The Sil’yvri are an exotic, peaceful race of lithe, thin-tailed and pale skinned humanoids who hail from the desert regions of the Khandari Greatsands. They move with an ethereal grace and with expert precision, and are well known for their too-perfect charm and winning charisma. Sil’yvri do their best to avoid conflict, and often dislike being in positions of overt leadership. They prefer to employ subtle manipulation, much like their movements, to get their way. As such, they can easily be taken by force, and their kind are oft used as slave dancers for more powerful desert barons. While the Sil’yvri are a gentle race, when pushed beyond their great tolerance for abuse, they are more than capable of slitting the throats of those who harm them.
Three Steps
Sil’yvri males and females exhibit great feats of dexterity and precision. Beautiful and lithe, they are known well for being talented dancers and stunning performers. Most Sil’yvri spend their entire lives cultivating dancing, singing and performing skills when kept from captivity. They also take pride in seeking out a Yvris’ska, or personal pursuit, a skill or hobby generally unique to each individual. Captive Sil’yvri are often stripped of this Yvris’ska, as a way of destroying their morale and making them more pliable. They are forced to train whatever skills make their masters the most money, no matter how depraved. These Sil’yvri tend to specialize in one form of performance, and, in order to survive their cruel masters, learn many methods of manipulation and charm.
The Voice Behind the Curtain
Many free Sil’yvri, and Sil’yvri that have survived captivity for great deals of time, learn a great deal about how to talk to, and charm others. Sil’yvri tend to avoid overt positions of power where possible, and instead, seek to manipulate more powerful entities into doing what they please. The most cunning Sil’yvri have themselves willingly captured in order to influence and control their masters until they have total control over their assets and organization. Some Sil’yvri do this for the rush they get from having so much power over others – others do it for chaotic glee, and enjoy causing slaver rings to collapse in upon themselves. These skills make free Sil’yvri talented negotiators and diplomats, when they leave their native lands.
Dancers in the Sands
Sil’yvri are coloured in such ways as to blend in with their homeland. The sands of Khanrari vary in colour depending on the region, and so do the Sil’yvri that live there. Their skin tones dance between pale peaches, to soft, tanned browns, to warm, bright oranges. Sil’yvri tend to stand a little shorter than humans, with the average male reaching a height of 5’8, and females 5’9. Most tend to have lithe, muscular builds, cultivated through a lifetime of physical exercise and exertion. It is rare to find a Sil’yvri with much weight on his form, as their people are not known for sitting still. Their eyes are shades of green, gold, blue, purple, which Sil’yvri spiritualists claim is a window into the desires of each Sil’yvrin. A green-eyed Sil’yvrin is said to need much companionship, where a blue-eyed sil’yvrin will find solace in the skies or seas.
Sil’yvrin tend to be pale haired, in soft, pastel shades, or whites and blondes. It is rare to find a Sil’yvrin with darker shades of hair such as brown or black. The one exception lies in a deep, blood-red hair colour. Legends say that Sil’yvrin born with hair the colour of blood are destined to bear the burden of leadership over their kind their people seek to avoid. Sil’yvrin also have thin tails attached to the base of their spine. These tails tend to be about the same thickness of their wrists, and stretch out two to four feet in length. Syl’vari have great body control, and it most certainly extends to their tales, which they make excellent use of in every aspect of their lives.
Freedom and Thrill Seekers
The few free Sil’yvri settlements that exist are often comprised of a spattering of tents and sand-wagons, extending out in circles around sources of water or near points of interest. Sil’yvri love to venture out of their homes and seek new lands. This applies to every aspect of their lives – they do their best to skirt their responsibilities and seek out the most enjoyment they get their hands on. When they come of age, they leave their homes in search of fun and adventure. While this is what leads to most Sil’yvrin getting captured, a scant few leave the deserts themselves and travel the world at large. Sil’yvrin don’t tend to stay in one place for long, unless they find companions or entertainment that they believe will keep them occupied for more than a few weeks.
Sil’yvri are just as free with who they take as companions. Sil’yvri don’t mate for life – they believe in raising children as a group, with no particular bond to mother or father. The notion of life mating, bonding or marriage is alien to most Sil’yvri. Those that do find themselves in a monogamous relationship once they visit the rest of the world often find themselves struggling to remain loyal to their partners. Sil’yvri thrive best when they are completely free.
Desert Warmth
The deserts of the Khandari Greatsands carry with them an oppressive heat during the day. Most Sil’yvri wear as little clothing as possible to combat it, and aren’t afraid to show their bodies to others. More experienced Sil’yvri have learned the value their bodies hold over others, and tend to clothe themselves in exotic silks and tempting jewels that draw attention to their masculine or feminine assets.
While the sun beats down with great heat during the day, the evenings in the desert are icy and unforgiving. Sil’yvrin, however, never seem to have trouble surviving it, unlike other races. It was once thought that their bodies could store heat from the daytime, then exude it in the evening when it was needed, warming themselves, and their companions against the icy grasp of nightfall. However, even Sil’yvri that leave their home and travel to colder lands still produce heat on their own, but only in the evening. This has collapsed more than one snow-hollow onto an unsuspecting Sil’yvrin’s head.
Sil’yvri Traits
Skin Colours:
Pale peach, lavender, bright orange and tanned brown colours are the most common for Freewind Sil’yvri. Sandseekers tend to be far more well tanned, offering darker, sun-tempered variations on their Freewind cousins.
Hair Colours:
Both variations of Sil’yvri tend to have lighter coloured hair. Typical human hair colours such as light reds and blondes silvers and even whites are common, as are pastel variations of blue, green, and purple. Extremely rare, but revered in Sil’yvri society, is a blood red hair colour, which is said to mark a great leader of the Sil’yvri people.
Eye Colours:
A Sil’yvrin’s eyes are said to reflect where they find the greatest solace, and where their destiny lies. Sil’yvri eyes can be gold, green, brown, blue, purple, or rarely red, with variations and shades of each being possible. Some examples include:
– A golden eyed Sil’yvrin might have his sights set on accumulating wealth.
– A light blue eyed Sil’yvrin would seek to find places close to the skies, whereas a dark blue eyed Sil’yvrin would find solace near oceans and lakes.
– A green eyed Sil’yvrin might be more jealous, or require greater companionship and attention.
– A pink eyed Sil’yvrin may be more easily enamored, may fall in love faster, or may have more partners and lovers.
– A purple eyed Sil’yvrin may find her destiny drawing her towards lavish things, or places and positions of power.
Racial Appearance Features:
– Sil’yvri have flexible tails, typically starting at around an inch in thickness at its base, and extending one or two feet behind them. They share the same skin colour as the rest of the Sil’yvrin.
– Sil’yvri often have markings on their body of darker variation of their skin tone, such as stripes, symbols or spots. Largely, these remain upon their abdomen, torso, back, and thighs, not typically shown on their arms, legs, or heads (Though there are rare exceptions)
– Sil’yvri often bare brands from captors if they had been previously enslaved. Escaped Sil’yvri wear these as a point of pride in showing their prowess and capability to find their way out of captivity.
Naming Suggestions: Sil’yvri men tend to have duo-syllabic names, that string together in a “smooth” manner, while providing a deeper sound. Sil’yvri women are also duo-syllabic, but tend to have a softer, lifting sound.
Male Names: Ars’ur, Ars’el, Arsool, Beshir, Dra’fen, Mo’shan, Noran, Deavol, Ressur, Kalar, Re’cul
Female Names: Sar’iis, Aly’iss, Syr’la, Variis, Lylvah, Norah, Missyr, Val’ahs, Fil’yr, Vil’riis
Family Names: Sil’yvri treat families as the community they were born in. Most Sil’yvri communities are small nomadic or settled clans, with names such as Dunerunner, Windspite, Flashtail, Riverdancer, and Sandkisser.
Age:
– Sil’yvri babies develop quickly, walking, running and speaking full sentences by their first year
– Sil’yvri reach puberty around age 6-10
– Sil’yvri become adults by 15
– Sil’yvri are in their adult primes between 18 and 36
– Sil’yvri begin to decline around 40
– Sil’yvri become venerable around age 50
– Sil’yvri live between 60 and 80 years
Height:
– Males average 5’8 (range from 5’4 to 5’11)
– Females average 5’9 (range from 5’3 to 6’1)
Weight:
Sil’yvri tend to be on the light side, their lifestyles keeping them fit and trim. Both males and females are well toned, and fairly skinny. They range between 100lbs and 150lbs on average. A Sil’yvrin living in a village or settled in another land, that doesn’t practice his or her skills often, might rise above those weights, but their bodies naturally burn excess fat for heat at night.
Alignment:
– Tendencies towards neutral or chaotic, good or neutral
– Red haired Sil’yvri are almost always lawful
– Sandseekers are more likely to be of an evil alignment than Freewinds
Size: Medium
Speed: 30 feet
Racial Special Traits:
- Ability Score Increase: Your Charisma Score increases by 2.
- Skill Proficiency: You gain proficiency in the “Performance” skill.
- Performance Expertise: Pick one type of performance. (Such as dancing, playing a specific instrument, telling a story, etc). You gain double proficiency when performing this skill.
- Language: All Sil’yvri speak Common and Dunespeak
- Desert Warmth: As long as you have eaten in the last 8 hours, your body produces enough heat to fight off even arctic levels of cold, leaving you and any companions within 5 feet feeling comfortably warm.
Freewind Sil’yvri
Freewind Sil’yvri are ones who have either never been captive, or have escaped and remain free. They tend to join up with other Sil’yvri settlements, or wander the lands freely. They are adept at desert survival as well as performance, and like to spend their free time cultivating other skills.
- Desertborne: Your speed increases by 5 feet per turn. When travelling in a desert, you know the way to the closest settlement of any kind, the distance, and what types of people live there. You are also able to find sources of food and water within a day’s march of you, enough to sustain up to five people.
- Ability Score Increase: Your Dexterity score increases by 1.
- Hobbyist: You gain proficiency in one of the following skills: Persuasion, Perception, Nature, Stealth, Survival, Healing
- Desert Survival: You gain proficiency in Light armor, Spears, Javelins, and Slings
Sandseeker Sil’yvri
Sandseeker Sil’yvri are ones who have escaped captivity, and seek it out once again in order to work their way up to control a group of would-be captors. Their skills rely more on their cunning and charisma for survival, and are excellent manipulators and diplomats.
- Ability Score Increase: Your Intelligence Score increases by 1.
- Cunning Disadvantage: You are an expert at manipulating those who have power over you. When performing a Charisma based skill check against a foe that has some form of immediate power or control over you (Such as a jailor, a war leader, a town mayor, or a religious figure), you gain double your proficiency score if you are proficient in that skill.
- Skilled Manipulator: You gain proficiency in the Deception and Persuasion skills. You also learn two additional languages of your choice.
- Slaver’s Bane: You gain proficiency in Daggers, Whips, Scimitars and Hand Crossbows. You gain advantage to any Sleight of Hand checks to slip out of any sorts of bindings.
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