Eldragi
The devilblooded Giants of the blisteringly hot desert
All Female Race
Base Racial Traits
Ability Score Modifiers: (+2 Strength, +4 Constitution, -2 Dexterity) The Eldragi are incredibly strong and incredibly durable, yet due to their immense size they are hardly nimble at all. Size: The Eldragi are huge sized creatures. Eldragi gain no additional bonuses to ability scores due to their size. All ability score bonuses are factored into the race. Type: The Eldragi are creatures with the Humanoid type and the Giant Subtype, as well as the Devil and Fire Subtypes, making them partial outsiders. They gain NONE of the bonuses from the Devil subtype, except the immunities, outlined below. As partial non-native outsiders, they do not need to eat or sleep but must still breathe, and their natural weapons, as well as any weapons they wield, are treated as lawful and evil for the purpose of resolving damage reduction. Speed: The Eldragi have a base land speed of 40ft. Vision: The Eldragi, due to their devilish nature, gain Darkvision out to sixty feet, as well as Low-light vision from their Giant heritage. Additionally, they are capable of seeing through sandstorms and other heat based extreme weather conditions, ignoring the miss chance for these obstructions up to their normal normal range of vision. They take no perception penalties and can see at their normal range of vision inside sandstorms, fog clouds, and other weather-based obscuring phenomena. Languages: Eldragi begin play speaking The Regional Language that reflects their origins(See Languages of Zheng-Kitar), and Infernal. Eldragi with high INT may choose between the following as bonus languages: (Giant, Orc, Baltairi, Ezdhûlian, Sylvan, Abyssal, Common, Ignan, and Necril). Amazonian Physique: Eldragi have incredibly muscular and strong bodies, and gain a +2 Racial Bonus to Strength, and gain a +2 racial bonus on any strength-based skill check. Devilish Defenses: Eldragi have skin as thick as iron, and gain +2 natural armor. They gain Fire and Poison Immunity, but as partial outsiders spells that restore souls to their bodies, such as raise dead, reincarnate, and resurrection, have a 20% chance to fail outright when cast on them. If the spell fails, all similar spells cannot be tried again for 1d4+1 days. They also gain vulnerability to cold, and take 50% more damage from cold. Eldragi are unaffected by sandstorms or hot-weather of any kind. Deadly Slam: Eldragi gain a powerful slam attack that deals damage as if they were one size category larger(Base 2d6). They gain the Grab Universal Monster Rule with this slam attack, allowing them to start a grapple as a free action without provoking AoO against targets they successfuly hit with this slam attack. Against creatures two sizes or more smaller than them, they only take a -5 on their CMB check to make and maintain the grapple without gaining the grappled condition itself. Mighty Grip: Eldragi gain a racial +4 on CMB checks on creatures smaller than they are. They also gain the 'Constrict' Universal Monster Rule, dealing bludgeoning damage equal to one step higher than their slam attack.(3d6 by default). Additionally, Eldragi can throw a sentient creature they are grappling with a successful CMB check if the target is unwilling, taking no penalties as they normally would for improvised weapon usage. The range increment for such a throw is treated as their Strength score X 5. Eldragi also gain a +10 to their CMD to avoid being disarmed. Sirocco Aura: Within a 50ft radius of an Eldragi, whirling blasts of sand buffet the area and all within it. The blistering sand and wind gusts cause a -4 penalty on Perception checks and ranged attacks. The wind itself blows in a clockwise rotation around the Eldragi, and functions as severe wind. Any effect that causes these winds to drop below severe (such as control weather or control winds) cancels the sandstorm effect entirely. This ability can be suppressed or activated as a standard action. Bone Spikes: Eldragi bodies have various concentrated pockets of spikes on their body as further evidence of their powerful lineage, which grants them a racial +2 on all intimidate and Knowledge(Planes) checks, and one of their choice is always a class skill for them. Strength of Thousands: Supernaturally strong even among Giantkind thanks to their unnatural heritage, Eldragi are the target of a permanent Ant Haul effect that cannot be dispelled or suppressed even by an antimagic field or mage's disjunction, and count their strength as 15 higher than normal for the purposes of determining carrying capacity and lifting weight. This counts as an extraordinary ability. Eldragi are also immune to non-magical difficult terrain. Ankharna's Blessing: Eldragi are capable of entering any structure or space designed for creatures smaller than themselves(Down to such places designed for small size creatures, no smaller) that they would normally not be able to or would have a hard time fitting into as if they were a creature of that size. Their physical size does not actually change(Though they can wish it to), instead the spaces they enter become extradimensionally capable of holding them. If they will their size to change while inside a space their mechanics do not change, only their outward physical appearance/size. This is an extraordinary ability and cannot be dispelled or suppressed. Devilblight Blood: Their blood seething with the acidic, boiling blood of Devils and Evil Outsiders, Eldragi are born with an innate power activated by channeling this ruinous might. As a full-round action, Eldragi can teleport as per the spell to any square they could reach through their normal movement speed. Enemies of medium size or smaller(or large size or smaller for Gargantuan Eldragi) that are in the squares you teleport to must succeed at a Reflex Save(DC 10 + 1/2 HD + either STRMOD or CHAMOD, whichever is higher) or be crushed beneath you, automatically becoming pinned and taking bludgeoning damage equal to their slam damage(2d6) plus 1.5x their STRMOD at the beginning of their next turn, and on every subsequent turn that the Eldragi does not move off them. If the Eldragi chooses to maintain the pin, it must succeed on a CMB check as normal. Pinned foes take damage from the crush each round if they don't escape. Creatures crushed gain a cumulative +4 to escape each round they do not escape. In a sandstorm, hurricane, or in similar inclement weather conditions(GM Discretion), using the teleport is a move action. All creatures are maintained in the pin if the Eldragi chooses to maintain the pin, but moving automatically breaks the pin, as does choosing not to maintain after the initial crush.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Eldragi are huge even amongst Giantkind, and as they on average stand easily over 30ft(9 meters) tall...though some amongst them can reach as high as twice this. Despite this size, they are built mostly like normal humanoids...they have two muscular legs that end in feet with five toes each, and burly arms that end in hands with five fingers each. They are all universally female, and thus all possess feminine bodily qualities and reproductive organs. Average Eldragi body temperature is around 804.2 Degrees F, and in Desert Climates, their skin is mostly the same temperature, if a bit cooler. In normal climates, this skin temperature is halved as their body tries to retain its internal body temperature. Uniquely, their skin acts as solar panels to absorb heat and keep their bodies at the proper temperature. Like cold-blooded creatures, they need external heat to live and to this end, their skin absorbs heat and stores it throughout the day or as long as they are in sunlight or hot environs. In non-desert climates, their skin cools at rest and while sleeping as the stored heat is absorbed into their body over time to preserve their internal body temp. Their skin is the first thing that gets cooled as their environment cools, to preserve internal temperature - Hence why their die in cold climates - their body cannot draw enough heat from the environment to sustain their bodily temperature.
Their blood, coincidentally, is more like magma than actual blood - it is thick and slow-moving once exposed to the air, and cools rapidly upon exposure to air. Eldragi infused with hellfire have body temperatures around 3000 degrees internal - far in excess of their normal sisters. Unlike other Eldragi, they don't rely on the environment nearly as much to sustain their body temperatures, and their skin BY DEFAULT hovers around the same temperature as their internals, though these Eldragi can partially control their skin temperature, and generally keep it much lower outside of combat at temperatures similar to normal Eldragi.
There has been almost no study into the anatomy of Eldragi thanks to their secretive and hard to reach natures, but modern biologists and scholars have agreed that they likely possess a highly developed and incredibly durable skeletal system that is likely three or four times as thick and twice as well-built as the human norm in order to support their massive and muscular bodies. Likewise, their musculature system is surmised to be more akin to tightly interwoven bands of iron than normal muscle, and is estimated to be nearly four times as effective than is normal for normal creatures, allowing them to be stronger, have more stamina, and be more resistant to physical attack. Their organs, likewise, are assumed to be at most half-functional on average, and their digestive tract and all associated systems with the digestion and processing of food are assumed to be entirely non-functional and redundant.
What is known about Eldragi is that their bodies possess many qualities generally ascribed to male races, such as high levels of testosterone and even higher muscle mass than normal...these traits were taken from their ancestors the Dai-Yukai but also from the Devils and Demons who tainted their bloodlines in ages past and bred them into engines of war. Because of this same meddling, Eldragi have the blood of devils and other evil outsiders boiling inside their veins, their blood acidic and boiling both, their bodies prone to rampant bone growths in the form of spines and spikes growing from their bodies and horns from their head, only adding to their visage as "She-Demons" of the desert. This hot biology is not entirely self-sustaining - Eldragi rely on hot external temperatures to keep their bodies functioning and are similar to cold-blooded creatures in the sense that they do not handle cold climates well at all - their bodies rapidly shut down to preserve body heat and they, if not protected, will slip into unconsciousness and quickly death.
Biological Traits
Eldragi are universally an all-female race, and though they are mainly found in the sandblasted deserts of the world, there is a bit of variation that can be expected between the different tribes. Skin color, facial bone structure and overall appearance are common things that may vary, but the other predominant variation are the designs and color of the markings each Eldragi etches upon their skin, which usually signify their tribe of origin and hint to the seriousness of their devilish and/or fiendish taint - these etchings grow as each Eldragi ages, turning their skin into tapestries of fiendish inscriptions, imagery, and evil symbology which each hint to a certain tribe, ancestor, or origin...some can even be picked out to trace back to certain Devils or Archdukes.
They are typified by a massive amount of muscle mass even for creatures their size that means they as a people are incredibly strong and durable, their muscles often each as large as a fully grown adult medium sized creature, though this can vary slightly between individuals.
Additionally, Eldragi generally have sharp, bony, horn-like protrusions that extrude from their head and shoulders, giving them the appearance of demons or evil creatures from folklore.
Their eyes are typically deep reds, blacks, and other reddish colors, but can also run from white, silver, to platinum. Their irises themselves are typically pure black.
Genetics and Reproduction
Eldragi have no males of their own to speak of as a racial offshot from the all-female Dai-Yukai race, so in order to reproduce they have paired up with and formed a single cohesive society with the all-male Othraka, whom they pair with to reproduce through sexual reproduction. They now couple and form pairings between couples of these two races to produce offspring that are evenly divided along the lines of their two races - an equal number of Othraka and Eldragi are produced from these unions, where the Eldragi carries the child inside of her for anywhere between 10-14 months before giving birth.
Other races struggle to provide adequate mates to the Eldragi - both because of their massive size making unions impractical, and because of their devilish heritage and burning devilblood making it all but impossible for weaker creatures to successfully impregnate them - and indeed, even SURVIVE the process of doing so, as their devilblood and fiendish heritage tends to consume and kill those who are too weak...or at least maim them in some significant capacity. Only the powerful, titanic Othraka have proven strong enough to face the Eldragi on even footing and even come out on top, both in society and reproduction, so thus has the two species' relationships proven fruitful indeed.
However, Eldragi reproductive struggles do not end there, from what can be surmised - Eldragi infants have an absurdly high mortality rate compared to those of all other species, though studies have been sparse as to why this might be; the only prevailing theories contend that their mutated fiendish biologies might actually be attempting to phase out live birth from their species altogether in favor of the spontaneous "creation" fiends undergo in the pits of Malefacta(Better known as The Nine Hells).
Growth Rate & Stages
Once born, Eldragi are slow to reach maturity, and are not biologically mature until nearly 50 or 60 years of age - long after most other humanoid races have entered old age. They are not considered full mature both bodily and mentally until around age 70.
Eldragi reach middle age around age 225, become old around age 375, and reach venerable age around the ancient age of 450, after which they die some decades later.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Eldragi have no racial need to eat, but they often do regardless both to keep up appearances and out of personal preference and enjoyment - food is still food, after all, and regardless of one's devilish or fiendish heritage the act of consumption is still quite enjoyable. When they do choose to eat, they prefer a diet evenly balanced between meats and vegetation, often taken from the lesser races in the lands they inhabit and from passing caravans of smallfolk who dare to brave the rough desert terrain.
Biological Cycle
Eldragi are specialized exclusively for life in the hottest and most unbearable desert climates in the world, and are never found outside of these environments. As partial outsiders burning with fiendish taint, they are also incredibly well-equipped for survival in the most inhospitable climates in the planescape, and can even march through the Nine Hells themselves and even the Abyss with little to no complaint...and while extraplanar Eldragi colonies are theorized to exist, none have ever been contacted or found.
Additional Information
Facial characteristics
Eldragi faces are often lacking in conventional beauty just like their bodies, with weathered skin from years in the harsh desert sun, scarred, and covered in devilish horns and spikes with rugged, brutish jawlines.
Their eyes are typically deep reds, blacks, and other reddish or fiery colors, but can also run from white, silver, to platinum. Their irises themselves are typically pure black.
Average Intelligence
Eldragi are at least as average as the average human, and thanks to their devilish heritage they can often be just as cunning, manipulative, and smart as the devils themselves.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
As partial outsiders tied in some minor degree to the Nine Hells, Eldragi have eyes well-adapted to darkness as well as low-light thanks to their original nature as Giants, letting them see in almost any conditions. Additionally, with specially adapted eyes with unique "lenses" designed to slide over the eyes to filter out particulates, fog, and other whirling debris, they can see perfectly through fog, sandstorms, and other weather-based vision obscuring phenomena.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
Eldragi have names typically derived from the Egyptian, Moroccan, and Arabic lexicons.
First Names: Ankhta, Khepri, Samia, Alzahra, Tahani, Ghaaliya, Safira, Nasya, Yasira
Last Names: Shukura, Tikar, Maat, El Hajjam, Achtouk, Lahlou, Salloum, Rassi, Fayad
Lifespan
450 years
Conservation Status
As the apex predator species in the desert climates of the Zheng-Kitar, Eldragi are not nearly as populous as Dwarves or Humans but have a plentiful enough population that they vastly outnumber their mates, the Othraka. They are populous enough in the deserts to not have to worry about population management, but are almost impossible to find outside the deserts and extremely arid climates of the world.
Average Height
32ft - 35ft (9.7 - 10.6 Meters.) Can get as large as 70ft / 21m.
Average Weight
8,600lbs - 10,200lbs
Average Physique
Eldragi, even more than their partners the Othraka, have physiques absolutely rippling with muscle and physical presence. They are often covered in scars, bulging muscles, and have towering bodies with thick legs to support their massive bulk, and possess physiques streamlined for combat and physical excercise, with almost no fat or useless material on their bodies at all. They can reach such towering heights the likes of which other races can only dream of, and with potentially four arms they are burly, strong, and hardened warriors.
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
Eldragi skin typically ranges anywhere from Light Red, Dark Orange, to a deep Blood Red or Crimson. Their hair can ranged across the spectrum from bone white to a dark fiery red, though bright, vibrant colors such as bone white or fiery crimson red are the most common.
Related Materials
Giants tainted by Devils
The Eldragi were not always a race of Giants plagued by a fiendish blight upon their very blood, bodies, and souls - long ago, they were little more than a diversificiation of their frigid ancestors, the Dai-Yukai, who had begun to diverge from their sisters and were beginning a natural evolution towards life in more arid climates...but during the Age of Descent some 1000+ years prior to the modern day, when the legions of Hell, the Abyss, and Abbadon invaded the frozen north, the frigid Dai-Yukai were the first race to fall under the dominating command of the fiendish outsider invasion - and unlucky(or luckily) for the Dai-Yukai, they were taken and conquered by the Devils, who saw great potential in the female titans. After years of horrific experimentation on the Dai-Yukai genome by twisted Archdukes, a large portion of the captured Dai-Yukai population was transformed into the vicious Eldragi of today, infused with fiendish taint to survive the punishing climes of the Nine Hells, evolved by force into what they were as a species naturally progressing towards in the span of mere years what should have taken milennia and turned into massive walking siege engines to support the Devil's War on the Material Plane. But when the war was ended and the armies of hell driven back screaming into the hells by the armies of the Celestial Host, not all of the newly made Eldragi were taken back with their devilish masters - most were left behind as byproducts of the horrible war that birthed them. So, allowed to remain alive, the Eldragi migrated across Zheng-Kitar to the Great Gyatsoshin Desert, and found a new home there as the apex predators of the land.
Failing Fiendish Physiques
Though the Eldragi of Zheng-Kitar were lucky enough to escape their ultimate fate as walking war engines of Malefacta(Better known as The Nine Hells), their entire society and indeed even their bodies burn with the aftermath even now, centuries later - for while when the Fiends captured them as Dai-Yukai and experimented upon them in the depths of their Hellforges to craft the perfect killing machines they wasted little time re-activating much of the dormant biology of the Dai-Yukai that was non-functional thanks to their undead natures, they also horrifically mutated them beyond measure with little regard to creating a truly "functional" species. To these Fiendish Fleshcarvers, their ultimate goal was not a new species that could reproduce and sustain itself, but a new fiendish race that could fight and die in the service of Malefacta without end - for in the pits of Malefacta, Fiends are born spontaneously from the plane's very air and ground as evil concentrates around the souls of the damned. And because of this, when the newly formed Eldragi finally escaped their master's clutches and returned to the realm of the material, they found their bodies horrible and terrible things ill-suited to reproduction - their reproductive systems only barely functional as a holdover from their days as Dai-Yukai, left inside them and active only thanks to the cruelty of their fiendish creators. Indeed, on top of barely being able to produce viable children(stillbirth being a much more common result than live birth even in modern Eldragi tribes), their new bodies were seemingly crafted with almost zero regard for making them able to sustain themselves as a species - though the exact methods are known only to Eldragi Matrons and Midwives, they have historically been forced to drastic measures to ensure the survival of their children, which is believed to be related to why each and every Eldragi Encampment, without fail, keeps a constant "slave population" on hand; what was once assumed to be simple cruelty instead now suggests to modern scholars that a deeper reason may undercut this cruel fact - that their fiendish biologies, forged to sustain themselves on souls and suffering, may require these fiendish titanesses to go to drastic measures to ensure their babies are not stillbirthed during the final days of pregnancy, either by perhaps feeding on the souls of their slave populations or even by wholesale dissolving them to utilize their souls and bodily nutrients both to ensure the survival of their children - though both are mere speculation, as few are allowed to glimpse the innermost depths of an Eldragi Glass City where their most secretive rituals and knowledge is kept. Indeed, it may be thanks to their collective efforts as a species that they have remained able to have children at all - as many scholars have surmised that their bodies, left to their own devices, will quickly and naturally attempt to render their reproductive systems completely nonfunctional through evolutionary "drift"...hinting to the darker, more sinister transformative fate that their sisters who remained in Malefacta during their escape may have experienced.
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