory for granted.

Illumian Names

Illumian personal names are almost always two or three syllables long, chosen from syllables that have a positive connotation. Illumians also take the name of their cabal as their own. Because the cabals help define an illumian's place in the world, illumians give their cabal name first, followed by their personal name. When speaking in Common, illumians usually translate their cabal name but leave their personal name in Illumian because it most likely doesn't have an exact match in Common.

Male Names: Abthek, Byerek, Duensel, Ghautar, Haurra, Iarmid, Kaulesh, Kyrish, Ooleg, Shelkau, Vyurek, Yeylea
Female Names: Andrin, Chalaum, Eallie, Fraona, Nuele, Prekish, Querik, Rhea loo, Sreiska, Woorhal, Xiroth, Zhaolei
Cabal Names: Blackpennant, Bloodwing, Driftcloud, Duskwatcher, Frostpeak, Rustdreamer, Stormwind

Illumian Traits

Your Illumian character has the following traits.

Ability Score Increase

Your intelligence score increases by 1.

Age

Descended from humans, Illumians mature at the same rate as they do and have lifespans similar in length to theirs.

Alignment

The cabals that form the backbone of Illumian society maintain codes of honor they expect members to follow, therefore Illumians have a tendency toward lawful alignments.

Size

Illumians vary in height and build, but on average are slightly taller than the typical human. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common, Illumian, and two extra languages of your choice. Illumians love languages and travel far and wide to learn new languages from other races.

Glyphic Resonance

Illumians are the physical embodiment of a magical language, so they interact strangely with language-based spells. You have advantage on ability checks and saving throws involving spells whose names contain the words "word," "glyph," "script," or "symbol." Examples include divine word, glyph of warding, illusory script, power word stun, and symbol.

Luminous Sigils

A circle of luminous Illumian sigils floats around your head. They give off the equivalent light of a candle, shedding bright light in a 5-foot radius and dim light in a 10-foot radius.

You can use a bonus action to suppress your sigils, making them retreat into your head and appear as black tattoos on your skin. You can you use a bonus action to reverse this process and activate your sigils again. Your sigils are naturally suppressed while you sleep and reactivate when you wake up. You lose your Illumian Word abilities while your sigils are suppressed.

Versatile Training

You are proficient in one skill of your choice.

Power Sigils

In addition to the array of dimly glowing luminous sigils that orbits your head, you have two slightly brighter power sigils that grant you certain bonuses. Choose two of the options from the table below:

Sigil	Meaning	Effect
Aesh	"vigor"	Your Strength score increases by 1.
Hoon	"life"	Your Wisdom score or Constitution score (your choice) increases by 1.
Krau	"magic"	You know one cantrip of your choice from the wizard spell list. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for it.
Naen	"mind"	Your Intelligence score increases by 1.
Uur	"grace"	Your Dexterity score increases by 1.
Vaul	"soul"	Your Charisma score increases by 1.

Illumian Word

Each combination of two power sigils' names makes an Illumian word of great power, and thus grants extra abilities to a character who possesses those two power sigils. The benefit of each word of power is described below.

Word	Benefit
Aeshoon	Twice per long rest, as a bonus action, you may enter a state of focus until the end of your next turn. While in the state, you gain a bonus to the damage rolls of your weapon attacks equal to your Wisdom modifier.
Aeshkrau	Twice per long rest, when you miss with a spell attack, you can use your reaction to add your Strength modifier to the attack roll, possibly changing the miss to a hit.
Aeshuur	When score a critical hit against a creature, that creature has disadvantage on attack rolls against you until the end of your next turn.
Hoonkrau	Once per long rest, you may cast cure wounds or healing word with this trait. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
Hoonvaul	Twice per long rest, you may use your reaction to add your Charisma modifier to a Wisdom check or your Wisdom modifier to a Charisma check. You may do this after the check is made but must decide before the outcome is determined.
Naenaesh	Twice per long rest, you may use your reaction to add your Intelligence modifier to a Strength check or your Strength modifier to an Intelligence check. You may do this after the check is made but must decide before the outcome is determined.
Naenhoon	Once per long rest, when you fail a Constitution save, you may use your reaction to add your Intelligence modifier to the result, possibly changing the failure to a success.
Naenkrau	Choose a wizard spell of first level. Once per long rest, you may cast the chosen spell using this trait. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for the spell. When you gain a level, you may replace the chosen spell with another wizard spell of first level.
Uurhoon	Once per long rest, when you fail a Wisdom save, you may use your reaction to add your Dexterity modifier to the result, possibly changing the failure to a success.
Uurkrau	Twice per long rest, when you miss with a spell attack, you can use your reaction to add your Dexterity modifier to the attack roll, possibly changing the miss to a hit.
Uurnaen	Twice per long rest, you may use your reaction to add your Intelligence modifier to a Dexterity check or your Dexterity modifier to an Intelligence check. You may do this after the check is made but must decide before the outcome is determined.
Vaulaesh	Twice per long rest, as a bonus action, you may enter a state of focus until the end of your next turn. While in the state, you gain a bonus to the damage rolls of your weapon attacks equal to your Charisma modifier.
Vaulkrau	Once per long rest, when you are forced to make a saving throw, you may use your reaction to enter a special state until the end of your next turn. While in the state, you add your Charisma modifier to all saving throws you make. You must choose to enter the state before making the prompting save.
Vaulnaen	Twice per long rest, you may use your reaction to add your Charisma modifier to an Intelligence check or your Intelligence modifier to a Charisma check. You may do this after the check is made but must decide before the outcome is determined.
Vauluur	Twice per long rest, when you miss with a weapon attack using Dexterity, you can use your reaction to add your Charisma modifier to the attack roll, possibly changing the miss to a hit.

Final Utterance

When you die, your body releases the stored Illumian language within it. For a number of rounds equal to your character level, anyone within earshot hears ululating Illumian syllables - usually gibberish, but occasionally a prophetic phrase or a final curse on your enemies. Your body need not remain intact for the final utterance to occur. Even if you succumb to a disintegrate spell, your disembodied voice still utters strange gibberish for several rounds.