Cognethels

Mysterious sentinels of the Legislator’s Asylum in the Shadowfell. Reflections of the mortal plane, they were created to populate the Undervalley; but have come to usurp a position of their own, through sheer force of will.

Origin

Legend tells that, roughly five thousand years after the first mortals walked the surface of Tetraverium, they were confronted with the Great Anomaly. The magic of the mortal realm had long been left to its own devices. Unconstrained and unleashed, it was associated with absolute chaos. All Arcane magic would trigger random surges of wild magic. Stranger and stranger creatures, like dragons with more and more heads, or larger and larger crabs, were created. And the very laws of the world; from the speed of gravity to the properties of fire, could sometimes be warped by pure circumstance. This led to a particular alignment of chance, randomness, and pure chaos which caused a peculiarity like no other: an entire village flipped upside down.
The town of Lepunsburry on the Truant Plains, without warning, flipped. Hundreds died. The gods would step in to save the people from this calamity. The town was moved to the Feywild, where it remains to this day. And the Goddess Sorrina would step in to create a new location: a mysterious stronghold in the Shadowfell, where logic would stand against the chaos. This would become the Legislator’s Asylum.
The Legislator’s Asylum contains the three Arbiters: creatures who write certainty into law. They decide how far each spell can fly, how fast each object can fall, and how each fixture in the world operates.
Alongside the Arbiters, Zanu created a lower species capable of serving and defending the Arbiters. They were reflective, and suited to mirrors. They could peer through reflective surfaces to look in on the mortal plane, and serve their masters by offering them information. These would become the Cognethels.

Description 

The Cognethels of Tetraverium are reflective, sickly creatures. They traditionally stand between 2 and 3 feet tall, and between 25 and 50 pounds. They have a lifespan of roughly 300 years. Their skin tends to be either a glossy, reflective black or a pale glossy white. Some have hair that grows out like jagged crystals; others are hairless. Their eyes are flat, glossy, and lifeless. Some have markings on their bodies that resemble strange tattoos or colored lines, denoting their identity or some other alien meaning. Their limbs are blocky, and can contort in strange, uneven ways. Some Cognethels can fully detach their limbs without fear of damage. All Cognethels have four fingers and four toes, and their digits are long and spindly. Most Cognethels have poor posture, standing in a hunched over position and running on all fours.

Socialization 

Cognethels are the servants of the Arbiters in the Shadowfell. They live to serve, and otherwise tend to the Legislator’s Asylum. When not on duty, they populate the expansive caverns of the Undervalley. Cognethels of the Shadowfell take to spinning beautiful tapestries out of thread, building strange mechanical contraptions out of the old tinkering materials left astray in the Asylum, and telling stories of the Mortal Plane. All Cognethels possess the Mirror’s Sight; the ability to look in on the Mortal Plane through the lens of a Mirror. If on the Mortal Plane, this works to a certain distance. If not on the Mortal Plane, this targets the location that corresponds to the Cognethel’s current location on the mortal plane.
It is taboo for a Cognethel to spend too long in their Mirror’s Sight; spend too long, and a Mortal might spot you in the mirror. Worse, a Cognethel can try to be spotted. If a Cognethel is spotted in the mirror in a plane it isn’t currently on, it has the ability to shift from its current plane to the target one. Over time, a few Cognethels traveled to the mortal plane. Usually, they were attacked upon passing to the other side. Otherwise, they were usually imprisoned, or worse. And so, Cognethels that invaded the mortal plane took to murdering the mortals they found on the other side.
Cognethel society on the Mortal Plane is almost entirely different than in the Shadowfell. Due to the murderous nature of their transition, each and every Cognethel is forced to come to terms with the value of their own existence. They must face the idea that their own life is worth the death of another. This leaves many Cognethels in the material plane headstrong, bold, and adventurous. They took to hard work, certain to make up for the cost of their existence, and determined to prove their value.
Many transitioned over during the reign of Walpurgisnacht, during the Neverending Night; particularly in the country of Usheldom. Following its entrapment in the Mirror of Shadows, the Cognethels would be reigned in and imprisoned en masse. The country would slowly come to accept them, and Cognethels would become a pillar of Usheldom society, particularly following the Collectivist revolution. Cognethels of the mortal plane interfaced well with the Collectivist ideals of the many over the individual, hard work above all else, and the destruction of nobility. Infamous Collectivist revolutionary Gavril Vex was even a Cognethel himself. Other Cognethels would split off to become individual adventurers. They tend to be feared due to superstitions that linger around them and their mirror’s sight. Many attempt to obscure their reflective skin and crystalline hair as a result.
Cognethels reproduce through asexual reproduction, making them loners by nature. A Cognethel need only reach an age of maturity and split off a piece of a crucial, reproductive organ. This organ will eventually grow into a young child.

Living in Tetraverium 

Today, a Cognethel making the journey from the Shadowfell to the Mortal Plane may be able to avoid murder. Many Cognethels on the Mortal Plane have made contact with Cognethels on the Shadowfell, and a faction of citizens of the Undervalley work to help travelers make their first journey out to the mortal plane without being forced to murder an unwilling mortal.
The fall of Collectivism struck Cognethels harder than any other people, and it caused a splintering of the Cognethel people. Some split off to try and find a new home, whereas others continue to try and make Usheldom a suitable paradise.
Additionally, Cognethel society in the Shadowfell has splintered off into two factions: Cognethels in favor of living on the Mortal Plane, and Cognethels who believe that their place is as servants of the Arbiters in the Asylum. These purists refuse to allow any of their kin to use their mirror sight to travel to the mortal plane, and on occasion will hunt down and kill any violations of this sacred law. They have constructed a massive wall in the Undervalley, slowing communication down and affecting the work of the Arbiters. Brewing tensions could soon spark a civil war; and this conflict is already infringing on the activities of the Arbiters. Should it continue, it could lead to a breakdown of the laws of the universe.
Cognethels are accepted by the Holy Kingdom, but still treated with uncertainty. In truth, Du’Varn doesn’t quite understand the extraplanar invaders, with many only knowing them from the horror stories told by friends and neighbors of seeing a pair of eyes leering at them from their bathroom mirror. While some have managed to find a home in the Holy Kingdom, even taking a place in the Royal Court of Du’Varn, they will always be regarded with fear.

Subraces

There are two subraces of Cognethels: Gloom Cognethels and Luster Cognethels. Gloom Cognethels grew up in the Shadowfell, and are less than one generation removed from it; perhaps your father immigrated to the Mortal Plane, but your lineage has still yet to adapt to constant sunlight, fresh air, and a lack of undead hydras. Luster Cognethels have adapted to the Mortal Plane; they do not have the instincts or adeptness for handling the Shadowfell, but they are better suited for adventure in their new home.

Mechanics

If you choose Cognethel as your species, you gain the following traits:

Ability Score Increase: You can increase one Ability Score by 2 and one Ability Score by 1.
Creature Type: You are a Humanoid.
Size: You are Small.
Speed: Your walking speed is 25 feet.
Darkvision: You can see in dim light within 120 feet of you as if it were bright light and in darkness as if it were dim light. You discern colors in that darkness only as shades of gray.
Mirror’s Sight: Starting at 5th level, you can cast the Clairvoyance spell with this trait, without requiring a material component. When casting the spell this way, you must target a mirror or other reflective surface. A visage of you appears in the reflection. Once you cast either of these spells with this trait, you can’t cast that spell with it again until you finish a long rest. You can also cast these spells using spell slots you have of the appropriate level. Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells when you cast them with this trait (choose when you select this species).
When you use this ability on a plane that is not the mortal plane, you target a reflective object whose location roughly corresponds to your location on the mortal plane. If you are spotted in this reflection, you can use your Reaction to transport yourself to the Mortal Plane. Once you have used this Reaction, you must finish a Long Rest to use it again.
Wretched Tinkering: You are adept at creating mysterious tiny contraptions that wreak havoc on their surroundings. You have proficiency in Tinker’s Tools. Additionally, as an Action, you can throw a contraption, targeting a creature within 60 ft. These creatures must make a Wisdom Saving Throw (DC equals 8 + proficiency bonus + your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma. You choose when you select this species). On a failure, it is blinded AND deafened for 1 minute. They can attempt to save out of this effect at the end of each of their turns.
You can create a number of devices per day equal to your proficiency bonus. You regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest.
Languages: Your character can speak, read, and write Common and Abyssal.
Subrace: When you select this species, choose one of the following subraces:

Gloom Cognethel

Children of Darkness: You have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks while in dim light or darkness.
Umbral Lineage: You have resistance to Necrotic Damage. You also have advantage on Death Saving Throws.

Luster Cognethel

Sharpened Arcanum: You know a cantrip of your choice from the Wizard spell list. Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma is your spellcasting ability (choose when you select this species).
Mortal Hardiness: You have advantage on saving throws against poison or disease. You also have resistance to poison damage.