Celestial Terata

"Monstrous" beings based on celestial or popular stories and legends.

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Ateixco

Jaguar-headed warrior people.

• Lifespan : 200 years
• Diet: Meat-heavy mortal fare
• Habitat: Tropical rain forests
• Socioeconomic Status: Oppressed

Jaguar-headed species who are renowned for their bravery. They stand about 6' tall and have spotted fur all over their bodies. They have the heads of jaguars and prehensile tails, but other than the fur, the rest of their bodies are human-like. Their eyes glow scarlet when they are up against an enemy more than 6 points higher than them in PRO, ATH, or STR.

When their eyes glow scarlet, they can see an enemy's weakness.

They are skilled fighters, hunters, and climbers. They have a keen sense of smell. Their prehensile tails can wield weapons or be used as an extra hand.

When up against an opponent who is more powerful than they are, and if that opponent is a true enemy - infernal or oppressive - they also gain powers based on their enemy's powers. This varies by opponent. It only takes effect once the enemy has used an active but innate ability.

Most ateixcos are born into sets of twins.

Ateixcos come from the far west where they live in a dangerous area dominated by foreign empires. Their culture is one of resistance and deep faith. They have a complex cosmological view that posits them as defenders of the world against great evils.

Twins are considered sacred in their culture, and those born into twins are granted special names, gifts, and celebrations, but also given much, much heavier responsibilities.

They pride themselves on their bravery and consider that there is nowhere too dangerous for them to go. As such, they have many legends of going into the afterlife, going into infernal realms, and so on. Those who are enslaved to the city-states, therefore, view the oppression they face there as a challenge to be faced bravely.

PRO 11 ATH 11 STR 10 AWA 9 Smell 10 WIL 8 PRS 8 STH 9

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Citigrade

Feathered people who fly on celestial winds.

• Lifespan : 200 years
• Diet: Seed-heavy mortal fare
• Habitat: Tropical skies
• Socioeconomic Status: Oppressed

Feathered beings who glow and fly on celestial winds. Citigrades are 6' tall feathered reptilian figures with massive wings that stretch beneath their arms. They have tails with stingers. Their feathers, which cover their bodies, are bright and colorful. They have fangs and claws.

Citigrades fly on celestial winds. This means that even when natural wind isn't blowing, they may still be able to fly if magical winds are. Celestial winds are the winds of liberation, of victory, of resistance, and of uplift. Citigrades can call them with their voices, like a rallying cry.

They also have the ability to bring encouragement and morale to others by giving them a feather. Their stingers stun the infernal.

When they touch a rainbow, the rainbow shines brighter and empowers those near it.

Citigrades are from sky islands and the tropics. In these areas, they live in small nomadic groups that seek out others in need and help them. They are often guerrilla forces agaisnst oppressive empires. Their constant harrying of imperial forces means many of them are captured and enslaved, and so some of them have ended up in the imperial lands.

Those few who have freedom in the region try to continue their work, usually, and end up being criminals.

PRO 9 ATH 10 Flight 12 STR 9 AWA 9 WIl 8 PRS 9 STH 7

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Gedhesuri

Maned folk empowered by honor.

• Lifespan : 200 years
• Diet: Common mortal fare
• Habitat: Arid savanna
• Socioeconomic Status: Oppressed

Large, maned beings with sharp fangs and claws. Gedhesuris stand 8' tall. They are broad-shouldered.

Gedhesuris are empowered by honorable behavior. They define this differently depending on culture, but once defined, it is imbued in them when they come of age. After this, their honor is known to all by the mane they grow (regardless of gender).

The longer their mane grows, the stronger, faster, and more formidable they become.

The main culture of the gedhesuris is one where honor is defined by living with honesty, integrity, and care for others. Most other gedhesuri cultures have some variation on this, ranging from codes of chivalry to complex spiritual beliefs, but in none of them is oppression, exploitation, abuse, sexual assault, or cowardice allowed.

If they lose their manes, they lose their powers, regardless of their honor.

They do not have to live by these codes, but if they don't, they won't grow more powerful.

In the empires, they are usually there as slaves or the descendants thereof, and they face deep oppression. Resistance to that oppression is a matter of honor there, and thus, the Endruinite ruling class often shaves off their manes to weaken them intentionally.

PRO 9 ATH 9 STR 9 AWA 8 WIL 8 PRS 9 STH 7

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Halimaw

Armored, tusked beings.

• Lifespan: 70-120 years
• Diet: Meat-heavy mortal fare
• Habitat: Mountains
• Socioeconomic Status: Oppressed but resistant

Halimaws are 8’ tall beings with thick, heavy armored bodies, with skin like a mixture of an armadillo, glyptodont, ankylosaur, and pig. They have huge tusks, thick hides, and spiky heads that look like helmets. Their eyes are deep set in their heads, looking small in the context of their faces.

Halimaws have very high toughness due to their armored hides. They have an instinct for defensive combat; if they are attacked, they automatically have a bonus to block or parry, and they can communicate this with gestures to anyone they choose who can see them. If they choose, they can give one person they care about the status of “honorary halimaw”, which gives that person a bonus to toughness by giving them a magical aura of the halimaw’s skin. They can do this to one person, and it lasts until that person receives one critical, three exceptional, nine special, 27 normal, or 81 tied hits.

Halimaws live in mountain communities where they are led by elected councils of elders, usually retired or disabled warriors. They are a warrior culture whose focus is on maintaining their own communities against imperial aggression, which is often very heavy. They also protect other local communities if they are friends with them or if they are under heavy imperial aggression. Their culture is very proud of their ability to protect others, and thus, they do not view people who are not as physically tough as them as weak or lesser, but instead view them as friends who give them purpose. They view it as an equal relationship and often seek it out, especially if they are separated from their people and in the midst of other cultures.

Imperials hate them and love to enslave and humiliate them. They punish them for their defiance.

PRO 9 ATH 6 STR 10 Toughness 14 AWA 8 WIL 8 PRS 8 STH 6 ESS 8

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Incentorian

“Monsters” with many mouths.

• Lifespan: 90-120 years
• Diet: Light mortal fare
• Habitat: Hill lands
• Socioeconomic Status: Oppressed

Incentorians appear to be fey with large, thick necks that have between three and seven mouths in them. Their necks are large enough that they have no visible chin. They have stocky bodies and broad shoulders, large bellies, and small bumps on their arms and legs that vibrate when they sing.

Incentorians can use any and all of their mouths like a normal mouth, but if they use them in unison to speak or sing, it improves the speaking or singing (giving PRS or singing bonuses), allowing them to harmonize with themselves. When they do this, their bumps vibrate, and that gives them a slight aura of protection from infernal sonic magic or attacks. If multiple incentorians sing or speak together, the effect is amplified significantly.

Most incentorians live in the hill lands of the world in small communities, where they work and live in metaphorical and literal harmony. They have no leaders, but work together based on what is needed, reacting to the harmonics of their voices to find how they fit in. Music is the core of their culture.

If an incentorian loses their ability to sing or speak or is for some reason unable to sing or speak, they are taken care of and allowed to be part of the community, but because their voices are so central to the culture, this inadvertently becomes more difficult. Most find a way to fit in all the same, often taking up an instrument or using their bodies in other ways to fill in the community’s song, but some simply leave the community and find their own way in the world.

Imperials view them as obnoxious and often kill them or enslave them, though some are employed in musical occupations.

PRO 7 ATH 7 STR 8 AWA 9 WIL 8 PRS 9 STH 7 ESS 9

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Lampiada

Eye-covered beings.

• Lifespan : 300 years
• Diet: Light mortal fare
• Habitat: Sky islands
• Socioeconomic Status: Oppressed

Beings covered in eyes. Lampiadas have eyes on their arms, legs, shoulders, hands, feet, bellies, chests, backs, faces, necks, foreheads, and the backs of their heads. They otherwise look human.

Not all lampiadas are completely covered in eyes. Most have eyes in about half of the locations listed, though all have at least four eyes on their faces. They are always in pairs, though the pairs are not always next to each other. If they are not side by side, they will be on complementary locations, such as on each elbow or each knee, or each foot or each hand.

Other than their primary two eyes, all of their other eyes see on different spectrums. Some examples include the following:

• Heat to cold
• Sound to silence
• Low light vision
• Infrared
• Ultraviolet
• Gravitational
• Infernal to celestial
• Infernal to elemental
• Fey to elemental
• Fey to unaligned
• Celestial to unaligned
• Infernal to unaligned
• Emotion
• Thought
• Soul
• X-ray
• Microscopic
• Telescopic
• Bent (around corners)
• Relationships

And so on. Consult with the GM if you have other ideas. The only visions they cannot have are evil ones. Players will pick up to four different visions to have.

Lampiadas live on sky islands and keep watch for dangers to the world, along with other powerful species dwelling there. They live in small, egalitarian communities led by elders and spiritual leaders. They are quiet, studious, and introspective by culture, though they are also known for having colorful, translucent clothing.

Most of them living in the imperial lands have ended up there as slaves, used to advise powerful beings by using their visions.

PRO 8 ATH 8 STR 7 AWA 14 WIL 8 PRS 9 STH 7

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Leidan

Fox people.

• Lifespan : 200 years
• Diet: Meat-heavy fey fare
• Habitat: Forests
• Socioeconomic Status: Oppressed

Leidans are vulpine beings. They have fox-like faces and tails, red or grey fur, claws and fangs, and a third, glowing white eye in their foreheads. They stand about 5' tall. Sometimes, they have extra tails that end in glowing orange flames.

Leidans embody cunning. They can understand animals, teleport through the forest by entering one tree and exiting another (3 mile range), vanish three times per day, and create illusory selves by twitching their tails.

They have the ability to throw their voices and the ability to see through trees via their third eye.

They gain extra tails after a century of life, and it gains a flame after another 50 years. This extra tail extends their illusory powers, and the flame allows them to vanish twice more per day.

Leidans are protectors of their forests. They view interlopers as potential prey and will kill them without conversation unless the person brings them an offering. They live in small families that are devoted to their patch of forest together, with the parents being the default leaders. If there are multiple generations, the eldest lead.

Their culture is one of ritual and story. They treat the hunt as a special ritual of birth, death, and rebirth, and they base their entire culture around it. They know the story of every being they hunt, and they honor that story by telling it before, during, and after the hunt.

The prey is reborn after death by being used by the hunter. If it is improperly used, the prey will return to kill the hunter.

In the empires, leidans are seen as monsters and hated. They are often enslaved or criminalized.

PRO 9 ATH 10 STR 8 AWA 9 WIL 8 PRS 9 STH 10

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Miikoo

Celestial fish folk.

• Lifespan : 200 years

• Diet: Fish-heavy mortal fare

• Habitat: Coastal regions

• Socioeconomic Status: Oppressed

Miikoos are pale blue fish people with long spindly limbs, webbed hands and feet, and big sucker-like mouths. They stand about 7’ tall.

Miikoos can breathe underwater, are resistant to cold, and are unaffected by pressure changes. They purify waters they swim in, and they can make any water they carry in their webbed hands into celeste water, magical waters that provide protection, soul cleansing, and healing.

Miikoos live in coastal areas, usually in transitory or brackish waters. They live in communal settings where everyone is taken care of, providing protection and support for anyone who needs it. If someone come to them seeking to change their ways, they will take them into the waters to purify them. If they are insincere, the waters will burn them. If they are sincere, the waters will cleanse their souls and show them the way to redemption.

Imperials view them as monsters to be destroyed.

PRO 7 ATH 8 Swim 10 STR 10 AWA 9 WIL 9 PRS 8 STH 7

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Ntjanyana

Puppy people.

• Lifespan: 70-120 years
• Diet: Vegetarian mortal fare
• Habitat: Anywhere
• Socioeconomic Status: Oppressed

Note: all references to animals here refers to non-intelligent animals.

Ntjanyanas are 5’ tall fey beings with large, floppy puppy ears, puppy noses, and waggly tails.

Ntjanyanas can speak to any domesticated animal. They can train and domesticate feral animals with PRS alone, and actual wild animals will be calmed and kind to them unless they harm it first. They have keen senses of smell and mild animal empathy. If they love an animal, they can take wounds for it and even die for it. If they accidentally harm an animal, they can heal it with a touch, though this takes a little of their own health. They can create an aura of calm that affects only animals once per week.

Ntjanayanas live in small communities in which they keep a lot of animals, none of which are food. They have pets. Lots and lots of pets. And a few who are “helpful friends” (beasts of burden and other animals who have jobs, like messenger pigeons, herding dogs, and so on). They can and will keep any animal as a pet. They tend to keep them out of cages or pens, instead allowing them to range free, trusting them to stick around.

Their communities are focused on helping animals. They are led by an elected committee, usually of the best veterinarians or wisest among them, and they make art out of the castoffs of animals - dropped feathers, lost teeth, shed fur, egg shells, etc. They are kind to a dangerous fault and stereotyped as extremely loyal people, but they can be ferocious in their defense of their people or their animals, sometimes choosing the latter over the former if it comes down to it, with no judgment from others of their community for it.

Imperials exploit them ruthlessly.

PRO 8 ATH 9 STR 7 AWA 9 Smell 11 WIL 8 PRS 9 STH 9 ESS 9

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Xajac

Huge, intelligent sheepdog-like beings.

• Lifespan: 60-100 years
• Diet: Meat-heavy mortal fare
• Habitat: Pastoral lands
• Socioeconomic Status: Oppressed

Xajacs are 10’ tall, shaggy canine-like beings who are sometimes bipedal and sometimes quadrupedal. Their fur is usually off-white, grey, brown, black, or a mixture thereof.

Xajacs are supernaturally constant and reliable. If they make a promise and fail to keep it, they become physically weaker if there was a way they could keep it. If they fail to keep it because of things outside of their control, they still feel it emotionally. Broken promises can sometimes be made up for if they follow up with those they broke the promise to and agree on a way to make amends. If they make a promise to someone who has deceived or betrayed them, breaking the promise will be resolved if they find out about the deception or betrayal.

If they make a promise, they will gain bonuses to keeping it to a stat they choose in character creation, and the more promises they keep, the more magic they get to keep other promises (either a bigger bonus or choosing another stat to also get bonuses to, but the bonuses total out to the same number - i.e., if they chose STR to get bonuses to to begin with, they may gain +2 instead of +1 after they keep enough promises, or they may gain +1 to STR and +1 to ATH, totalling +2).

Most xajacs are resistant to cold, have keen senses of smell, and can speak in a comamnding voice once per week to get crowds to follow their instructions, but only if they have not broken a promise in the last six months.

Xajacs are said to have originally come from a satellite of another planet in the solar system, though this might just be a folk belief of their people. They live in pastoral regions and work as literal shepherds more often than not, but they also have their own farming communities where they work together and have a belief in the Unspoken Promise, a promise to the community to serve and support those in it and to work together. They are led by their elders, but they have an elected administrative committee in some communities if they are large enough to need it.

Imperials exploit the hell out of them.

PRO 8 ATH 8 STR 12 AWA 9 WIL 10 PRS 8 STH 6 ESS 9