Vethier (Asylon Supplement)

Vethier

The remnants of Irte's first great civilization, the Vethier (also known as "Wild Elves" in some parts of the world) are an uncomplicated race of sea-dwelling elves. They are known for their reverence towards nature, and for their positive outlook on life.

Personality

Vethier are lighthearted lovers of nature, and would love to have the opportunity to tell you all about it. Naturally talkative and inquisitive, the Vethier are interested in the art of conversation with anyone they encounter, especially those from lands they consider to be "exotic." Vethier are used to sharing everything from food to clothing with not only their family members, but everyone in their village, and may not be used to the "civilized" notions of property and theft.

Vethier are somewhat flightly, but if they care deeply about something they will keep coming back to it over the course of their lives. This flightiness is exactly their motivation for adventuring, in fact most Vethier have a time of "going forth" near the onset of adulthood. It might be said that Vethier aren't expected anywhere but their homeland, and yet it is no surprise to find them anywhere in the wide world.

Physical Description

Vethier are the shortest of the races of Men and Mer, but only slightly. They are often between 4.5 and 5.5 feet tall, with the males taller than the females, and their weight is proportionate to other mer. Their skin is naturally tan from generations spent immersed in nature, and their eyes range in color from green to blue. Their eyes are notable in that they are slightly larger than other elves, and it is common that their irises take up most of their visible eyes. They are known for their distinctive brows, which grow out in delicate antlers several inches away from their heads. Vethier have hair that is always lighter shades of gray or completely white, which they wear long, often woven with trinkets or decorations. Vethier dress simply and comfortably, wearing earthy colors and materials that vary by region. They are considered to be adults at age 40, and can live to be older than 600 years old.

Like all elves, Vethier are more elegant and have finer features than other races, and they do not sleep. Instead, they meditate in a deep trance for 4 hours each day. An elf resting in this fashion gains the same benefit that a human does from 8 hours of sleep. While meditating, an elf dreams, though these dreams are actually mental exercises that have become reflexive through years of practice. The common word for an elf's meditation is "trance" as in "4 hours of trance."

Relations

Vethier are generally good-natured, and in theory would get along with anyone. However, Vethier hold nature above all else, and those who abuse nature or seek to place themselves above the cycle of nature are quick to earn the Vethier's rare and frightening wrath. Vethier get along especially well with the Ra'Virr, and look upon the Althier as fools who are chasing after disaster.

Alignment

Vethier are always chaotic at their cores. Living so closely to nature and her unpredictable ways has rubbed off on the wild elves, and they have a hard time abiding by rules. They are often Chaotic. Also, the Vethier are often considered to have the biggest hearts among all the races of Irte, and are generally good. There are of course exceptions to the rule, but the Vethier are a people who enjoy nothing more than a feast and merry-making at the end of a long, full day.

Vethieri Lands

The Vethier control the land of Hikipale, which in their tongue means "Broken Vow." The name itself refers to the cataclysm that befell the Great Theran Empire in the first age, and originally was only the name for the island chain known now as the Shattered Soul. Now Hikipale broadly includes the huge stretch of forest land under the rule of the Vethier, stretching from the temperate forest in the northwest of Aina to the heats of the tropical rainforest in the farthest south.

The Vethier live in small villages which usually number no more than 200-300 people, although their capital, Halenui, shelters more than 5000 Vethieri. These villages are always either on the beach or in the branches of large trees, and are usually concealed in the latter case. Each village is a collection of living huts, larger craftsman huts, and the gathering circle near the center of the village. When a village is on the coast, it has several fishing canoes, and when a village is in the trees, it is often connected via wooden bridges and can be accessed from the ground by great, retractable ladders.

Religion

Vethier revere nature above all else, a practice said to have been caused by the fall of the Great Theran Empire. Utsirte is their chief deity, and she is known as Aohine. Other important deities include Daraith (known as Huaka'i), and Avlamak, the Draenic Prince of Hunting, but he is known as "Hahainui."

Language

The Vethieri language is one of the oldest surviving tongues on Irte. Its vocabulary has evolved gradually over the millenia, but it retains much of the ancient formality of the old tongue. Words are still long, basically hyphenated descriptions of their definitions, and are filled with long vowels, soft consonants, and hard "k" sounds. The Vethieri language also has no alphabet, but has a strong oral tradition to transmit the history of the people.

Names

Vethier are given names sometime during the first ten years of their lives. These names are always in their native language, and generally reflect a body feature or a notable occurence in their formative years. Names are given by the child's parents, although the whole community is often involved in one way or another. Vethier have no family names, and are referred to as sons or daughters of their parents if their lineage is made reference to at all.

Occasionally Vethier children will be given more than one name, usually accumulating them over the course of a few years. It is rare for a Vethier to have more than one name, and having more than two is almost unheard of.

Boys - Alewina, Hinano, Hekili, Iakepa, Kaha'i, Laka

Girls - Ailana, Ele, Ilima, Anuenue, Hinaea, Kailani

Adventurers

Vetheri adventurers are often the lighthearted, optimistic members of their groups, and are more often than not the party's scout. They find civilization fascinating but are completely out of place, whereas they blend in almost seamlessly with nature, especially forests. Expect the Vethier in a party to crack--and play--a lot of jokes. Vethier are most often Rangers, but might just as often be a druid, or at least have a few levels in the class.

Roleplaying Flavor

As a result of their pact with Utsirte, Vethier have an actual, physical kinship with the plants they protect, and while they don't grow leaves instead of hair or bark instead of skin, they still have several traits that are a result of this. First, Vethieri disgestion is very slow; they don't need to eat nearly as often as other races. Every week, a Vethieri tribe will have a massive, gluttonous feast in which they devour copious amounts of meat, fruits, and vegetables. The rest of the week is spent hunting and gathering for the next feast; the Vethieri don't eat between feasts except for occasional snacking. They drink water all the time.

When Vethier die, they turn into trees. Dryads are powerful Vethieri priestesses who, through their spiritual power, managed to remain sentient and mobile in this next life, though they are psychologically changed and retain few of their old memories. Dryad-trees are sacred sites to the Vethieri, and dryads are consulted as immortal keepers of history and communers with the spirit world...though they themselves no longer identify with the Vethieri people, and are not especially predisposed toward them. A dryad doesn't give out help for free...

Another effect of their transformation into trees is that when Vethier trance, they travel what is called the Ala Uliuli, which could be translated both as "Green Path" and "Green Awakening." It is described by Vethier as the plane where the spirits of the trees live, and by journeying there they learn when it is time to make the transformation into a tree, as well as communing with their ancestors to better revel in the fervor of their Oath. For this reason, most good Vethier look forward to their trance hours, while most evil Vethier (who have usually violated the Oath) dread it.

Racial Traits

For Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 edition

• Type: Humanoid (Elf)
• +2 Dexterity, −2 Intelligence: The Vethieri are very agile, but have little knowledge of civilization and it's advancements.
• Size: Medium
• Bosmer base land speed is 30 feet.
• Low-Light Vision: And elf can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. She retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
• Weapon Proficiency: Vethier receive the Martial Weapon Proficiency feats for the longbow (including composite longbow) and shortbow (including composite shortbow) as bonus feats. Vethier as a race have used the bow and arrow longer than any other race on Irte, and have a natural-born talent with the weapon.
• +2 racial bonus on listen, Search, spot, and knowledge (geography)
• Automatic Languages: Common and Vethier. Bonus Languages: Any. A popular choice for another language is Sylvan, the language of woodland creatures.
• Favored Class: Ranger.
• Level Adjustment: +0

For Pathfinder RPG

• +2 Dex, +2 Wis, -2 Int
• Medium
• Speed: 30 feet.
• +2 Perception, Knowledge (Geography)
• Martial Weapon Proficiency: Longbow and Shortbow
• Low-Light Vision
• Immune to Sleep
• Arcane Spell Resistance: 10
• Languages: Common and Vethieri

Vital Statistics

Table: Vethier Random Starting Ages

Adulthood	Simple	Moderate	Complex
40 years	+3d6	+5d6	+7d6

Table: Vethier Aging Effects

Middle Age1	Old2	Venerable3	Maximum Age
100 years	200 years	300 years	+3d% years
At middle age, −1 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha. At old age, −2 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha. At venerable age, −3 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha.

Table: Vethier Random Height and Weight

Gender	Base Height	Height Modifier	Base Weight	Weight Modifier
Male	4' 5"	+2d6	85 lb.	× (1d6) lb.
Female	4' 2"	+2d6	80 lb.	× (1d6) lb.

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