Races of Wild

CHAPTER 4OTHERRACES104of the humanoid races. A killoren community might be assimple as a few families dwelling among the boughs andshade of a peaceful forest or as remote as a small groupof killoren following game across the frozen steppes ofthe far north.Power Groups: Killoren communities are usuallygoverned by a group of elder druids and wizards, but anyindividual killoren might rise to leadership depending onhis or her personal exploits. These leaders act more ascouncilors and protectors than as an organized form ofgovernment, the small size of killoren communities keepingtheir roles relatively simple compared to the politics ofthe humanoid races.As the number of killoren grows, so too does their differencein outlook. A small group of elder killoren, somehaving walked among the humanoid races for a hundredyears or more, believe they have seen enough of humansand the allied civilized races. Calling themselves simply TheWild, these powerful killoren have chosen to defend theirrefuges with magical and physical force. Many of thesekilloren are druids and wizards, and their radical outlookis quickly drawing the attention of both other killoren andthe armies of the human kingdoms.Beliefs: Most killoren revere the silent might of natureitself, although some, particularly clerics, pay homage to thegod Obad-Hai. Killoren do not simply admire nature—theyare part of it. A killoren cannot look at a distant mountainrange without feeling its power and beauty stir her, nor cana killoren walk through a forest glade without being movedby the peace and strength of nature. Nature is more than adistant ideal to the killoren; it is life itself.Relations: Although tension grows between the killorenand the humanoid kingdoms, for the most part killorenremain a curiosity in the eyes of the humans and theirallies. Killoren walk freely within the cities of almost everycivilized race. Of all the humanoid races, the elves are closestin outlook to the killoren, but even the elves remain curiousabout the killoren’s recent origin and their ultimate role innature’s plan.KILLOREN CHARACTERSKilloren characters range from powerful and zealousdefenders of nature to inquisitive and insightful studentsof humanoid cultures. The killoren’s ability to manifestdifferent aspects of nature’s power lets them fill multipleroles in a party of adventurers, depending on the expectedencounters and adventures. Killoren NPCs hint at thegrowing unrest of powerful natural forces, adding asense of mystery and danger to the wild places of thecampaign world.Adventuring Killoren: Killoren adventure to learnabout the world. Unlike other fey, killoren are driven bythe nameless powers of nature to learn about the humanoidraces and customs. Killoren match the aggression andambition of humanoids, but they also maintain the eternalconnection to nature that all fey embody. As killoren growin power and number, they form ever-changing opinionsof humans and their allies, helping the causes that theydeem to be one with nature’s design and opposing thosewho would despoil or destroy nature’s beauty. Experiencedkilloren might adventure with a more definite purpose—working to thwart the schemes of a particular religiouscult, protecting nature from wild orcs and goblinoids, orhunting powerful outsiders that are beyond the reach ofnature’s other servants.Character Development: Killoren characters are bestserved by focusing on one aspect and ensuring that theabilities they favor work well with the choices they makeconcerning skills, feats, and class levels. Because of theirobvious connection with nature, many adventuring killorenadvance as rangers and druids. Perhaps more intriguing,however, are those killoren who take levels in other classessuch as wizard or paladin, yet retain their unswerving connectionto the power of nature.Character Names: Killoren have only one name, andthey choose this name themselves upon declaring theirown maturity, usually near the beginning of their tenthyear of life. Killoren names always have three syllables, thelast of which denotes their family in the same way that ahuman’s family name shows his or her relation. Examplekilloren names include Durmindin, Ennimbel, Kettenbar,and Shallahai.ROLEPLAYING A KILLORENWith the power of nature forever bonded to their souls, killorencharacters have both the enigmatic outlook of the feyand the inquisitive drive of the humanoid races. This uniqueoutlook, combined with the unusual ability to manifestdifferent aspects of nature’s own power, makes killoren achallenge to roleplay. When roleplaying a killoren, you mustmake the reverence of nature a subtle yet ever-present aspectof your personality without overdoing it, and you must beready to express markedly different aspects of your character’spersonality depending on which aspect of nature you chooseto manifest each day.Personality: Killoren have an innate connection tonature’s power; as such, the natural world and its best interestsare never far from their thoughts. Killoren also differfrom other races in that they have three different aspectsof their personality that correspond with their ability tomanifest different aspects of nature’s might. Killoren whomanifest the destroyer aspect are arrogant and aggressive,those who manifest the aspect of the hunter are stealthy andsubtle, and those who manifest the aspect of the ancientthink carefully and look deep into the heart of a matterbefore voicing their thoughts.Roleplaying Application: Make the most of the differentaspects of nature that you manifest by accentuatingthe changes in your character’s personality with eachchange. Don’t overdo it—this ability is not a case ofthree separate personalities. Rather, it’s an opportunityto build multiple aspects of one character. The best way