Sylvans

The naturally beautiful Sylvans are native exclusively to the forests of the Selva. Rarely found outside its borders, they live in communal cities and are known as a mostly peaceful and gregarious race. Possessed of a unique connection to the Fae Court, many Sylvans worship the fairies that rule over the deep places in the jungle, especially the Regent Mercier. Sylvans have a reputation for being attractive and flirtatious as well as deceptive. Their culture produces many esteemed singers, dancers and wordsmiths as well as powerful mages due to their strong connection to the natural world.

Appearance and Biology
Sylvan appearance varies by caste, but as a general rule they are medium humanoids who look similar to humans. Their skin is most often green, but can vary from soft teals to dark turquoises and often has mottled patterns. When they have hair, it is the colour of jungle leaves and flowers, meaning there is a great deal of variety. They have long slender pointed ears. They are typically shorter than the average human, with 5'7" as the norm. There is very little height variation by gender as Sylvans are naturally gender fluid, with their bodies and anatomy changing to reflect their mental gender state which can be male, female, anywhere inbetween or entirely non-binary. Because of this, they have no cultural concept of 'gender roles', although they are often fascinated by the roles enacted in other races. Sylvans are a uniquely beautiful race, their features perfectly fair, proportional and symmetrical. This, combined with their usually long lifespans, means that there is very little facial variation between individuals. It is a combination of this and religious reasons that leads to the most striking visual feature of Sylvans for other races - they all wear masks, all the time. These can vary from elaborate works of art to simple cloth face coverings, but they always hold great cultural significance for the Sylvan, often denoting their place within their larger community.

The main difference in biology comes from their method of reproduction. Sylvans are fertile when they choose to be, and they are theoretically able to breed with humanoids of any other race. However, unless special circumstances are met, any resulting offspring will always be of the same race as the non-Sylvan parent. In order for Sylvans to be born, the fetus must be infused with a Sylvan soul, of which there are a finite amount. Unlike other mortal races, Sylvans do not die of old age. Assuming that they aren't killed by someone else, or by disease or any of the other bad ends that can meet a mortal, they can choose when to release their soul. While all castes of Sylvan have this ability equally, there are usually social expectations placed on individuals not to 'hog' a soul so that new Sylvans can be born. The expectation is that Flora types will live to around 800 years, fauna types around 400-500 years, and fae types never live over 100 years. How souls are divvied out to future Sylvan children varies by city and culture. In some, they go directly to the Fae Regent and they then mete them out. For others, souls go to the next direct descendent. There is often some kind of shaman or spiritual leader who helps police these matters and ensure souls are allocated properly. If the settlement worships at the Fae Court, this person is often a Fairui. After death, a soul returns to the Faewild where it will either be scrubbed of experience by the Fae, or treasured and kept intact for return as a Fae type Sylvan in future. If two Sylvans attempt to conceive without a soul for the child, the result is what is called a 'Lethri' - a creature that is technically alive and appears like a more feral Sylvan characterised by extreme emaciation, a mane of long white hair and eyes like cats or snakes. These individuals are usually mindless, but there are persistent stories about Lethri becoming home to monsters.

Culture
A key part of all Sylvan culture is their masks. Different communities have different rules regarding masks, with the common thread being that not wearing a mask is seen as gauche, similar to walking around topless in human society. Many use symbols on the masks to display information about the wearer, such as their title, role, and even history. Therefore the most important individuals have highly decorated masks. Other communities go the opposite direction, with mask simplicity denoting importance with the leader's mask completely devoid of detail. Deeper into the jungle, closer to the Faewild, masks take on terrifying animalistic aspects as the Sylvans aim to scare off intruders. Individuals are not considered adults until they are able to craft their own mask, and children wear simple cloth face coverings. Maskless individuals, such as members of other races, are treated with a mix of stiffness and complete disregard, which can make Sylvans appear arrogant to outsiders. Masks have religious as well as cultural significance for many Sylvans, as typically their societies worship the Fae Regent Mercier as both their racial progenitor and protector. Respect and worship of the Fae is baked into society, with lots of superstitions such as leaving out milk for sprites, throwing salt over your shoulder if you spill some, and always greeting a butterfly if you happen upon one. This makes their cities particularly difficult for outsiders, as there are so many unspoken rules that are expected to be followed.

Sylvan cities themselves are usually high in the trees of the Selva, as the Sylvan's affinity to natural life lets them influence the growth of the mighty giants to best accommodate them. They live mostly off the bounty of the jungle, with little left over for export. Sylvan society strongly emphasises community, with food and shelter being provided to all regardless of personal wealth. In fact, a Sylvan who never leaves their home or has interactions with other races may go their entire lives without ever encountering the concept of 'money'.

The flipside of this is that as every Sylvan has everything they need to live comfortably, crime is looked on as a grievous personal failing and an attack against the whole city. Sylvan justice is therefore incredibly severe compared to other cultures, with first offences met with unusual and harsh punishment and second offences usually resulting in summary execution, or sometimes ritual sacrifice in the name of their Fae Regent. Another reason for outsiders in Sylvan cities to watch their step.

Although Sylvans are relatively sophisticated in many ways, they eschew any form of written writing. This is because the Fae consider language to be alive, and therefore written word to be 'dead' and unappealing. Instead there is a long oral tradition of singers and storytellers, combined with a robust apprenticeship system to ensure knowledge is passed down to the new generation.

Despite the sometimes impenetrable local customs and the difficulties of having no spoken language, Sylvans are quite welcoming of outsiders and find other cultures fascinating. While everything a Sylvan could need is provided by their home, it's not uncommon for Sylvans to rove out in search of adventure, whether of their own volition or because they have been given a task by their Fae patron.

History and Origins
Across all of the varied Sylvan settlements, the origin story of their race remains mostly constant. The story goes that many many years ago the fairy Mercier came across a vast number of lost souls in the jungle, all without bodies and with no afterlife to go to. Unable to create children of her own, Mercier shepherded the souls into the Faewild where they became her adopted children, filling her life with love and happiness. To thank the souls for their company, she fashioned them bodies from the fabric of the jungle itself, using its plants and its animals. To those she loved the most of all, she gave bodies crafted from parts of her own essence. Those who had been granted bodies then returned to the Faewild at the end of their mortal lives and shared their knowledge and experiences with their fae mother. It is widely considered that only a fraction of the total number of Sylvan souls are given bodies at any one time, and that at all times Mercier and the rest of the Fae Court keep a number with them because they love them so much. This is the origin of the Sylvans as a race, as well as how the three castes were formed.

Different settlements have different opinions on the accuracy of the legend, with some claiming it to be actual truth and giving worship to Mercier for their existence, and others considering it more of an allegory. Sylvans as a people though are almost without exception very respectful of the jungle fairies, as well as respectful of the jungle itself. They often take objection to those who treat the Selva as a resource to be mined regardless of the cost.

In the past this has lead to conflicts, especially with human settlements. In the years following the settlement of Amaroth there were occasional sorties from local Sylvan settlements to try and drive the humans off the land, with little long term success. But this legacy of bad blood has led to a frosty relationship between Amaroth and the Sylvans, intensified by the fact that the Sylvan's honoured Fairui shamans are not allowed past the city gates.

The Sylvans communal subsistence based economy has also caused more recent conflicts with the Dwarves hailing from Cadogan Weir, as their unrelenting need for profit drives them to seek riches in the jungle below. More than one Dwarven expedition has disappeared into the jungle, never to be seen again. Despite this, there is in fact a small settlement of Sylvans directly below Cadogan Weir, living on the giant mushrooms that hang over the falls. The Sylvans of Mycania have taken on some of the mercenary habits of their close neighbours, and have a very odd reputation among their peers. There are even rumours they are trying their hand at setting Sylvan speech down in physical writing, which has caused no small amount of consternation.

Sylvans as Player Characters
Ability Score: Cha +2

Speed: 30'

Size: Medium

Weight: 100 to 145 pounds

Children of Nature: All Sylvans have proficiency in the Nature skill.

Fae Anatomy: Many Sylvans have no fixed gender identity, and they can choose to change their biology to more accurately match their internal gender. At the end of a long rest, Sylvans can choose whether their body is physically male, female, a combination, or entirely non-binary. They can also choose whether or not they are fertile. This lasts until the end of the next long rest, when they can choose to continue as they are or change again.

Beguiling Defence: Sylvans are uncannily beautiful, and those that look upon them feel compelled not to disturb such beauty. Any creature that wishes to target a Sylvan with an attack of harmful spell must first make a Wisdom saving throw, with the DC as 8 + proficiency bonus + charisma modifier. On a failed save, the creature must choose a new target or lose the Attack or spell. This doesn't protect the Sylvan from area effects, such as the explosion of a Fireball. If the creature witnesses the Sylvan making an attack or casting a spell that effects an enemy creature, including themselves, Beguiling Defence no longer effects that enemy creature. If a creature passes the Wisdom saving throw, they do not need to pass it again in order to target the Sylvan until a year and a day have passed. This effect cannot stack with any other effect that may provoke a save before attacking, such as the spell Sanctuary.

Diet: Sylvans are omnivorous.

Languages: Sylvan, one other of the player's choice (unless specified otherwise in caste)

Names
Naming traditions for Sylvans vary based on their caste. A Flora Sylvan will often have a first name similar to the latin name of a plant in our world, examples include Helleborus, Alchemilla and Anthemis. Fauna Sylvans likewise have names taken from the latin names for animals, such as Lycaon, Rana or Lutris. Fae born Sylvan will always take the name of the reborn soul, which will be given to the parents by their Fae patron. Sylvans do not use surnames, instead taking the name of their place of birth. Examples of this are ‘of Edelwood’, ‘of Eidercrown’, ‘of Mycania’.

Sylvans will also have a true name, given to them at birth by a ‘Fairui’ or shaman. This is the name of their soul, and Sylvans will never give it out unless to someone they absolutely trust. In the case of Fae born Sylvans, their ‘true name’ is owned by the Fae regent and they may never know it if the regent declines to tell them. These true names are often short, no more than one or two syllables. It is said that a dead Sylvan cannot be resurrected without the caster knowing their true name, as otherwise their soul cannot be summoned back from the Fae courts.

Sub-Races (Castes)
Flora

Fauna

Fae