Enigmatic and rare almost to the point of myth, the Xeidoran peoples call the exterior pole of Aurus I their home—an inhospitable, barren desert aptly named the Keening Wastes. From their bizarre, many-spired sanctuary, they scavenge the wastes for relics of their ancient history largely unseen and unheard of by the rest of the world. The term "Xeidoran" itself is a bit of a misnomer, as Xeidor is the name of their home and not its peoples. Owing to language barriers and the infrequency of contact with the outside world, it is a correction that has never been made, and so likely will remain the case for the indefinite future.

Otherworldly Bearing

Tall and gangling, Xeidorans seem incredibly alien to the other races of Aurus. They are impressively tall, if lanky, with most standing somewhere between 7 and 8 feet. This height is somewhat mitigated by a tendency to hunch forward, owing to their spinal curvature. Their proportions tend to be long and slender, weighing between 160 and 220 lbs. There is little difference in overall bearing between male and female Xeidoran, the only noteworthy distinction between the two (so far as outsiders are concerned) being the proportions of their jaws and cheeks—males tend to have elongated facial features, while their female counterparts have squat, wide jaws.

Their skin is covered in fine scales, typically ranging from shades of deep gray to mottled, pale green or yellow. Xeidorans have pale, milky eyes with no discernible pupils. The tops of their heads sometimes terminate in protruding ridges that stop just short of appearing as horns. They have no hair on their head or body, and favor bright, loose-fitting garments—typically robes and skirts. Xeidoran speech and language is perhaps the most alien aspect of their race. When speaking, they make use of three distinct sets of vocal cords, each an integral part to speaking their tongue fluently. Called "Three-Tongue" by outsiders, it is practically impossible to reproduce convincingly for other races outside of magic. Three-Tongue has a very ethereal, almost musical quality to it. Each set of vocal cords conveys one of three components of speech: words, tone, and tense.

Far-flung Nomads

Remnants of a nomadic, spacefaring race, what remains of the Xeidoran are a pale shadow of what once was. What vagabond nature the race might have once embraced has all but evaporated in the hive that has sprung up in the Keening Wastes. While they employ ancient technologies to the benefit of their people, they have ultimately forgotten the nature of these devices, or where they originated from. Now, they are treated as holy relics of a nearly scoured empire, employed and regarded as a sort of magic rather than scientific technology. Sprung up from this dynamic is a strict and rigid caste system that divides their people into a culture with three distinct castes: The Workers (Xeimar: artisans and laborers), the Faith (Xeidanar: priests and rulers), and the Military (Kursdanar: soldiers and protectors). There is no room to move within these castes, as one's talents and inclinations are weeded out as soon as possible. Fortunately, personal wealth is not a concept Xeidoran hold in any sort of regard—the benefits of their society are available to all, and the castes are more or less equal with the exception of high ranking Xeidanar. Unfortunately, this means that those who attempt to rail against the system are branded heretical iconoclasts and ultimately exiled for their nonconformity or instability.

Though isolated and alien, Xeidorans have managed to avoid coming off as aloof. In truth, they are very curious and tentatively warm to the other races. The religion that dominates their culture, however, leaves little room for prolonged interaction on a large scale. Even though they have largely forgotten the reason why they are scavenging so desperately for pieces of their history, it remains the foundation of their society.

Sanctuary-Home

While the surrounding region is utterly inhospitable, some of the holy relics central to Xeidoran culture and religion provide them a lavish lifestyle within the safety of their walls. Vast and varied artificial biomes exist within the massive sprawl of Xeidoras proper, upon which massive agricultural enterprises are efficiently operated. If not for the zealotry with which they pursued the remnants of their ancient history, they would likely have little reason to depart from their sanctuary-city.

When encountered elsewhere in the world, it is usually one of the exiled. Often branded iconoclasts and heretics by the Xeidanar Order, these exiles have managed to establish themselves a more or less stable refuge with the aid of Meerks at the edge of the wastes. This is a relationship that has continued to thrive over the centuries, and in the few cases where one finds themselves face to face with a Xeidoran, it is not uncommon for them to be accompanied by one or more Meerks as companions.

Scavengers of a Forgotten History

It is exceedingly rare for a Xeidoran to leave the comfort and protection of their home, but there are exceptions to every rule. Though the majority of their people's artifacts are located in the Keening Wastes, there are occasionally finds in the wider world that warrants their venturing out from seclusion to investigate. Even less commonly, typically involving matters of theft, they will send out a strike force to retrieve their holy relics by force. Encounters with Xeidoran typically occur with those branded Heretic by their contemporaries. While these exiles have formed a sort of commune at the edge of the Keening Wastes, some elect to explore the rest of the world and engage with the myriad races that call it home.

Xeidoran Names

Xeidoran naming conventions follow a Family Name-Given Name-Caste Name formula. These can be quite hard on the tongue for outsiders, so Xeidoran will informally go by their given name when dealing with other races.

Their language makes no distinction between male and female, as the concept of masculine or feminine roles doesn't really exist within their culture beyond reproducing. Caste Names convey specific information that can be used to easily identify one's profession within their society. This usually results in a lot of similar sounding affixes with subtle differences between similar professions (like between a general blacksmith, weaponsmith, and armorer).

Family Names: Amas, Aral, Be, Chles, Duluz, Fomas, Hilun, Horal, Ivnis, Laras, Lesun, Malas, Nalras, Ose, Plem, Quim, Quo, Rana, Sa, Ses, Ure, Vinlis, Xal, Xamas, Xiral

Given Names: Anular, Bolam, Carav, Dolom, Evres, Hamal, Inamis, Kees, Lor, Nolas, Nurad, Olsa, Porav, Qar, Qava, Revlar, Semil, Sulees, Tolar, Urvram, Valar, Xar, Xem, Xedom, Ysam, Zess

Caste Names: Kurs (Warrior), Xeida (Cleric), Xeima (Worker) [Extrapolate/modify from these 3 bases to inform a more specific role]

Xeidoran Traits

Ability Score Increase

Your Wisdom score increases by 2.

Age

Xeidorans reach maturity by their mid teens and can live to be around 200 years old.

Alignment

Those belonging to the caste system place emphases on law and structure above all. Those in exile, owing to their disagreements with their rigid society's edicts, are of a more chaotic bent, wishing to pursue their own interests as opposed to what the social order demands of them. Both tend strongly towards neutral.

Size

Xeidoran, when standing fully upright, tower between 7 and 8 feet tall, but in their typical posture are over a foot shorter. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Xeidorans walk with an almost gangling lope on digitigrade feet, but their long strides make up for their ambling gait. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Tinkerers

All Xeidorans excel at figuring out how things work. You have proficiency in the Investigate skill and with Tinkers' Tools.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Three-Tongue.

Subrace

Reclaimer

Ability Score Increase

Your Intelligence score increases by 1.

Holy Relic

You are in possession of a scavenged Xeidoran artifact. This object is sacred to you, and only you know how to make it work. Any damage to the device can be repaired over the course of a short or long rest. Determine the properties of this device with the tables below. Your device begins with a pool of points to spend on upgrades equal to your Proficiency Bonus.

Heretic

Ability Score Increase

Your Dexterity score increases by 1.

Bend Reality

You have profaned Xeidoras by consuming a holy relic's power. You know the minor illusion cantrip. When you attain 3rd level, you can cast the misty step spell once with this trait. You regain the ability to do so when you finish a short or long rest.

Strike Unseen

You are proficient in the Stealth skill. When you begin and end your turn in total cover or an obscured area, you may attempt to attack a creature without revealing your presence. On a successful attack, the creature must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw (DC = 8 + Proficiency + Wisdom modifier) or remain unaware of your position.