EYALEN RIA — SPECIES

Salorras species: eyalen ria — the only demon-blooded kindred, eyafen heroes warped by two centuries of siege in the Paths of the Ancients until the blood of Saragoth ran in their veins: towering, terrifying, and bound by the Tradition of Blood. 2024 has no analogue for this people; this is a custom Salorras species capturing the eyalen ria’s demonic might, predatory speed, fear-magic, and the three-bloodline heritage of their third name. Ability scores come from your background, as in 2024.

Origin: Born of two centuries of demonic siege in the Paths of the Ancients — eyafen warriors transformed by the blood of Saragoth Stature: 1.85–2.30 m, ~110 kg — pale grey-yellow skin streaked with black veins, muscular and exotic-featured Lifespan: Long-lived in the manner of the eyafen, warped by demonic taint — a precise range unrecorded Houses: Jah · Loh · Nag · Raeh · Sha Faith: No god — each eyalen ria is a “little god of themselves”; the Tradition of Blood codifies their law, custom, and seven-year blood-rite Languages: Native — Sigthaa (a spoken-only dialect of Merylia with demonic roots from Saragoth); local — Merylia (Neluvia)

The eyalen ria were born of the demonic invasion of Salorras. In 406 IIE the goddess Mother reopened the gates of the Paths of the Ancients, where veteran warriors waited to fight the demons of Saragoth trapped within — but the world received instead its forgotten eyafen heroes, sealed there for more than two hundred years. Their new generations, raised on the blood, flesh, and marrow of demons in an endless battle for survival, were forged by war and chiseled by fate, leaving behind the heritage of their eyafen “fathers.” They were named eyalen ria — the people of blood: “the terror in vessels of flesh,” as they say of themselves, a people of unholy blood so primal that even in the Era of the Third Moon the sound of their name stirs fear in the stoutest-hearted warriors.

Character

Most eyalen ria are aggressive, high-strung, and act on impulse to seize what they want. Hard and violent, they take any situation into their own hands without hesitation. They respect physical strength as a virtue and esteem those superior in martial skill — a feeling that drives them to grow more competitive. They never forget insults, nor the names of those who beat them in battle. The demonic blood “commands” them to provoke fear in those around them, while the faint heritage they kept from the eyafen gives them zero tolerance for any who deny others their choices. They set as their purpose a life without compromise, live in the moment, and keep their abilities ever sharpened, facing their existence as an endless battle of survival.

Appearance

The demonic heritage of the eyalen ria is plain to see. Their size inspires awe — markedly larger than the other common peoples, 1.85 to 2.30 meters in height and averaging 110 kilos. Their muscular, hairless bodies bear a pale, sickly grey-yellow hue that throws their black veins into sharp contrast; their wild, exotic features, strong cheekbones, and deep dark eyes and hair never pass unnoticed. They favor long hair bound into braids, dress plainly — often bare from the waist up — and craft collars and bracelets from the teeth of their enemies. Every child of the unholy blood bears on the left palm the tattoo of their family, an emblem that grows more elaborate with their years and deeds.

Neighbors and Rivals

The demonic nature of the eyalen ria breeds distrust and hostility in the other peoples; they are met with fear and prejudice and rarely accepted. It is rumored that one who wins an eyalen ria’s respect keeps their friendship forever. For their part, the eyalen ria look on most peoples with contempt, scorning any civilization not born of the struggle to survive. They openly respect the pyrekin for their passion for independence, and keep a wary, neutral stance toward the eyafen, in whom they see a reflection of their purer self. In recent years the eyalen ria of Gleean Fala — the Valley of Blood — have befriended the Praecarians of Asmeda, keep contact with the Eyafen Dominion of Neluvia, seek a voice in the Council of Friends of Khalendianil, and share a bridge of respect with the dwarves of the Burning Island against their common enemy out of Saragoth.

Faith

The eyalen ria honor no god, believing each of them a little god in their own right — or, as their shamans hold, “gods of themselves.” Though no organized faith exists, they honor the passing of time, the change of seasons, and the cycles the moons travel around Salorras, living by the “Tradition of Blood” that covers their laws, mores, and customs. Every seven years the Tradition commands every family to attend the sacred rites of their shamans and offer to the table of sacrifice one of its own children — by which they believe they secure the harmonious orbit of the moons and the steady flow of aether and shadow through the world’s reflections, a balance which, if derailed, will bring the revelation of Salorras.

Conscience

Independent and wild, beastly and primal, the eyalen ria are creatures of chaos, and only the Tradition of Blood holds their society bound — the customs and the fear of their elders. They cannot stifle their desire for independence, nor be hemmed in by laws and rules; they love to see terror in their enemies’ eyes, driven by savage joy as they “conquer” the obstacles in their path.

Eyalen Ria Domains

The few thousand eyalen ria who survived within the Paths of the Ancients returned, after 202 years, to a besieged and unrecognizable Salorras. Some stayed on Neluvia, integrating in their own way into the Eyafen Dominion; most sought a place of their own, far from the other peoples. In 412 IIE thousands arrived on the isle of Stuadhan Ciuin, the isle of “Calm Waves,” and after years of bloodshed among the dwarven settlers the isle was renamed Eilean Fuil Ria — the Isle of Blood. By 420 IIE the eyalen ria prevailed as its dominant people and soon raised their first city in the Valley of Blood. In the Era of the Third Moon they are overlords of Eilean Fuil Ria, keep an outpost outside the Neluvian capital Meliriee for diplomacy with the eyafen, and hold by force one islet of the Bramblemesh archipelago through their slave-gladiators.

Wanderers and Seekers

It is uncommon — though not unheard of — for an eyalen ria to leave their homeland. Those who do often carry a dark reason: a feud over land among their families, an undefeatable enemy within their circle, or a personal failure. Many travel to the distant Bramblemesh archipelago to take willing part in its arena duels, spreading the fame of their people’s martial skill; some depart with the blessings of the elder shamans to better understand their place in the world. Whatever the reason, wherever they go, an eyalen ria cuts their course by the Tradition of Blood.

Language

The eyalen ria speak Sigthaa, a distinct corrupted dialect of Merylia with roots in the demonic speech of Saragoth — rough to the ear, full of meaning, and with no written form. They rarely consent to speak other tongues even when they know them; the most common they learn after their own is Merylia, the common tongue of Neluvia.

Eyalen Ria Starborns

In the Era of the Third Moon there are no known starborn of the eyalen ria. The scholars of the world call them “incapable” of seizing the spark of the starborn, holding that they were tainted by the alien dimension of Saragoth, once and for all.

Names

Every name is unique, made of three parts. The first part, used in introductions, has no gender; to fail to return the courtesy or address it correctly is a huge insult. The second part is the family name — the five families being Jah, Loh, Nag, Raeh, and Sha (“the unbreakable,” “the strength,” “the eternal,” “the bloody,” “the chain”). The third and last part is granted only to elders or to those who have stood out in might, gained through a rite with the shamans and revealed only to those present. Its meaning is fundamental to the bearer’s temperament and strengthens their power — but those who know it can call upon the eyalen ria’s demonic nature to command them.

Female or Male names: Abigor, Agera, Ayperos, Berith, Botis, Caym, Charon, Deuma, Eurynome, Fonkalp, Gaap, Geryon, Haures, Kobal, Loricom, Mandares, Nuliac, Orpha, Ratmis, Shorac, Vaxal, Zgaron. Full name examples: Arga Jah Zogthiroz, Belgas Loh Jogdromon, Drasmis Raeh Trarnonorth, Kralocar Nag Thogmeros, Liarac Sha Koz’gunol, Pagmar Jah Vozurunth, Rikon Raeh Dangromuth, Vgolor Nag Iggamath.

Eyalen Ria Traits (5e 2024)

The eyalen ria are a perverse continuation of the eyafen — their forebears’ blood woven through with the dark power of the demons of Saragoth that forged them in the Paths of the Ancients. Your ability scores come from your background, as in 2024.

• Creature Type: Humanoid. For any game effect that targets or affects Fey or faye, you also count as a Fey (Fayen Blood — the faye heritage your demonic taint never erased).
• Size: Medium (typically 1.85–2.30 m tall).
• Predator’s Stride (Speed): Your base walking Speed is 40 feet.
• Demonborn Sight (Darkvision): You have Darkvision with a range of 60 feet, seeing only in shades of gray.
• Terror’s Mantle: You are a terrifying predator with a hunter’s senses. You gain proficiency in Intimidation and in one of the following skills of your choice: Perception or Survival.
• Tainted Blood: Your blood is a constant reaction. You have Resistance to Poison damage, and you have Advantage on saving throws against poison and against contracting diseases.
• Deathgrip: You delight in grappling larger foes. You have Advantage on any ability check or attack roll you make to Grapple a creature larger than you, and you can attempt to Grapple a creature up to two sizes larger than you.
• The Dread Stare: As a Bonus Action, you can fix your gaze on one creature you can see within 30 feet and let your demonic essence spill out as terror. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw (DC = 8 + your Proficiency Bonus + your Charisma modifier) or have the Frightened condition until the end of your next turn. Once you use this trait, you can’t use it again until you finish a Short or Long Rest.
• Demonic Heritage Name: Your third name binds you to one of the three lineages of your fathers out of Saragoth. When you reach character level 5, choose one Bloodline — Anger, Arousal, or Fear. Once per Long Rest, as a Magic action, you radiate a 20-foot Emanation for 1 minute; each creature of your choice in it makes a Wisdom saving throw (same DC as The Dread Stare). Creatures that are Dragons, Elementals, Fey, Fiends, or Undead automatically succeed. A creature that fails suffers your Bloodline’s effect (repeating the save at the end of each of its turns to end it), and a creature that succeeds is immune to your aura for 24 hours:
  • Anger — the creature is overcome by fury and must use its action to attack the nearest creature it can see (as a rage turned outward).
  • Arousal (passed from the succubi of Saragoth) — the creature is Charmed by you and has Disadvantage on attack rolls against you.
  • Fear (passed from the most fearsome Saragothan demons) — the creature is Frightened of you and must move away from you if able.
• Languages: You know Sigthaa and Merylia, plus one other language of your choice.