Elebrian
Elebrians are humanoids with enlarged craniums and innate magical aptitude. While they were originally the dominant species on Eox before a cataclysm ravaged their planet, only a few elebrians survive in isolated bunker communities or as living entertainment in corporate facilities.
Elebrians are the last living descendants of the prominent species that once called the planet Eox home, prior to a terrible and mysterious cataclysm that burned away its atmosphere and immolated the planet's living flora and fauna. The undead necrovites-once elebrians who transformed themselves with magical ritual to survive on their ruined world-ruled Eox while a small community of living elebrians remained trapped in a facility buried beneath Deminas Hollow. Other groups of elebrians might have survived in isolated bunkers across Eox, but today the population is concentrated in the Halls of the Living, an underground media complex where the living provide entertainment for an undead audience.
Elebrians are born with a sixth sense for magic. Thanks to special structures in their brains that cause their enlarged heads, elebrians literally feel magical energies. Elebrians who learn to hone their special sense often become powerful sages who command the elements, parse arcane theory, or even rewrite reality.
Elebrians tend to have even features with enlarged craniums, high foreheads, and skin tones that vary from pale to deep umber. Most modern elebrians don't feel connected to ancient cultures that were prominent before the near extinction of their species. Modern elebrian culture isn't based on ethnicity or religion-it's based on commercial media. Only the few elebrians whose families left the Halls of the Living when they were children, or who were raised in extremely rare outsider communities, could claim to have led a "normal" life by anyone else's standards.
If you want to play a character with a flair for the dramatic and a strangely sheltered background who's experiencing the wider galaxy for the first time, you should consider playing an elebrian.
Elebrians are born with a sixth sense for magic. Thanks to special structures in their brains that cause their enlarged heads, elebrians literally feel magical energies. Elebrians who learn to hone their special sense often become powerful sages who command the elements, parse arcane theory, or even rewrite reality.
Elebrians tend to have even features with enlarged craniums, high foreheads, and skin tones that vary from pale to deep umber. Most modern elebrians don't feel connected to ancient cultures that were prominent before the near extinction of their species. Modern elebrian culture isn't based on ethnicity or religion-it's based on commercial media. Only the few elebrians whose families left the Halls of the Living when they were children, or who were raised in extremely rare outsider communities, could claim to have led a "normal" life by anyone else's standards.
If you want to play a character with a flair for the dramatic and a strangely sheltered background who's experiencing the wider galaxy for the first time, you should consider playing an elebrian.
You Might…
- Do whatever it takes to survive.
- Rebelliously seek to free your species from their so-called "lives" on Eox.
- Think you know more about entertainment than others do.
Others Probably…
- Assume you have connections with the undead necrovites of Eox or even groups like the Corpse Fleet.
- Wonder if you're being your true self or just playing another role.
- Recognize you from past media appearances.
Physical Description
The most notable physical feature of elebrians is their enlarged cranium and distended forehead, evolved to house their enlarged brains possessing specialized arcane sensory organs. From the neck down, elebrians look nearly indistinguishable from a human, keeping alive fringe theories about them sharing evolutionary ancestors with humans. Most mature elebrians are 5 to 6 feet tall, with a range of peach to tan skin tones and mostly dark black, blue, or brown eyes. Elebrians are usually completely hairless, except for a rare few individuals who manage to grow thin eyebrows, mustaches, or even a once-in-a-generation goatee. Some elebrians wear opulent headdresses on their bald heads or cover their crowns with elaborate tattoos, tending to favor brighter colors than their necrovite counterparts.
Society
In general, elebrians are hearty and stoic, accepting what they're given and striving to make the best of it. Modern elebrian cultures have drifted far from what existed before the calamitous Death Wail, and mainstream elebrian society on Eox is centered around the pursuit of fame and creating or consuming entertainment.
Elebrians who grow up in the Halls of the Living become accustomed to cameras and performing for an audience from early childhood, though they legally aren't allowed to appear on Zo! Media programming before reaching adulthood. Zo! Media continues sponsoring "scholarships" for young elebrians who want to "study abroad," code for relocation to a planet where they can live their life offscreen.
Children are rare in the Halls of the Living; most elebrians live with domestic partners in childless situations and value their circles of friends just as much as their blood relatives. There are many reasons for the dwindling elebrian birth rate; for generations, elebrians followed strict reproductive protocols to prevent inbreeding and overcrowding, and consequently, the ideal elebrian household has few or no children. Nowadays, many elebrians believe it's unfair to bring a new life into such a bizarre situation or would rather choose their careers and fans over parenthood. Some elebrians who become parents skirt the rules to incorporate their children into their media careers as much as possible, even running public polls for baby names or filming on-air births.
For those living in Zo! Media's strange paradise, the lines between fiction and reality often blend. Some elebrians choose to share every moment of their lives with an audience through live streaming or constant infosphere updates. Most share milestones, good or bad, with fans-very few elebrians live truly private lives.
New Atraskia doesn't have a formal government since everything is controlled by Zo! Media, but a Residents' Council meets every month to air grievances, resolve disputes, and share gossip. Elebrians of New Atraskia also founded a screen actors' union that mandates standards of treatment and performance for all performers in the Halls of the Living.
Social hierarchy is based on fame, with actors who have more airtime and larger fandoms setting trends that shape everything from fashion to community values. Some elebrian celebrities become so entangled with their fans that they even develop personal relationships, and some famously elope and start new lives together as the subject of yet another spin-off reality show.
The Halls of the Living aren't the only place elebrians dwell on Eox. A few scattered populations can be found in Orphys and Necroforge, where they mostly subsist in isolated bunker communities. Elebrians have been spotted in Pact Port, but most who make it that far are on their way offworld.
Elebrians who grow up in the Halls of the Living become accustomed to cameras and performing for an audience from early childhood, though they legally aren't allowed to appear on Zo! Media programming before reaching adulthood. Zo! Media continues sponsoring "scholarships" for young elebrians who want to "study abroad," code for relocation to a planet where they can live their life offscreen.
Children are rare in the Halls of the Living; most elebrians live with domestic partners in childless situations and value their circles of friends just as much as their blood relatives. There are many reasons for the dwindling elebrian birth rate; for generations, elebrians followed strict reproductive protocols to prevent inbreeding and overcrowding, and consequently, the ideal elebrian household has few or no children. Nowadays, many elebrians believe it's unfair to bring a new life into such a bizarre situation or would rather choose their careers and fans over parenthood. Some elebrians who become parents skirt the rules to incorporate their children into their media careers as much as possible, even running public polls for baby names or filming on-air births.
For those living in Zo! Media's strange paradise, the lines between fiction and reality often blend. Some elebrians choose to share every moment of their lives with an audience through live streaming or constant infosphere updates. Most share milestones, good or bad, with fans-very few elebrians live truly private lives.
New Atraskia doesn't have a formal government since everything is controlled by Zo! Media, but a Residents' Council meets every month to air grievances, resolve disputes, and share gossip. Elebrians of New Atraskia also founded a screen actors' union that mandates standards of treatment and performance for all performers in the Halls of the Living.
Social hierarchy is based on fame, with actors who have more airtime and larger fandoms setting trends that shape everything from fashion to community values. Some elebrian celebrities become so entangled with their fans that they even develop personal relationships, and some famously elope and start new lives together as the subject of yet another spin-off reality show.
The Halls of the Living aren't the only place elebrians dwell on Eox. A few scattered populations can be found in Orphys and Necroforge, where they mostly subsist in isolated bunker communities. Elebrians have been spotted in Pact Port, but most who make it that far are on their way offworld.
Beliefs
Many elebrians lead strangely sheltered lives, but those residing in the Halls of the Living are bombarded with media from all over the galaxy, exposing them to a multitude of new ideas. Some elebrians handpick their own eclectic beliefs or adopt the traditions of another culture. Eloritu and Lambatuin are popular choices for elebrians who worship deities. Elebrian society tends to be atheistic. Any ancestral gods have long been forgotten or abandoned in favor of the neon gods of the silver screen.
Many elebrians on Eox follow the Song of Silence, a philosophy that teaches that a being's mortal life is simply a trial run for one's second, undead existence. Eventually, most elebrians seek to transition into undeath when faced with the prospect of aging, long-term illness, or death. Elebrians who die naturally are rare, and the choice to do so is perceived as unusual by their Eoxian cohorts.
Popular Edicts live a life worth remembering, play your part, seek fame
Popular Anathema allow yourself to fade away
Many elebrians on Eox follow the Song of Silence, a philosophy that teaches that a being's mortal life is simply a trial run for one's second, undead existence. Eventually, most elebrians seek to transition into undeath when faced with the prospect of aging, long-term illness, or death. Elebrians who die naturally are rare, and the choice to do so is perceived as unusual by their Eoxian cohorts.
Popular Edicts live a life worth remembering, play your part, seek fame
Popular Anathema allow yourself to fade away
Sample Names
Ahmzovar, Auradorus, Elyriana, Eterrina, Fenthest, Genarathis, Missavuine, Sadrat, Sanimus, Scaparitos, Shathrava, Telmarcius, Thesteline, Veltheniel
Elebrian Mechanics
Hit Points
6
Size
Medium
Speed
25 feet
Attribute Boosts
Constitution, Intelligence, Free
Attribute Flaw
Wisdom
Languages
Common
Eoxian
Additional languages equal to your Intelligence modifier (if it's positive). Choose from the list of common languages and any other languages to which you have access (such as the languages prevalent on your home world).
Magical Sense
Your brain has a specialized organ capable of sensing magical energies. You can cast the detect magic cantrip as an arcane innate spell at will. A cantrip is heightened to a spell rank equal to half your level rounded up.