Ch'taren

Overview
STR	17
INT	25
WIS	23
DEX	17
CON	17
CHR	23
Resists	Holy
Vulnerable	Negative
Bonus	+2 mana per level
Special	Pass door

Refugees on the Prime Material after their home plane was devoured by the dread Tzet-Askhari, the ch'taren are alien, hybrid spirit-beings that champion the ideologies of the Light.

Biology

When the ch'taren arrived on the Prime Material, they were alien spirit-beings with no corporeal body. In order to remain on the Prime Material and survive as a species after the War of Night they underwent a permanent transformation that diminished their spiritual powers in exchange for granting them partially-physical bodies.

Appearing as tall, slender humanoids with golden skin of every shade, the ch'taren are noted for their wildly mutable alien beauty; many possess unusual proportions, variable numbers of jewel-toned eyes, hair that seems to defy gravity, unusual numbers of fingers or joints, or any number of other minor aesthetic variations. Being slightly out of phase even now, all ch'taren are partially translucent and may pass through some physical barriers.

Culture

As a species, ch'taren are noted not only for their skill at wielding magic, but also their free-spirited nature and good intentions, though this does not make them easy to get along with. Unlike species native to the plane, ch'taren are wholly unable to comprehend temptation or lures to evil. While intellectually understanding that this occurs, they will never feel what drives a heart in such directions. This makes them the staunchest of allies when battling the forces of darkness, but ill-suited to persuade one who might yet be turned.

Owing to their unyieldingly good natures and broad rejection of authority, ch'taren have struggled to integrate into Avendaran society ever since they were summoned to this plane during the War of Night. Among their own kind, they tend to reject structures of law entirely, living instead as stateless anarchists. In their havens, they live without much concern for material goods, private property, or hierarchy, guided instead by their innate sense of benevolence towards others. On those rare occasions they do follow a leader, they do so of their own will, and only for as long as they find that leader personally compelling.

Though they are still hailed as saviours in many of Avendar's city-states, these traits make most ch'taren ill-suited to live among those who feel harmony comes from people’s actions and not the ills in their hearts. Likewise, one who might or might not care about the actions of their neighbour is often unsettled by the absolute judgement of the ch'taren, or the ch'taren's flippant attitude toward law and order.

Religion

The Day of Two Dawns

During the depths of the War of Night, the shuddeni sought to weave a dreadful masterstroke against the peoples of Avendar. Instead, the ch’taren were summoned forth, fleeing their own plane’s destruction at the dread maw of the dragon Ashur.

When the ch'taren finally spilled out onto the surface, their ensuing entry into the war was known as the Day of Two Dawns, and was the beginning of the end for the shuddeni's attempts at world domination.

The Three Havens

While many tried to make their way in a world that was not made for them, most ch'taren found integration into the societies they had saved immensely difficult. Recognizing them as saviours, the city-state of Earendam bestowed upon the ch'taren three tracts of land, upon which they founded three havens for their people to settle amongst themselves: Jh'ten, on the Isle of Alensha, Ad'mastaesia, in the Broken Lands, and Avayn, far to the north.

The havens have not existed without struggle. Ad'mastaesia's construction required displacing srryn and alatharya natives, and was overrun by a combined force of shuddeni and srryn not long after its founding, and is home now to only ghosts and memories. Jh'ten has closed itself away after an attempt to disease its people, and Avayn has long been insular, with only rare traders and ambassadors emerging.