Fu'Ara (5e Race)

Fu'Ara

"Close your eyes and listen. Can you hear it, the voice of Spring? It calls to us all, bringing us the light of renewal and life year after year, and yet we are blind and deaf, our hearts shuttered and closed off from the world." -Harvaela Faean, the Peony Sabre

A race whose fate is connected to that of the very land that they tread on, the fu'ara are a strange race whose abilities connect to the very place and season they are born in. Formidable guardians of nature, their existences are a closely guarded secret that only a few of their Elven cousins know of.

Physical Description

Similar to their elven cousins in their proportions and elegant statures, these beings have a vast array of complexions and colors, encompassing that of humans and expanding even further. Although they have extremely versatile features, the fu'ara also have tones, shades and hues that are more common among their race. Colors within the mocha to ivory spectrum are more common for their complexion, hints of other earthen colors and even tinges of blue and green may appear, but in rare cases those with iridescent and opalescent skin have been known to appear. Their hair tones, however, are much more expansive in its spectral range. Dancing from the primary colors to those even the mortal eyes find hard to comprehend, ephemeral and divine hues that can only be described as a type of light, the hair or the fu'ara are known to be fair and luxuriously silky. Their eyes are much the same as their hairs. Encompassing the whole visible spectrum over the entirety of their race their irises usually carry a splash of brilliance, or streaks and specks of metallic colors, subtly differentiating them from their distant cousins. In those who are born in darker areas, the difference goes even further , providing the elf-like fu'ara tapetum lucidum.

As a race they are more often than not mistaken for elves, but their diverse colors make them unmistakable for the more common variants of their cousins and, to those who even know of their existence and know all of the Elves, the entire Elven race in general. Only the most unique fu'ara are easily distinguishable by n'tel'quessir, otherwise making them either elf, strange elf, or even a celestial to some.

Examples of physical variations caused by the habitat and environment that the fu'ara were born in, and thus aligned, would be: tan skin and ocher hair in desert fu'ara, transparent blue-green hair and white skin in seaside fu'ara, and white hair and skin for fu'ara inhabiting snowy mountains. Examples of physical variations caused by the season that the fu'ara were born in, and thus aligned, would be: pale skin and maple red hair for Autumn fu'ara, pale green hair, golden skin and pink eyes in spring fu'ara, and brown hair, black eyes speckled with cobalt, and snow white skin in winter fu'ara.

In contrary to the examples, fu'ara are more often than not a combination of features from both of their determinants. A fu'ara may be born during spring but have white hair and glacier blue eyes due to their birth having taken place on a mountain.

Examples of seasons that may be chosen are: spring, summer, autumn, winter. Other seasons, such as those from the elven calendar (thimblewinter, thawling, etc.) may also be chosen.

Examples of habitats that may be chosen are: deserts, forests, swamps, caves, ravines, beaches, and springs. Any environment may be chosen except marine and aerial habitats.

History

Due to their uncanny similarities to elves at a first glance, and their ability to blend in so well with other races and societies due to their friendly and highly adaptive natures, the fu'ara are hard to pinpoint in history. Their historical accounts, and the stories and legends of the race itself, are even harder to trace, only known to the eldest of the Elven Elders, and to the most dedicated of historians and philosophers. Intertwined with that of the Elves, the history of the fu'ara are near indecipherable; where one history ends and the other begins is blurry for most, and their similar appearances do nothing to clear any confusions that may occur. However, those who know of their existences know for a fact that they are only distantly related to the Elves, a different race all together and nothing close to a sub-race.

Tracing their existence back to the time before the eladrin existed as they are in the present day, the fu'ara (nelatha'tel'quessir to those of elven descent) separated from their cousins to live a much more secluded life, following a long forgotten Goddess of Seasons, Fate, Cycles & Patterns, and of Transcendence. The fu'ara developed and flourished under the protection of their Goddess, her influence shielding them from the effects of the seasons and the land, their fates their own to choose and decide. As time passed, their cities rose and fell within the depths of the forest, the heart of the deserts and mountains, and they slowly learned to survive and work their surroundings and lands. However, they were never able to completely separate themselves from their brethren to develop sub-races. Bound to their Goddess's powers over the seasons, the fu'ara themselves were blessed with not only resistance but a part of their season itself, a fragment of nature's forces imbued into their beings. Bound by flesh and susceptible to death through injury, these beings blessed by what can only be seen as an overdeity were nevertheless immortal and beautiful. Ultimately they became what they are now, entities whose abilities and details are governed by the land they are born in and the season they are birthed, their blood only governing their skeletal frames and other structures, not unlike their noble eladrin cousins.

As of present, the Goddess's whereabouts and existence has become a closely guarded secret that the fu'ara, and the Seldarine, are reluctant to impart to any and to all. Her portfolios still prevail in her absence, weakened as they are and now under the care and management of her children, and the fu'ara await the day their patron goddess will return to guide them once more.

Society

The fu'ara, for all their secrecy and isolation, generally live in the existing societies and cities of other fey races when not in their own. This is usually during their time traveling across the land in search of knowledge and understanding, a right of passage depending on which season they derived from. As such, they follow the laws and rules of their makeshift homes, living how the natives would live as their ingrained need to adapt and hide in plane sight allows them to emulate what they learn through observation faster and much more fluidly than normal.

The society of the fu'ara is relatively different from that of other communal fey, such as the tel'quessir. Separated by season and further divided by their aptitudes and class, it is more common for them to be separated into the following three umbrella groups: The Circle, Edge, and Land. Although they are placed under these three groups out of convenience, the fu'ara are able to move between the three groups freely and without any resistances. In some cities these groups don't exist at all, the members contributing to whichever task that needs help in and whichever role that they find most suitable for their capabilities and characters.

The Circle

Those who have an aptitude for, and are specialized in, the arcane arts are classified under this group. Although more than half of the fu'ara are more than qualified to be placed within this group, only those who are dedicated to using magic and spells, runes and glyphs, are. Responsible for protecting their cities and lands, these magically attuned beings must maintain and contribute to the barriers that veil the cities that the fu'ara live in. Although almost all magic users are treated equally within this group, the eight most powerful, and attuned to their seasons, are seen as the leaders of all of the fu'ara. The scope of their magic, their personal lives, and their ages are all unknown even to those who believe they are closest to their liege. What little that can be gleamed of their powers and ages are gathered from the various legend pertaining to them and the creatures they befriend and bond.

As of the present, the whereabouts and statuses of two of the leaders are unknown.

The Edge

Those who have an aptitude for, and are specialized in, the arts of war and weaponry are classified under this group. Masters of the sword and all manners of physical weapons, these fu'ara are the guardians of their race. Containing scouts and soldiers of all kinds, the Edge is governed by their own respective Generals. At a first glance these warriors appear completely devoid of any latent magic, their magical potential inherited completely by their counterpart within the Circle, but in combat they exhibit great skill in improvising with what little magic they do have, and those who do have magic to spare creativity in the way they wield it. They are deadly in combat and just as deadly in conversation. Philosophers and politicians in their own right and minds, these fu'ara cut down their foe both in battle and in court.

The Land

Those who have an aptitude for, and are specialized in, the ways of the land and in arts less suited for the battlefield are placed within this group. These fu'ara are the life blood of the people, the citizens who farm and run the cities under the protection of the Circle and Edge, and include the young and those who wish to live a more peaceful life. They are made up of all kinds of characters and professions, of all ages and all types of magical and weapon experts, making them the most diverse and common of the three umbrella groups.

Fu'Ara Names

The fu'ara care very little for naming conventions, giving their children names that they find appealing no matter what race they come from.

Fu'Ara Traits

Fey beings born with the spirit and body of the seasons.
Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 1, and your Wisdom score increases by 2.
Age. Reaches adulthood at 100 years old and stops aging once they are at their prime. They do not die from old age.
Alignment. The fu'ara are neutral by nature, aligning themselves with whatever and whomever they believe to be correct. Loyal and possessive, they protect whoever they hold dear and befriend.
Size. Varied in size, the fu'ara are difficult to generalize when it comes to size, width and height. Your size is Medium.
Speed. You have a base walking speed of 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.
Season Born. Based on your ancestry and the season it is tied to, you have resistance to a certain damage type, as well as advantage on saving throws against that damage type and a skill proficiency associated with the season. Choose one season from the Season Ancestry Table. Your damage type and skill is determined by the season you choose.
Fey Ancestry. You have advantage in saving throws against being charmed and magic cannot put you to sleep.
Keen Eyes. In addition to the darkvision typical of fey, the fu'ara are also very perceptive, even with little light. While in dim light, you do not have disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Elven.

Season Ancestry Table

Season	Damage Type	Skill
Spring	Poison	Nature
Fall	Lightning	Investigation
Winter	Cold	Survival
Summer	Fire	Athletics

Random Height and Weight

Table: Fu'Ara Random Height and Weight

Base Height	Height Modifier	Base Weight	Weight Modifier
4′ 00″	+2d6	80 lb.	× 1d6 lb.

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