Gods of Chaos: a Riot God Quest

Race Name Sehranen
Boon Major

Description:
The Sehranen are an amphibious race hailing from Stromhiem whose biology allows them to thrive in the otherwise punishing deserts of the continent. They are hardy creatures that require little in the way of food and water, and are notably capable of weathering arid conditions that most other creatures would struggle with. The most unusual feature of this race is the magical crystalline core located within their chests that grant them the ability to gain strength and subsistence from the sun.


Physical Appearance:
Sehranen are short, squat, scaled humanoids who lack any sort of neck and have large eyes that bulge out from the sides of their head, granting them 360 degrees of vision. They share an uncanny visual similarity to frogs, with the most notable similarity being their eyes – they have horizontal pupils and transparent inner eyelids that keep their eyes moist and protect them from dust. However, the similarities end there, with the most obvious divergence being the small set of vestigial wings that Sehranen usually keep tightly tucked into their back. Sehranen claws are short but sharp, capable of at least drawing blood from all but the toughest opponents.

All Sehranen are pale white at birth, but their scales will slowly begin to change color during the course of their adolescence. The coloring they acquire relies primarily on their diet, but the intensity of those colors is solely determined by their personality; those with powerful passions and strong convictions will have the brightest colors, while those without either will appear dull and drab. The most common colors are brown, red, and green, but with the right diet Sehranen scales can potentially be nearly any color imaginable.


Biology:
The most unique feature of the Sehranen is a singular crystalline stone (typically referred to as a heartstone) that lies in the center of their chest, between the heart and lungs. It is an inherently magical material that allows all Sehranen to passively absorb the heat of the sun, so that their body may slowly break down this magical heat into natural organic energy. As such, Sehranen are omnivores who diet relies on consuming important vitamins and minerals that they cannot gain from sunlight. Sehranen eat little and can go long periods of time without food, though any Sehranen who do not spend the majority of their waking hours in sunlight will require far larger meals.

Sehranen scales are rough to the touch and offers somewhat substantial protection against physical damage. More importantly, they greatly aid in their ability to retain water in even the harshest of conditions, allowing them to traverse arid deserts for extended lengths of time without issue. They can go nearly six days without water before mild torpor begins to set in, and it typically takes almost nine days before a Sehranen is at risk of dying from thirst.

Though Sehranen are amphibious, they are surprisingly subaverage swimmers, mostly due to having arms and legs more suited to walking across land then swimming through water. It is for this reason that they tend to prefer lakes and rivers over the ocean. Sehranen can go without oxygen for over four minutes, or up to ten if they remain mostly still and conserve energy. Sehranen are not well suited to aquatic combat, but can still defend themselves from aquatic predators through intelligent tactics and tool usage.

Sehranen hatch in clutches. The female Sehranen will lays a cluster of eggs that hatch after three weeks of incubation, and typically result in anywhere from six to eighteen newborn Sehranen. The eggs must be kept consistently damp or else become less likely to successfully hatch.

Sehranen heartstones never stop growing. This steadily increases the amount of sunlight that they can store inside their bodies, which counter-intuitively means that older Sehranen are physically stronger and more energetic than younger Sehranen. However, because heartstones never stop growing, there will eventually come a time when their heartstone becomes large enough to interfere with their breathing or the beating of the heart, which eventually kills them. This acts as a cap for the natural lifespan of a race that would otherwise be considered biologically immortal.


Culture:
Sehranen are naturally social creatures that easily form friendships and greatly enjoy singing, dancing, and storytelling. They put heavy cultural emphasis on the importance of strength of personality, and respect those who are confident and deeply committed to their moral principles.

During infancy, children are expected to be taken care of by their biological mother and father, but upon entering adolescence their care often becomes a far more communal affair. Specific Sehranen will dedicate themselves entirely to childcare, taking it as their stated profession, and will spend the majority of their time raising and educating the children of other Sehranen. As such, they have great social influence in Sehranen culture and are often considered the heart of a community. Sehranen place no special emphasis on biological heritage.

Sehranen, as a rule, value those with intensely-colored scales higher than those with duller scales. Coloring act as a powerful social indicator and an important mark of personal identity. In Sehranen fiction, bright scales act as an easy shorthand for importance and power, with the correlating assumption that those with dull scales are weaker and less important. While this isn't necessarily true, it is a cultural bias nearly all Sehranen are prone to.

Because the emotional state of a Sehranen can affect their physical appearance, they are very aware of the dangers of mental illness, and in turn place importance on proper mental wellbeing. While the cultural impact of this mindset is mostly positive, there are still some negative aspects to this, with the most notorious example being the commonly-held believe that one should never dwell on grief for any extended length of time. This is because grief-stricken Sehranen who remain unhappy for too long will begin to visually showcase this through the dulling of their scales, which in turn gives the appearance of their grief "weakening" them.

Sehranen are most comfortable in hot environments, and do not handle the cold well. They are a culturally nomadic race that often congregate around lakes, rivers, and other bodies of water. They will typically only settle down in one location to lay eggs and raise children, and leave as soon as these children are old enough to survive further traveling.


Other:
Sehranen have a somewhat stronger affinity for magic than most other races, though this affinity is not overly pronounced. The exception to this is sun magic, which all members of the race naturally excel at.

Sehranen heartstones retain their magical properties after their death. Heartstone will steadily output heat so long as they have access to sunlight, and are useful ingredients for a number of magic rituals and recipes. They can also be ground into powder and ingested for sudden boosts of energy, and interestingly enough this effect is not limited to Sehranens; all races can take advantage of these magical "heart potions". As this crystal powder is extremely potent, heavy dilution is required to safely harness this unique property, which in turn stretches the number of potions that can be made from a single heartstone.

Some would say that the Abyss is a prison- they would be wrong. It is understandable to make such a mistake, as the realm is an infinite expanse of darkness where water doesn't drain into from the oceans connected to it, in fact, water in general seems to rise, moving to drain out of exit portals, creating puddles where Abyss entrances exist. With the only 'light' being born from portals into this realm, the abyss runs on some slightly different rules compared to the rest of reality. To enter the Abyss requires that one dives into the deepest points of the sea, into the darkest parts of a world where light of any kind has never touched it. It is only in these places that one can enter this realm, of course, for travelers with lanterns and sources of artificial light these portals shall shut sealed forever more as any light natural or artificial shall shut the gates into the Abyss. It is difficult to describe the transition into the Abyss, as the portals can only exist within complete darkness. As such, they have to be unseen by nature, the transition itself however, is near instant. One moment one is within the world, and the next they find themself on a Chain linking to the depths of the Abyss- escape at this point is somewhat easy, just turn around and climb out... just try not to fall.

Within the Abyss the inky blackness is so thick that it quite literally keeps non-living things afloat the deeper down you move, despite its intangible nature. Of course, this would be the point where the one traveling the Abyss would likely learn it's more hostile relationship with light. Should one use a torch, a spell, or some means to create light upon which to see, they will find themselves feeling as if they were burning while in the radius of the light as the darkness is scoured from their bodies. Furthermore, light itself is notably dimmer in the Abyss, barely able to exist above the most faint glow. Oddly enough, those within these depths can see perfectly, as if the darkness were the light of day. The Abyss is filled with chains made from a Smokey silver stone. Abyss-Stone is a deceptive and brittle substance that may appear as metal with it's luster and sheen, but is only as durable mere as stone. Every Chain in the Abyss is made from this stone, and each length of chain varies in size. Some can be as thin as a finger, others, can be monstrously large things that dwarf living beings and make mountains look like pebbles on the road. These chains Twist and turn through the Abyss, the largest ones creating their own gravitational pull in the process as that cloying darkness soaks everything within the realm. Were one to look closely at these chains, they would see that the links were perfect circles, each interlocked with one another with the implication of an unknown source keeping tension between the ends... but then the question becomes, what is anchoring these chains?

Should one rise to the highest points of the Abyss, and climb these chains- they would find that each Chain is linked to a portal into this realm, and should the chain be destroyed, the portal shall shut. Of course, that's only one of two linking points, and the question then becomes, what is it the chains attach to? Some of these chains will link into other portals to other worlds or openings within a single world, while others trail into the depths, hidden by that thick, cloying darkness. For the intrepid few who wish to explore this realm, be warned, the Abyss guards it's contents eagerly, devouring the living and wearing away at the things inside. Each and every one of those Chains will in time break, shattering and dropping into the darkness below as they slowly disintegrate into a fine silvery sand. However, the Abyss isn't a place of pure entropy either, as new chains can be forged from seemingly nothing- these links always appearing where new portals to this realm are created.

Dwelling within the Abyss is a dangerous thing, as it has a naturally hostile effect on things not born from it. Outsiders will find their bodies suffering from increasing levels of fatigue over time, their bodies and flesh being worn away, scrapes appearing over flesh as the mortal forms grow more and more fragile, the very darkness itself acting as a poison that slowly breaks down the Outsiders within its embrace. There are ways to ward off these effects of course, as the very material the Chains are made of works to deny this natural Entropy, taking the strain onto the material instead of the person... at least until the warding item disintegrates into a fine silvery white dust.

But what lies in the bottom of the Abyss? It's an endless desert of fine silver white sand, the dunes stretch and shift into the distance, mountains born from the fragments of fallen Chains of Abyss-Stone break the landscape, each lodged in the sand to slowly be buried as aeons pass. At the bottom most levels of the Abyss, things no longer decay, nor do they break apart under the effect of the darkness around them, instead they are Lost. One might assume gravity doesn't work, as lesser material items float into the air, threatening to rise far above to less Darkness dense areas of the Abyss. Living beings are only weighed down by their Souls, preventing them from floating away in turn. The Chains, or what parts of them make the trip, create the landscape and forge mountains and other such shapes. They create massive formations of not quite stone in an otherwise endless desert. Furthermore, this is the point where one would find that the Abyss's darkness can settle into a truly fluid state, and should one dig deep under the sands, they will find that the darkness itself has become solid.

To exist within the deepest depths of the Abyss is to be Lost to the world. People that once knew you will slowly forget you, as only the consequences of your actions and your creations will remain. Writings with your name will gradually grow more worn and increasingly likely to be damaged the longer you stay. To be Lost makes it difficult, if not impossible to escape, for one would need to climb from the bottom of the Abyss to the surface and return to the world of Creation, with all of gravity working to pull you back to the silver sands below. Those who escape the depths of the Abyss too late are doomed to find that without the Darkness of the Abyss, their bodies will slowly start to collapse into that silvery sand. There is a way to save oneself from this fate- and that is to be remembered. For as long as someone remembers the traveler in the Abyss, the victim in question shall not be taken and and claimed by the realm. As long as their written name is associated with them as a person, that link will prevent the Abyss from Claiming it's victim and allow them to escape. But be warry, for the Abyss wishes to keep all that it claims...