Vellorreans (3.5e Race)

Vellorreans

Personality

Vellorreans cherish intellect over brute strength. They especially enjoy studying various arcane tomes and knowledge related to the arcane arts. As a race, the Velloreans don't let themselves become emotionally attached to anything. Other races often get this confused with being emotionless, which is quite untrue, the Vellorreans are just extremely reserved with their emotions and feelings. They are a very teritorial race, often doing what they feel is needed to keep their hidden villages hidden.

Physical Description

Vellorreans are a somewhat tall, but quite thin race of rather strange-looking humanoids. Adults reach an average height of 6 feet 7 inches, and usually weight about 175 pounds. Their bodies are rather angular, but yet are still considered quite graceful. A Vellorrean's eyes are completely black, including the pupil, iris, and sclera, which occassionally frightens others. Their skulls are noticably longer vertically than a normal human's, and not quite as wide as well. All Vellorreans have extremely pale colored skin that is nearly the same color as white ashes. Most of them have long hair, either straight or pulled into some style of tail. The most common hair shades are black, silver, dark red, dark brown, and can occassionally have slight tints of either violet or blue.

The Braid Law

Although Vellorreans are often not emotional creatures, they are very dedicated to their mates and those they chose to love. It is frequently noted that when a mate dies, the other dies shortly after, supporting the idea that even these creatures can die of a broken heart. It has become such a strong ideal to the race of the Vellorreans that they have established a series of rules and laws regarding the claiming of a mate. Courtship among Vellorreans is often sly and discrete, staying out of the public eye where rumors and venomous words can spread. The basics of the law is as follows:

• When a female of the Vellorrean race decides she has found a mate and is ready to be claimed by the one she loves, she braids her hair. This can either be a fancy or simple braid, but it is often the first sign that she is willing to go public with the relationship.
• After the braiding of the female's hair, her mate has three months to place a ribbon or trinket at the end of the braid. Doing this is his acceptance of her offer to become mates. By this binding they are now together as mates. This bond is held as high, or as some might say, even higher than a human marriage. There is often no public ceremony for this binding, except for those with high status within the society.
• If the three months pass and the woman remains unbound by a ribbon in her braid, she may appeal to the leading matriarch of the village to either unbraid or extend the time limit for her chosen mate. Though the matriarch may also decide to proclaim the woman as an "Open Mate," which means that she is to be bound to the first person to places a ribbon or trinket upon her braid and brings her before the matriarch.
• Unauthorized unbraiding or cutting the braid off is seen as a serious crime, often punished by exile or death. Should the need arrise that the woman needs to unbraid, she is to approach the matriarch with her request and reasoning. Vellorreans believe that once you are bound to someone as a mate, you are bound until death.
• Unfaithfulness by either mate is seen as a crime as well. The male is often put to death, while the female is often exiled from the village and forever labeled as unfaithful.
• Men are often allowed to bind themselves to more than one female, but no more than three at a time. Provided he is able to obtain both the matriarch's permission and the approval from his other mate(s).

Relations

When dealing with other races, the Vellorreans tend to use caution, especially around those they know little about. Due to their looks, they often are mistaken, and therefore hunted, as monsters by various races. Because of this occassional misunderstanding, Vellorrean children are often warned about the outside world long before they are allowed to explore the lands beyond their hidden villages. When it comes to conversing with others, Vellorreans usually speak only when their words would hold meaning and value, or when they feel it would add to the level of intellect of the current conversation.

Alignment

Because of their habit of not getting emotionally involved with things, Vellorreans tend to live within the neutral alignments. As a race, they try not to get involved in the affairs of those beyond their villages, but will join a cause if they can see the results would be directly beneficial to them.

Lands

Vellorreans are a very secretive race, which includes where they live. Almost all Vellorreans live deep within the old growth of dense forests. They build their villages high within the tallest branches of the trees within forests. Because of the dense foliage, their villages are nearly impossible to see from above the forest, and while being high above the ground, are difficult to find from below. It is often said that a Vellorrean village is impossible to find unless the visitor is invited. Even though the location of their villages may be unknown to others, the fact that each village is ran by an elected matriarch is well known to most.

Religion

Although most Vellorreans are non-religious, some do worship gods of knowledge and arcane magic. A few that specialize in necromancy may decide to give praise to a god or goddess of death.

Language

Although the Vellorreans have no true language of their own, they can communicate to one another through a special telepathic link. Despite the common language not being an automatic language for the Vellorrean, they often make sure to learn the languages of the races that live closest to their villages.

Names

Vellorrean first names are usually quite elegant and always contain two of the same letter next to each other. Female examples: Mallia, Linnea, Konnu, Ferrana. Male examples: Pinnaru, Niffal, Rendell, Sleffon. Their first name is chosen by their mother, but Vellorrean children must "find" their last name. Through intense study, meditation, and deliberation, a Vellorrean on the verge of adulthood will choose a last name that describes their personality, magical attunement, or other traits.

Racial Traits

• +2 Intelligence, +2 Wisdom, -2 Strength, -2 Charisma: Vellorreans believe in brains over braun, and often dedicate their entire lives to studying thick tomes of knowledge. Their appearance and reserved emotions tend to bother some of the other races.
• Vellorreans are a humanoid creature, but some rumors say they originated from a cross-breeding between humans and creatures from the Realm of Shadow.
• Vellorreans are medium-sized, and therefore gain no special bonuses.
• A Vellorreans base land speed is 30
• Shadow Walk (Ex): As a swift action, a Vellorrean may "teleport" from one shadow to another up to 100 feet away. This includes shadows that are above or below the Vellorrean. It is required that the Vellorrean must be able to see the next shadow or at least know that one is available to jump to.
• Shadow Kin (Ex): Vellorreans are great at dealing with darkness and shadow-covered areas. While inside of a darkened area or shadow, they gain a +2 racial bonus to Hide, Search, and Spot checks. As well, they have dark-vision and low-light vision, allowing them to see up to 60 feet in darkness and distinguish various colors. Unfortunately, due to being so used to darkness, when their eyes are exposed to a direct light source, they suffer a -2 penalty to Search and Spot checks, and a -1 to their attack rolls.
• Intellectual: Because of their thirst for knowledge, Vellorreans gain a +2 racial bonus on Diplomacy, Sense Motive, and any Knowledges they gain as class skills.
• Weapon Specialty (Polearms): Vellorreans as a race are trained to use various polearms as weapons to guard their villages should they need to resort to physical combat. Even if they are not part of a Vellorrean's class-related weapon proficiencies, a Vellorrean may use a spear, quarterstaff, glaive, or ranseur as if they had the proper proficiencies for the weapon. Spears include the regular spear and the long spear, but do not include the short spear.
• Automatic Languages: Vellorreans may communicate to one another through a special telepathic link, but not to other races. Other Languages: Common, Elven, Dwarven, Orc, Draconic, Gnome, Abyssal, Infernal, Celestial, Aquan, Sylvan, Halfling, Goblin, Gith, Gnoll.
• Favored Class: Wizard.

Vital Statistics

Table: Vellorrean Random Starting Ages

Adulthood	Simple	Moderate	Complex
63 years	+1d4+2	+2d4+5	+3d6+10

Table: Vellorrean Aging Effects

Middle Age^1	Old^2	Venerable^3	Maximum Age
120 years	235 years	350 years	+5d10 years
At middle age, −1 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha. At old age, −2 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha. At venerable age, −3 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha.

Table: Vellorrean Random Height and Weight

Gender	Base Height	Height Modifier	Base Weight	Weight Modifier
Male	6' 8"	+1d4 inches	190 lb.	× 1d4 lb.
Female	6' 5"	+1d4 inches	165 lb.	× 1d4 lb.

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