Vedavin (वेदाविन्) are one of the species designed specifically for Abmarah. The Vedavin are blue-skinned humanoids that look very similar to humans in most other ways. The vedavin have striking blue skin, black or white hair, and, on occasion, four arms. But it is the vedavin’s intelligence and intense psychic affinity that truly sets them apart from other species. They are immediately recognizable as one of the rarer species and deeply admired for their beauty and grace. In 2E228, the creator god Vertuma tried to recreate the perfect species by his own means, even though the rest of the divine court had forbidden gods from creating any more divine species after the omniborn crisis. He formed the vedavin, evocative of the Nokrborn from the past. The rest of the gods were not happy with Vertuma’s act, and banished the Vedavin to the barren island of Kei’rss (now Vanadweep) on the western edge of the world, as well as forbidding the species from accessing magic. Abandoned by their creator and the rest of the gods, the young species eventually turned to Varkayan. They sacrificed almost their entire population to the god, throwing themselves into the volcano Neelamuki, finally gaining the blood deity’s attention. Varkayan blessed them with an increased affinity for arcane magic, as well as turning their barren island into one lush with life and forests. As such, many vedavin to this day worship Varkayan instead of their creator.
Inhabiting the lush forests and rolling hills of modern Vanadweep, they speak the vedar language based on real life tamil, having based their culture on the nearby peoples of the Goldheim Rainforest. Vanadweep is also the origin of the Ashtadharma religion that has spread across Eqos. Yogi Raktabhatta, one of the first vedavin, was the one to compile the first two scriptures of the religion—the Varveda & the Loksmriti. The vedavin possess a deep understanding of the natural world and the hidden forces that underlie it, and they use their psychic abilities to communicate with the spirits of nature and magic that surround us. Their culture is steeped in rich traditions inspired by real-life vedic mythology and dravidian folklore. They celebrate their religious festivals and holy days with elaborate rituals, offerings, and sacrifices. The vedavin are also highly intelligent and curious, their society being organized around a complex system of education that emphasizes the pursuit of knowledge and the development of the mind. They are renowned throughout Abmarah for their expertise in philosophy, mathematics, and the sciences, with their scholars and philosophers being widely respected for their insights and wisdom. Despite their love of knowledge and their psychic abilities, many vedavin are also skilled warriors and hunters. They are expert archers and swordsmen, using their psychic abilities to gain an advantage in battle and track their prey through the dense forests and hills of their home island.
Racial Stats
A Vedavin character has the following racial traits.
Age. Vedavin mature slower than humans do, reaching maturity around age 40. Their life span is typically 250 years, but some elders live up to the age of 400.
Alignment. Vedavin tend to lean towards Lawful alignments.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Size. Tall and slender, Vedavin stand 6 to 6½ feet tall on average and usually weigh less than 200 pounds. Your size is Medium.
Created to Think. You have advantage on all Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws.
Shielded Mind. You have resistance to psychic damage.
Tireless Precision. You are proficient in one of the following skills of your choice: Arcana, History, Investigation, Medicine, Performance, or Sleight of Hand. You are also proficient with one tool of your choice. Whenever you make an ability check with the chosen skill or tool, roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the check's total.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common, Vedavin, and one other language that you and your DM agree is appropriate for your character.
Feats
In addition, Vedavin players have access to unique Species Feats that they can choose to take in addition to other General Feats. Species Origin Feats can be chosen during character creation replacing any Origin Feat you would’ve received from your background.
Primal Vedavin (Species Origin Feat). You are one of the Primal Vedavin, also known as the Vedaborn. You are divinely related to your ancestral cousins, the Omniborn, and gain their four arms.
You have an extra pair of arms behind your primary pair of arms. The secondary arms function like your primary arms, with the following exceptions:
You can use a secondary arm to wield a weapon that has the light property, but you can't use a secondary arm to wield other kinds of weapons.
You can't wield a shield with a secondary arm.
Neelamuki (Species Feat). You master the blue flame of your homeland, and gain the ability to burn the very spirits of your enemies.
You gain resistance to fire damage.
Whenever you deal fire or psychic damage to a creature, you ignore the target's resistance to those types. If they are immune to those types, treat them as if they have resistance instead.