The Children of Golden Ash, Forlorn are the most populous race in Eruwë while also being the most concentrated, as most of the Forlorn returned to Oskil after the Night of Heresy. Once blessed by the Grace of Gormierre Oskilor, the Forlorn—much like the city of Oskil—are now fractured remains of the glory of ages past. Standing 6-7 feet tall and with skin of ash, the Forlorn appear to the unfamiliar almost as long forgotten statues. Their golden snakelike eyes, however, burn with the solar blaze of Gormierre's divinity; an eternal mark of their however doomed loyalty.
FORLORN HISTORY
And the Most High said "let there be light" and thus He was born. This light is what gave the Dragons their power, and what gave Gormierre Oskilor the power to build her empire in the wake of the Great Flood. It is this light that inhabits the soul of every living being, and it is from this light that the Forlorn were born. Once they writhed in the mud like worms, but when Gormierre Oskilor was blessed with Holy Guidance, she sculpted her people from the clay and created an empire of mortals; thus she was called The Architect. And her people, those who would become Forlorn, were called Iluetal (Children of Heaven).
For centuries the Grace-given Iluetal served The Sun Throne of Oskil with radiant loyalty. But on the Night of Heresy, the Sun Throne was shattered and most every Child of Heaven returned to Oskil to mourn its loss, and because of this they are now called the Forlorn. Just as clouds now obscure the sun and stars, so too is the light within the Forlorn dampened by Nivriel Oskilor's incapacitation. Nontheless, like Nivriel himself, the light persists in its weakened state.
FORLORN CULTURE
Mount Gorm burns with the half-corpse of Nivriel Oskilor, and from this a golden ash sometimes falls on Oskil like snow. To most this is nothing more than the mournful remains of a dead empire, but to the Forlorn these ashes a precious; they are the only method by which the Forlorn might have communion with Gormierre's essence any longer, invoking within every Forlorn a feeling of sorrow and ecstasy. Almost every Forlorn carries with them a small vial of this ash as a remembrance of their lost Emperor. When they sing their Hymn of Mourning for Nivriel, tears stream from their eyes as the ash floats around them, to return to the vials when the song is finished. It is said that the sound of all of Oskil singing this hymn after the Night of Heresy was enough to cause any onlooker to burst into immediate and uncontrollable sobs.
Once quite widespread, most Forlorn reside within Oskil now, and it is very rare to find one far from the Holy City. Despite this, the Forlorn are remarkably split in terms of their cult alignment, causing significant disarray within the city. Many are Revivalists who hopelessly search for a way to bring back the Virtuous Prince. Many others are aligned with the Creed of Oskilor and look to remake Gormierre's lineage. And more still are associated with the Silver Dawn, with the Steward of Oskil himself aligning with the Masked Saint, Zephyr Asim. While it is deeply uncommon for Forlorn to be members of blasphemous cults, it is not unheard of among the most hopeless.
The City of Oskil was once the cultural center of Eruwë, and remains a beacon of splendid archetecture and fine art. Nearly every Forlorn knows how to read and write, as well as some advanced geometry. Today, dispite Oskil's disarray, it thrives, relying heavily on it's gemstone mines and full coffers to maintain trade relations with Attikonia. At the center of the city, Gormierre's colossal statue points to the tip of Mount Gorm as it has for centuries, now a constant reminder to the Forlorn of what their people lost.
FORLORN TRAITS
Size: medium
Speed: 30 feet
Languages: Common and one other
Eternal Grace: You can cast Aid once per long rest without expending a spell slot. You also know the Sacred Flame cantrip.
Soldier of God: you have advantage on saving throws against being frightened and are resistant to necrotic damage.
Hymn of Mourning: Once per long rest, you may sing a hymn that affects you and all allies you can see for 1 minute or until ended as a bonus action. For the duration, all affected creatures shed dim light in a 15 foot radius and may on their turn deal damage equal to their level to themselves as a bonus action. As part of the same bonus action, they may heal any other affected creature an equal amount. In addition to this, all enemies who can hear the song must succeed a Wisdom saving throw (DC = 10 + proficiency bonus) or be frightened for the duration of the Hymn or until they succeed the saving throw on their turn.
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