Orphid

Known as the Orphid in their own tongue, they are among the oldest of the races to inhabit the world. Originally a nomadic people, the Orphid wandered the world to its extremes due to their extremely long lifespans. Some Orphid eventually settled into clans of warlords who eventually united into the First Great Orphidian Empire. Most Orphid however, remained nomadic or settled in remote or hidden villages.

Thenderian

The Thenderians are the direct descendants of the Orphidian Warlords of the First Orphidian Empire. Empires have since collapsed and risen and now the Thenderians rule the Thenderian Empire. The Thenderians are the most common of the Orphid to encounter in the world as they mainly populated the early permanent settlements unlike many of their other kin.

Age:: Thenderians typically reach maturity around 120 and live to around 2400.
Size:: Thenderians are medium sized. Their average height is around 6'5" (195 cm).
Appearance:: Thenderians possess an imposing and regal bearing that reflects their imperial heritage. Their hair shines with a lustrous golden hue, while their eyes gleam like molten gold, radiating an inner arrogance and superiority. Their skin tones vary widely, but all Thenderians carry themselves with an unmistakable air of authority and disdain for those they consider beneath them.

Languages: Common (Fluent), Orphidian (Fluent)

Traits

Arcane Knowledge: You may select a simple leveled ability from any Aeromancer, Hydromancer, Terramancer or Pyromancer to learn. The ability will not count against your ability allowance. At Arcana level 4 you may swap the ability for an involved ability of the same discipline. At Arcana level 6 you may swap the ability for a complex ability of the same discipline. At Arcana level 8 you may swap the ability for an arcane level ability of the same discipline.
Empowered Ability (per rest): Twice per rest you may choose to empower an ability as you cast it. An empowered ability may have one of the following effects: The ability deals 2 extra damage dice, you gain 2 degrees of advantage on any checks the ability needs or any non-damage ability effects or duration are doubled.
Commanding Aura (per rest): Once per rest, you can exert supernatural control over creatures within 5 meters of you. You may force up to as many creatures as your Arcana stat to make resistance checks against your Arcana stat. Those who fail must obey a single command you give them for the next 3 turns, or you may subtly coerce their thoughts, implanting suggestions that feel like their own ideas. Affected creatures remain aware but find themselves compelled to act according to your will. This control extends to both physical actions and mental processes, allowing you to manipulate both behavior and thought patterns.
Natural Dominance (per rest): You are immune to fear, charm, and mental effects from creatures with lower Arcana stats than you. Additionally, once per rest you can attempt to break the will of an opponent within 10 meters by making eye contact and asserting your superiority. This costs 2 AP to use. The target must make a resistance check against your Arcana stat. If they fail, they gain 2 levels of the Unnerved condition for 2 turns in combat or 10 minutes outside combat as their confidence crumbles before your overwhelming presence.

Vyridian

The Vyridians are almost the entire opposite of their Thenderian cousins, embodying warmth where the Thenderians show coldness. While they live in isolated and small villages in often hostile forest terrains, they are extremely warm and welcoming in nature, delighting in visitors and the stories they bring. A Vyridian settlement will eagerly gather around any newcomer, hungry for tales from the outside world and ready to share their own in return. Their hospitality is legendary among those fortunate enough to experience it.

Age:: Vyridians reach maturity around 80 and live to around 1500.
Size:: Vyridians are medium sized. Their average height is around 7'0" (213 cm).
Appearance:: Vyridians possess tall, lean builds perfectly adapted for moving through dense forest terrain. Their hair comes in rich earth tones of brown and black, while their skin ranges from warm dark bronze to light olive, often bearing the subtle marks and calluses of their woodland lifestyle. Their eyes vary widely in color, reflecting the diverse beauty of the natural world they call home. Many Vyridians bear cryptic tattoos made of intersecting straight lines that seem to follow no recognizable pattern yet hold deep meaning within their culture. Despite their imposing height, they carry themselves with a natural grace and warmth that immediately puts others at ease.

Languages: Common (Fluent), Orphidian (Fluent), Forest-Tongue (Choice)

Traits

Predator's Instincts: You automatically sense when you're being watched or followed, can detect lies or deception through micro-expressions and body language, and can sense fear, aggression, or hostile intent in others. These predator instincts alert you to danger and allow you to read the emotional states and intentions of those around you with supernatural accuracy.
Hunter's Aura: In combat, all allies within 3 tiles of you gain 1 degree of advantage on attack checks. You gain 2 degrees of advantage on attack checks when you are within 3 tiles of at least 1 ally.
Nocturnal: You can see unimpeded in the darkness to the same degree you can see in light
Woodland Toolkit: You have 2 degrees of advantage on checks to create improvised traps, snares, tools, weapons, and structures from natural materials. You can craft anything from simple shelters to complex hunting devices using only what the wilderness provides. Traps you create deal a number of d8s damage equal to your Finesse stat and can target creatures up to Large size. You can improvise functional equivalents of most standard equipment, and your creations, while appearing simple, display sophisticated functionality that rivals civilized craftsmanship. The time required to create items is reduced by half when working with natural materials.

The Nascent Shadow

Once the firstborn of the world, now the firstborn of the shadenlands. The Nascent Shadow began as the predecessors to the modern Orphidian races. Those among them who left their original lands to explore and search for the knowledge of the world. Their travels took them far across the then unknown lands and the knowledge they accumulated came to be indispensible to the fledgling Orphidian civilisation. To this day, much of their writings and maps are treasures among the Thenderians.

Age:: Nascent Shadow reach maturity around 150 and live to around 800.
Size:: Nascent Shadow are medium sized. Their average height is around 6'0" (183 cm).
Appearance:: The Nascent Shadow possess an otherworldly and unsettling appearance that bears the unmistakable mark of their transformation in the Shadenlands. Their skin and muscle tissue have become completely transparent, revealing the network of bones, organs, and circulatory systems within their bodies. Their blood and internal organs appear in ethereal shades of blue or green, giving them a ghostly luminescence. Their hair contrasts starkly with their translucent forms, appearing in either deep obsidian black or pristine stark white. Most disturbing of all are their eyes, which feature black scleras that seem to absorb light, while their irises shine in various colors that appear to glow against the darkness.

Languages: Common (Fluent), Shadaeic (Fluent), Orphidian (Limited)

Traits

Mesmer (per rest): hypnotize all creatures within a 3 tile radius for 1 turn. Twice per rest, 1 AP in combat.
Camouflage (per rest): You can perfectly mimic the color, pattern, and texture of any surface you are touching, rendering yourself nearly invisible against that backdrop. This effect lasts for up to one hour and can be used as many times per rest as your Vitality stat. The camouflage is broken if you attack or move away from the surface you are mimicking.
Shatterpoint (per rest): Select a target that you can see within 15 tiles and you find their vulnerable points. The next attack you land on this opponent will count as a critical hit. Can be done twice per rest.
Spellbond (per rest): Choose one active simple ability from any discipline. You may use it at a cost of 0 AP once per rest. At Arcana level 4 replace this ability with an involved ability from the same discipline. At Arcana level 6 replace the ability with a complex ability from the same discipline. This ability does not count against your maximum allowed abilities per discipline.

Aquaridean

While their brethren above the waves were building empires, the Aquarideans were building colossal kingdoms deep in the sea. While the Thenderian empires were waging war, the Aquaridean kingdoms thrived beneath the waves, advancing their technology and knowledge of the world in ways their surface-dwelling kin could never imagine.

Age:: Aquarideans reach maturity around 60 and live to around 1200.
Size:: Aquarideans are medium sized. Their average height is around 5'7" (170 cm).
Appearance:: Aquarideans possess forms perfectly adapted for their aquatic civilization, with skin that ranges from deep oceanic blue to pale seafoam green, giving them an otherworldly aquatic beauty. Their hair flows in shades of midnight black, deep blue, or kelp green, often with a subtle shimmer that catches light like water. Their eyes gleam in stark white or brilliant blue, reflecting the depths of their underwater kingdoms. Many Aquarideans display patches of iridescent scales or hardened shell-like sections of skin that serve as natural armor, marking their successful adaptation to life beneath the waves. Their ears often take on fin or feather-like shapes, further emphasizing their aquatic heritage.

Languages: Common (Fluent), Aquarid (Fluent), Orphidian (Limited)

Traits

Reefstrider: You are able to walk on and in water without any penalties to speed and gain +2 to your movement speed when swimming.
Riptide (per rest): Once per rest, if there is water within 10 tiles of you, you may use that water as a source to create a wave that will move a creature witin 10 tiles up to 10 tiles in a single direction. This costs 2 AP in combat.
Aquatic Adaption: You can see and breathe underwater unimpeded and can survive in the depths without specialized equipment or incantations.
Bioforge (per rest): You can cultivate living tools, weapons, and equipment from aquatic organisms and bio-matter. Once per rest, you can spend 10 minutes near any body of water to grow a bio-mechanical item that functions as well as its traditional counterpart but is actually a living organism. You can create items up to the level of half your character's level, up to a maximum of level 3 items. These creations adapt to your needs and bond with you symbiotically. Bio-forged weapons gain an additional damage die, tools provide 1 degree of advantage on relevant skill checks, and armor becomes self-repairing. Each bio-forged item lasts for 24 hours before naturally dissolving, and you can maintain up to as many items as your Arcana stat simultaneously.