Lera

The Lera are a moth-like humanoid race native to the forests of Kyxix. Knowledge itself has value, and none know this better than the lera. Seekers of the forbidden and the forgotten, lera search after mysteries others fear, drawn inexorably by the lure of personal enlightenment.
In recent years, the lera have found their homes being encroached upon by the Thri-kreen's ever-growing need for resources.

Silent Strangers

Ever-elusive, the lera are a race of silent wanderers, always looking for mysteries both mystical and mundane. Imposing yet profoundly soft-spoken, the average lera is anywhere from 6-8 feet tall, and talks only in faint whispers.
A lera is covered in a strange, soft, dusty fur that can be a wide variety of colorations, from dusky white, black and grey to vibrant orange, red, yellow, purple, blue, or pink. Lera have delicate wings, and sometimes carry striking patterns across their wings and back evoking snowfall, a sunset, enormous eyes, a death’s head, or similar.
Lera also have multifaceted, insectoid eyes that come in many different hues, such as purple, black, white, green, red, or grey. Atop a lera’s head are a pair of long, lightly-tasseled antennae, which range from 1 foot to 3 feet long and waver in response to stimuli. A lera has a distinctly non-humanoid mouth, consisting of mandibles and a curled, hidden proboscis, used to pull in solid food and consume liquids respectively. Lera have no nose to speak of, and instead have scent receptors distributed throughout their antennae and mouthparts, allowing them to feel smells, rather than taste them.
The strange facial anatomy of the lera makes understanding their emotions difficult for those not accustomed to their presence, complicated by the lack of intonation in a lera’s speaking voice. Among those they trust, the lera will often state the emotional content of their communications outright: “This makes me feel uncomfortable,” or “I am overjoyed at your presence,” as examples. Among those they don’t know, however, the lera are satisfied to leave them guessing.

Scholars and Spiritualists

Lera are instinctively drawn towards knowledge, secrets, and power with a compulsion that is hard to articulate to members of other races. Many lera hunger after complex matters of arcana and artifice, while others comb the hidden dogma of forgotten gods for insights lost to time. Some lera take this compulsion as a reason to perpetually acquire that which is not theirs, though most respect the rules of ownership.
Light and flame carry a great symbolic importance in lera culture, representing the brilliance of enlightenment that all lera seek. It is usual for lera to be captivated by a great and beautiful source of radiant light, though putting this captivation into words that others will understand is next to impossible for any lera.

Sellers of Secrets

In lera society, the secrets one collects are the truest currency, holding far more value than coin ever could. Lera meet in moonlit forests or in darkened caves to broker with one another, and occasionally outsiders. Lera usually take great pains to be truthful with their words, as their secrets only have value if they can be believed. Though they meet often, lera seldom form large cities, but occasionally live in the cities of other races, or create small cloisters of their own.
Before death, it is traditional for a lera to give all of its accumulated secrets freely to another that it trusts. Some lera keep a hidden tome full of their knowledge, locked or with instructions for it to be opened only after their demise. Still, some secrets a lera will take to the grave, especially those that would harm others the lera cares about.

Lera Names

All lera have a true name and a use-name, the first of which is the most guarded of secrets, the second of which is handed out as if it were the lera’s true identity. In lera courtship, the exchange of true names is equivalent to a marriage vow, the trusting of another lera to hold and keep hidden something known to no other. Neither lera use-names or true names are gendered, as lera society has few cultural distinctions along gender lines, though sometimes they pick up such distinctions from other cultures they come into contact with.
Examples of true names and use-names can be seen below:
True Names: Andar, Byx, Cinth, Eron, Fyaril, Lepi, Lossa, Nia, Phym, Reen, Rippi, Sifp, Soris, Thera, Uteth
Use-Names: Alabaster, Calling, Dawnglow, Duskember, Gossamer, Lightlinger, Memory, Moondust, Nightmusic, Sighted, Silence, Silk, Whisper

Lera Traits

Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 2, and your Dexterity score increases by 1.
Age. All lera hatch from eggs as larvae about a footlong, and undergo metamorphosis into adolescent lera at age 5. Lera reach adulthood at the age of 10. Truly ancient lera reach the age of 50, but most do not live to be 40.
Size. Lera are taller than humans, ranging from 6 to 8 feet tall. Nevertheless, they are exceptionally light, weighing only 150 to 200 pounds. You are size Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write both Elven and Lera. The Lera language is equal parts sound and motion, and the position and direction of one’s wings, feelers, head, and arms are just as important as the words that are spoken. In written form, Lera is a series of vaguely runic spirals and curls that are traditionally scribed with a lightly-glowing ink, made in part from a lera’s own dust.
Flight. You have a flying speed of 35 feet. When using your flying speed from this source, you must land on a horizontal surface at the end of each of your turns. If you do not, you begin falling slowly at a rate of 60 feet per round at the end of your turn, taking no damage from falling in this way.
Whispering Words. You cannot naturally speak louder than a whisper. The sound of your voice normally carries no further than 30 feet.
Antennae. You know the exact location of any creature or object within 5 feet of you, even if you are blinded or the creature or object is invisible.
Superior Darkvision. You are naturally nocturnal, and have excellent vision in the darkness. 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 can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Sunlight Sensitivity. You have disadvantage on attack rolls and on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight when you, the target of your attack, or whatever you are trying to perceive is in direct sunlight.
Anthrophile. You gain proficiency in your choice of two skills out of History, Arcana, or Persuasion.
Silk Creation. Over the course of a long rest, you can create your choice of one of the following items: a bedroll, a blanket, a set of fine clothes or a costume, a net, a pouch, a sack, a set of saddlebags, silk cloth(1 sq. yd.), silk rope (50 feet), a sling, or a whip. This item degrades into nothing when you next take a long rest, unless you spend that long rest maintaining the item instead of making a new item with this trait. An item created by this trait becomes permanent and does not degrade after you’ve spent a number of days maintaining it equal to its cost in gp. An item with a cost less than 1 gp needs only be maintained one day to become permanent.
Silk Crafting. You gain proficiency with weaver’s tools. If you craft an item or magic item using these tools, it takes you half of the normal time, and it costs you half as much of the usual gold (in both materials and other costs).

Racial Feats

Blinding Dust
Prerequisite: Lera
Increase your Constitution by 1, to a maximum of 20.
Additionally, you can use an action to sweep your wings dramatically, giving off a thick cloud of particulate. Each creature within 5 feet of you must succeed on a Constitution saving throw against a DC of 8 + your Constitution modifier + your proficiency bonus, or become blinded until the end of your next turn. You can then move up to twice your speed, as if you used the Dash action.
Once you use this ability, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.

Pheromones
Prerequisite: Lera
Though all lera use pheromones to interface with others of their kind, yours are especially potent. You learn the friends cantrip. You also learn the charm person and calm emotions spells, each of which you can cast once at their lowest possible spell level without expending a spell slot. You regain the ability to cast these two spells in this way when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for all three spells.