Genesai

Genesai are the result of demonic outsiders mating with angelic outsiders, defying all that both sides of the eternal conflict between good and evil consider inviolate. In other worlds and planes of existence, this pairing might be all but unthinkable.

The genesai become outcasts the moment they are born.

They are almost always abandoned by their parents, either to be raised by mortals who take pity on the child, to perish in the wilderness, or-very rarely-to be raised by sympathetic animals such as wolves. Some very few can survive without caregivers simply due to their unnatural physiology and capabilities, growing up feral in the blasted landscape.

Scattered as they are, the genesai tend to find each other and form communities, bands, tribes, and clans that become their real families. These groups adopt genesai they find a n d raise them into what little heritage and secrets they have left.

The genesai are hunted by almost all. This universal animosity tends to make them consummate survivors, skilled at evasion or combat, capable of defending themselves, and possessed of a siege mentality that binds them strongly to their clan. The genesai understand that they are a constant reminder of all that is wrong in the shattered and broken world, a reminder which some people cannot help but be hostile toward. Some accept that fate and hate the world back, while others struggle to perform heroic deeds and lead by example, trying to right wrongs and to make a safe place for their people. When push comes to shove, though, a genesai will do whatever is necessary to survive.

Personality

As outcasts and victims of intense hatred and scrutiny, the genesai tend to be extremely slow to trust. However, they are extremely loyal to those they regard as friends, holding little distinction between friend and family. Anyone who isn’t “family” is considered with all the suspicion and hostility one might normally reserve for negotiations with an out-and-out enemy. The genesai are born pessimists and tend to expect the worst out of any situation. While this behavior means they are always prepared for danger, it can make them seem dour and unfriendly. Genesai humor tends to be cynical and scathing, centered around irony, sarcasm, and schadenfreude.

Physical Description

Genesai are humanoid in appearance, albeit fairly idealized: slightly taller than the average human and appearing slightly more fit and beautiful. Genesai are unique in appearance, tanned a red-gold hue with an aura of unnatural “wrongness.”

This aura unnerves animals and people alike, disconcerting them and tending to make them unconsciously mumble blessings to themselves or reflexively recoil in disgust. Most genesai also have physical indications of their unnatural birth, such as two small horns protruding from their forehead and a supernatural mark on their forehead, branded by their clan as part of their induction into the “family.”

Where the offspring of outsiders and mortals often display their origin more ostentatiously, most hints of a genesai’s origin tend to be a little more subtle. These hints may be present in a forked tongue or unnaturally colored eyes or hair, things that one would actively need to look for and try to pick out. Their short horns can even be hidden by suitably styled hair. Apart from their brand, they can almost pass for human in many circumstances.

Relations

Due to the dual nature of the genesai, many shun them and avoid developing any sort of relationship with them. They often draw fire from exalted looking to purge their evil and unnatural being from the world as well as from infernals who seek to control and use genesai to their own ends. The undead view them as potentially dangerous rivals and err toward destroying them where they can. Genesai tend only to have positive relations with other unsettled peoples or with communities where, from dints of effort and sacrifice, they have carved a niche of understanding and loyalty.

Racial Traits

Genesai share a number of racial traits through their mixed infernal and celestial heritage.

• Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 2, and your Constitution score increases by 1.
• Age. Genesai mature at the same rate as humans but live up to two centuries.
• Alignment. The typical genesai is true neutral because of the balance of opposites in their basic nature. They do not often veer from that position, particularly not into good or evil alignments, though they may find themselves leaning toward either chaos or law alignments depending on their upbringing and life experiences. The genesai nature itself is one of strange possibility; thus, they often find it difficult to be judged for actions others unquestionably call good or evil. They’ve seen the extremes of good and evil for themselves and find such hardline opinions distasteful.
• Size. Genesai are about the same size and build as humans. Your size is Medium.
• Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
• Darkvision. You have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. 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.
• Dual-Minded. You gain advantage on saving throws against being charmed.
• Terrifying. You receive advantage on Charisma (Intimidate) checks.
• Unnatural Aura. Animals become uneasy around genesai due to their dual nature. Dogs will bark and horses will become unruly, even people feel generally uneasy. You suffer disadvantage on Charisma checks made to affect beasts. The starting attitude of such creatures toward you is one step worse than normal. In addition, such creatures suffer disadvantage when attacking you.
• Warding Magic. You can cast protection from good and evil once per day. This ability recharges after a long rest.
• Languages.You can speak, read, and write Common and Celestial.

Variant Racial Traits

• Planar Anomaly. Genesai possess unique insight into the weaknesses and vulnerabilities of extraplanar beings. Once per turn as a bonus action, you can gain advantage on one melee weapon attack against a celestial or fiendish creature. This trait replaces the dual-minded racial trait.
• Shattersoul Blade. You can summon a 3-foot-long scintillating shard as an action. The shattersoul blade is equivalent to the exalted’s soulsword, as both are made from pieces of their respective unnatural souls. Attacks with the shattersoul blade are melee weapon attacks that deal 1d6 points of lightning damage plus a number of points equal to your proficiency bonus. Since the blade is immaterial, your Strength modifier doesn’t affect damage dealt by this blade. Against celestial or infernal creatures, the shattersoul blade deals 1d8 points of damage plus double your proficiency bonus. This blade lasts 1 minute per level and recharges following a short rest. This racial ability replaces the warding magic racial trait.
• Walking Terror. Your mere presence terrifies animals rather than simply unnerving them. Any creature of the beast type that approaches within 10 feet of you must make a Wisdom saving throw with a DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier or become frightened. Beasts with more Hit Dice than you have levels are immune to this effect. An affected beast can make a new saving throw at the end of each of its turns to end the effect. Once a beast succeeds at this saving throw, it becomes immune to this trait for 24 hours. This replaces the unnatural aura racial trait.

Lands

The genesai have done their best to fit into a world that just wants to destroy them. They have no true homeland and live a nomadic existence at the margins of what civilization is left, though some of the larger and more successful clans are looking for a home. Occasionally, a clan of genesai will settle within a defensible position such as a cave system, ruin, or fortress, or mingle in a friendly town, whether hidden or integrated.

Religion

As offspring of the agents of eternal powers and concepts combined, the genesai do not agonize over the existence of deities, though they do argue over what the deities and their servants actually are, as this relates directly to their own existence. As such, genesai don’t tend to worship any gods, though they may offer thanks to fate, luck, or destiny as disembodied concepts when something goes well for them and equally curse those same ideas when something goes wrong.

Names

Because of their traumatic connection between good and evil, genesai normally name themselves in a very unusual way.

The name of their exalted parent is reversed and adopted as their surname, while their first name is the reversed name of their infernal parent.

First Names: Tamait, Nogrog, Imanazi, Imoy, Etaceh, Ragiba, Dada, Nihtab, Noyreg, Tides

Family Names: Leimar, Lok, Rusiuodra, Dazay, Tathsra, Leiru, Muorahc, Anid, Sacrof, Tewil

Adventurers

Genesai adventurers have often lost their clans or have been cast out for breaking the few, inviolate laws of their “families.” Some not scooped up by clans are raised to adulthood by adoptive parents; these genesai, restless despite their-hopefully loving-homes, leave to seek their fortune and, perhaps, others of their kind. Still others leave as agents of the clan, seeking riches and weaponry in order to help defend the family and to help them carve out some sort of life in this harsh and unforgiving world.