SRD - Races

DRAEGLOTHS

Draegloths are half-fiend terrors that are ritually created by drow priestesses who test their devotion to Lolth by mating with summoned demons. Only once in a great while does this coupling produce a child, and the birth of a draegloth is seen as an omen of the goddess's favor, often sparking wars, assassinations, and other intrigues. Draegloths are genderless, sexless creatures incapable of procreation. Most draegloths are incredibly loyal to the priestess that bore them, serving them as enforcers, bodyguards, and occasionally lovers. When a draegloth's mother dies or the house it serves is destroyed, it is often left to wander the Underdark, becoming a scourge wherever it goes.

Draegloths are cruel creatures known for their great strength and stealth. They hunt the tunnels of the Underdark for food and the opportunity to spread evil. A lone draegloth can terrorize an entire village of deep gnomes or grimlocks, and it will usually move on before a concerted effort to slay it can be put together. Draegloths rarely venture out of the Underdark, knowing that their natural advantages would be neutralized in the world above, and that their unique ancestry would make them targets for heroes and villains alike.

Racial History: The point of origin of the draegloth race is unknown. Many of the historically dominant drow houses have their own legends, each of which claims that the house was the first to receive Lolth's blessing. Of course, the veracity of such claims is questionable at best, and they have been responsible for more than one conflict between matron mothers. Draegloths have been around long enough that no one can say that any of these claims are invalid, but House Baenre of Menzoberranzan was likely the first beneficiary of a draegloth servant. This theory probably holds more truth than others; a draegloth loyal to House Baenre is known to have sheltered its leaders during the strife that eventually made them the undisputed rulers of Menzoberranzan.

For thousands of years, draegloths were extremely rare, appearing infrequently in a few drow enclaves across the Underdark. Starting around two thousand years ago, draegloth sightings became more and more frequent, even being reported far from the nearest drow enclave. Such reports were often dismissed as the frightened ramblings of Underdark travelers, but it was true - a small number of draegloths had broken free of their dependence on the drow, who were, of course, unconcerned by this development. After all, free-roaming draegloths had been present in their cities for some time, having been set loose as wars and internal conflicts saw their matron mothers and houses destroyed. This oversight would prove to be costly to the drow enclave of Ir'Sylin.

The drow of Ir'Sylin thought nothing of rumors that a draegloth had been terrorizing a nearby settlement of duergar. Refugees from the dwarf enclave told of a rampaging, fourarmed demon that dragged bodies away to be eaten. When this lone draegloth appeared at the edge of Ir'Sylin, the lizard riders guarding the city greeted it with a cautious deference, for even a free draegloth is Lolth's child. The draegloth did not attack immediately, instead biding its time until the enclave's ruling matron mother demanded an audience. There, the draegloth sprung his trap; within seconds, the matron's elite guard had been torn apart, and the rogue draegloth's slavering jaws were inches from her throat. A teleport contingency saved her life and preserved the tale of Ir'Sylin; all the other members of the enclave were either slaughtered in their homes or hunted down in the following weeks.

Since that time, the drow have attempted to maintain tighter controls on draegloths who are without a house. They are not allowed to live in drow cities without a house affiliation or the sponsorship of a powerful noble. Rogue draegloths find themselves watched at all times - even if they do have a sponsorship - and some seek out new matron mothers to pledge themselves to in order to avoid this suspicion. There has been at least one case of falsifying the birth of a draegloth in order to legitimize a house's claim to Lolth's blessing. Such deceptions were considered blasphemous before Lolth's disappearance, but now they have an almost cultlike effect on those who wish to believe that the Spider Queen has returned to their house.

Since their goddess's disappearance, draegloths have become more independent, many no longer serving the matron mothers without demanding equal status. More and more have gone wandering the Underdark in search of adventure and a means to either restore Lolth to her former glory, or, barring that, to increase their demonic sires' power on the Material Plane. As a result, demon cults have found themselves with unexpected allies, and draegloths are starting to form their own cults to elevate their fathers' names. Draegloths rarely work together, but they are not above working with others to achieve their goals. This is especially true for the younger members of the race, in whom Lolth's grip never firmly took hold.

Outlook: Draegloths are sly and cunning creatures with a penchant for wild rages that end in the deaths of those around them. They are excellent advisors, because their minds are seemingly created for understanding the many threads of drow intrigues, and their innate savagery allows for a plethora of options in dealing with any enemies. They can be patient listeners when around those they respect, and Lolth has given them the ability to meditate and pray for hours while searching for a solution. Their unique combination of patience, cunning, and ruthlessness makes them among the most feared hunters in the Underdark.

Draegloths see all creatures in the world other than drow and other Lolth-blessed beings as cattle or puppets. They have no problem with killing other sentient beings for food or pleasure. This does not mean that they cannot respect another being for her status or power, and draegloths make excellent companions and servants to the matron mothers who bore them. But outside of this well-defined religious and social role, selfless acts on behalf of another are outside the draegloths' realm of comprehension.

The only thing that outshines a draegloth's loathing for other creatures is its faith. Worship of Lolth (or more recently Vhaeraun) drives a draegloth's existence, and many become clerics devoted to her. They act as bodyguards and advisors to the matron mothers out of respect for Lolth, and even now that she has disappeared, most draegloths continue to worship her with their customary fervor.

However, some draegloths have lost faith in the Spider Queen and now look to their demonic sires for guidance. For other denizens of the Underdark, these are the most dangerous draegloths, because while their faithful cousins war with the drow and search for signs of Lolth, those who have left her are organizing demon-worshiping humanoids around them. Such draegloths have started interacting with more weak-minded humanoids recently, rather than hunting them as they once would have, in order to gain power and reach for their new organizations. Grimlocks are their favorite recruits, thanks to those creatures' barbaric ferocity and willingness to follow a strong leader in exchange for the ability to thrive in the dangerous Underdark environment.

Personality: Draegloths are possibly the most purely evil race in all of Toril. They are born from the confluence of two great evils into a world where vileness is normal and goodness is as absent as the light of the sun. Members of this race enjoy inflicting great cruelty on others, and they learn how to do so from their mothers, who nurture this trait with great relish and care. Draegloths are known for their lack of appreciation of beauty. Unlike most other races, they do not have any aesthetic sense, they do not appreciate art in any form, and they are not swayed by attractive members of their own race or others. It is whispered that the only time a draegloth feels peace is when it is committing acts of evil and depravity.

Physical Description: Draegloths resemble impressively large drow, with black skin, a long white mane, and glowering red eyes. They stand between 7-1/2 and 8 feet tall and weigh between 300 and 375 pounds. Their legs have two joints, making them extremely quick and agile, and their bodies are framed with thick, powerful muscles. A draegloth's face is elongated and skeletal. It has four arms, two of which are normal-looking drow arms that appear undersized compared to its body and are often used for spellcasting. The other two arms are long and powerful extremities, ending in wicked claws and with hands hanging low, much like an ape's. Draegloths do not feel the need to wear clothing, since each individual's body is covered with a fine coat of white fur. Draegloths are born fully developed and live to be about 300 years old, although the savage life of the Underdark robs most of their full lifespan.

Relations: Most draegloths spend their lives around drow, who either revere them, fear them, or both. For their part, the half-demons enjoy their special place in the drow community, and might act arrogantly toward what they often see as the lesser half of their lineage. They regard the rest of the Underdark races as little more than animals, there only to please them or provide them with food and treasure. The draegloths have exhibited a particularly strong antipathy toward gloamings, who return the emotion with equal intensity. Some arcanists who are familiar with both races have suggested that the feud originates amongst the demons who spawned the races, but to date no one has corroborated such claims.

On the rare occasion that a draegloth leaves its Underdark habitat, it finds none of the surface races to be palatable companions. These draegloths often live in surface caverns, only leaving at night, while others find drow communities such as those in the forest of Cormanthor in which to live.

Alignment: Draegloths are creatures of pure evil, no matter which side of the family each individual favors; they desire to be nothing more than they are. They favor the chaotic alignment of both parents as well, although their devotion to their mothers often drives them to orderly behavior in their service. Draegloths who remain without the guiding force of a matron mother for a long period of time are likely to abandon their house and wander the Underdark alone.

Draegloth Lands: Draegloths are found primarily in the drow cities scattered throughout the Underdark. They tend to stick close to their creators unless their house is destroyed or weakened so badly that it becomes dangerous to remain. At that point, they venture off to find new areas to exploit and new victims for their depraved minds. Some of these draegloths might remain in the city, having built up their own independent power bases while serving their matrons.

While some displaced draegloths are content to wander the dark tunnels beneath the surface of Faerûn, others decide to see what lies above. Some are drawn by rumors of drow encampments on the surface, while others leave in order to avoid being hunted by their numerous enemies.

Religion: Draegloths are very devoted to Lolth, the deity whose blessing brings them into existence. They have been as distraught as the matron mothers over Lolth's recent disappearance, and the vast majority of draegloths remain devoted to her cause. Some draegloths have wavered in their faith, however, and find themselves drawn to one of the other deities of the Dark Seldarine; Vhaeraun has gained a few powerful followers this way, and he is actively recruiting them into his forces. Selvetarm accepts draegloths into his worship, but only temporarily, since he plans to return them to Lolth should she ever regain her power. The recruitment of the draegloths into Vhaeraun's service is said to have been a warning to Selvetarm that the Masked Lord was actively working to supplant Lolth's rule of the drow gods.

Language: Draegloths speak the languages of the Underdark drow, as well as the Abyssal tongue of their sires.

Adventurers: Draegloth adventurers are most often on a mission directed by their matron mothers, or have been turned loose to wreak havoc on their house rivals. Individual draegloths adventure to find a way to get closer to their demonic sires, or to cause misery and destruction to anyone who comes across them. Their chaotic nature makes it difficult for them to stay in one place without a clear goal, and they enjoy taking the treasure and lives of others more than they care about enriching themselves.

DRAEGLOTH RACIAL TRAITS

+12 Strength, +4 Dexterity, +4 Constitution, +2 Intelligence.
Outsider (Native): Draegloths are outsiders who are native to the Material Plane. Unlike true outsiders, native outsiders need to eat and sleep.
Large: As Large creatures, draegloths take a -1 penalty to Armor Class and a -1 penalty on all attack rolls. They also have a reach of 10 feet.
Draegloth base land speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision out to 60 feet.
Draegloths are immune to poison and magic sleep spells and effects.
+2 racial bonus on saves against enchantment spells and effects.
Spell-Like Abilities: 4/day - darkness; 1/day - dancing lights, desecrate, faerie fire, and unholy blight. A draegloth can use these spell-like abilities as a 6th-level sorcerer.
Resistances (Ex): Draegloths have acid, cold, electricity, and fire resistance 10.
Natural Attacks: A Draegloth can attack with 2 claws and a bite. The claws deal 1d6 points of damage plus Strength bonus, and the bite is a secondary attack (-5 penalty on the attack roll, and half Strength bonus on the damage roll) that deals 1d8 points of damage. A draegloth can attack with a weapon at his normal attack bonus, and make a bite and two claw attacks as secondary attacks.
Multiple Limbs: Draegloths have four arms, and thus can take the Multiweapon Fighting feat instead of the Two-Weapon Fighting feat. Draegloths can also take the Multiattack feat. (These are not bonus feats.)
Racial Hit Dice: A draegloth begins with six levels of outsider, which provide 6d8 Hit Dice, a base attack bonus of +6, and base saving throw bonuses of Fort +5, Ref +5, and Will +5.
Racial Skills: A draegloth's outsider levels give it skill points equal to 9 × (8 + Int modifier). Its class skills are Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (the planes) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Search (Int), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), and Survival (Wis).
Racial Feats: A draegloth's outsider levels give it three feats.
Draegloths have +5 natural armor due to their tough, thick skin.
Automatic Languages: Abyssal, Elven, Undercommon. Bonus Languages: Aquan, Common, Draconic, Drow Sign Language, Gnome, Goblin, Kuo-toan.
Favored Class: Cleric. A multiclass draegloth's cleric class does not count when determining whether he takes an experience point penalty.
Level Adjustment: +4.

EXTAMINAARS

The extaminaars are the snake-blooded members of the human noble House Extaminos, which has ruled the city of Hlondeth for more than eight hundred years. During the last century, the extaminaars have gone beyond Hlondeth to set up operations in other cities across Faerûn. They operate from the sewers and the shadows, hatching schemes to increase the power of their house and finding victims on which to perform their vile grafting and breeding experiments.

Extaminaars make excellent rogues, because they are known for their guile and wicked ability to strike from the shadows. Others often try to enlist extaminaars into their organizations because of their skills as crime bosses, interrogators, and information brokers. Still, most extaminaars have proven exceedingly loyal to their noble house.

Racial History: The extaminaars are the descendants of a human noble house that began consorting with a nearby yuan-ti tribe after finding an ancient tome detailing the rituals of the goddess Varae. The tribe of snake people had moved to Turmish, by way of Chondath, after surviving a rift in the leadership of House Se'Sehen, the dominant yuan-ti tribe of the Black Jungles. As the yuan-ti mingled more frequently with the humans of House Extaminos, the two groups' blood began to mix. The end result of decades of such mixing was the introduction of many powerful yuan-ti into the membership of the house, both through birth as well as those sent in to oversee the construction of the Cathedral of Emerald Scales and the spreading of Varae's worship throughout the city.

Once those of the yuan-ti bloodline came of age within House Extaminos, it did not take long before they completely dominated it. Yuan-ti rulers acted as bridges between the yuan-ti tribe and the house, until the two were virtually indistinguishable. Now, a yuan-ti halfblood named Dediana Extaminos openly rules Hlondeth, known as the City of Serpents. The yuan-ti have maintained their rule of Hlondeth using subtle tactics - or a show of strength when necessary - to dissuade restless Turmish and Chondathan leaders from attempting to take the city for their own. From time to time a human noble has claimed leadership of the house, but only those with the blessing of the yuan-ti (and who fervently worship Varae) have survived.

Although Dediana and her predecessors have successfully kept aggressors at bay throughout the years, recently the yuan-ti began to recognize the need for more loyal troops and agents to protect their interests. They were forced to admit that not all of the citizens of Hlondeth were comfortable being ruled by "snakes," even if the yuan-ti knew themselves to be superior beings. Their solution was to turn their breeding experiments toward a quickly produced humanoid with loyalties to the yuan-ti tribe. The new race, called the extaminaars, was to bridge the gap between humanity and the yuan-ti, to be the public face of House Extaminos in Hlondeth and across the continent.

Extaminaars are hatched in clutches of watermelon-sized eggs, making it possible to fertilize and care for dozens at a time. Although they grow into humanoid beings, their infant form is more of a hybrid - armless, scaled, and with undefined facial features. Their lack of arms during infancy is often cited as the reason that so many extaminaars have a fondness for incredibly long serpent-arm grafts.

Once the first generation of extaminaars was ready, the leaders of House Extaminos decided to send many of them out into Faerûn, in order to keep pace with the spying and resource gathering of the other great houses. The extaminaars were excellent choices for this role, since they could gain direct access to many of the same places as the purebloods with even less need for disguise. They set up secret bases in which they carried out their gruesome and evil experiments, and they recruited local tribes of humanoids and rogues from the cities to assist them in their vile deeds.

Now, the second generation of extaminaars has fully matured, and the next ruler of House Extaminos is said to be among them. The yuan-ti are sending these newly formed servants into the world on less specific missions than the first wave. Some are being sent to reinforce cells whose leaders have either been destroyed or are ineffective, but most are simply seeking ways to help the clan in general. They search for artifacts to enhance the grafting process, new magic rituals and spells for the breeding pits, and allies in far-flung regions of Faerûn that share the yuan-ti goal of world domination - if not the same idea of who will rule it afterward.

The success and rapid breeding of the extaminaars has led other houses to begin growing their own hybrids, although the first of these clutches is just now coming to maturity. As rumors of this extensive breeding program spread to Hlondeth, the Extaminos realized the need to "brand" their own extaminaars to prevent "doppelgangers" from infiltrating their house. The third clutch is being bred with a distinctive pattern of scales on their backs, a diamond-shaped collection of brown markings. Each house imparts a unique pattern of scales to its extaminaars, ensuring that they will never be mistaken for those from another group.

Outlook: From birth, extaminaars are raised to venerate Varae above all other gods, and to put the concerns of their house above all else. The trainers have a difficult job - they must teach the growing extaminaars enough self-reliance to lead independent cells in far-flung regions while keeping them strictly under the doctrine of the tribe and its goddess.

The race as a whole is not extremely perceptive, but individuals offset this natural weakness by surrounding themselves with those who can provide them with the information they need. They tend to be very dogmatic toward the yuan-ti view of the world as well as the superiority of their house and the goddess Varae. They lord their superiority over their victims, mocking and proselytizing to bound captives as they begin the rituals necessary to graft flesh.

Extaminaars often believe that their only purpose is to elevate their house, even to the exclusion of the greater yuanti goals or their religious obligations. They maintain regular communication with their superiors in Hlondeth, constantly updating them on the success of their experiments and passing along information that might be useful to the tribe. They are very cautious about their operations, only revealing what is necessary to their underlings and killing anyone who gets too close to discovering their true identity.

An extaminaar agent never gets too tied up in his work to ignore opportunities for adventure. Although devoted to their tribe, roaming extaminaars enjoy their freedom, and will sometimes abandon their lairs for months at a time. A life of adventure often follows, as events conspire to keep the extaminaar away for longer than anticipated. Sometimes a newly dispatched spy never even makes it to his post, either through chance adventure or the realization that he can be free forever from a tribe whose ideals he does not share. The latter case is rare, however - extaminaars are bred for loyalty as well as for ruthless cunning and deception.

Personality: Extaminaars are scheming, cruel beings who will stop at nothing to further the goals of their noble house. They enjoy experimenting on "lesser beings" in their quest to find new and better creatures. They value flesh above all other forms of currency, leading them to often deal in slaves. Extaminaars who take root in cities outside of Hlondeth are famously patient, sometimes lying low for months if their lair or plans are in danger of being discovered. One of these snake-blooded nobles would rather talk his way out a situation than fight, especially if doing so gives his companions time to flank their enemies.

Physical Description: Extaminaars typically stand from 5 feet to 6 1/2 feet tall; because they are extremely skinny, they often appear to be taller than they actually are. Those who possess the very long serpent-arm graft so commonly found in House Extaminos appear to have more girth than normal, because they keep their arms wound around their torsos and their necks hidden underneath expansive robes. Extaminaars weigh less than humans of equal size because their bones are less dense; the weight of individuals usually falls between 100 and 180 pounds. An extaminaar has pale skin with either a yellow or green tinge, and often has brown spots in clusters near his neck and lower back. Extaminaars prefer to grow their hair long and use secretions from glands in the scalp to keep it plastered back. They wear only light clothing unless they are concealing long serpent-arms or other grafts that would give away their true nature. Extaminaars typically live to between 60 and 80 years of age.

Relations: Despite their strange appearance, hidden lairs, and evil goals, extaminaars are social creatures. They prefer to work with small, reptilian beings such as kobolds when they need minions, and nagas or young dragons when they are looking for a more serious partner in crime. Of course, an extaminaar has the same prejudices as his yuan-ti ancestors toward these creatures, considering himself above all other life forms. The yuan-ti, however, consider extaminaars to be one of the lowest forms of related races, and would never work for one (although they will certainly use an extaminaar to further their goals).

Extaminaars rarely associate with the people of the community they are in, since they see them as either food or living subjects for their experiments. They have no favored targets - they see all other beings as fit subjects for their grafting and breeding programs. An extaminaar needing an outside contact within the community might deign to work with a member of a lesser race, but he will rarely reveal his true nature to his contact, and such arrangements are often short-lived thanks to the extaminaar's paranoia and desire to work in privacy.

Alignment: Extaminaars are evil to the core, although some among them favor a more balanced and neutral approach to their experiments. Still, the need for living test subjects and the incredible pain their captives suffer through makes avoiding the call of evil very difficult for all extaminaars but the most strong-willed. Those who run House Extaminos and control the city of Hlondeth favor lawfulness, and they expect the citizens of that city to display complete deference to their rule. Those extaminaars who venture to other lands tend to be more chaotic; they find themselves often on the move and in the company of an ever-changing cadre of minions and slaves.

Extaminaar Lands: The extaminaars were first created by the union of a Turmish noble house with a tribe of yuan-ti living in the Orsraun Mountains. To this day they are mostly concentrated in those mountains, as well as in the city of Hlondeth, which they control. Other extaminaars have moved to cities across Faerûn in order to experiment and spy, awaiting the day when the yuan-ti empire will stretch across the continent, and indeed the world.

Extaminaars who travel to other cities tend to set up their base of operations in sewer systems or damp caves (preferably river caves or snake-infested limestone structures). Where this is not possible, they sometimes take over buildings and then dig large basements and cavern complexes underneath the structures.

Religion: The nobles of House Extaminos first began intermingling with the yuan-ti through their discovery of the rituals of Varae, and they continue to worship her to this day. The rulers of the noble house have built a wondrous and hideous temple to Varae in Hlondeth called the Cathedral of Emerald Scales, and all extaminaars sent out across the continent are blessed in a blood ritual at the cathedral before they leave. Extaminaars who find themselves in contact with other yuan-ti will often pay lip service to Sseth in order to avoid conflict, but yuan-ti with a rudimentary knowledge of House Extaminos and its traditions can see through this ruse rather easily.

Clerics of Varae choose their domains from among Evil, Scalykind, and Trickery. Varae's favored weapon is the sickle.

Language: Extaminaars speak yuan-ti and also learn some functional skills in Turmic, the human language of their homeland. All extaminaars have a working knowledge of Common as well; those who travel extensively spend more time learning the trade tongue than those who stay in Turmish. Those with the aptitude to speak multiple languages often learn Draconic, as well as the tongue of any land they settle in. These additional language skills can aid an extaminaar when dealing with local humanoids and operatives, and can help one maintain a cover identity he has adopted.

Adventurers: Extaminaars might find themselves drawn to adventure as they set out to stake a claim in one of Faerûn's great cities. Establishing a secret testing ground can also lead to its share of problems, including wiping out any indigenous creatures and acquiring the means to outfit a lair with the proper infrastructure. Most extaminaars do not seek out adventure unless it has as its goal the elevation of their house in some way.

EXTAMINAAR RACIAL TRAITS

-2 Strength, +2 Dexterity: Extaminaar are agile but not as strong as other humanoids their size.
Medium: As a Medium creature, an extaminaar has no special bonuses or penalties due to his size.
Extaminaar base land speed is 30 feet.
Low-Light Vision: An extaminaar can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. He retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
+2 racial bonus on Fortitude saves versus poison: Exterminaars do not easily succumb to venom of any kind.
+4 racial bonus on Swim checks: Extaminaars are comfortable in the water, and their light frames make it easier for them to stay afloat.
+2 racial bonus on Escape Artist checks: Extaminaars can wriggle their way out of sticky situations.
Spell-Like Abilities: At will - speak with animals (snakes only); 3/day - charm animal (snakes only). Extaminaar often fill their lairs with poisonous snakes to dissuade interlopers.
Automatic Languages: Common, Turmic, and Yuan-ti. Bonus Languages: Abyssal, Chondathan, and Draconic.
Favored Class: Rogue. A multiclass extaminaar's rogue class does not count when determining whether he takes an experience point penalty.

KRINTH

For the past two thousand years, the City of Shade has existed on the Plane of Shadow, kept in good condition by slaves captured from that plane as well as from Faerûn. The Netherese wizards who rule the city also trafficked with demonic creatures made of the same tenebrous substance as the plane itself. On occasion, these demons would force themselves on the slaves; the offspring from these couplings are a unique race known as the krinth.

Krinth are known for their physical endurance, their singlemindedness, and their quick tempers. They make excellent warriors and servants because of the first two traits, but the third often means they are short-lived at both roles.

Racial History: The krinth came into being shortly after the City of Shade found itself trapped on the Plane of Shadow. The powerful Netherese arcanists of the floating city regularly held congress with the shadowy fiends of the plane, and often the demons demanded to know the secrets of human pleasure. From these unions came a race of half-demon beings that came to be called the krinth. These are the facts.

However, the krinth themselves do not ascribe to this rather unflattering origin, instead insisting that they had always lived in the shadow world and that they were offered as slaves to the Netherese in return for treasure and knowledge of the Material Plane and its magic. They point to colonies of krinth in the Plane of Shadow as evidence for this theory, although in truth these are simply escaped krinth who have managed to carve out a niche for themselves in their dark home.

The first krinth were born of unions between Netherese and demons. These krinth were unable to reproduce, making them a rare occurrence and little more than an interesting curiosity to both the shades and the demons who spawned them. For a short time, the krinth even enjoyed an elevated status within the city, where they were viewed as an expression of the union between the realm of shadow and its new residents. They were given well-appointed living quarters and allowed to study under the best teachers and mages in the city. The Shadovar secretly hoped that the krinth would somehow give them the added knowledge and power needed to dominate the plane and its denizens.

It did not take long before krinth began to pop up among the slaves, however. This development led quickly to the reassignment of all krinth as slaves of the royal family. Some krinth escaped enslavement by appealing to those who had become close to them, and even those who were enslaved were often given preferential assignments. The rulers of Shade feared that abusing the krinth could bring down the wrath of the shadow demons, although in truth these demons cared little for their spawn.

For a reason unknown to them or their masters, the krinth became fertile about one thousand years ago and started reproducing among themselves. This quickly created two different castes of krinth - the trueborn, or full krinth, and the halfbreed demonspawn. The demonspawn, once having been favored by the Shadovar, now found themselves outcasts in their own community. The trueborn krinth treated the demonspawn with cruelty and contempt, forming a deep division in the krinth community that lasts to this day. The number of demonspawn has dropped dramatically since Shade's return to Faerûn, but plenty of demonspawn children remain within the city. Many demonspawn krinth have turned informant, attempting to help the Shadovar crush the growing krinth underground movement before it can become a true threat.

The true story of the sudden fertility of the krinth reaches all the way back to one of Faerûn's oldest struggles. The goddess Shar, having been systematically defeated by her sister Selûne at every turn, found herself looking elsewhere for ways to win their eternal battle. She saw in the krinth an opportunity to create a race of servants who could bridge the gap between Faerûn and the Plane of Shadow. Shar is secretive and subtle, and so she did not reveal herself to the krinth, instead choosing to watch them develop from afar. She was disappointed that the Netherese could not find their way back to Faerûn, however, and largely gave up on the krinth until Shade's recent appearance over Anauroch. Now she is once again interested in turning the krinth to her.

For their part, the krinth have adjusted well to life as slaves under the Shadovar. Their natural tendencies are to work hard and play hard, so the erratic and often grueling schedules they keep as slaves do not bother them. The number of krinth quickly outstripped the royals' need for them, and so they can now be found working for any number of patrons around the city. They have steadily climbed back up to favored-slave status, and they usually choose to keep the company of other krinth rather than spend time with slaves of other races.

Since the city's return to Faerûn, the krinth have been restless. Shar has sent agents to infiltrate the city, and to whisper thoughts of freedom and promises of her rewards into the ears of eager krinth. With the number of krinth who have escaped the city rising steadily, under the influence of Shar as well as their own desire for freedom, the Shadovar have tightened the reins on the City of Shade. The krinth are still alien to every culture in Faerûn, and even in places where they have proven their value, they still arouse curiosity and suspicion.

Outlook: Krinth are not philosophers. Their natural inclination is to only think about what they are doing at the moment, and perhaps what they will be doing afterward. On the Plane of Shadow this outlook helped them immensely, allowing them to thrive even under the yoke of their Shadovar masters. It also means that they have difficulty with long-term planning of any kind, and function best when matters of strategy are left to others.

Now that they have reached Faerûn, the krinth find that they have more opportunities open to them than ever before. Some krinth have seen the beauty of the forests and caverns of Faerûn and wish to live there, rather than in the city above the desert. This desire led to many escape attempts during the early Shadovar excavation projects, and the shades have since put tight controls on any krinth that leave the city. Some krinth are finally awakening to the reality of their slavery, and it is frustrating to them that they cannot leave the City of Shade to explore this new world around them. While there is nothing close to a full insurrection brewing, a burgeoning underground movement helps krinth escape into the world at large, and fights for krinth interests within the city.

Krinth mature more quickly than the Shadovar. To the Shadovar, this simply means that their slaves can take on more responsibilities at an earlier age. This trait does give the krinth some insight into the true nature of those around them, since people act much differently around children than they do around adults. Krinth children excel at sports, and spend most of their free time playing and inventing new games. They do not experiment with different interests as the children of other races do, because the krinth mind does not worry about finding and pursing its passion. Occasionally a krinth will show some artistic talent or skill with mathematics or spellcraft, although the Shadovar generally frown upon such diversions.

The only way a krinth in the City of Shade is likely to learn magic or art is through a clandestine teacher, or perhaps with the encouragement of the krinth underground, who seek to develop a loyal cadre of mages for the time when they attempt to break free from the yoke of slavery.

Like their children, krinth adults prefer rigorous activity in their leisure time, often playing sports or training in combat. During the rare holidays in which they have more than one day off at a time, krinth stay up all night long drinking large quantities of beer, wine, and other festive libations. Aside from the rift between demonspawn and trueborns, krinth treat one another and others with respect. Even though many are now longing for freedom, they do not actively hate the Shadovar who rule them.

Personality: Krinth are seen as dour and humorless by most other races. When they are working at a task, they rarely allow themselves to become distracted from it. The krinth are said to work as hard at leisure as they do at laboring, drinking copious amounts of alcohol, enjoying food to gluttonous proportions, playing games of chance, and taking physical pleasures as often as possible. Members of this race work hard and play hard, and they never seem to rest.

Physical Description: A krinth appear similar to an average specimen of the nonfiendish half of their bloodline. Krinth are generally born to human, orc, or dwarf parents - the most common slave races in the City of Shade. Krinth with dwarf ancestry are shorter and more stout than those of human or orc ancestry, but they are not as short as true dwarves. Krinth range anywhere between 5 and 7 feet tall and usually weigh between 150 and 250 pounds. All krinth, regardless of their ancestry, have straight black hair, black eyes, and dusky gray skin. Krinth reach adulthood at age 20 and live between 100 and 125 years.

Relations: Although the krinth are slaves in the City of Shade, they still occupy a higher social stratum than the other humanoid slaves of the city. The Shadovar generally give them better positions and treat them with less cruelty than their other slaves. Since krinth are related to the shadow demons of their adopted home plane, some Shadovar fear that mistreating them would risk making enemies of the demons and their offspring.

The krinth regard the city's other slave races as beneath them. They often treat their fellow slaves with more contempt than their owners do, and their violent tempers often cost them dearly when they take the life of, or disable, another slave. Krinth who have escaped the City of Shade and made their way onto the continent usually maintain this haughty attitude, although they realize that they must soften it somewhat if they are to get along. Most escaped krinth become mercenaries and seek to join a larger organization. Several have joined with the Zhentarim through caravans moving through Anauroch, and others have gone into the Underdark and now fight for the drow. On rare occasions, a krinth joins a more traditional community and learns to live alongside normal races, even hiding his true nature from his new neighbors.

Alignment: Krinth are very chaotic in nature, despite their single-mindedness in duty. They also tend to favor the evil of their sires, although some have shown the capacity to break out of this mold, and even to do good. Those who escape the City of Shade are more likely to lean toward neutrality, which might have been the cause for their flight in the first place.

Krinth Lands: Most krinth are slaves in the City of Shade, performing high-level tasks as well as menial labor for their Shadovar masters. They tend to reside in subterranean lairs even on the floating city, since they prefer to live in isolation from other races. Krinth who escape the city often retreat to the Underdark if they can find entry; otherwise, they simply travel as far from Anauroch as possible. They consider open terrain to be indefensible and uncomfortable, and the entire race suffers from a mild case of agoraphobia. Thus, in cases where they cannot find their way into The Night Below, krinth often take up residence in heavy forests, jungles, or in mountain valleys hidden away from the sun and other humanoids.

Religion: Krinth have no common racial deity; instead, they tend to worship powerful demon lords, especially those from their home plane. A krinth rarely worships the demon who spawned him unless the demon is a powerful lord that calls his spawn to him. Krinth who escape their servitude and take up a life outside the City of Shade often adopt native gods in order to better fit in. The deities discussed below are the most common choices of worship for krinth who have left their old lives behind through virtue or chance.

Those krinth who take up with the Zhentarim via one of the caravans that run through the Anauroch generally worship Bane. The Black Lord rules his people through power and fear, much like the demons that the krinth are used to worshiping. Those krinth who find their way to the Underdark often take up the worship of whatever god is prevalent in the community in which they find themselves, most commonly Lolth or Laduguer.

Shar also maintains her interest in these new Faerûnians, and has directed several of her cells to actively recruit those krinth who labor in the City of Shade as well as those who have left it.

Language: All krinth speak Common and Halruaan. Krinth who have lived with the Shadovar might also know Netherese, the dead language of the dead empire. Although krinth often have contact with their sires, not all of them learn to speak or understand the Abyssal tongue. Individual krinth who escape the City of Shade might learn other languages appropriate to their new region or the peoples who live there. All krinth are literate, except for barbarians.

Adventurers: Most krinth are happy with their roles as the favored slaves of the Shadovar. They secretly believe that the shadow demons that spawned them will elevate them someday, but their decent treatment at the hands of their masters is enough for now. Those who are not happy are either rooted out and killed, or they escape out of the floating city and find a new life on - or under - the surface of Faerûn. A krinth's stubborn will to finish the job often helps him stand strong in the face of the sorts of horrors that adventurers meet on a regular basis.

KRINTH RACIAL TRAITS

+2 Constitution, -2 Charisma: Krinth are hardy and resistant to illness and damage, but they often lack self-determination and a sense of purpose outside that given to them by others.
Medium: As Medium creatures, krinth have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Krinth base land speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision out to 60 feet.
+1 racial bonus on all saves. Krinth are resilient in mind as well as body.
+1 bonus on all saving throws against spells and spell-like abilities with the shadow descriptor.
+2 racial bonus on Hide checks in shadowy conditions.
+4 racial bonus on saving throws against fear. As the spawn of demons, the krinth were born of fear and malice.
Krinth cannot become shaken, and they ignore the effects of the shaken condition; they can still become frightened or panicked, though in most cases their innate resistance to fear keeps them from it.
Automatic Languages: Common and Netherese. Bonus Languages: Abyssal, Chondathan, Damaran, Undercommon.
Favored Class: Fighter. A multiclass krinth's fighter class does not count when determining whether he takes an experience point penalty.