Volsulk

A weary people, perpetually toeing the line between life and death. Cursed by the gods, these masked imps were born to suffer the consequences of the ancient sin of pride.

Origin

Like the other Origin Lines, the first Volsulks were created by divine magic during the first few thousand years of the world’s existence. They were the seventh model to step foot on the world. Unlike most species, the tale of the Volsulk’s creation is well established. While there are variations across cultures, the basic tale is always the same.
The Volsulks were fabricated by Zanu as a model intended to appease Teresa, Goddess of Final Judgment. Cruel and cynical, Teresa was famous among the gods for her hatred of the mortals. Zanu set out to create a people he thought would satisfy her. The Volsulk lineage was designed to take to death with ease. With a shortened lifespan, a feeble form, and an ethereal nature, they almost seemed born to the grave. Their souls were designed to leak, causing them to grow ever closer to the realm of death.
Zanu organized a ceremony to present the Volsulk to Teresa. Ahead of time, he selected the best Volsulk amid his herd of designs, and primed her for her presentation. He dressed her in the finest of silks, crafted the most pleasing expression, and gave her repeated instruction. All throughout this instruction, he reassured her; she would appease the gods, for all mortals. He even gave her a name; Jallus, in most tellings.
When Jallus stepped before the Divine Quartet, she was filled with pride, confidence, and determination. This angered Teresa. She plucked the girl from her pedestal, and berated her. Teresa claimed that she thought herself better than the gods. As punishment, Teresa exacted a divine curse upon Jallus. Her beauty would be the weapon that would take her life. The Curse of Pride afflicted her; any compliment Jallus or her descendents suffered upon her beauty would cause her lifespan to shrink. She was then sent down to the mortal plane. The Curse of Pride would haunt Jallus and her descendents for years to come.

Description

The Volsulks of Tetraverium are frail, insubstantial creatures. They traditionally stand at 5 to 6 feet tall, tending to the shorter side, and between 100 and 160 pounds. They have a lifespan of roughly eighty years. Volsulks have pale gray, white or black skin. Their features are thin, and almost appear faded on them. On occasion, echoes of their soul leak from their eyes, mouths, and limbs, as a faint or sometimes bright light. When they move, their forms are wispy, and almost seem to fade into the background. Their hair tends to be bushy, and their forms feeble and thin. Their facial features are usually obscured by their mask.

Socialization

In the early years of Tetraverium, the Volsulks struggled to survive. It wasn’t long before rumors of the Curse of Pride turned dangerous, with rival mortals wielding it as a weapon against them. The Volsulk people were forced to unify, splitting off into small tribal groups across Tetraverium. As a people, a collective solution was eventually found; masks. The Curse of Pride only worked if the compliment offered was genuine; and it was comments on the face that proved most effective at reducing one’s lifespan. By covering it, no one could accurately insult a Volsulk. And as long as they never knew what they looked like, they were safe from premature death.
Volsulk masks are often white, gray, or light colors. Some are symbols of battle, and depict horrid, intimidating images. Others are symbols of divinity, representing the gods and a reverence to them. Others are ironic or comedic. Volsulk children are given masks by their parents. It is customary among Volsulk people for a Volsulk to craft their own mask at the age of seven, wearing it for the rest of their life. A mask is meant to express the true inner soul that a Volsulk can never show beyond it. The tradition of the mask evolved beyond these smaller tribes to encompass all Volsulks. Most Volsulks born today own one, even if it is no longer worn. It is simply a deeply-ingrained part of their identity and heritage.
In most Volsulk circles, it is considered taboo to use the name Jallus. Some circles of Volsulks believe that another Jallus will come again and liberate the Volsulk people from the gods, and name their children Jallus in hopes of seeing this day come. Other extremists fear that a Jallus will cause the gods to punish the Volsulks, and murder any they find. Due to all this, Jallus is easily the most common Volsulk name.
Volsulks often keep to themselves or within small circles. Rarely will a Volsulk clan contain more than thirteen members, out of a fear of it attracting undue favor from the gods. Volsulks consider themselves cursed, and it is considered immoral within larger Volsulk culture to travel to and live in heavily populated areas, out of fear of the suffering their presence could bring. Most Volsulks are sent off into the world alone by their parents at the age of thirteen. Volsulk clans are limited, and will not simply take on the children of their members. Some Volsulk clans encourage children to kill another member to take their place. Other clans find space for the children, forcing out older members to die alone in the wilderness. For many Volsulks, turning thirteen means the beginning of a lifetime of wandering, ending either with the discovery of a new clan or a lonely demise.
For a Volsulk to show another creature their face beneath the mask is a deeply private act, often reserved only for their spouse and lover. To look at the face of a Volsulk not willingly displayed is considered the greatest invasion.

Living in Tetraverium

Today, the Curse of Pride is not as it once was. Interbreeding with other races and the passage of time has caused it to fade. However, many Volsulks are still born with it. Others will have it passed onto them at some point early in their lives. The curse is denoted by a black spot that appears on the wrist of the Volsulk. It would be fair to say a little over half of all Volsulks still bear the curse. Even those who don’t tend to abide by Volsulk customs.
The Volsulk people are isolated and not very widespread across Tetraverium. The area of the world with the highest Volsulk population was the island of Moonsden, before it was surrounded by the Void. Today, most Volsulks keep to Selestia, populating the Holy Kingdom.
Most Volsulks are wanderers, walking alone, suffering the burden of the gods. Others find some sense of community, attempting to live beneath the pain of a cursed lineage. Whatever life a Volsulk chooses to live, life is never easy.

Subraces

There are two Volsulk Subraces: Accursed Volsulks and Accord Volsulks.
Accursed Volsulks are Volsulk who still have the Curse of Pride in their blood; genetic loners, most tend to themselves. These Volsulks struggle to enter society, due to historical prejudice. If they have a community, it is usually their clan. Accord Volsulks are Volsulks who have had the Curse of Pride bred out of them, or have simply managed to avoid it. They are often more civilized and manage to find a place in villages, towns, or even cities alongside other species. Others occupy clans of their own kind. They tend to look down upon Accursed Volsulks, to prove their homogeneity.

Mechanics

If you select Volsulk as your species, you gain the following traits:

Ability Score Increase: Increase one Ability Score by 2 and another Ability Score by 1.
Creature Type: You are a Humanoid.
Size: You are Medium.
Speed: Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Nature of the Grave: You can use the energy of your leaking soul to restore life to others. As a bonus action, you can choose a creature within 60 ft. that has 0 hit points. You can restore 1d8 hit points equal to that creature. You can use this ability a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
At 11th Level, this healing increases to 2d8.
Shade Form: Once you reach 5th level, you can use an Action to enter an elusive, ethereal form that lasts 1 minute. While in this form, you gain a fly speed equal to your walking speed, and have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage. You can also move through creatures as if they are spaces. If you end your turn inside a creature, you take 1d10 force damage. Once you use this ability, you must finish a Long Rest to use it again.
Masked: You have proficiency in Charisma (Deception) checks.
Languages: Your character can speak, read, and write Common and Volsin.
Subrace: When you select this species, choose one of the following subraces:

Accursed Volsulk

Curse of Pride: Due to a supernatural curse by the Goddess Teresa, any genuine compliment directed at you causes your lifespan to shrink. Once per turn, an enemy creature can compliment you. This requires a Charisma (Persuasion) check against your DC (8 + proficiency bonus + CON). This check automatically fails if the creature has not seen your face. On a successful complement, you suffer disadvantage on Attack Rolls and Ability Checks until the end of your next turn.
Dark Resilience. You have advantage on Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma Saving Throws against magic.

Accord Volsulk

Stray Beyond Death: You gain access to the Spare the Dying cantrip. When you cast the spell, you can cast it at a range of 60 ft.