Ventari
I am glad to have my kin guiding me with their wisdom. I look to the Mother and the leaders that I know to help lead me on my adventure to find the world tree and bring salvation to our society. One day the ventari will rise again, and the countless that came before me will walk with us once again, in spirit.
-Lavender the Inquisitive
Wanderers of the land, the ventari are a mysterious nomadic people with a supernatural connection to the natural and spiritual world. The first of their kind were said to be born from the seeds of the World Tree, an enormous structure that once supported the large ventari civilisation in the early days of the Age of Mortals. The ventari are in search of the World Tree once again in an attempt to rebuild their society and return to the life that they so desperately covet.
Living Nature
Few ever lay eyes on a ventari in their whole lives, but those that do remember their striking and beautiful appearance. Their height is similar to that of humans, ranging from just under 5 feet to slightly over 6 feet tall. They match the slender figure of the elves, ranging from anywhere between 100 to 140 pounds. Ventari do not have a traditional sex like most races. Instead, they naturally tend towards a feminine appearance. Around a quarter of ventari choose a more masculine appearance, which is done through a tenday long
Art: Zuzanna Kapuścińska
ritual at some point during the first 20 years of their life.
A ventari's skin comes in all shades of natural greens, from the leaves of a rainforest to the vines of a swamp. Their hair is traditionally darker colours, matching the bark, mud, and shadows of the forests they call home. Ventari have no facial or body hair giving them a sleek appearance. Their eyes come in all colours, typically matching the seeds that they are birthed from, allowing them to come in a variety of reds, blues, greens, browns, and greys. Ventari are fond of decorating themselves and the armour or clothing they wear with a variety of flowers, plants, or similar natural oddities.
Shepherds of the Natural World
As most mortals have yet to encounter a ventari, the tales of one are shared in stories and songs like any other fantasy beast. They're described as wise guardians of the forest and protectors of the natural order. Ventari share an innate ability to sense the natural world, intrinsically understanding the way life and nature interact. All ventari also have an ability to manifest small amounts of magic, which they will typically use in their daily life to help survive.
The natural world isn't the only connection they possess. Each ventari is connected to the spirit world. For some, this manifests as the powers of a weaver, allowing them to manipulate life and death. For others, the spirits appear exclusively in their dreams or when they choose to focus, allowing them to feel the presence of their ancestors. A ventari may feel comfort in this connection, while others may find the whole thing unnerving and choose to drown it out.
Ventari Society
Life for a young ventari is structured. They live in a hierarchical society, where one individual is given the title Matriach and is the guider of the family. Several ventari will be known as the elders, who act as secondary leaders in the Matriach's absence or as mentors for the younger ventari. Below the elders, there are the full-growns who are adult ventari and often ones who have returned from their trials. Anywhere from 10 to 100 individuals will live in the same family units. Some families may temporarily bond with another for protection or to help in the completion of a goal.
Once a ventari seedling— their name for ventari children— has matured enough to become a contributing member of the group, usually around the age of 4, they will be given a role by the Matriach and expected to help the group live. Ventari seedlings will fill a variety of roles and learn from their elders until they hit full maturity around the age of 40. At this stage, they will be sent on a trial by their Matriarch.
A Ventari's Trial
When a ventari has matured both physically and mentally, they will be given equipment and a quest. A ventari cannot return to their family group until the trial is complete. Some ventari never finish their quest, and thus never return to their birth group. Others may not survive their trial.
Despite being a reclusive and nomadic group, the ventari still remain in touch with civilisation through a small but trusted group of contacts, typically druids or wood elvess. When the Matriarch hears of a magic item, piece of knowledge, or something of value to the family, they will send a newly matured ventari to search for it as their trial.
As part of this experience, all ventari are expected to return with unique or rare seeds from various regions of the world. These seeds will be grown into a new ventari seedling, continuing their family for the next generation.
Not all ventari choose to return home. Rarely, some will grow to enjoy life in the civilised world and choose to give up on their trial for a life among the other races. The few ventari that one might encounter are likely in the process of their trial or have chosen this path.
Religion and Rituals
Due to their natural connection with the spiritual world, all ventari are religious. They share a particular affinity with the Mother, who they see as the creator of their World Tree and the first of their kind. A few choose to forsake the teachings of the Mother, instead following the beliefs of the Father who is said to control the natural world. Rarely, a ventari will even choose a primordial to devote themselves to, often ones with a connection to their region or family unit.
Rituals are a large part of ventari culture. A ventari is born through one of the more sacred rituals in their society, where the Matriach will select a parent individual to spore a chosen seed through a ritual undertaken over ten days.
Ventari will often perform rituals for fun, enjoying the structure and flow that comes from performing. Many will continue these traditions even as they enter the larger world.
The World Tree
From the ashes of the Great Collapse, nature healed. In some places, the healing was accelerated by the vestigial magic that permeated through the area. It is believed that the World Tree, the largest natural tree to ever exist, was centred on one of these enclaves. When the twin deities created the mortal races, the ventari were formed from the seeds of this giant tree. Over the next century, they used the rich variety of resources to create a single ventari civilisation for the thousands of them that existed at the time.
As the first angel-demon war broke out, the World Tree found itself as the centre of a battle between the two sides. The battle raged for three days and by the end of it, the tree and the surrounding lands were all but decimated and the ventari were scattered. It is said that a small group of ventari escaped with a seed from the World Tree, which could be used to restore the great ventari civilisation.
Historical evidence for this is minimal. There are no surviving records by the angels, demons, or the ventari of the original World Tree's location. Scholars have tried to track down any physical evidence of the World Tree's existence, but none has ever been recovered. The anecdotal evidence is varied and unreliable. The prevailing belief is that the original World Tree was located somewhere in the forests of Acedia, and the seed found its way into the plane of Sanctum.
A Nomadic People
With the loss of their home in the World Tree, the ventari have taken to a nomadic life, trying to slowly search the material plane for any trace of the seed that will reignite their civilisation. Ventari will likely spend their whole lives searching in what many describe as a hopeless quest. Some family units have decided to give up on the quest, instead settling in a place they have created for themselves.
Ventari Names
Ventari are born through a ritual where a seed is a core component. The plant that this seed originated from is often what they will end up being named after. Ventari take great care to ensure that a different seed is used for each of their spawn, often going on journeys to help their communities gain a variety of different seeds. Instead of a family or clan name, they inherit a title. Titles come from later in their life and is usually inherited by the role they serve in their community, or some major event that happened in their lives. A title, once given to a Ventari, becomes sacred to them and they rarely relinquish this name.
Ventari Names: Acacia, Alder, Birch, Bonsai, Cacao, Cedar, Chestnut, Ebony, Elm, Lilac, Mahogany, Mangrove, Maple, Oak, Pine, Redwood, Spruce, Walnut, Willow
Ventari Titles: the Artistic, the Brave, the Caretaker, the Elder, the Healer, the Kind, the Lone, the Seer, the Stupid
Ventari Traits
Your Ventari character has the following racial traits.
Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom scores increase by 2, and one other ability score of your choice increases by 1.
Age. Ventari mature slower than humans do, reaching physical maturity at the age of 40 and living up to 300 years.
Alignment. Ventari are often neutral and tend towards lawful alignments, as order and structure is important in their culture.
Size. Ventari range from under 5 to over 6 feet tall and have slender builds. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Ancestral Guidance. When you make an ability check that doesn't already include your Proficiency Bonus, you can add your Proficiency bonus to the roll.
Once you use this trait, you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest.
Druidic Affinity. You know the druidcraft cantrip. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for this spell.
Natural Lore. You gain proficiency in the Nature skill.
Plant Speech. Your connection to the natural world allows you to temporarily bond with a plant. You can speak telepathically to one plant you are touching. You have advantage on all Charisma checks you make to influence them, unless the plant is sentient.
Furthermore, you can sense the wellbeing of the plant. While you are touching the plant in this way, you learn its current health, its short-term needs, and whether anything is adversely affecting it.
Verdant Blood. You have advantage on saving throws against poison, and you have resistance against poison damage.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Ancient. Ancient consists of small syllables used in rapid succession. Each sylvan character is associated with a sound, and the order of the sounds corresponds to a sentences meaning. A single character placed in the wrong location in a sentence can wildly influence the message being said, which makes it difficult for newcomers to truly grasp.
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