Shalarin (5e Race)

Shalarin

“	Five times will the great tide turn and five times a bridge arcs between worlds new and old. The castes shall go forth on that bridge and share the bounty each Passing allows. One for Hand, one for Heart, one for Head, and one for Currents. The Fifth Passing shares nothing but judges, and it will restore the shalarin as one or see them scattered ever.	”
—The Prophecy of the Wildtide, Sea of Fallen Stars by Steven E. Schend

Physical Description

A treading shalarin, source

Shalarin are fish-like humanoids that primarily inhabit the ocean. In particular, shalarin typically settle in the ocean's deeper depths; their eyes are capable of picking up a broader spectrum of light allowing them to see in pitch darkness, though this makes even a cloudy day on the surface blinding. Shalarin exclusively use their mouths for vocalization and eating, and instead breath in through gills where their neck meets their shoulders, and exhale through gills along their ribcage. By nature, their bodies are lithe and cold to the touch. To some, they are similar in build to elves in the same way that merfolk are to humans and sahuagin are to orcs.

Shalarin have almost no sexual dimorphism, having no need for such things as a social egg-laying species. Despite this, a single shalarin Ys has more physical diversity than a town of nearly any other species due to their biological castes. When a shalarin egg is laid, it and the shalarin within it have the characteristics of a caste determined solely by chance:

• Ri'sha'larin are hatched from taupe, whorled eggs, and make up the smallest portion of shalarin society, roughly 2%. They have a variety of white patterns on their fins ranging from spots to stripes, or very rarely completely white fins.
• Ka'sha'larin are hatched from rust-colored, tightly striated eggs, and make up roughly 4% of shalarin society. They have red stripes across their fins, and sometimes develop bioluminescent spots from magic use.
• Po'sha'larin are hatched from muddy, rough eggs, and make up roughly 16% of shalarin society. While they bear no particular markings, their fins are supported by thick, sharp bone rather than cartilage.
• Tu'sha'larin are hatched from black, smooth eggs, and make up roughly 10% of shalarin society. Their fins are completely black.
• Li'sha'larin are hatched from the same eggs as Ri'sha'larin, but have no particular markings and make up 68% of shalarin society. Of this caste, roughly 24% (16% of the full population) have flat fins that are not supported by cartilage.
• Ob'dag'larin are hatched from the eggs of any caste, but have been touched by Dagon's power. Their build is much more muscular, and their fins bear sickly green bioluminescent markings in the shape of a shark's jaws.

History

The first shalarin hatched in the Sea of Corynactis, a series of great trenches flush with hydrothermal caverns and deep sea life. This ancestral land is located in the far reaches of Toril's Western Ocean, east of Kara-Tur and Osse, and west of Maztica, though some legends claim that they inhabited Karpri, Toril's equivalent to Mars, long before they ever set foot in Toril's oceans. Corynactis has long been inhabited by a number of shalarin Es, but a true As'corynactis never arose.

Much of shalarin history is centered on the Passings; five prophesied journeys said to reconnect those who took the journey to their gods after millennia of separation, with each bringing in primarily members of a single caste, starting with Ri and Li. Every 720 years, a Wildtide Gate, a one-way portal in the shape of a great vortex, would open to Trishina's holy land, and her faithful would once again bask in her tides, never to return to the cold depths of Corynactis. In reality, these prophecies and gates were deceptions organized by the demon lord Dagon, whose primordial power eclipsed a lesser deity like Trishina. Three-fourths of those who journeyed the First Passing in -1509 DR were slaughtered by sea elves and merfolk of Dagon's cult in Faerūn's Sea of Fallen Stars; pilgrims in the midst of the the Third Serôs War. The remaining quarter was saved by the people of Serôs against Dagon's wishes, creating the first non-Corynactian shalarin settlement, Es'krin.

In the Second Passing in -789 DR, the wild-tiders settled in Es'krin after only a handful of minor attacks. Rather than risk his cult directly, which was still recovering from multiple military losses, Dagon twisted the queen of Aryselmalyr, a sea elf empire, making her aggressive and paranoid. Turning her eye to the newcommers, she was convinced that they only brought destruction and declared the Fifth Serôs War. This war destroyed Es'krin and its morkoth allies of the Four Arcana of Humbar, and began Aryselmalyr's decline, though the survivors of Es'krin settled in the deeper ruins of Humbar, founding Es'rath.

By -255 DR, Aryselmalyr collapsed, and Es'rath became one of Serôs's greatest powers, though this caught the eye of the Theocracy of the Deep Ones, a morkoth kingdom founded from Humbar's survivors that had turned to dark gods, and now looked at Es'rath with envy and disdain. Though the deep ones declared the Seventh Serôs War in an attempt to reclaim their homeland, the war would only last two years, ending when an army of tritons suddenly arrived and joined forces with the shalarin.

In the Third Passing in -69 DR, the wild-tiders settled in Serôs with no difficulty, founding and Es'daan and Es'purr. Alongside Es'rath, shalarin society ruled the entire eastern coast and great swathes of sea floor. These city-states eventually unified into As'arem, the first true shalarin empire. As'arem would enjoy a long period of peace, welcoming in the wild-tiders of the Fourth Passing in 651 DR with great jubilation. Thought he Ninth Serôs War began shortly after, As'arem would remain an uninvolved neutral party, though they would play a role in drafting the Laws of Battle alongside the other powers of Serôs following the war's conclusion.

The Fifth Passing in 1371 DR, said to bring a caste of judges to determine if the shalarin of As'arem were fit to rejoin their Corynactian brethren was awaited like no other, with festivals and parades across all of As'arem. These celebrations were cut short when the Wildtide Gate opened to terrified, wounded shalarin fleeing a band of their strange, twisted kin. In the time since the Fourth Passing, Dagon's plan had mostly come to fruition; Corynactis has fallen to his cult, becoming As'dagon. The battle was long and bloody, but ultimately successful in pushing back As'dagon's forces, though the Wildtide Gate would remain permanently open in the heart of As'arem, a shameful secret its Ri'sha'larin attempt to keep hidden from its allies.

Demonic incursions from As'dagon are a regular threat to As'arem, weakening its power in the Sea of Fallen Stars as it fights off not only their own kin, but sahuagin, wastriliths, and even the occasional kraken. Even worse, evidence of the Cult of Dagon within As'arem is not uncommon.

Society

Shalarin society is fairly simple, with each shalarin having a biological caste that they were raised by and specially trained for from hatching. From the moment a shalarin sees another, their place in the social hierarchy is made clear. This has lead to quite a bit of culture shock for traveling shalarin, who often find it difficult to interact with non-shalarin who lack such distinctions, though most default to respect. The five main shalarin biological castes are broken down into eleven distinct sub-castes:

Ri'sha'larin Sub-Castes

• The single member of the Eadar ruler sub-caste rules all of As'arem as an emperor, signified by their platinum bracers. When the Eadar dies, the Finars decide among themselves who is to be the next Eadar.
• Each Finar rules one of As'arem's kingdoms, namely Es'rath, Es'daan, Es'purr, and Es'roch, signified by their gold bracers. When a Finar dies, the Golmars of its kingdom decide among themselves who is to be the next Eadar.
• Each Golmar rules a single city within a kingdom, signified by their coral bracers. Each Golmar is chosen by their Finar for their position. There are rarely more Ri'sha'larin than positions outside of Es'rath, leading to Es'rathi "proxies" taking any open Golmar positions until a Ri'sha'larin of the city's kingdom is able to take its role. Unchosen Ri'sha'larin are allowed to pursue the role of any other caste.

Ka'sha'larin Sub-Castes

• The minstrel scholar sub-caste has red markings along the edges of their fins, and maintain shalarin history through poetry and song.
• The sage scholar sub-caste has red stripes alongside the leading edge of their fins, and maintain shalarin culture through education.
• The arcane scholar sub-caste has red stripes along their skin at the base of their fins, and are the only caste allowed to practice arcane magic.

Po'sha'larin Sub-Castes

• Unlike other castes, the so-called protector caste has no sub-castes. All Po'sha'larin are trained as honorable warriors and shrewd tacticians.

Tu'sha'larin Sub-Castes

• The wanderer seeker sub-caste has completely black fins, and are tasked with gathering knowledge from beyond As'arem's purview, especially secret things.
• The faiths seeker sub-caste has black fins with a single large red spot. Once a scholar sub-caste, the separation from their gods turned their fins black and transformed them into a seeker caste dedicated to gathering knowledge of the gods and hopefully reuniting As'arem with Trishina.

Li'sha'larin Sub-Castes

• The worker provider sub-caste is often considered the base-line for shalarin. Any task without a sub-caste dedicated to it is fair game for a worker to undertake, such as farming, forging, or tending the hatchery.
• The servant provider sub-caste have flat fins that are not supported by cartilage. As the rising of one's dorsal fin is considered to be the signifier of adulthood, they are never considered full adults. Instead, they are employed as the personal attendants of the rulers they are born under. While this is often seen as an act of charity, they are also often use them as a form of political currency among rulers, trading servants for favors or resources.

A shalarin settlement begins as an Ys, sometimes equated to a town or village, before growing into an Us, and then an Os. All settlements are part of an Is, sometimes called a duchy by outsiders, which belongs to an Es, or kingdom, which might belong to an As, or empire. A typical shalarin settlement sits at a depth of between 600 and 1200 feet below sea level, though some sit much deeper, and primarily sustains itself with molluscs and kelp beds specially cultivated to grow in near-total darkness. Most shalarin gear is made of stone, pearl, silver coral, or imported, but some use geothermal vents on the sea floor to forge metal. Geothermal forging is a dangerous prospect for shalarin not blessed by Dagon, however, as the debris ejected by the vents can obscure the water, burn the eyes, and build poisonous deposits in the lungs.

In ancient times, shalarin revered Trishina, "Ri'daa'trisha" in their tongue, as their mother goddess. While many still honor her, few worship her, knowing that their prayers can not reach her due to Dagon's influence. Instead, Deep Sashelas, "Ri'dea'shela", is worshiped as a minor god capable of ferrying their messages to Trishina, despite Trishina being Sashelas' consort.

As'arem has a wide range of relationships. Triton diplomats find their open diplomacy to be a naive vulnerability, though they are one of the few races they will willingly trade their iconic tapals with. Among the locathah, shalarin are one of the only races to not have tried to enslave them, and thus one of the few they do not fear and will willingly associate with. On the other hand, elves, especially sea elves, are treated with suspicion even 2000 years since the Fifth Serôs War, though this is at least not total hostility anymore.

As'dagon is fully encompassed by the Cult of Dagon. Shalarin, sahuagin, wastriliths, and kraken live in a bloody kind of harmony. They forever work toward their lord's goal of superseding the divine status of the Asathalfinare pantheon; the gods worshiped by good-aligned seafolk like their As'arem cousins lead by Deep Sashelas. Having claim over half to two-thirds of shalarin worship, Dagon ascends the best of his shalarin worshipers to his judge caste, the Ob'dag'larin, which As'dagon reveres more than even their Ri'dag'larin.

Shalarin Names

Shalarin names have three parts in order of importance, separated by apostrophes: caste, clan, and personal name.

Caste: Ri', Ka', Po', Tu', Li', Ob'

Clan: aaa, ana, ama, ara, aya, eea, ela, ena, era, eya, iaa, iis, ina, ioa, ira, oaa, ola, ona, ooa, ora, uea, ula, una, ura, uua, yea, yla, yna, yra, yya. All As'dagon shalarin are part of the dag clan. In the absence of a known clan or when referencing multiple individuals belonging to more than one clan, sha is used.

Personal: 'col, 'con, 'keth, 'kirk, 'nam, 'sara, 'tara, 'thal

Examples: Ri'ama'keth would be the name of keth, a ruler from the ama clan. Tu'dag'thal would be the name of thal, a seeker of the Cult of Dagon. In the absence of a known personal name of when referencing multiple individuals, larin is used.

Shalarin Traits

The other, other Forgotten Realms fish people.
Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 1.
Age. A shalarin's dorsal fin unfolds roughly 20 years after it hatches, signifying adulthood. In peacetime, a shalarin can easily live to be 200 years old.
Alignment. As'arem raises shalarin to understand and fall in communal hierarchical structures, making them usually lawful neutral. As'dagon raises shalarin within the Cult of Dagon, Prince of the Darkened Depths, making them usually lawful evil.
Size. Shalarin typically start at 6 feet tall. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet, and you have a swimming speed of 40 feet.
Superior Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 120 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.
Sunlight Sensitivity. You have disadvantage on attack rolls and on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight when you, the target of your attack, or whatever you are trying to perceive is in direct sunlight.
Limited Amphibiousness. You can breathe air and water. If you have not been submerged at least once for at least 4 hours, you begin suffocating until you are submerged.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Shalarin and one other language of your choice, typically Aquan or Serusan.
Subrace. Each shalarin caste has a variety of physiological differences. Choose one subrace from Ri'sha'larin, Ka'sha'larin, Po'sha'larin, Tu'sha'larin, Li'sha'larin, and Ob'dag'larin.

Ri'sha'larin

Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 2.
Ruler's Presence. You know the guidance cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the silent image spell once and need to finish a long rest before you can cast it again. When you reach 5th level, you can also cast the tongues spell once and need to finish a long rest before you can cast it again. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

Ka'sha'larin

Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence and Wisdom scores increase by 1.
Scholarly Might. You know one cantrip of your choice from the Bard, Druid, or Wizard spell list. Intelligence or Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for it.
Scholarly Education. You gain proficiency in one set of Tools or one Intelligence or Wisdom skill.

Po'sha'larin

Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 2.
Protective Spikes. When you finish a short or long rest, you gain a number of temporary hit points equal to your Strength modifier + your proficiency bonus. When a creature within 5 feet of you deals damage to these temporary hit points as a result of a melee attack, they take piercing damage equal to the number of temporary hit points lost.

Tu'sha'larin

Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
Shadowfin. While you are in dim light, you are heavily obscured instead of lightly obscured.

Li'sha'larin

Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity and Constitution scores increase by 1.
Worker Training. You gain proficiency with two sets of tools of your choice.

Ob'dag'larin

Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 2.
Chosen of Dagon. Your type is Fiend as well as humanoid, and you have the Demon tag.
Poison Resilience. You have advantage on saving throws against poisoned, and you have resistance against poison damage.
Corrupt Water. As an action, you may foul any water within a 15-foot radius of you until it evaporates or is cleared by a current, or until you finish a short or long rest. A creature without the Demon tag that consumes or swims in this water must make a Constitution saving throw with a DC equal to 8 + your Constitution modifier + your proficiency bonus. A creature takes 2d4 poison damage on a failed save, and half as much damage on a successful one. The damage increase to 3d4 at 6th level, 4d4 at 11th, and 5d4 at 16th level. A creature with the Demon tag may drink all of this water as an action, gaining temporary hit points equal to half the damage this feature deals. After using this feature, you cannot use it again until you complete a short or long rest.

Random Height and Weight

Base Height	Height Modifier*	Base Weight	Weight Modifier**
6′ 0''	+2d12	105 lb.	× (1d4) lb.
*Height = base height + height modifier **Weight = base weight + (height modifier × weight modifier)

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