Race a Day: Chordis

It should be noted that, according to the Player's Handbook, "While swimming, creatures that have a swim speed use that speed and do not make Athletics checks to swim." I thought that was kind of neat. Anyway, here are the Chordis!

Chordis

Gentle, graceful clerics flowing from the water to heal those in need.

RACIAL TRAITS

Average Height: 5’4”- 6’5”

Average Weight: 140-200lb.

Ability Scores: +2 Wisdom, +2 Charisma

Size: Medium

Speed: 6 squares, swim 6

Vision: Normal

Languages: Common, Common Draconic, Chordis Dialect

Skill Bonuses: +2 Heal, +2 Insight

Warm Blood: You have resistance to cold of 5 + ½ level. This increases to 10 + ½ level at level 11 and 15 + ½ level at level 21.

Healing Waters: You are a natural born healer. You gain additional healing surges equal to your best ability modifier.

Ancient Chill: You gain dragon breath as an encounter power.

Water of Life: You gain healing pool as an encounter power.

Dragon Breath                                                                      Chordis Racial Power

Mist escapes your lips as you inhale, and when you exhale the world becomes a study in ice.

Encounter ♦ Cold

Minor Action                                                                         Close blast 3

Attack: Ability modifier +2 vs. Reflex

Hit: 1d6 + Ability modifier cold damage and targets are immobilized until the end of your next round (save ends).

Increase to +4 bonus and 2d6 + Ability modifier damage at 11^th level, and to +6 bonus and 3d6 + Ability modifier damage at 21^st level.

Special: When you create your character, choose one of the ability scores as the score to use when making attack rolls with this power. That is also the ability modifier you will use for the damage. This choice remains throughout your character’s life and do not change the power’s other effects.

Healing Pool                                                                           Chordis Racial Power

The purity of water washes away all wounds.

Encounter ♦ Healing

Minor Action                                                                         Close burst 5

(10 at 11^th level, 15 at 21^st level)

Target: You or one ally

Effect: The target is healed as in a healing surge and regains an additional 1d6 hit points. The additional healing is increased to 2d6 at 6^th level, 3d6 at 11^th level, 4d6 at 16^th level, 5d6 at 21^st level, and 6d6 at 26^th level.

Peaceful, graceful, and filled with incredible healing powers, the Chordis are a beautiful and quiet race that tends to stay out of the world if they can help it. Their cities are built out of magic, water, and glass and hidden in the deep recesses of the world where few come, but where water is abundant; some cities are even built under great lakes and seas. Long ago they were hunted for their great power, and many of them were sacrificed to dark deities. Those that are left are few in number, but great in power.

Play a Chordis if you want…

            ♦ to be a beautiful, graceful dragon as swift on land as you are in the water.

            ♦ to be a powerful healer.

            ♦ to be a member of a race that favors the bard, cleric, priest, and shaman classes.

Physical Qualities

Chordis resemble humanoid dragons. Tending towards human sizes, they are sleek and soft, with small, fish-like scales. Everything about the chordis make them look beautiful and graceful. They are thin, but not overly so and have a sheen or shimmer to their scales that almost seems to make them glow. Unlike their other draconic cousins, chordis do not have frills or horns on their head. Also, unlike their cousins, they have hair of a form. Their hair is white and very much resembles seaweed or sea foam. They do not style their hair, instead letting fall naturally where it may. They also have soft, fin-like frills that run over their arms, legs, or down from their head to their long, powerful tails, ending in a large fin that aids them in swimming. Their scales run the gamut of water colors, from deep, deep sea blue, to light, silvery rushing river, to magnificent ocean green.

            Chordis tend toward soft colors that accentuate and compliment their own complexion. Soft, cool colors as well as ornate jewelry will generally adorn any of their race one would meet. They have an extraordinary skill that allows them to shape pure water into incredible crystalline gems and sculptures which they wear as pendants, necklaces, bracelets and various other baubles.

            Choris are rather long lived creatures. They mature quickly and are physically mature by age 10 and are considered adults by age 15. They don’t reach middle age until nearly 200 years, and can live to see over 400 years.

Playing a Chordis

During the Gerrax conquest wars, a dark necromancer named Druss found that several species possessed great power and potent souls that served his dark needs well. The Chordis were among their number. Though they fought and were aided by many other races, their numbers were decimated and they grew fearful of the world, withdrawing further and further until they were entirely separated from other societies. It was believed that Druss had destroyed them all, along with the Unicorns. It wasn’t until recent times, less than 20 years ago that a brave few started returning to a new world, quite different from the one the elders had spoken of. This new generation, very young and curious spread out across the world, hungry for knowledge, to explore, to see the outside world and to find again what their race’s role might be in the grand scheme.

            Chordis society is theocratic. Those will religious influence and knowledge are in charge. Paladins make up the armies while priests and clerics are leaders and law makers. This doesn’t mean that no one can attain status or prestige if they are not religious, it is simply how society is run, and it is a trustworthy system that works well. Chordis tend to be very happy in their lives, and each does their own share rather gladly, knowing that it helps the whole. Theocracy, however, is also the reason they have remained hidden for so very long. Anyone to suggest a return to the world was easily ousted as a heretic and blasphemer, and was punished or, worse, got their wish and were exiled. This fear doesn’t come as a matter of control, it comes from a genuine belief that the outside world wishes to destroy the chordis.

            Being theocratic, chordis are also very religious. When they shut their boarders and hid themselves from the world they lost touch and were completely unaware that their Gods had been sealed away so long ago. They revere Meryvaiya, the Goddess of Life, the Storm, and Water and greatly rely on her power, knowledge and blessings for everyday life. They wake each morning with a prayer of thanks to her, and perform several rituals each day to praise her not only for their own lives, knowing that she created water, and they flow from water so she is their mother, but also to aid her and ask for her blessing. Few are as devout and joyous in their religion as the chordis.

            Being locked away from the rest of the world for 6,000 years has taken its toll on the chordis. While they have honed their healing, their own magic and crafts, they are out of touch with anything new and they are deeply divided. The new generation, less than 100 years of age, feel they have hidden long enough and that they must go out and find their place in the world, once again aid the world at large and rejoin society. Those in charge are desperate to protect their friends, family, and indeed, even the whole of their race. However, in recent times, and after one of their own, long exiled returned with news of the outside world, they have relented. They have opened their boarders only for their people to leave. Revealing their hidden cities to the whole of the outside world is forbidden until more is known.

            Those chordis that choose to leave their homes and explore tend to be young, idealistic and optimistic. They are looking for fun, adventure, new stories, new friends, and to see who they really are. They feel that they have been stifled and that their exile is a reasonable price for their new freedom.

Chordis Characteristics: Adventerous, carefree, cautious, curious, devout, friendly, naïve, optimistic, youthful

Male Names: Ayvar, Bellis, Ceerdol, Dyrris, Gerrath, Jossir, Korryn, Ledarren, Myllin, Naydath, Sovor, Tevrys, Teyr, Tor

Female Names: Arianna, Cyranna, Devyathanna, Eris, Faith, Feylinn, Jynra, Levara, Meryvaiya, Minry, Nellina, Rain, Sylvis

Chordis Adventurers

Three sample chordis adventurers are described below.

            Naydath is a shaman recently gone out into the world to reconnect with the spirits of the world. He seeks new companions and to protect more than just his underwater home. Exploration is his first priority, followed immediately by meeting new people and aiding those in need. He hopes to visit some of the old places the elders spoke, most specifically Merivaiya’s Tears; a lake said to be born of the loss of his own people so long ago by their chosen deity. It is a pilgrimage once made by his ancestors before they went into hiding, and he intends to learn the way so he can take others and once again start the grand tradition.

            Rain is a former guard of the crown and warlock. Her ties to the Fel and Shadows have ever made her dour and difficult, and she tries the patience of her elders. She has been sent out into the world to gather information. The elders wish to see if the world truly has changed, if it is safe to completely reveal themselves once again. To this end, and without enthusiasm Rain has found a small group of adventurers who recognized her talent and ability and welcomed her with open arms. Despite her fears, prejudice, and general pessimism, she is finding that there are those among her group she doesn’t hate, and at least one that she even likes. She is considering this new world and its treasures…

            When others from his home began to make their way back into the world, the elders of Gerrath’s home saw an opportunity they couldn’t miss. With a minor bit of persuasion, some carefully chosen words, and a very shiny coin, they managed to convince this chaos wizard that it was time for him to go out into the world himself, and see what wonders there may be. Gerrath left and hasn’t looked back. He continues to travel, eager to find new wonders, new friends, and to see how many things are, as the elders said, in fact made of delicious chocolate. So far, he hasn’t found many chocolate delights, and in fact, some of the things he bit into bit back, but it hasn’t soured his mood at all as he travels the width and breadth of Joresch.