Athreki (5e Race)

Athreki

Physical Description

From the neck down, an Athreki is almost indistinguishable from a regular human. Sure, they might have one or two too many fingers, but that's hardly significant. Their chests are often quite broader than the average human, certainly, but the real trouble starts when you look at the head. Or, lack thereof. Instead of a head, an athreki has a large, wooden, crossbow. The exact makeup of this weapon varies between individuals of the species, but it's generally about the size of a typical heavy crossbow, made out of wood, and woven with string that resembles a biological fiber, such as hair.

The hollow cavity of an athreki's head typically resembles the sinuses of a normal humanoid, allowing them to produce speech in a similar manner. Like similarly related constructs, athreki vision is limited to a few pinhole cameras perceiving light as a binary, which is interpreted by complex systems into workable vision, albeit without color. Athreki pinhole eyes are lined along the limbs of the crossbow, and appear as tiny dots embedded in the wood. Unlike many other taxonomically related species, Athreki have a secondary scope near the back of their head which allows for much more accurate vision.

History

Athreki evolution, like that of most of the Nummic-Kessulic species of Askria, is shrouded in mystery. It is believed that their closest relatives are the Sengels, which possess a cannon for a head, but this is mostly not evidence-based, as constructs like the Athreki lack DNA. Athreki have existed as a single culture since 183 WR.K., largely concentrated in the Yorra tribes in what is now the Confederacy of Elnessen.

The Yorra tribes migrated south along as the little ice age ended in 566 WR.Í., as did many other nations on Askria moving towards the poles. It was here where the Yorra tribes were united into the Kingdom of Yorr, in what is now the Vermillion States. The Kingdom of Yorr existed in relative peace with its neighbors, and with the other members of the Vermillion Coalition, beast back the Kingdom of Num in the Red Snow war of 843.

Following the decline of the Faakh'el Khanate and the rise of Yssalru and Celador in the 10th century, the Vermillion coalition fought a second war against the kingdom of Hamangia-Adamott, which they ultimately lost. Although the breakup of Hamangia-Adamott meant that Yorr remained independent, it weakened them significantly. Celador and Yssalru soon began to attempt to exercise their influence over the Vermillion coalition. Under the threat of war on Askria for a 3rd time, the warlord known as Highlord Dark Fate took over the Vermillion Coalition, including the Kingdom of Yorr, uniting them into the Vermillion States.

Society

Like much of Askria, Yorra culture is unusually nihilistic and self-serving, traits which have only become more pronounced under the ironic rule of Highlord Dark Fate. The overwhelming belief in Askria is that things cannot change, and people are powerless, which is only solidified by Highlord Dark Fate's conviction for the destruction of Celador and Yssalru, hile he simultaneously capitulates to them to prevent war.

Highlord Dark Fate's religion, his own creation, holds that peace is the ultimate goal, and the earth will become a paradise when all enemies of peace are destroyed. This philosophy is easily ridiculed for its belief that some people are inherently evil, the idea that war is the fault of some people who want war more than peace, and the obvious cult of personality it attempts to build, and it is practiced by almost no one.

The only other prevailing religion on Askria is called Rektamnism, and it holds that there is a heaven, but it is so much better than this world it is impossible to conceive of. Like most religions, it holds that by performing morally good acitons and being good people, we can receive a reward in the afterlife. The nihilists of Yorr have yet to make it a mainstream idea.

Athreki Names

Yorra, the language of the athreki, belongs to a family of languages called the Nummic-Kessulic languages. This languages involves frequent use of ingressive, speech produced by breathing in rather than out. Ingressive sounds are marked in bold, and it's important to note that an entire syllable is ingressive, not just one sound. Male names end in a consonant, while female names end in a vowel.

Male: Jeshpuj, Loyij, Peljisis, Rezshish, Rechroch, Rowjelruy, Shor, Viwyok, Wochruk, Wechchechror Yozrhikkew, Yiwror, Zowluch, Zhulkuch

Female: Chepku, Chevo, Fizvi, Jero, Jofoche, Kochfu, Kozu, Rhirhre, Rhirhvozhti, Shuvje, Wifi, Zhezo, Zhuzrhichji, Ziweshka

Athreki Traits

A humanoid with a crossbow for a head.
Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2 and your Intelligence score increases by 1.
Age. An athreki reaches maturity at about age 12, when their cocking stirrup finally comes off. They can reach up to 150 years old, with very little variation.
Alignment. Athreki culture is nihilistic, and society is only held together by the belief that things are slightly better in a group. Athreki are overwhelmingly chaotic alignments, but usually tend towards neutral or good.
Size. Athreki are tall for humans, but a generally shorter than similar species surrounding them. Your size is medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
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.
Natural Weapon. Your head is a crossbow, and it cannot be removed without the normal difficulty and consequences of removing one's head. You can use this weapon to make ranged attacks as if it were a normal Heavy Crossbow.
Scope. Your vision is partially a result of the scope protruding from your head. You have proficiency in Wisdom (Perception).
Innate Ability. You have proficiency in heavy crossbows, light crossbows, and hand crossbows.
Quiver. When you make a ranged attack using a crossbow, you can attack without expending a piece of ammunition.
Construct. You count as a construct rather than a humanoid. You cannot be targeted by effects that only target humanoids, and you cannot be target by effects that cannot target constructs.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Yorra

Random Height and Weight

Base Height	Height Modifier*	Base Weight	Weight Modifier**
5′ 9''	+1d6	157 lb.	× (1d8) lb.
*Height = base height + height modifier **Weight = base weight + (height modifier × weight modifier)

0.00

(0 votes)

---

Back to Main Page → 5e Homebrew → Races