Wrack Elves

The elves have always had strong ties, physically and spiritually, with the Earth Mother and the natural world that is her domain. When the devastation of the Divine War ripped through country and continent alike, all were affected, but none more than those who would come to be called wrack elves.

Groups of wrack elves are found in locales that were directly affected by the destructive powers of the titans and gods, and those places that were bathed in death and annihilation when a titan was felled there, forever scarring the elves by the ruination. That destruction only strengthened the elves’ connection to the land, however. Every wrack elf now feels the burning pain of the world around them, the terrible emptiness of the lack of life, and its ceaseless struggle to heal.

Physical Description: While they resemble other elves, the so-called wrack elves have been twisted and scarred by the devastation wrought upon their homelands, now only vast swaths of blight and destruction. The Divine War’s aftermath has not been kind to those places and the people who dwell within them. Even those born today, long after the end of the Divine War, bear the scars of the land upon their bodies. Compared to their more hale brethren, wrack elves appear thinner and far more grim.

Society: Little more than nomadic tribes remain of these once great elven civilizations. Connected to their lands in both body and spirit, the wrack elves struggle to heal as the land attempts to recover from the destruction wrought upon it. In this emptiness, where life is rare and often warped, the elves find it difficult to procreate, though a newborn wrack elf blesses its tribe occasionally. Still, they struggle on, and due to their connection with their environment, have become highly sought after for trailblazing and ranging in the devastated places of the world.

Relations: Wrack elves often hold strangers in contempt from the start, ignorant fools who have no understanding or connection with the very earth they trod upon. It is often only by need that a tribe or lone wrack elf will deal with outsiders. Some will allow themselves to be hired as guides or rangers when supplies are needed by the tribe, and tribes have been known to show compassion for those who are in desperate need. However, acts of understanding and care for the land itself will often soften a wrack elf’s bitterness toward an individual.

Alignment and Religion: Like their wood elf brethren, wrack elves hold the Earth Mother with the most devoted reverence. Wrack elves tend to lean toward neutral bearing, though often a touch of chaos weighs heavily upon an elf, a side effect of the constant physical and spiritual torment caused by their ties to the wasted earth.

Adventurers: Most wrack elves who leave their tribes are those who have hired themselves out as guides. Some are lone survivors of a tribe that has otherwise gone extinct, due to lack of childbirth, or the many hazards that haunt their lands. Without the connection to family and friends, the wrack elf may strike out on their own and be willing to adventure with others.

Male Names: Ayred, Gaelin, Khyrmin, Naerynd, Phaendar, Sinhion, Traeliorn, Wistarin

Female Names: Airle, Falael, Jaerdra, Keya, Ochilysse, Talindra, Umilythe, Yathaen

Racial Traits

A wrack elf has traits based on physiology and the upbringing of the community it was raised in.

  • Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity and Intelligence scores increase by 2, and your Wisdom score increases by 1. Your Constitution score decreases by 2.
  • Age. Wrack elves are physically mature in their mid-teens to early 20’s, around which time they are typically taking on responsibilities of an adult. Unlike other elves, wrack elves are not flippant and do not take centuries to mature emotionally, and are required by their tribes to contribute to the community much earlier in life.
  • Size. Similar to other elves, wrack elves stand 5 to 6 feet tall, though they tend to be emaciated and weigh less than their brethren, typically around 100 pounds. Your size is Medium.
  • Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
  • Languages. You speak elven and one language of your choice.
  • Senses. Wrack elves are accustomed to surviving in the dark of caverns, as well as journeying and hunting at night. You can see in dim light within 60 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.
  • Keen Senses. You have proficiency in Perception and Survival.
  • Fey Ancestry. You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put you to sleep.
  • Meditation. Elves need no sleep. Instead, they meditate deeply, remaining semiconscious, for 4 hours a day. While meditating, you remain aware of your surroundings but also drift in a state of reverie, so you have disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks. After meditating, you benefit as if you had 8 hours of sleep. You can then undertake other light activity while finishing a long rest.
  • Tattoo Mystic. You have proficiency with tattooist’s supplies. You can activate one magic tattoo you possess one extra time per day without completing a rest, provided that tattoo can be used again after you complete a short or long rest.
  • Danger Sense. Wrack elves have a unique connection with their environment, giving them an almost sixth sense about dangers around them. You have advantage on Dexterity saving throws against environmental effects you can see, such as traps and spells. To gain this benefit, you can’t be blinded, deafened, or incapacitated.
  • Affinity for Power. Wrack elves can sense instantly when they enter a Place of Power. With a successful DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) check, they are able to determine what titan’s power, if any, holds sway over a Place of Power. Spells cast by wrack elves while in a Place of Power are treated as if they had been cast two levels higher but use the original spell slot level.
Section 15: Copyright Notice

Scarred Races. © 2019, Wanderer's Haven Publications; Author: Jeremy Hochhalter

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