Race: Synvari

The Synvari are a race of demonic humanoids, and are often said to be the very embodiment of emotion and expression. Once hailing from another, unknowable realm, they now reside in the lands that became known as the Synvari Wastes. They are a varied species that thrives on extremes – with appearances that differ vastly from their point of origin. New Synvari are birthed in the bloodwaters of the Synvari Hearts; large shrines that dot the landscape of the wastes of their namesake. Each Synvari Heart carries a different element – with Fire, Ice, Shadow and Blood being the most commonly seen in outside lands.

Open Hearts, Open Minds

Synvari are beings that are lead by the element within their own heart, a small piece of the Synvari Heart they were birthed from. Fireheart Synvari are hot tempered, passionate and inspirational beings. Frostheart Synvar are cool, calculating and calming creatures. Shadeheart Synvari are said to be excellent advisors, are they’re often the best liars in the land – and can see through the lies of others with ease. Bloodheart Synvari are visceral creatures with an affinity for magic and physical connections to those they encounter. Each Synvar is able to express its own affinities onto nearby creatures, allowing them to share their specialties with mortals not born of the Synvari Hearts.

A Land Torn Asunder

While many different legends tell of the coming of the Synvari, all agree that their arrival destroyed the land that became the Wastes. Each Heart acted as a portal to the realm from which these beings originated – and brought with it some of their features. As such, the Wastes call themselves home to a wide variety of mythical creatures and volatile flora, all of which tends to be extremely dangerous, even to the Synvar. Many Synvari choose never to leave the relative sanctuary of their Heartglades, so that they may return to their Hearts and bloodwaters when they are ready to begin their families. The twisted environment makes the journey for any wayward Synvari even more dangerous should they wish to return home.

Corruptors of Mortalkind

When they first arrived, the Synvari were feared as bringers of apocalypse and corrupters of mortal souls. The Synvari, however, expressed no such desires. While the Avalrys seemed to harbour a natural dislike for them, the Synvari slowly began to win over the trust of other races. While their extreme range of emotions sometimes lead to minor conflicts, the Synvari became well received at their willingness to integrate, and even encourage the lifestyles of most other cultures. As the centuries went by, even the Avalrys living among the other races came to respect these demonic creatures as equals. This worked well for the Synvari, who continued to use their influence to push mortals to the extremes of their personalities.

Beating Hearts

Synvari, no matter how far they venture from their Heartglades, always carry with them a connection to their Heart of origin. A Synvar that dies can be reborn if their bodies are bathed in the bloodwaters of their Synvari Heart. The heart itself can reach out to a Synvar of its kind and convey a compulsion or a message, even implanting a need to return to the Heart should it detect danger. In addition, A Synvar can sense if another Synvar from the same Synvari Heart is nearby, as the threads that bind them to their origin sing to eachother in close proximity.

Fascination and Change

The Synvari, should they prove brave enough to venture beyond the Wastes, love to experience the culture of other races. They adapt themselves to the rites and behaviors of the places they visit, then slowly begin to exert the influence of their Heart upon the inhabitants. Synvari love to watch how things change – with their influence and without – from normal societies. Their presence often brings about some differences in behavior, or cultural shift, given enough time. Many towns in the Heartlands have become used to their presence, with the change slowly becoming minimal over the centuries. This has lead some Synvari travel further away from their home.

Synvari Traits

Skin Colours:

Skin colours vary by subrace. Generally, they share similar shades of one colour as part of their subrace. Their flesh is soft, but accented with patches of scales in decorative manners at various parts of their body.

Hair Colours:

Synvari boast a wide variety of hair colours, from vibrant reds to deep blues, sharp cyans and bright yellows.

Eye Colours:

Synvari eyes tend to be brighter shades of their skin colours. It is rare for this to vary outside of this. Most Synvari of a single subrace share the same eye colour.

Racial Appearance Features:

Synvari have dark horns that protrude from their foreheads, with males baring larger sets, and females often displaying smoother, more delicate sets. They also have patches of scales on their body, which tend to be of a much darker shade of their skin colour, and decorate patches of their body.

Naming Suggestions: A Synvar often bares names that strike similarities to their Synvari Heart. A Fireheart Synvari might have names such as Ignatio, Pyris, Embra, or Fyra. A Frostheart Synvari may use names such as Blizzara, Snowfi, Glacio, Shivara, Icaela.

Family Names: Synvari family names also relate to their Synvari Hearts. A Shadeheart Synvari family may bare the name Shadowstalk, Nightwhisper, or Whisptalker. A Bloodheart Synvari family name may be Sanguinar, Bloodwrath, or Spellsurge.

Age: Synvari are technically immortal. Though their bodies age over the course of around one hundred years, when they grow frail and weak, and finally die, their souls return to their Synvari Heart, where a ritual can restore their body in its youthful appearance. Baby Synvari are born at their Synvari Heart, and grow to reach a adolescent stage at age 8. They grow rapidly into adults by age 14. They remain in peak physical condition from 16 through 70. Their bodies decline between the ages of 70 and 100.

Height:

Most Synvari are comparable to humans in height, with variations based on subrace.

Weight:

Synvari vary in weight and build based on their subrace. Some subraces harbour larger or more lithe frames, and others still support varying levels of muscle or fat.

Alignment: Synvari have a tendency towards all things chaotic. They vary between good and evil, though evil Synvari that serve their own whims and purposes are very common. Synvari tend to be very good at hiding their selfish whims and desires with seemingly noble designs.

Size: Your size is medium.

Speed: 30ft.

Racial Special Traits:

Ability Score Increase: Your intelligence increases by 2.
Heartbound: Whenever you die, your soul departs from your body, and retreats back to the Synvari heart from which you were birthed. If a Ritual of Rebirth is preformed at the Synvari Heart, your form will be restored, and the age of your body reduced to 20 years if it was older than that. In addition, Synvari at the heart can convey messaged to you through the heart, no matter where you are in the world. These effects are negated if you are on another plane, or a spell is used to prevent magic or entrap souls.
Language: You speak and understand Common and Infernal.
Synvari Presence: As an action, you emit an aura, based on your subrace. All humanoids within 30ft must make a Wisdom saving throw, or be affected by the specific effects of the presence until their next full rest. A humanoid can opt to automatically fail this effect. The saving throw DC is based on your Intelligence stat, using proficiency. This ability can be used once, and returns on a long rest.

Fireheart Synvari

Fireheart Synvari are the embodiment of passion and impulse. They are quick witted, quick to judge, and quick to temper. They love freedom, they crave romance, and they breed creativity. The Fireheart tend to be red skinned, the skin tone a bright red, yellow or orange colour, their eyes a bright, fiery red or orange. Their scales tend to be a deep crimson, and often adorn their more intimate areas. They tend to have similar builds to humans, in both height and weight. They often have small wisps of superficial flame and smoke puffing off from their shoulders, hair, and back. Those standing near them will gain a sense of warmth from their bodies.

Ability Score Increase: Your Dexterity score increases by 1.
Fireheart Presence: Your Synvari Presence causes those around you to give in to their passions and desires. Anyone affected by your Fireheart Presence will be more prone to make risky decisions, break their promises if they inhibit them, or seek out the things they are immediately passionate for.

Frostheart Synvari

Frostheart Synvari are the epitome cold calculation and calm. They are slow to act, slow to anger, and tend to take their time, analyzing all their available options. They tend not to fall under stress very easy, and often approach stressful situations with a sort of peaceful serenity. While this has advantages, it also leaves prevents them from rising to fast challenges, or preparing adequately for great threats. The Frostheart tend to be light blue or white skinned, their eyes often a shining cyan or deep azure. Their scales tend to be ocean blue, and form on their faces and upper body, typically on their neck, their forehead, and their shoulders. They tend to be a little taller and bulkier than humans, with males possibly reaching heights of 6’6 and females 6’3. Their presence seems to slightly cool any room that they’re in, and their breath always comes out visible and chilled.

Ability Score Increase: Your Wisdom score increases by 1.
Frostheart Presence: Your Synvari Presence causes those around you to surrender to a sense of overwhelming calm. Distant threats will feel less threatening, and immediate foes will no longer regard each other as enemies for the duration. Circumstances that seemed urgent no longer cause stress, and worries fade away. People under this aura are more prone to analyzing their current stressors and trying to solve them. This effect is negated if an affected person is harmed by anyone.

Shadeheart Synvari

Shadeheart Synvari are masters of the shadows and all they hold obscured. They are cunning, love a good story, and enjoy hatching plots. They are collectors of secrets, spinners of lies, and will go out of their way to start rumours, simply for the fun of it. Shadeheart Synvar are also rarely trusting, and have a penchant for paranoia. They assume everyone is plotting against them, and tend to come up with backup plans for if one of their ‘allies’ turns on them. The Shadeheart tend to be grey or black skinned, their eyes dulled and subdued hues of red, green, blue or grey. Their scales tend to be black, and form around their eyes in varied and beautiful mask shapes, as well as in intricate forms around their forearms. Shadeheart Synvari are slightly thinner than humans are, and tend to have slimmer builds. They are also fairly shadowy creatures, with their forms seemingly partially formed by shadows themselves, small swirls of shadow-like smoke seemingly flowing from their forms freely.

Ability Score Increase: Your Charisma score increases by 1.
Shadeheart Presence: Your Synvari Presence causes those around you to struggle to retain their secrets, and have trouble telling lies from truth. Any persuasion or deception checks made against affected humanoids are made with advantage. Any deception checks made by these creatures are made with disadvantage. This effect ends if an attempt is made for the creature to directly harm itself in an obvious fashion, such as attempting to convince someone to stab themself, or leap from a cliff without the assurance of safety.

Bloodheart Synvari

Bloodheart Synvari are proficient spellcasters and warriors. They are very in tune with their own bodies, and are most comfortable communicating with someone when they can physically touch them. They enjoy the taste and sight of blood, and are often drawn to battlefields. They are fierce lovers, thriving greatly on touch and roughness. They tend to enjoy pain. The Bloodheart are often deep crimson in skin tone, with eyes that glow bright red with lust and fury. Their scales form around their wrists, shoulders, knees and ankles almost as if an extra layer of armor, and often take on a deep brown colour. Bloodheart Synvari are typically quite muscular, and often taller than the average human, with males reaching heights up to 6’9″ and females up to 6’7″.

Ability Score Increase: Your Constitution score increases by 1.
Bloodheart Presence: Your Synvari Presence causes those around you to gain greater pain tolerance, and experience pleasure and euphoria from any pain inflicted upon them. They’ll be more prone to physical touch during interactions, more prone to engage in physical relations with someone they find attractive, and more keen to do battle or be rough with themselves and others. They are much more likely to walk willingly into a battle stacked against them while under this effect. Furthermore, the sight of blood will no longer bother them.