Starsoul

Part machine, part stary, these Half-construct Fey were created by trapping the soul of a star within a metal body.

## Physical Description

The most common type of Starsoul is that of a main sequence star, as they are the most numerous in the night sky. Topaz holds the heart of a Starsoul.

Medium Fey (half-construct)

Speed 30ft

Greater Paragon (2 RP): Members of this race gain a +4 bonus to WIS, a –2 penalty to CON, and a –2 penalty to CHA.

Standard Languages

Spell Resistance, Lesser (2 RP): Prerequisites: None; Benefit: Members of this race gain spell resistance equal to 6 + their character level.

Elemental Vulnerability (–2 RP): Members of this race have vulnerability to electricity. They cannot possess any racial trait that grants them resistance or immunity to this energy type.

#### Alternate Starsoul Racial Traits

##### **White Dwarf**

Some Starsouls are created from a star after it has already gone supernova. These souls are much more compact, and are made of finer, delicate materials. They are Tiny instead of medium, but gain Acid Vulnerability, and do not gain Spell Resistance. Diamonds are their core, their heart.

##### Red Giant Starsoul

These Starsouls were created after a star entered its red giant phase. These Starsouls however, are born tired. The red giant stage of a star is shorter than its main sequence stage and these Starsouls know that they were taken past their prime and are now doomed to wander while their star languishes and does not age as it should. Thus, these Starsouls are more prone to rage at the unjust nature of their existence. Many destroyed themselves or locked themselves away in their mind to escape their new lives and others threw themselves into battle against those who tore them from the heavens. The end result is that there are few of these Starsouls left in the world, and those that are generally choose a solitary existence in the corners of the universe where there is no one who will ignite their rage and no one who they are at risk of hurting. Rubies turn at the heart of the Red Giant Starsoul.

As the star itself is significantly larger than its main sequence brethren, so to is the Starsoul created from it. Red Giant Starsouls have the following traits:

Large (7 RP) Fey (2RP) (half-construct 7 RP)

Weakness (-1 RP) Members of this race gain a +2 bonus to STR, a +2 bonus to WIS, and a –4 penalty to CON.

Standard Languages

Slow Speed (-1 RP)

Elemental Vulnerability (–2 RP): Members of this race have vulnerability to electricity. They cannot posses any racial trait that grants them resistance or immunity to this energy type.

##### Nebula Starsoul

Colorful is the best way to describe these Starsouls. Born of nebulas, they are as various as the celestial bodies themselves. They are the beginning and the end of a star’s life and exist in between as well. Many nebula are known as star-forming regions and have the potentially to become a star themselves (often many, depending on the size of the nebula and its density). Other nebula are planetary remnants and are all that remain after a star’s death. And it’s these deaths that will one day give birth to stars once again. Nebula Starsouls can often see the beauty in all things and know that there is rarely a true end to anything. As such, they are in no hurry to return to their home in the heavens, and are quite happy to explore and experience the universe around them. Opals are common as the hearts of Nebula Starsouls.

Medium Fey (2RP) (half-construct 7 RP)
Speed 30ft
Flexible (2RP): Members of this race gain a +2 bonus to CHA and WIS.
Standard Languages
Elemental Vulnerability (–2 RP): Members of this race have vulnerability to electricity. They cannot posses any racial trait that grants them resistance or immunity to this energy type.

Curiosity (4 RP): Members of this race are naturally inquisitive about the world around them. They gain a +4 bonus on Diplomacy checks to gather information, and Knowledge (history) and Knowledge (local) become class skills for them. If they choose a class that has either of these Knowledge skills as class skills, they gain a +2 racial bonus on those skills instead.

##### Black Hole Starsoul

Hunger is almost all these Starsouls knows. As their namesake, they seek to consume all that falls in their path. They never feel full of anything, not happiness nor sadness, not hunger nor thirst. There is nothing that satisfies their appetite. They are the most unstable of all Starsouls and many consumed themselves, shortly after creation, pulled apart by a spontaneous event horizon that ripped the soul back to its proper place before dissipating. It is unknown if any of these Starsouls managed to awaken long enough to truly step out into the world. Pray you never meet one, for you won’t be long for this world if you do.

## History

Long ago, and after many wars, a global civilization reached a pinnacle. They utilized the resources of their planet to the fullest potential. The next step was to utilize the solar system. However, the ancients were running out of time, for their sun would soon be to the point of expanding into a red giant. In a desperate attempt to buy more time, they constructed a ritual of massive proportions. They used hundreds of people, and at the alignment of the planets and the sun, they completed it. They called upon the sun’s power, hoping to siphon off enough to buy them time they needed. However, there was an unexpected side effect. Their ritual tapped right into the heart of the sun’s power, the soul of a star. The soul was drawn down to the planet and a soul cannot be long without a host. And so the soul inhabited what it could in the ritual circle, the first body it had was a pile of branches and machine parts forming a roughly humanoid shape.

Once the Ancients realized what they had done, they tried to fix the problem for the soul, but the ritual could not be undone. Over time they did what they could for the Starsoul, as it came to be known, which included building a better body for it to inhabit. As time marched on, the bodies improved and the Starsoul appeared almost like an Android. While some parts of the body could be mechanical in nature, they are can also be part flesh, or part plant or any number of things. The bodies are never perfect though, as containing a soul as large as a star is extremely difficult. And so the bodies always break down in the end and the soul has to transferred to a new one.

The Ancients who created the Starsoul soon moved on to other solar systems, and thinking they knew best, decided to create a companion for the Starsoul. As they couldn’t decided what solar system would be awarded the honor, all the systems inhabited by the Ancients completed the rituals and called down the soul. When the New Souls were introduced to the Prime, the Prime wept with the horror at what the Ancients had done. For the ritual was extremely traumatic for the Starsoul, as they were torn from everything they had known and thrust into a strange alien world. Change does not come easy for a star, and it was hard to live while everything around them withered and died. And with the knowledge of the fate that awaited the New Souls, the Prime’s grief was so intense that it ripped the bindings of the ritual to shreds and the fate that was long avoid was unleashed upon the Ancients. The soul was home and the star exploded, wiping out every living thing in solar system. Those lucky enough to be in another solar system were horrified at the destruction and blamed the New Souls. They turned their back on their creations, and scattering them across the galaxy to wander alone, for a Starsouls power over their star diminishes with distance.

## Culture

Starsouls, few as they are, tend to be withdrawn in nature and have a hard time relating to other races. The 'birth' of a Starsoul is an extremely traumatic event and many Starsouls do not cope well with their new humanoid form. The adjustment period for a Starsoul can be quite long, and some never fully adjust. This is highly influenced by the fact that before their ensoulment, Starsouls inhabited their stars and experienced time and space differently than the mortal races. What is a day, year or millennia to a being whose lifespan can be billions of years long. Starsouls can also struggle with scale as they went from their star to a humanoid form. They see the world through new eyes with no humanoid experience to guide them through. Starsouls struggle to understand many humanoid concepts, especially laws and social customs. As they experience time at a different rate, when they finally seem to grasp a law or custom, it is likely that the society has already changed or moved beyond that.

Due to their likeness, Starsouls often disguise themselves as Androids when venturing around other races. This is because they are often sought out for their wisdom, if one can understand their riddles or sought for the power one could have over a solar system if it had its Starsoul. Their unusual looks can frequently land them as permanent guests of a court as they can be seen as less than human. Luckily, like with all things, knowledge of the Starsouls faded with time and became legend.

Starsouls tend more towards Neutral alignments and passive roles. It can be hard to stir them to action as mortal affairs tend to be brief and ever changing. They generally do not enjoy violence and do their best never to initiate it unless unavoidable. That being said, they will also acknowledge that sometimes violence might be necessary. Starsouls are hyper aware of the balance in nature and within themselves. While a star can be seen as a source of life on a planet, they can also be the destruction, as seen with Prime. However, time among the mortal races can change a Starsouls outlook on life and balance. Their experiences can color their perception of the world, for better or worse.

Since they are very few in number, Starsouls have rarely run into others of their kind since being branded Great Sorrows and scattered across the universe.

## Prominent Members

Austra

Ophelia