Vashi

The vashi are a people without a land and even more a people without a plane.

When a mortal shed its worldly trappings, they passed into the land of the dead, Sheol, to await their final reward. Should their god deem them pious enough, a powerful psychopomp came to retrieve that soul and keep it safe from the terror of the land of black sand.

Then the gods died.

Celestial refugees

Vashi once lived in the celestial realms with their gods and expected to spend the rest of eternity there. When the gods fell, souls safe inside a divine realm were ejected before it collapsed; the unlucky ones caught inside were snuffed out of existence. The survivors were sent back to the material plane, mortal again, with no god to support them. They have inherited the collective name vashi, though many prefer a tribal community venerating their fallen god by name.

Being cut off from the divine and shunted back into a mortal form was a traumatic experience. Many vashi have dedicated themselves to restoring their gods, no matter how impossible it seems. Others, feeling abandoned, have rejected their gods and committed themselves to protecting their eternal spirit from Sheol through any means.

The Platonic Ideal

All vashi were spirits when they came to their god's realm. Whatever physical trappings they previously lived with were pushed aside for a form of pure energy. The new form gifted to them on their exodus was forged by a quick template: a mostly uniform androgynous body offset by vibrantly colored hair, easily identified by their hands — three fingers and a thumb on each.

That template was further influenced as their god interpreted the form through its own lens, modifying each vashi with a trait that exemplified their origin realm. A god of war might have altered their vashi to bear fearsome bony protrusions at the joints; a god of the dead's vashi might have spectral faces that appear like bruises on their skin. The Sextumvirate marks — Dowghan's corona, Berragi's amethyst eyes, Avantar's scrolling script, Vanx's exaggerated mouth, Kieguza's raptor plumes, Perod's polished-metal skin — are the best-documented of these.

Eternal Seekers

Confined to mortal bodies, vashi feel a profound lack of fulfillment. They are compelled to seek out something to replace the connection to their lost god. Many choose other deities or dedicate themselves to a just cause. Until they find what they are looking for, vashi are restless; once they find it, they are fiercely dedicated.

Unique lifecycle

Now that vashi are mortal, they face all the trappings of mortality — hunger, tiredness, even death. They reproduce asexually. At the end of their lives, be it old age or sudden injury, a vashi may choose to begin life anew by leaving their remains undisturbed for a month; they revert to the form of an infant. The reborn vashi has no memory of their former life but retains a distinct understanding of their nature and divine origin. They are a whole new person — often looking and behaving differently from their parent, though strong similarities can be observed.

Deities and religion

Despite being created by gods, a tribe of vashi is remarkably diverse in its religious practices. Many vashi choose to worship one of the few still-living gods; others pray to the vestiges of their fallen gods. Others have eschewed the worship of gods entirely, turning to other deific powers that have fared better — urathquar are a common choice; primordials less so.

The College of Divinity in Montaile is the most public of the vashi restorationist efforts.

Vashi names

Vashi are sexless, though some learn to identify a gender. They identify strongly with one name that they know to be their own, though many adopt the naming conventions of their neighbors.

Sample names: Akho, Arias, Conasan, Gisi, Kearas, Kehosh, Lisaer, Matu, Myle, Nepena, Siuso, Tyris, Zadia.

Vashi Traits

Your vashi character has a number of traits in common with all other vashi.

• Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 2, and a second ability score of your choosing increases by 1. This second ability score typically is reflective of the god who formed you.

• Age. You age at the same rate as tieflings and reach old age by 300.

• Alignment. A vashi's alignment is often closely tied to the divine source they lost. Some take the second chance at mortality to change their lot in life, choosing something diametrically opposed.

• Size. Your size is Medium.

• Speed. Your speed is 30 feet.

• Guardian Mote. While you are without the divine realm, your god wishes you to stay safe. A vestige of its power in the form of a divine mote follows you throughout life. The mote's stats are those of the Divine Mote in the bestiary.

  You may command it to travel anywhere within a 100-foot radius centered on yourself. If you move, the mote moves to stay within that radius. If an effect would place the mote farther than 100 feet, it is pushed into its pocket dimension.

• Languages. You can speak, read, and write Celestial and a common language. In Carlan, the most common language is Pidgin (Carlanian).

Chorus

Chorus vashi are what many of the pious aspired to become after death. They were swept up from the depths of Sheol to be placed in the court of their god to worship. Afterlife was awash in their angelic tones, lifting up whole planes in joy.

• Embolden. As a reaction, you can absorb your mote to give someone else advantage on an attack or skill check.
• Minstrel. You gain proficiency in the Perform skill as well as a musical instrument of your choice.

Asura

Asura vashi were petitioners who reveled with a martial tilt. They were sentinels keeping ever vigilant on the battlements of Dowghan's Bastion. They were Berragi's chosen, warriors of the Long Hunt. They were all those who fought for their god, for their world, or for fun.

• Brave. You have advantage against being frightened.
• Aged Defense. Your AC is calculated as 10 + your Wisdom modifier. Armors that limit your Dexterity modifier limit your Wisdom modifier to the same amount.