Spirit Folk
4 variants
Living proof that the mortal and spirit worlds are forever intertwined, the Spirit Folk are the descendants of unions between humans and the nature spirits of river, sea, and mountain. To most eyes they pass as graceful, uncommonly serene humans, but every Spirit Folk carries a spark of the natural world in their blood and a bond to the wild place their spirit lineage calls home. They walk comfortably in both worlds, welcome at a farmer’s table and among whispering bamboo alike.
Connected with Sacred Locations
Every Spirit Folk save those of the sea is bound to a single sacred place — a bamboo grove, a stretch of river, a mountainside — that anchors their spirit to the natural world. The bond stretches across any distance, so Spirit Folk travel as far as they dare, but it cuts both ways: the sacred place can heal and renew them, yet any harm that befalls it echoes in their own body. A Bamboo Spirit Folk whose grove is choked by blight will sicken and waste alongside it, and more than one Spirit Folk has crossed a continent racing home to save a dying river.
Children of Humans and Nature Spirits
Born of unions between humans and nature spirits, Spirit Folk resemble their human parents refined to delicate perfection. Their skin is smooth and hairless save for the tops of their heads and their thin eyebrows, and both men and women wear their hair in a single long braid. Standing around five feet tall with pale-gold or vibrantly golden skin, they move with slender, unhurried grace and favor beautiful, unrestrictive clothing. Each paints or tattoos a family crest upon their forehead, with personal symbols beneath the eyes — a curling wave for a child of the sea, a sprig of bamboo for one bound to a grove.
The Best of Neighbors
Friendly, unassuming, and endlessly patient, Spirit Folk get along with nearly everyone. Most blend quietly into human societies, living outwardly ordinary lives while their neighbors write them off as merely eccentric or unusually wise — never suspecting they share a fence with something not quite human. They are closest with humans, but Elves and any peaceful folk who respect nature find easy friendship among them.
Living proof that the mortal and spirit worlds are forever intertwined, the Spirit Folk are the descendants of unions between humans and the nature spirits of river, sea, and mountain. To most eyes they pass as graceful, uncommonly serene humans, but every Spirit Folk carries a spark of the natural world in their blood and a bond to the wild place their spirit lineage calls home. They walk comfortably in both worlds, welcome at a farmer’s table and among whispering bamboo alike.
Connected with Sacred Locations
Every Spirit Folk save those of the sea is bound to a single sacred place — a bamboo grove, a stretch of river, a mountainside — that anchors their spirit to the natural world. The bond stretches across any distance, so Spirit Folk travel as far as they dare, but it cuts both ways: the sacred place can heal and renew them, yet any harm that befalls it echoes in their own body. A Bamboo Spirit Folk whose grove is choked by blight will sicken and waste alongside it, and more than one Spirit Folk has crossed a continent racing home to save a dying river.
Children of Humans and Nature Spirits
Born of unions between humans and nature spirits, Spirit Folk resemble their human parents refined to delicate perfection. Their skin is smooth and hairless save for the tops of their heads and their thin eyebrows, and both men and women wear their hair in a single long braid. Standing around five feet tall with pale-gold or vibrantly golden skin, they move with slender, unhurried grace and favor beautiful, unrestrictive clothing. Each paints or tattoos a family crest upon their forehead, with personal symbols beneath the eyes — a curling wave for a child of the sea, a sprig of bamboo for one bound to a grove.
The Best of Neighbors
Friendly, unassuming, and endlessly patient, Spirit Folk get along with nearly everyone. Most blend quietly into human societies, living outwardly ordinary lives while their neighbors write them off as merely eccentric or unusually wise — never suspecting they share a fence with something not quite human. They are closest with humans, but Elves and any peaceful folk who respect nature find easy friendship among them.
Traits
Combat Training
While not all Spirit Folk wish to fight, they are all prepared for it. You are proficient with Light and Medium armor as well as Simple weapons and 1 Martial weapon.
Speak with Animals
You are under the effects of the spell Speak with Animals permanently. You can comprehend and verbally communicate with Beasts, and you can use any of the Influence action’s skill options with them. Most Beasts have little to say about topics that don’t pertain to survival or companionship, but at minimum, a Beast can give you information about nearby locations and monsters, including whatever it has perceived within the past day.
Language
Common, Celestial