The Deia
Biology
The Deia are gaunt, covered in a thin, tightly-drawn layer of ashy grey skin. Their eyes are purely black, with a bold ring about three-quarters of the way into their eyes. The ring can be many colors, though generally white or violet. Blue, red, or green have also been seen. Their eyelids are sideways, and the Deia blink horizontally.
The Deia are naturally venomous, although their poison is not incredibly harmful to a human or similar creature.
The Nikra, kept as pets and defenses, are human-sized shelled octopus-like creatures. They can only survive for a short time out of water, but are brought as reinforcements in water tanks kept by Deia Keepers. Their shells are used as armor for the Deia.
Society
The Deia organizes themselves into Houses, each led by a Houselord or Houselady, who wear large, feathered headpieces. Each House builds a cluster of towers, connected by aerial hallways. The warriors of the Deia replace their jaws with metal prostheses, with needles for teeth, as to kill your foe with your teeth is a great honor, because of its difficulty.
The Deia think small thoughts: of the self or the House, but not of the world, or the species. The Houses do not cooperate: none of them think the rest are important enough to work with, or interact with at all, unless in the defense of their own House.
Most Deia houses easily adapted to the rising of the Ecclesiarchy, though some still hold on to their old pantheons. Clerics are completely unknown to them: they were never very closely connected to their gods.
The Deia Stormchildren are augmented with metal plates and screws to gain a haphazard connection to the Aether. However, this connection bends their minds over time, until the only thing the Stormchild wants is to remove this connection. To remedy this, they have rounded, fingerless metal "gloves" bolted into their arms, to stop them from ripping out their connections.
Deia assassins are given barbed climbing claws, allowing them to attach to walls and ceilings, and granting +3 to climbing checks. Deia archers are given a pair of stilts: as an action, they can climb on to them, making them a Medium size and allowing them to shoot over any obstacle or enemy Large or smaller.
The Deia will also defend their towers by sending out the Sunchildren, Deia tied to a fabric glider and armed with bottles of Alchemist's Fire.
Deia Skirmisher
Small Humanoid, Any Alignment
- Armor Class 15
- Hit Points 9 (2d8)
- Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 6 (-2) 14 (+2) 9 (-1) 12 (+1) 11 (+0) 4 (-3)
- Senses Passive Perception 9
- Skills Stealth +8
- Languages Common, Deian
- Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)
- Damage Resistances None
- Damage Immunities None
- Condition Immunities None
Actions
Bite: Melee Weapon Attack: 1d4 piercing damage, 1d4 poison damage, +0 to hit, 5 ft. reach, one target
Javelin: 1d6 Piercing Damage, +0 to hit, 30/120
Deia Warrior
Small Humanoid, Any Alignment
- Armor Class 16
- Hit Points 9 (2d8)
- Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 12 (+1) 12 (+1) 10 (+0) (12 +1) (11 +0) (4 -3)
- Senses Passive Perception 9
- Skills Stealth +8
- Languages Common, Deian
- Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)
- Damage Resistances None
- Damage Immunities None
- Condition Immunities None
Actions
Bite: 1d6 piercing damage, 1d4 poison damage, +0 to hit, 5 ft. reach, one target
Glaive: 1d10 slashing damage, +1 to hit, 10 ft. reach, one target
Deia Stormchild
Small Humanoid, Any Alignment
- Armor Class 14
- Hit Points 7 (2d6)
- Speed 25 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 6 (-2) 1 (-5) 9 (-1) 14 (+2) 14 (+2) 4 (-3)
- Senses Passive Perception 6
- Skills None
- Languages Deian
- Challenge 1/2 (100 XP)
- Damage Resistances Lightning
- Damage Immunities None
- Condition Immunities None
Actions
Bite: 1d4 piercing damage, 1d4 poison damage, +0 to hit, 5 ft. reach, one target
Conduction: 2d8 lightning damage, +1 to hit, 50 ft. reach, one target, 1-in-6 chance of exploding, killing the Stormchild and dealing 3d8 lightning damage to targets in a 20 ft. dome.
Deia Keeper
Small Humanoid, Any Alignment
- Armor Class 15
- Hit Points 9 (2d8)
- Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 6 (-2) 14 (+2) 9 (-1) 12 (+1) 11 (+0) 4 (-3)
- Senses Passive Perception 9
- Skills Stealth +8
- Languages Common, Deian
- Challenge 1/2 (100 XP)
- Damage Resistances None
- Damage Immunities None
- Condition Immunities None
Actions
Bite: Melee Weapon Attack: 1d4 piercing damage, 1d4 poison damage, +0 to hit, 5 ft. reach, one target
Release Nikra: Releases the Nikra in the water tank. next to the Keeper. The Keeper can also place a Nikra next to it into the water tank. The tank can only hold one Nikra.
Nikra
Medium Beast, Any Alignment
- Armor Class 14
- Hit Points 25
- Speed 40 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 14 (+2) 12 (+1) 12 (+1) 8 (-1) 9 (-1) 10 (+0)
- Senses Passive Perception 9
- Skills Athletics +2, Acrobatics +6
- Languages -
- Challenge 1 (200 XP)
- Damage Resistances None
- Damage Immunities None
- Condition Immunities None
Flexible: The Nikra can fit into Tiny spaces.
Waterbound: The Nikra loses 1 health every turn it's out of water. If this brings it below 10 health, its speed decreases by 10 ft.
Actions
Tentacle: Melee Weapon Attack: 1d8+1 slashing damage, +3 to hit, 10 ft. reach, one target
Bite: Melee Weapon Attack: 1d6+1 slashing damage, 1d6 poison damage, +4 to hit, 5 ft. reach, one target