Intro:
Ranging from dark purples, and browns to white, Gesthad cover a varied palette. Gesthad range from 5' to 6' in height; have white hair, and pallid eyes. Usually looked down upon by other races due to their specializations, Gesthad cover varied environments across regions far separated from each other. Their deceitful characteristics make them actively hunted by both the Humans and Thaelron, who both see the Gesthad as an active threat to their existence. Gesthad are master tricksters, assassins, rogues, and thieves, whose racial abilities give them many oppotunities to escape and deceive. Gesthad gravitate towards selfishness and freedom, but have a deep connection toward one another.
Disciples of Lethander:
Born of a couple in Gestha the Gesthad were blessed by Lethander to serve his purpose and gather many of the great teachings of the ancient civilization. Long before the Shadow Isles existed the Gesthad thrived; persecuted for their aptitude in the thieving arts the Gesthad made their way to the Shadow Isles; a land covered in thick mists, and far out of reach of the other races. The Gesthad feel a deep need to learn and understand the world, and often serve as both knowledgeable, and often illicit information brokers. Gesthad often go out of their way to wear concealing clothing to disguise their heritage from others due to their complicated history.
Born of Shadows:
Much like the Thaelron the Gesthad specialized in thriving in regions beyond human adaptability. Gesthad live underground, in deep forests, and swampland. They feel a deep connexion with darkness and mist, as they have been forced out of most societies due to their deceptive tendencies; they form bands far from other races, much farther than the Thaelron, since the Gesthad are largely independent. They usually worship Lethander, the god of darkness, as most other races and their gods shun their kind. The Gesthad often hold discreet, hidden meetings with members of other races, taking in and trading information; tales tell of the legendary Gesthad surveillance and information gathering.
Reclusive Deceivers:
Gesthad are fitting characters for any class, but specialize in the acts of trickery and subterfuge. Even warriors can often find use for their abilities to create and see through darkness as a means to blind or escape. Gesthad casters often focus around using spells to modify their melee attack, working best as highly magical rogues, and maximizing their darkness abilities to blind and suppress their foes. Gesthad rogues are often the most powerful of the class options, as their bonus to damage is particularly powerful with slashing weapons and when making multiple attacks; their bonuses to stealth and darkness provide easy access to their ambush feature, as well.
Subrace Intro:
The subraces of the Gesthad are varied; ranging from exclusive cloistered fissure inhabitants to mythical mist assassins of lore, the Gesthad form small specialized bands well-hidden from the dangers of the outside world. The whereabouts of these bands are often meted out by lone infiltrators in towns and villages who know that a mark has something valuable to offer them. The work of the Gesthad is nigh-unparalleled in its execution the bands work together in their missions, occasionally relying on each other for work, each band often specializes in a single task which they perform.
Volk:(Assassins)
The Volk are mythical misty assassins that hail from the Shadow Isles - the Isle of Mists. While their kind can settle elsewhere, due to the anture of their work they are hunted - often to little success. Due to their mastery over mists there are many tales; many real, many fake; of people disappearing of being slain when a fog bank rolls through a village. Such tales have only lended more credence in the hatred of their kind.
Parththeen:(Illusionists)
Partheen are the few Gesthad likely to engage with the other Races actively. Partheen function to gather information from the other sentient races, and establish meetings between them and the Gesthad. Partheen often impersonate others through their magics, and coercing them into concessions - usually information or gold. Their magics also allow them to easily disguise themselves as more generic members of other Races to work in society unfettered.
Relzan:(The Underbards)
Living far away in The Fissure the Relzan are the most self-sufficient and secluded of the Gesthad. Most Relzan live in the capital city Kalu'Hiin, a city constructed miles deep in The Fissure. The Relzan have ancient libraries filled with old manuscripts of the old world, the gods, societies, and geography. Their homeland is securely protected by highly-trained knights, rogues, and wizards who have support-focused abilities.
1.) +1 to dexterity, intellect, and acuity scores and their maximums.
2.) Darkness as a spell with a maximum level = 1/3 level (min 1.) Learning this spell grants 1 mastery in this spell.
3.) +1 bonus to stealth.
4.) Ambushing a target increases the character's damage die with melee weapons by 1.
5.) Resistance to psychic damage.
6.) Common and Underground.
Gesthad society is founded on the ideal of accepting any other Gesthad. They often compete directly with one-another, and suffer face temporary exile for only the most extreme crimes. They have a much stricter set of rules for members of other races, particularly Humans, for the crimes committed against the Gesthad in history - rules against other races can seem, and sometimes are arbitrary. Gesthad have a deep love of information and often name name positions of leadership after words such as curator, or headmaster.
Volk, Partheen, Relzan
While many races have a serious mistrust of the Gesthad they do not actively hate them as they might a Thaelron. The crimes and exile of the Gesthad have made them more of mysterious bogeymen rather than active threats to the existence of others. The active threat of Gesthad is usually only seen in an actively warring country where other groups may have contracted the Gesthad's services.
The darkness cast by the Volk can instead summons a thick mist. This mist helps disguise the use of magic during the daytime, and is unaffected by darkvision.
Volk can see through mist.
Volk gain an additional +1 bonus to Dexterity and its Maximum.
Partheen gain an additional +1 bonus to their Acuity Score and its Maximum.
Partheen gain +1 to their light level.
Partheen gain a +1 bonus to their illusion spells, and their saves.
Partheen can cast Create Illusion at a maximum level of 1/3 their Character Level (Min. 1.) If the character learns Create Illusion, he rather gains 1 mastery in the Create Illusion Spell.
Relzan gain a +1 bonus to their Will Score and its Maximum.
Relzan gain a +1 bonus to resist harmful or negative spells and their effects.
Relzan can select a single-target buff which they may cast or use, and can spread it to all allies within 15' of them once per day.
