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Kessalin
Acolyte
USA
28 Posts |
 Posted - 16 Jul 2016 : 01:02:29
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I'm running a 3.5 campaign based on the legend of the Four Sons of Vyshaan described in Lost Empires of Faerun, and decided that the fey'ri weren't quite what I was looking for in a fiendishly corrupt, power-hungry elven culture, so I've been working on my own subrace, and thought I'd submit it here. I haven't finalized the racial abilities yet, but the fluff is done. I've formatted it to roughly follow the racial entries from Races of Faerun, which has provoked some thought into parts of the race that I hadn't yet considered.
Any questions, comments or criticisms are appreciated, and will be addressed when I can.
Elf, Vyshaanti (Crimson Elf)
Regions: All elven regions listed in the Player’s Guide to Faerun except Sildeyuir, The Sword Coast, Vyshaantar
The Vyshaanti are one of the rarest subraces of elves on Faerun; only the avariel are seen less often. They are extraordinarily adept at arcane magic, rivaling or sometimes exceeding the sun elves in both the power and artistry of their magical workings.
In their homeland of Vyshaantar, the crimson elves still follow the traditions, both magical and mundane, of their former empire of Aryvandaar. Their capital city of Gilvaanar is easily the equal of any city of Faerun or Evermeet in beauty, magical and military power. They are secure in their power in Vyshaantar, and any non-elf found in a Vyshaanti city without the consent of the crimson elves is executed immediately; such lesser creatures are nothing more than slaves at best and don’t deserve to freely bask in the wonders of Vyshaatar.
In Faerun, the crimson elves are more cautious. After nearly twelve thousand years the Vyshaan are the stuff of legend; villains of “boogeyman” tales designed to scare young elves and universally hated by any elves who know even the basic history of the Crown Wars (which is nearly all of them).
Crimson elves tend toward the same skin and hair colors as Sun elves; strawberry blond, copper, or black hair and bronze skin. Their eyes tend to be golden, brown, and in rare cases the blood-red hue commonly found in drow. Their skin and eyes will often have a slight reddish tint, leading to a more copper or rose-gold color.
Crimson elves share the same general build and long lifespan of their Sun elven cousins, using their height, weight, and age information found on page 40 of Races of Faerun.
History
After the period of ancient history known as the Time of Dragons, the era known as the First Flowering of the Elves began. During this era, the elves of Faerun were without question the most powerful humanoid race in Faerun. Their empires spanned the length and breadth of the known world, and their civilization attained heights of magical and military power and culture never seen before and rarely seen since. In time the sun elf empire of Aryvandaar rose to prominence among the elf kingdoms, but when the Vyshaan noble house became the royal house with the ascension of Ivosaar Vyshaan to the seat of Coronal the first stirrings of unrest began. The Vyshaanti rulers were arrogant, bigoted, power hungry elves that thought they were the rightful rulers of the entire elven race. Only six hundred years after taking power, they staked a claim to a neighboring elven empire, claiming they had a blood connection to the ruling family of that realm. This was the first act of aggression that eventually spiraled out of control into the Crown Wars.
Before they ruled Aryvandaar, the Vyshaan clan were a well-known noble clan that held significant power in the kingdom. They were magically powerful with a great number of High Magi in their ranks, as well as commanding large numbers of elven soldiers. Still, they hungered for more. Shunning the more conservative, traditional routes to power, many Vyshaan turned to more sinister pursuits. During the first and second Crown Wars, several Vyshaan began summoning and controlling fiends, which drove them in time to introduce fiendish blood into the clan, either through magical experimentation or breeding with them. This mingling of fiendish essence with elven blood marks the birth of the Vyshaantar elves as a subrace of their own.
Rarely, another clan of elves would discover the depths the Vyshaan were sinking to in their pursuit of power only to disappear or be absorbed into the Vyshaan shortly thereafter. These discoveries by their kin convinced the Vyshaan they needed secret places to continue their studies, so they began exploring far-flung corners of Toril as well as other planes. They constructed several citadels on the other continents created by the sundering, then moved to other planes and erected several others. One such citadel was in the Barrens of Doom and Despair. Others were erected in Baator and the Abyss, as well as other fiendish planes.
In -10,900 DR, as the third Crown War was beginning, the fallen solar Malkizid took notice of the Vyshaan citadel in the Barrens of Doom and Despair and investigated it. Upon discovering the Vyshaan researchers and their goals, he offered himself as a hidden patron of the clan. When the Vyshaan accepted his offer, Malkizid immediately began teaching them many dark secrets of High Magic, including how to magically infuse themselves with greater fiendish power. This led to the emergence of the first Vyshaantar half-fiends, including the Ar’Coronal himself.
The third and fourth Crown Wars eroded the Vyshaantar Empire, and the fifth one shattered it. Their lives declared forfeit by all the other elves of Faerun, the last remaining Vyshaan nobles were forced to flee Faerun completely. Many were slain before they could flee, but many more traveled through portals to their hidden citadels. The largest group of survivors arrived at a citadel far to the west, on a large island off the coast of what's now known as Anchorome, the unexplored continent far to the west of Evermeet. There they revived their old research and breeding facilities and set to exploring this foreign land that had become their new home.
They discovered many of the same people living in this new land as made Faerun home. The disastrous Sundering that created Evermeet had literally torn the land apart, creating the Sea of Swords as it dragged Anchorome and Maztica far off to the west. A few of the intelligent races of Faerun survived this cataclysm and forged new lives for themselves in this isolated land. These other people were not prepared for the arrival of the Vyshaan. They had known of the Vyshaanti citadels but always regarded them as cursed and haunted places not to be disturbed. When the last of the Vyshaan arrived and began exploring, they immediately came into conflict with the native races. The magic and weaponry of the Empire was too much for the defenses of the natives, and over the next few millennia the Vyshaantar Empire rose again. Their armies conquered and enslaved everyone they encountered, both on their newly-claimed island and the mainland of Anchorome, which provided an endless supply of volunteers for their fiendish experiments.
Today, the Vyshaantar Empire is stable, prosperous, and thoroughly corrupt. Fiendish specimens of any and every kind walk the lands of the Empire, all of which live in fear of the mighty elves of the Vyshaan clan. There are a large number of half-fiend Vyshaanti, as any who become suitably powerful, and suitably noble, to undergo the infusion process do so immediately. All of the Vyshaanti half-fiends breed true with one another, always bearing half-fiend children.
Yet for all their victories, the Vyshaan have never forgotten the reason their empire was forced to rise from its own ashes on the other side of the world: the elves of Faerun. They drove out the Vyshaan and have let the great cities of Aryvandaar fall to ruin, taking their secrets with them. The elves of Faerun left those lands for a time, calling their Retreat to Evermeet and letting the inferior races claim ancestral elven lands.
The Ar'Coronal has had spies in Faerun for many years, always reporting important events back to him in order to determine an opportune time to return to Faerun in force to reclaim the lands and secrets of Aryvandaar. With recent events involving the Daemonfey of House Dlardrageth and the end of the elven Retreat, the Ar'Coronal has decided the Vyshaantar must act to put the ancient elven lands back into the hands of proper guardians, as the Faerunian elves have utterly failed in that duty. Any who oppose them will be offered two choices: submit or die.
Outlook
Vyshaanti elves believe they are superior to every other humanoid race, including their own elven kin. This superiority manifests itself in two ways: a sort of magnanimity toward other elves, and haughty disdain that easily transforms into hostility toward non-elves. Crimson elves have never forgotten that it was their own kin that drove them from Faerun, but know that their greater might will become plain again in time. When it does, their lesser brethren will be wise to bow down to Vyshaanti rule once again, and will be rewarded when they do.
Non-elves, however, need to be taught immediately and forcefully that the Vyshaanti are their superiors. They are viewed as fit for nothing more than servitude, slavery, or slaughter. If a crimson elf encounters a non-elf they cannot immediately bring to heel, they will avoid contact under any circumstances except those of dire need or necessity, until the point that they can assert their dominance.
In their homeland, Vyshaanti elves are accustomed to being the ruling class, and treat everyone else accordingly. They take insult to not being given favorable treatment compared to lesser beings in every facet of daily life, and will often demand restitution for being insulted so. In Faerun, Vyshaanti elves understand they are outnumbered and universally reviled, so they manage to mask their indignation. Woe to those who attempt to take advantage of a Vyshaanti, however; especially if they aren’t an elf themselves. Such situations often end in the death or ruin of the non-elf through the machinations of the slighted crimson elf.
Characters
Crimson elves have a long history of magical prowess and great workings of the Art, and as such most of them have some sort of magical aptitude or training. Their history is equally that of conquest and bloodshed and so the Vyshaanti are often martial adepts (crusaders, swordsages, and warblades from the Tome of Battle: the Book of Nine Swords) as well.
Favored Class: Being a race and culture so intimately familiar with the Art, Wizard is the favored class of crimson elves.
Prestige Classes: Archmage, Elven High Mage, Olin Gisir, and Incantatrix are all popular choices for Vyshaanti wizards. More martially-inclined crimson elves find the Abjurant Champion, Arcane Archer, Bladesinger, and Eternal Blade prestige classes appealing.
Society
Crimson elf society is based on clan, and the strength of the fiendish blood running in one’s veins. The Vyshaan clan is the ruling house of the empire, as it has been since they took power in long-lost Aryvandaar. All other clans, or Houses as they call them, are vassal houses to the Vyshaan. There are two tiers of vassal houses: noble houses who owe their fealty directly to House Vyshaan, and lesser houses who owe their fealty to one of the noble houses (and therefore indirectly to House Vyshaan). Many of these vassal houses have the same name as existing elven families in Evermeet or Faerun due to common ancestry, but the two branches of those families have diverged greatly because of the fiendish influence present in the Vyshaanti house.
The houses themselves are led by hereditary leaders, with the previous head naming their successor (usually a child, niece or nephew, or some other descendant). Heads of the clans may be male or female; no preference is given to one sex or the other. One thing common to all clans, however, is that the clan leaders are almost universally half-fiends. No noble house has ever had a clan leader that was not a half-fiend, as the Vyshaanti lords feel that anyone whose blood is so diluted as to be a mere tiefling or crimson elf is a lower class of elf. While the most common path of succession is to be named as such by the current head of the House, succession by coup (bloodless or otherwise) is not uncommon.
The Vyshaanti houses form the ruling caste of the empire, with crimson elf houses possessed of very little fiendish blood being just below them, as a sort of middle class citizen. These lower houses are the minor rulers, the merchants, the lesser functionaries of Vyshaantar society that keep it running smoothly and according to the desires of the lesser and noble houses above them. Below the lower houses are the non-elven residents in the lower classes of society: servants or, much more commonly, slaves.
Vyshaanti elves turned away from worshipping the Seldarine when the elven gods decreed their removal from power. Divine magic in crimson elf society comes primarily from druids and rarely from the Dranath’tu’Seldarie (Reavers of the Seldarine) or, less formally, Godreavers. The godreavers are Vyshaanti who have pledged themselves to fiendish powers in exchange for dark magical abilities and, in time, the ability to steal divine power directly from the elven gods and shape it as they wish.
Language and Literacy
All crimson elves speak the common tongue of Vyshaantar in addition to their native elven.
All Vyshaanti elves are literate. Crimson elves often take the languages of their servant races to communicate with (and eavesdrop upon) them more clearly. Infernal is a common language choice as well, given the heritage of the Vyshaan. Wizards commonly learn draconic for spellbooks and other magical writing, and many of them will learn Seldruin in preparation for becoming High Mages. Godreavers all learn Infernal as part of their training.
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Edited by - Kessalin on 16 Jul 2016 01:11:03
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Brimstone
Great Reader
USA
3285 Posts |
Posted - 16 Jul 2016 : 02:29:35
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| Interesting... |
"These things also I have observed: that knowledge of our world is
to be nurtured like a precious flower, for it is the most precious
thing we have. Wherefore guard the word written and heed
words unwritten and set them down ere they fade . . . Learn
then, well, the arts of reading, writing, and listening true, and they
will lead you to the greatest art of all: understanding."
Alaundo of Candlekeep |
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Khaelieth
Learned Scribe
103 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jul 2016 : 08:55:50
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I've not followed post 3.5rd FR lore, so correct me if I'm wrong :)
The Vyshaanti were always "just" sun elves in the fluff and there are no mentions of half-fiends anywhere with regards to the Vyshaanti, leaders or not AFAIK. That's just a fluffy take on it though, so if you're going full homebrew, just ignore this and have fun! Though they do seem very similar to Warcraft's Blood Elves.
However, Olin Gisir doesn't seem right. Olin Gisir are loremasters who keep dark secrets and demons locked away. Loremaster from the DMG would be a better fit.
This might be of interest (http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=15988&whichpage=40)
More recently, Erendriel Durothil asked: “Are there any survivors of House Vyshaan of Aryvandaar? What sort of lore do we know about Aryvandaar other than it was a great Gold Elven kingdom and empire (besides the Crown War lore)? I'm really curious and anxious.”
Ed responds:
Yes, there are survivors of House Vyshaan. However, lore about them and about Aryvandaar is firmly NDA right now, so I can’t say much more. I’ll be checking at GenCon and after with certain folks to see what I can reveal, though . . . so stay tuned. Let me say this much: there are gold elves of the line of Vyshaan alive in the Realms today who know their heritage - - and there are gold elves of the line of Vyshaan alive in the Realms today who do not. |
Also known on other forums as ChazSexington, Kusghuul, and Claudius.
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Edited by - Khaelieth on 24 Jul 2016 08:58:12 |
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TBeholder
Great Reader
2382 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jul 2016 : 15:26:16
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quote:
Originally posted by Khaelieth
I've not followed post 3.5rd FR lore, so correct me if I'm wrong :)
The Vyshaanti were always "just" sun elves in the fluff and there are no mentions of half-fiends anywhere with regards to the Vyshaanti, leaders or not AFAIK.
Yup. But there also always was phenomenon which we can call elf-washing. It goes more or less like this:
The starting position is "B-but elves are cute and fluffy and with flowers, nyaa!" 
It exists for exactly the same reason why the elves are often hated out-of-'verse ("Around elves, watch yourselves!", etc): they are inherently prone to being shaped into Superior Marysues.
Now, FR elves aren't cute and fluffy, but "elves ARE monsters!" (ditto for Dragonlance, Spelljammer, etc).
Hence, the elf-washing process. The inconvenient parts can be advocated away, ignored, etc. Usually a little dose of selective obliviousness is enough. But when the patients get to run the asylum - retcons happen.
But then - look, there are Vyshaanti! And no matter how you cut the cake, they certainly weren't cute and fluffy flower children. They were guilty as sin. In the fall of elvenkind to its irrelevant and/or despised state, among the other things.
Thus the obvious solution: "B-but... they weren't really proper elves - just like with the drow!" 
quote:
> there are gold elves of the line of Vyshaan alive in the Realms today who know their heritage - -
> and there are gold elves of the line of Vyshaan alive in the Realms today who do not.
Yup. And if even they don't know it - that's as clear as it gets, no? |
People never wonder How the world goes round -Helloween
And even I make no pretense Of having more than common sense -R.W.Wood
It's not good, Eric. It's a gazebo. -Ed Whitchurch |
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Wrigley
Senior Scribe
Czech Republic
605 Posts |
Posted - 25 Jul 2016 : 09:31:38
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I agree that Realmsian elves are certainly not goodie hippies thay now make themselves look like. However if Vyshaan heretige would be easily identifiable than none will survive till today as there was a little witch-hunt for them after the Crown Wars.
Towards the Crimson elves concept - I would suggest more detail about their lower planar masters and how they cover them from Seldarine. It would take some major demon lords or infernals but it could be possible. As they worship their patron it should be clear who he is even to lowly peasants amongs them.
I would also suggest looking at LEoF and use that notion about lost sons of Vyshaan.
There could also be a major number of sorcerers amongs them due to fiendish blood. |
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Khaelieth
Learned Scribe
103 Posts |
Posted - 25 Jul 2016 : 11:10:57
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quote:
Originally posted by Wrigley
I agree that Realmsian elves are certainly not goodie hippies thay now make themselves look like. However if Vyshaan heretige would be easily identifiable than none will survive till today as there was a little witch-hunt for them after the Crown Wars.
Towards the Crimson elves concept - I would suggest more detail about their lower planar masters and how they cover them from Seldarine. It would take some major demon lords or infernals but it could be possible. As they worship their patron it should be clear who he is even to lowly peasants amongs them.
I would also suggest looking at LEoF and use that notion about lost sons of Vyshaan.
There could also be a major number of sorcerers amongs them due to fiendish blood.
Pretty much. Drow were stained by the Seldarine for easy identification, with the sign of their guilt passed onto their children. Fey'ri have to hide themselves from the world or face genocide. Half-fiend elves would easily be spotted in elf society. I mean, they built magical barriers to exclude them.
Also, where is Vyshaantar, OP? AFAIK, you've placed it roughly where Maztica is on the map.
What about having Vyshaantar on a different pocket plane built by their remaining High Mages? You could have them come back, searching for their unknowing descendants using blood magic, wishing to bring them back, with consent not required. Their timing is due to them finally being confident enough in their military power after their Faerunian Empire was annihilated by the Elven Court and the Seldarine, much like the fey'ri.
Also, it's worth bearing in mind Malkizid did abandon them, but he was a Solar-turned-Devil-turned-Yugoloth-Lord, so they'd likely keep demons at a distance. |
Also known on other forums as ChazSexington, Kusghuul, and Claudius.
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Edited by - Khaelieth on 25 Jul 2016 11:13:49 |
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Wrigley
Senior Scribe
Czech Republic
605 Posts |
Posted - 25 Jul 2016 : 17:53:00
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I meant that they need to be hidden from Seldarine (elven gods) even on other continent (or pocket plane). Otherwise they would be found and dealt with already.
It is said that Malkezid left Vyshaan lords before they were defeated but he could actualy left with these descendants to protect them. It made sense he left them in their defeat but not so much if they had a new empire over the horizon...they are his toy after all. |
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Kessalin
Acolyte
USA
28 Posts |
Posted - 27 Jul 2016 : 22:36:07
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Thanks for the input!
I am going full homebrew, but for reasons based in FR lore; the Last Mythal trilogy features Malkizid as the secret patron of the Daemonfey, and IIRC he taught them how to become daemonfey through a high magic ritual of solitude. I also took inspiration from the "Aryvandaar - The Golden Empire" by Phasai on deviantart (I think their name is Snowblood here?), wherein the high mage mentioned in the Last Mythal trilogy was among the ranks of the Vyshaanti High Mages. In addition, the idea that the Vyshaan had fiendish blood is heavily used there. Also, regarding Ed's answer, I have to wonder what he was referencing, because the answer was from 2012, but the Last Mythal trilogy is from 2004 I think? Does anyone know what product the NDA related to?
You bring up a good point about the Olin Gisir, Khaelieth. The Loremaster would be a better fit. Though would evil-aligned Olin Gisir keep their demons and secrets locked away out of benevolence or selfishness? Might there be some of them that use the secrets they know for their own benefit?
Regarding their fiendish patrons, I'm considering having Malkizid remain their patron. Though he did abandon them, the impression that I get is that it was because he knew they'd picked a fight they couldn't win and wouldn't listen to reason and flee to retain their strength. So, he left them to decide on their own when to flee, if at all. If he's still their patron, then it would be because those that fled contacted him and convinced him to return. He could also have left because he'd accomplished what he set out to do; bring about the ruin of the pinnacle of elven culture. According to Champions of Ruin he hates the Seldarine and Corellon in particular because Corellon could have shown him mercy, but didn't. Because of this hatred, he works against the Seldarine through their worshippers. Tearing down the greatest achievements of Corellon's children would be immensely satisfying to him.
Wrigley's idea of Malkizid's abandonment of the Vyshaan during the Crown Wars to protect the ones that listened to him and prepared to flee is a good one, and I might go with that. I've been looking for a plausible reason to keep him as their patron, as I prefer to keep things tied to Realmslore if possible. I'd rather have Malkizid as a patron than one of the lords of Hell, but if there's someone else that would suit them better, I'll go that route. I think Malkizid would be able to provide the protection they'd need, but on the other hand the Seldarine aren't exactly the types to follow up on something like that. The drow are doing well enough and they're arguably worse than the Vyshaan. I feel like Corellon would pass judgement on the Vyshaan, see them removed from power, and then not worry about it any longer because his punishment has been inflicted.
Also, not all crimson elves are half-fiends, so many of them are able to hide their heritage in Faerunian society. Some are just regular elves, some are tieflings, and some are half-fiends, with increasing social status as the amount of fiendish blood in your veins increases. Those without fiendish blood are nearly indistinguishable from other sun elves, and are the ones that spend time in Faerun watching events unfold and reporting back to Vyshaantar when something seems important.
TBeholder: No, the Vyshaanti certainly aren't "flower children". I'm actually modeling their society after nazi ideology. My players have taken non-elven Vyshaanti prisoners that automatically assume the sun elf PC is the leader, continually refer to themselves as "lesser races", and can't fathom the idea of resisting the Vyshaan. In Vyshaantar, they have a stranglehold on arcane magic, actively persecute divine spellcasters, and generally keep the humans and dwarves they've subjugated living in a sort of magical dark ages. Rebellion is viciously suppressed, even to the point of high-magic-powered destruction of entire villages with the rebellious residents still inside. "Torture your family to make you talk" is a common tactic used when dealing with the "lesser races" under their control.
As far as where Vyshaantar is located, if you look at this map (which I found on the web googling for "forgotten realms world map" and originally appears on page 231 of the 3e Campaign Setting): http://www.oocities.org/zhentar2003/toril_2.jpg
Maztica is labelled, with the large continent attached to it on the north being Anchorome. The island off the west coast of Anchorome/Maztica is where I'm putting Vyshaantar for now, though I might just use Anchorome itself. The island I'm using right now is about 1500 miles east to west and almost 1200 north to south, so it's a good sized piece of land. |
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Wrigley
Senior Scribe
Czech Republic
605 Posts |
Posted - 28 Jul 2016 : 00:36:16
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I have realised that if you are placing them near Maztica then they could use Amnian conquest as a cover to get their spies to Faerun. It might also be a reason that sparked their interest in Faerun just now. Otherwise it is not so easy to get this far without anyone noticing.
I am also comparing gold elves to nazis.
Glad I could been of any help. |
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Khaelieth
Learned Scribe
103 Posts |
Posted - 29 Jul 2016 : 10:34:51
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| You could remain true to the canon lore with regards to Malkizid as well - the Vyshaanti are now knowledgeable enough to act without Malkizid's guidance. A few separate Vyshaanti colonies might also exist on other planes, which can act as a tie-in for the Four Sons of Vyshaan. |
Also known on other forums as ChazSexington, Kusghuul, and Claudius.
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Vyshaanti Elves (campaign homebrew)
