Kezaari

"If you have never been to a Kezaari celebration," it has been said, "then either you have not lived—or you are wrong, and simply don't remember it." The Kezaari have maintained a reputation as the most accomplished hedonists in all of Encara, and that reputation, they will freely admit, is entirely earned.

Deeply connected to the currents of living magic in Encara, the Kezaari are a people of passion and celebration. They are aggressively positive as a culture and have almost no traditions comparable to marriage or even monogamy. All the words referring to such "limiting" conditions of interpersonal relationships are loanwords from other cultures.

This carefree tradition of pleasure and indulgence was, on Encara, largely enabled by the plentiful lands that the Kezaari called home. Old Mishvara was a nation rich with ores and minerals, making for easy exports, and its soil was bountiful. Around two-thirds of the eastern hemisphere of Encara's food supply originated there, and with their connection to the magic of life, the Kezaari almost effortlessly encouraged their lands to flourish.

That was in the old world, though.

Since the Diaspora, the Kezaari have developed a reputation for sobriety and somberness. Though only elves, dwarves, and gnomes are long-lived enough to remember the Kezaari as they once were, even the shortest-lived Tabaxi are aware that the Kezaari are perhaps the most changed of all the nations to have left Encara. Their music has become poignant enough to bring every listener to tears, and their poetry breaks the hearts of all who read it. Of all the elven people, none so loved Encara—the living world itself—as the Kezaari did. It is as though they lost not a mother, but a lover.

In time, there are those who hope that the Kezaari will learn to love Thaedros and perhaps receive the love of this world in return. In Enethir, where the majority of them have settled, they tend to take on roles in farming and cultivation, or in consolidating the elven racial history into rich ballads and poems to ensure that the memory of their lost love is never forgotten.

Racial Traits

Special Abilities

Fey Ancestry You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic cannot put you to sleep.

Trance Instead of sleeping, you enter a deep meditation for 4 hours, gaining the same benefits as an 8-hour rest.

Rhythms of Life Your connection to the magic of life grants you proficiency in Performance. Additionally, you can cast the Druidcraft cantrip at will, and once per long rest, you may cast Speak with Plants without expending a spell slot.

Resonant Soul Your magic is intertwined with emotion and song. You gain proficiency in one musical instrument of your choice, and whenever you make a Persuasion or Performance check involving music, you may add double your proficiency bonus instead of your normal proficiency bonus.

Basic Traits

Speed Your base walking speed is 35 feet (30 feet + 5 feet elven bonus).

Languages You can speak, read, and write Common and Elvish.

Backgrounds

Caretaker of the Grove

Once, you tended the flourishing lands of Old Mishvara. Now, you work to coax life from Thaedros, nurturing crops, orchards, and groves in a world less willing to yield its bounty.

• Skill Proficiencies: Nature, Medicine
• Tool Proficiencies: Herbalism Kit, Brewer's Supplies
• Languages: One of your choice (Sylvan recommended)
• Feature: Verdant Touch - You can identify the health of plants and soil at a glance and have advantage on checks to determine how to best cultivate or restore them.
• Ability Score Increases: +2 Wisdom, +1 Charisma

Wanderer of Lost Songs

You carry the lost music of Encara within you, traveling from place to place, preserving its ballads and adding new stories to the great song of your people.

• Skill Proficiencies: Performance, History
• Tool Proficiencies: One musical instrument, Calligrapher's Supplies
• Languages: One of your choice (Elvish recommended)
• Feature: Echoes of the Past - You have an uncanny ability to recall melodies, poetry, and oral histories, allowing you to recite songs and tales from cultures long forgotten.
• Ability Score Increases: +2 Charisma, +1 Intelligence

Keeper of the Last Harvest

You were among those who oversaw the final harvests of Encara, ensuring that what little could be carried into exile was preserved. Now, you turn that experience toward ensuring that no one goes hungry in this new world.

• Skill Proficiencies: Survival, Persuasion
• Tool Proficiencies: Cook's Utensils, Carpenter's Tools
• Languages: One of your choice
• Feature: Provider's Instinct - You have advantage on checks made to locate or prepare edible food in the wilderness, and your meals provide temporary hit points equal to your proficiency bonus to those who partake in them.
• Ability Score Increases: +2 Wisdom, +1 Constitution