Osirians

According to ancient lore, the Osirians were the first intelligent species to emerge, chosen by the gods to be their first creation on this world. They were, and are, a regal and proficient people famed for their skill with their hands and their swiftness, as dangerous archers and fencers and makers of technical wonders and fine crafts.

The position of the Osirians as the favored of the gods did not spare them from the cataclysm that turned the world upside down. Already giving way to some of the other species, the Osirians were struck a hammer blow by the fall of the meteor.

Their ancestral homelands were some of the worst affected by the necromantic miasma and negative energies released by the impact.

The Osirians died in droves from the impact, from its aftermath, and from the lingering effects of the necromantic radiation, which subverted their bodies day by agonizing day. So many of the Osirians rose again as zombies, skeletons, and ghosts that they quickly learned harsh lessons in dismemberment before burial and the necessity of building secure and warded tombs. Exhausted, beleaguered, and desperate, the Osirians sought a solution to their problems, a way to live with the intense negative radiation that had so changed the world and themselves. Eventually, they found a way to live with their affliction and even to use it as a weapon against the undead that still tormented them. Ancient Osirian body art was combined with alchemical knowledge to mark and infuse their flesh with channels of necromantic obsidian.

This obsidian was ground into dust and worked into the flesh in arcane patterns to draw and store the necromantic energy from their bodies and t h e i r surroundings, helping them weather the radiation and live some semblance of a normal life. These alterations also allowed them to channel the power to their own ends and to strike back against the undead. Despite their newfound power and their natural capabilities, though, they could do little to liberate the lands already swarming with the dead.

The Osirians have retreated to their surviving cities and underground vaults. Some eke out an existence beneath the view of the undead, living free but hard lives, while others fall into slavery as their scant lands are constantly besieged.

Personality Osirians have an extremely pragmatic mindset and tend to view everything as a problem that requires solving. They often think in a linear fashion, a way considered stereotypically “male” in humans. Practical problems are usually more to their taste than esoteric ones, and they often become frustrated by philosophical or religious discussions-topics they consider insoluble and, thus, irrelevant. It isn’t true that they have no aesthetic or appreciation of art or culture, only that their “engineer’s” viewpoint colors everything that they do.

Physical Description Osirians have extremely dark skin, which comes in a variety of subtle, dark tones-from midnight blue, to a purplish aubergine hue, through to reddish or greenish tints. Similarly, their hair is usually a deep black, which makes their eyes and teeth stand out in stark contrast. Osirians are usually shorter than humans by an inch or two and tend toward a slightly more curvaceous or stocky build.

Relations Osirian pragmatism is considered a strike against them when they cooperate with other races, since most races-if not all-are known for doing dubious things in order to survive. This tendency, of course, includes the Osirians , but as pragmatists they tend to err on the side of caution in their dealings with others, especially the undead o r those with undead traits. The presence of a free Osirian can also cause problems, as Osirians who are not subjugated slaves are usually considered extremely dangerous and may be killed on sight by the undead lords and their forces.

Lands The Osirians live in their ancestral cities for the most part, whether enslaved and crushed or still free. Even smaller bands of Osirians have taken to underground vaults, hidden from sight, secret dungeons from which their bands lead raids against the undead; there, they strive to carve out a new living, out of sight, beneath the blackened earth.

Religion Osirians still believe themselves to be the chosen of the gods. They worship a wide and cosmopolitan variety of gods that they refer to collectively as “makers.” They particularly favor gods associated with craft, trade, and industry, while many also choose to worship gods of magic.

Names Osirian names, following the tendency of their language, are made from chopped up sounds with abrupt stops and sudden shifts between consonants. Their first names always have two syllables. Their last names start with one syllable, to which they add new syllables as they perform great deeds or works; in this way, the Osirians denote their rank and worth in their society. Familial ties are denoted by “son of” or “daughter of” following the matriarchal or patriarchal lines independently, when it is needed. Most Osirians can recite their lineage over five generations or more.

• Family Names: Bar, Creltis, D’Shalgar, Kriks, T’skel-tahreh
• Male Names: Gartok, D’nar, Da-Varr, Cav’tun, Mik’qua
• Female Names: Fehtahl, Lexa, T’nstaph, Feah, Klixxis

Adventurers

Osirian adventurers tend to be escaped slaves or free Osirians seeking either revenge or the artifacts and power needed to free their people from the undead lords. The osirian vaults and free cities need every resource that they can get, as freeing-and supplying-slaves is no easy task without coin. Dead cities and great tombs provide a wealth of resources and riches that can provide for all these ends. Thus, Osirians often find themselves wandering the land, looking to change their fortune with powerful artifacts and the riches of the dead.

Racial Traits

Your Osirian character shares several racial traits in common with others of your kind.

• Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2 and your Charisma score increases by 1.
• Age. Osirians mature at about the same rate as humans and possess a similar lifespan.
• Alignment. Osirians tend to belong to neutral alignments, but Osirians can be found across all the different alignments. Whatever else they might believe tends to bond Osirians together, as they recognize they are a marginalized and oppressed people who depend upon each other to survive.
• Size. Osirians tend to be a few inches shorter than the average human with a slightly more curvaceous or stocky build. Your size is Medium.
• Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
• Crafty. Osirians are born craftsmen. You gain proficiency with one tool set of your choice.
• Necromantic Hellfire. As an attack action, you can project an energy ray as a ranged spell attack against a target you can see within 30 feet. Living creatures struck by necromantic hellfire gain one level of exhaustion for 1 minute unless they succeed at a Constitution saving throw with a DC of 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier. This ability has no effect on creatures already suffering the exhausted condition. Unlike with normal exhaustion, this effect ends as soon as its duration expires or once the target succeeds at its saving throw, whichever comes first. Against undead creatures, your necromantic hellfire inflicts 1d6 of radiant damage.
• Necrotic Resistance. You are resistant to necrotic damage. In addition, you have advantage on saving throws against any effect that would reduce your maximum hit point total.
• Stealthy. You gain advantage on Stealth checks.
• Quick Reactions. You gain advantage on initiative rolls.
• Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common.