#no Hero Forge this time because it cannot do spider people that well lol

[worldofpamyst]

Species of Pamyst - Elves, Part 3: Moonkissed

What if dark elves were about spiders for more than just vibes?

Once upon a time, the infamous Ilumara were known in Pholodelas as the Moonkissed Elves in honor of the goddess Elpispes, patron deity of the deep elves and the moons. The descendants of Auvantéara driven into The Gloom by the War of the Giants, the Ilumara were thought to have been tricked by a wicked spider goddess known only as the Mother of Shadows into breaking L’ancien Accord and becoming her mortal slaves until being freed by Elpispes, the goddess of hope and illusion, and Sham, the god of luck and greed, with a bargain known as The Masquerade. With this new agreement, the Ilumara were granted a taste of the immense telepathic powers their conqueror possessed and the means to survive without The Mother’s foul influence by allowing them to feast upon the monsters and moss of The Gloom. This accord granted unprecedented freedom to the formerly enslaved elves, who quickly splintered to find new lives. As most Ilumara with an interest in the surface world were Daughters of the Song, most land-walkers only knew the friendliest and most faithful of Elpispes’ followers.

This romantic reputation was shattered by the outbreak of the Dark Insurgency, when a despotic empire of Ilumara sworn to the Mother of Shadows known as The Clutch launched a surprise war of eradication on the surface world during the midst of the Quincentennial War. The brutality and treachery displayed by the mightiest Ilumaran society shocked Pholodelas and forever stained the rose-tinted view of those now dubbed the Dark Elves even as countless rebellions fought alongside the surface against the darkness. In the centuries since, Ilumara are still often looked upon with a degree of suspicion due to their telepathic natures and complex, borderline incomprehensible honor code that frightens the paranoid and illinformed. Though they can and do find success just about anywhere in Pholodelas, a significant portion are most at ease in The Conglomerate or so-called Low Crown member-states of the Sixty Crowns Coalition where their talents are more properly appreciated. Ilumara are famously friends with Dwarves dating back to the times even before the Dark Insurgency, leading them to be among the most technologically savvy of Pholodelasian Elves and a welcome sight in Dwarven guildhalls.

Physically, Moonkissed Elves tend to have darker skin tones that vary between shades of purple, grey, or deep blue, often contrasted by stark white hair. Their skin often turns somewhat translucent in old age, sometimes even becoming nearly fully transparent in their final years. They have four eyes consisting of two standard humanoid eyes and two slightly smaller eyes just above them, granting them considerable visual acuity even in the depths of The Gloom. Unlike all other Elves, the Ilumara do not possess vocal cords and do not verbally communicate except with their telepathy. Their limbs are also slightly longer than other Elves, increasing their resemblance to spiders even further, and females are notably larger than the males.

If you want to use the Ilumara in your DND games, they are reflected mechanically below - minding once again that Pamyst species are a fair bit more powerful than PHB offerings!

Age. Ilumara are the second-longest lived elves, regularly living three-quarters of a millenia.

Size. Ilumara are generally tall, but females are notably larger than males. Male Ilumara average 6 feet whilst females average 8 feet. Your size is Medium.

Name. Ilumara have three names: their familial name, their public name, and their true name. Their familial name is what their friends and family call them growing up while their public name is how they allow themselves to be addressed by most other people. An Ilumara’s true name is known only to them and those they trust most deeply, typically decided on once they have come of age. Knowledge of your true name can be dangerous because of Ilumaran honor codes and old magics that can exploit the power of a soul’s true name, so keeping it closely guarded is important. Consider both your true and public names.

Improved Darkvision. Your Darkvision has a range of 120 feet. Additionally, you can see in full color in the dark.

Telepathic. As natural telepaths and telekinetics, Ilumara have powerful psionic abilities. You have 30 feet of telepathy, and do not need to share a language with the target to communicate intent. Complex ideas, however, require a shared language.

Ilumara cannot physically speak, merely projecting telepathic messages outward to communicate. For the purposes of verbal components in spells and the effects of Silence, your telepathy counts as speech. 

Psionic Sorcery. Additionally, Ilumara psionics can be used for utility or offense. You learn the Mage Hand cantrip, and for you, the hand is invisible and can be controlled as a bonus action. At 3rd level, you learn the spell Dissonant Whispers. At 5th level, you also learn the spell Detect Thoughts. You can cast each of these spells once without expending a spell slot, and must complete a long rest to do so again. You cast these spells with your choice of Charisma, Intelligence or Wisdom, deciding which stat to use at 1st level.

Bonus Languages. You are natively fluent in Mentalese, and also learn how to read, write, and sign Silavarin (Dwarven). Silavarin are unaffected by Moonkissed telepathy and thus cannot “hear” them speak otherwise, leading to the development of a shared sign language between the cultures.

Suggested bonuses: +2 CHA, +1 INT