Race a Day: Joural

We're done with the dragons. Now on to the elves. Here are the Joural!

Joural

Whimsical elves filled with the powers of the elements.

RACIAL TRAITS

Average Height: 5’3”-5’10”

Average Weight: 130-170 lb.

Ability Scores: +2 to 2 ability scores of your choice

Size: Medium

Speed: 6 squares

Vision: Normal

Languages: Common, Elven, Joural Dialect

Skill Bonuses: +2 Arcana, +2 Nature

Elemental Bond: Choose one of the four basic elements; air, earth, fire, or water. This becomes your elemental bond and the bonuses you gain are chosen from that element.

Part of the Whole: You have resistance to the element of your choosing of 5 + ½ level. This increases to 10 + ½ level at level 11 and 15 + ½ level at level 21. Air is resistant to force damage, earth is resistant to acid damage, fire is resistant to fire damage, and water is resistant to cold damage.

Glide (Requires Air): You gain invisible step as an encounter power.

Earth Guard (Requires Earth): You gain earth warden as an encounter power.

Raze the Enemy (Requires Fire): You gain fire flash as an encounter power.

Purity (Requires Water): You gain soothing mist as an encounter power.

Elemental Soul: You gain fury of the elements as an encounter power.

Invisible Step                                                                         Joural Racial Power

You fade away for a moment and a breeze blows past your enemy. Too late he notices you are behind him.

Encounter ♦ Teleportation

Move Action                                                                          Personal

Effect: Teleport up to 5 squares. (see “Teleportation” page 286 of the Player’s Handbook I).

Earth Warden                                                                       Joural Racial Power

The earth rumbles and slowly crawls over you, forming a solid shield against oncoming attacks.

Encounter

Minor Action                                                                         Personal

Effect: You gain a +5 bonus to AC until the end of the encounter.

Level 11: +10

Level 21: +15

Fire Flash                                                                               Joural Racial Power

With a smile, flames leap up around you and explodes to your foes.

Encounter ♦ Fire

Minor Action                                                                         Close burst 2

Attack: Ability modifier +2 vs. Reflex

Hit: 1d6 + Ability modifier fire damage, 5 ongoing fire damage, and targets are blind 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.

Soothing Mist                                                                         Joural Racial Power

A gentle rain falls washing away all injury.

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 gains regeneration 5 + half level until the end of the encounter. This ability  may be used up to 2 times per encounter, but only once per round. The regeneration is increased to 10 + half level at 11^th level, and 15 + half level at 21^st level.

Fury of the Elements                                                                        Chordis Racial Power

You glow with a white haze as you fill yourself with power. That power is unleashed as a torrent of elemental fury on your foes.

Encounter ♦ Acid, Cold, Fire, Force

Minor Action                                                                         Close blast 3

Attack: Ability modifier +2 vs. Reflex

Hit: 1d6 + Ability modifier damage.

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. The damage is determined by your element; air deals force damage, earth deals acid damage, fire deals fire damage, and water deals cold damage.

Through long study, patience and practice, the joural have come to master the elements, and become a living part of them. Their love of magic and study has granted them great knowledge and great power, and their search for greater knowledge is insatiable.

Play a joural if you want…

            ♦ to be a powerful elf imbued with the power of the elements.

            ♦ to be wise, patient and powerful.

            ♦ to be a member of a race that is flexible enough to be favorable for any class.

Physical Qualities

Joural are a variety of elf and have the standard features of most elves; pointed ears, little body hair, slight, delicate, athletic bodies, long delicate fingers and limbs, but joural aren’t very tall or very large, standing just under 6 feet at their tallest. They also differ from both their brethren and humans in their complexion and hair color. The joural tend to reflect the element they have bonded with. Joural bonded with air tend to have white, pale skin and long, fine silvery hair with eyes the color of a summer sky or the color of an oncoming storm. Those who are tied to the earth tend to have very earthy skin, like good fresh dirt or solid mountains, and thick, curly green hair like leaves or grass, and very brown or gray eyes. The quick fire joural have orange or red skin with long wavy hair that is also either red or orange giving them the appearance of being living fire. Their eyes burn bright red like hot embers. Finally, those joural who have bonded with water have light blue or green skin, with long, fluffy hair that tends to be green like sea foam. Their eyes range from green to blue as well, and can change depending on their mood.

            The joural age as humans do, but can live to be nearly 1000 years old. They stay vital even into old age.

Playing a Joural

The joural, like all elves on Joresch, are born of the original elves; the valdis. However, when the ydris – the natural dragons – and yurisai were born, a large number of elves became very interested in the new workings of Joresch and began to study the magic involved. Eventually they found what they were looking for, and some began to bond directly with Joresch, gaining amazing new abilities and changing the elves forever. Joural are a very curious group. They love knowledge and new things. They are incredibly passionate about learning and can very nearly always be found in or running the great libraries of the world. The largest concentration of joural reside in the Academy of the World in Graywyn tending to the library there. Many others teach and study in Q’omar.

They have no structured society nor their own personal home. They are welcome in the elf home of Ha’tai Jyar, and quite welcome among most elven society. However, while many live there and have families there, they very nearly always tend to move out into the world to search for more knowledge, settling wherever their fancy takes them. The joural follow the laws of the valdis and the King and Council Aiyeen, but have little interest in politics.

The Gods are a passing interest to the joural. The Gods lived and some have died, and others  have taken the place of the fallen, but they are little more than academic interests to the joural. They follow the tenants of Teyr laid down so long ago, and will occasionally pray to him or Gyllian, but overall, they seek their own answers, their own truths, and their own paths.

Joural are a very lighthearted, fun loving people. They have a great array of knowledge and wisdom and it has given them a very optimistic outlook on life. They enjoy meeting new people and making friends and are congenial and easy going and very pleasant people. While they love to learn, they know that life is more than books and knowledge and a good drink with good food and good people is always welcome. They love to listen to and tell stories and will pass the time in a bar delighted with nearly everyone they meet. A joural is a wonderful, warm, loyal and great friend to have as an ally.

Joural Characteristics: Brave, creative, curious, friendly, fun loving, loyal, optimistic, wise

Male Names: Arten, Belwyn, Cairne, Edren, Iolo, Korryn, Kyrlin, Londris, Menlo, Orryn, Perrin, Quinn, Rennis, Sarren, Sora, Teyr

Female Names: Alanna, Carra, Cyr, Dialla, Iren, Jennis, Kala, Kitren, Kyra, Liorus, Minara, Nina, Qellis, Rina, Syrra, Tellana

Joural Adventurers

Three sample joural adventurers are described below.

            Iolo is a joural ranger who has spent his life learning all he can about the forests and wild places of Joresch. He has started to see a pattern in many places; creatures are becoming infected with a strange sickness that seems to be turning them into shadow creatures. His investigations have led him to Silverthal in Berem where he has met an adventuring group who has found the same trouble. One of their own seems to be infected and together they set off in search of a cure and the culprit behind the mysterious illness.

            The elements are Kala’s greatest ally and weapons. She thrills in her elemental powers and is constantly looking for better ways to hone her skills. She enlisted in the ranks of the forest guard in her home. She found pride and a great thrill in her work, protecting her friends and family from bandits and dangerous animals that might find them. One day a darkness descended on her forest home, and soldiers surged through, burning everything as they moved. They were led by a dark woman who wielded great arcane power. Though her allies were strong, they were easily dispatched by this army as they moved through. Kala herself was thrown to the ground, badly injured. A soldier moved to kill her, sword at her throat, but before he could react, he was torn in two and thrown. A gigantic black kasoev moved over her, tearing through the rest of the army and calling out the woman in charge. Kala blacked out, but when she came to, she was being cared for by a white lycan woman with a scar. She was with the dragon, chasing this strange army that had destroyed her home. The lycan invited Kala to join them at Q’omar, where she could gain more power and knowledge, and perhaps, one day, avenge those who had been taken from her.

            Alanna cannot recall the last time she had a humanoid form. She was infected, long ago, with a strange sickness; a disease that has been eating away at her, tearing at her mind, body and soul. When her father was murdered before her eyes, she leaped upon the intruder, tearing a chunk out of his flesh. The man got away, but she has chased him, tracking him with her druid abilities. Since that day the sickness has taken her, and dark scars have formed under her eyes. She feels the need to hunt, to feed, to kill for the simple thrill of it. She know that man must have a cure for what ails her, and she will not stop until she is free from the sickness, and her father’s murderer is dead and paying for his sins.