Kalashtar

The kalashtar are a compound race created from the union of humanity and renegade spirits from the plane of dreams – spirits called quori. Kalashtar are often seen as wise, spiritual people with great compassion for others. But there is an unmistakable alien quality to the kalashtar, as they are haunted by the conflicts of their otherworldly spirits.
Each kalashtar is bound to a quori spirit, a being from the dream realm Dal Quor that normally feeds on the psionic energy that emanates from dreaming mortals. Quori and rather anything from the quasi-real world of Dal Quor has a hard time existing within the material plane, so they must take refuge in mortal minds.
Many quori have done this in service to what they call "The Dreaming Dark", a shadowy lord of nightmares that rules over Dal Quor. Their intentions are not entirely clear, but they've been working for thousands of years, and anyone could become an agent after merely having a bad dream. Most other kalashtar work against the dreaming dark, though some follow "The Path of Light" that vows to fight darkness in all its forms.
Beyond this eternal struggle, a typical large kalashtar community would exist high in mountain top temples. The original kalashtars were andaran monks that willingly bonded with quori refugees. Their children were born with fused souls, and the kalashtar became something new rather than a mere vessel and passenger. Their formed culture is one of diligence, meditation, intellectuality, and inner conflict. Kalashtar strive to maintain control of their emotions, but their quori half still remembers the wild chaos of Dal Quor and aches deeply for it.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Like the rest of the kalashtar, their names come in two halves. The first half of a kalashtar name is their personal prefix, or rather the prefix for their human half. The last half is the name of the quori spirit that resides inside them. Both halves of their name tend to be 1-2 syllables and are all typically gender neutral. Kalashtar orphans and those who never learned to commune with their spirit will have human names common in whatever culture they were raised in.
Quori Spirit Names: Derra, Ghas, Nere, Ozen, Rai, Reilk, Reth, Shara, Tai, Tash, Ulad, Zon, Zoss.
Kalashtar: Biyaulad, Chizon, Durreilk, Hiztash, Khulad, Konari, Telishara, Tozoss, Vonere, Zederra,

History

Kalashtar are intertwined with spirits from the realm of dreams, psionic conduits born of two minds and one body. Like bizarre otherworldly spirit animals, these spirits guide the kalashtar through life, though their voices may only be heard as dreams and felt in the psionic powers they bestow. Kalashtar are telepaths, have the most resilient minds, and have true power within the dream realm.

Lifespan

75 years