Difference between revisions of "Vidari"

Revision as of 12:38, 27 March 2012

After the Great War of Gods, Alnarya the Star Dancer wept for a full year. From her tears sprouted the massive forests Ardeste and Gartania and there she gave life to the vidari (singular: vidara, adjectival: vidari). They were created as a beautiful and captivating race with keen senses and a sensitive spirit, taught the science of magic from the dragons, and were gifted with art and love from Alnarya.

Physiology

Vidari are as beautiful and youthful as they are graceful and agile. They have long, pointed ears usually 5 to 7 inches in length. Most wear wavy or curly hair, in white or blond, which feels like fine silk. They have fair skin and captivating eyes found in blues and greens. Both genders have big doe eyes and thick eyelashes. Vidari females aren't generally taller than 5′, and males not more than 5′4ʺ. They begin maturing around age 50 and are considered adults by age 75. The race of men consider vidari to appear as young human adults, perhaps 16–25 in age, however they can live for many human lifetimes. Vidari are known to naturally live at least 700 years, but some have lived as long as a thousand (hidden sorcery might even extend that number). Of all the other races, men are the only ones capable of reproducing with vidari.

Appearance

An average vidara is usually adorned in robes or gowns made of silk or fine linens, their dress typically matching the color of the seasons. Adventurers wear lavish cloaks over tunics or light armor. Many wear rings, circlets, or necklaces made of fine metals and gems. Few wear earrings as they claim it interferes with their keen hearing. All vidari enjoy adorning themselves with flowers: males often with a boutonnière, and females with flowers in their hair and around the wrist.

Personality

Vidari are passionate and enjoy life and laughter; many seek out all kinds of experiences and knowledge. They cite their gifts from the immortal of love as the drive for their behavior. They are often playful and sympathetic, ready to bear the burdens of others. Vidari are mostly kind and polite, some even altruistic, but many deliver swift anger when it is warranted.

Vidari are typically nocturnal, and enjoy basking in the dusk, moonlight, and dawn, but suffer no ill effects for venturing out in the light of day.

Habitat

The vidari live in great numbers in their homelands, the island nation of Ardeste and the forest nation of Gartania. Infrequently will vidari be found living among humans, and there are some vidari who live in solitude in forests or wilderness.

Vidari cities are built from natural materials: predominantly wood and stone, but occasionally metal. They are always lush with greenery and life, with gardens and groves very common. Their homes are warm and inviting. Human visitors to the vidari cities always describe them as feeling ethereal or divine — truly spiritual places.

Society

Vidari live an orderly life. They have a ruling Council of Elders that makes political decisions and a noble court that enforces law. Very few vidari lack the common moral conviction of their kind, but it does sometimes occur. Most importantly, vidari celebrate art, song, and magic.

Vidari enjoy food from the natural world, primarily nuts, fruits, and vegetables — in fact vidari produce is among the finest in the world. They are not at all opposed to eating meat, but usually do not since the food they grow provides all necessary nutrition. Vidari also produce and consume unspeakably tasty wines and ciders.

Vidari mate for life and revere new birth. While it is true that men and vidari can reproduce, human–vidari marriages and children are uncommon considering their vastly different lifespans. Births are celebrated with song and visitations by friends, family, and other town citizens. Marriages are a time of great celebration: song, dancing, and gift-giving, for the vidari consider marriage the best way to personify the love of Alnarya. Deaths are very similar to births, as the vidari are very aware of the great cycle of life, but the songs and visitations bear a somewhat sad mood. If vidari have children, a small percentage of which do not, they tend to have 1–3.

Language

The vidari language is described by men as moving and beautiful. The words of the language are comprised of groups of syllables sung at specific notes, so to hear a vidari public speech would be very much like a concert solo. It is rare for other races to master the form, but many human scholars do learn the language. Their written language is a cursive script and looks as beautiful as it sounds.

Relations

They sometimes ally with men and to a lesser extent half-vidari, but stereotypically find evengar a bit savage. They identify with the positive demeanor of the firnoy. Vidari enjoy the passion of the apsarava, but there are few marriages between the two as they cannot reproduce.

Occupations

Many vidari learn to sing, dance, play an instrument, or paint at a young age. Natural occupations for a vidara could include herbalist, guide, scout, artist, winemaker, or minstrel. The Songweavers sport several talented vidari musicians.

Vidari love archery and magic, and it is not uncommon to find an adventurer that practices one or both of these. Many of the Voices of Light are vidari women.

Motivations

Vidari adventurers feel the wanderlust to experience the world. They typically pass human settlements unseen, either at night or under cover of forest. Goals that might take a vidara outside his or her home could deal with discovery (find a lost hymn to Alnarya, seek out the world's finest bow, learn high magic), or with friends and love (seek out a soul mate, ascend the ranks of the Songweavers, seek out a lost sibling).

Max Caps

• Endurance 8
• Charm 8
• Presence 12
• Agility 12

Powers

• Vidari Cunning. Vidari have powerful vision and hearing, receiving a +4 to Perception checks. Their range for these senses is twice that of a human and can see clearly in all but pitch black.
• Hunch. Vidari possess a supernatural intuition about looming danger, getting a "bad feeling" when events could go sour. They receive a +3 to Clairvoyance checks to precognitively determine whether an action will end badly or has ended badly.
• Magic Sensitivity. Vidari are innately sensitive to magic and mana. A vidara can touch an object and determine if it is infused with magic or covered by a spell. A vidara can locate a source of magic power as if it were a source of heat by making a Search check at a DL of 10 + 1 for every 5 feet of distance. ("You're getting warmer.")