Hsiao

*"It was the hardest trip I've been on*

*in all of my 400 years. Traveling far*

*into the highly Mist-filled forests*

*present around those mountains which*

*the Hsiao call their home. But it was*

*worth the hardship, being able to see*

*the Hsiao settlement and it's content.*

*I must say I am quite impressed by the*

*size of their libraries. Being such a*

*small settlement, I can't imagine the*

*size and amount of knowledge contained*

*within the halls of Giruvegan, which*

*the Emperor and Empress of the Hsiao*

*settlement told me about. Supposedly*

*the largest Hsiao settlement, located*

*in such a deep mist that one is both*

*in the mortal plane and the Mistplane*

*of Zodiark at one time."*

- Suri Aehanya, Journey to The Mistwood.

Forged by the hands of Zodiark directly, the Hsiao are strongly connected to the Mist. The large sapient Owls are extremely intelligent and wise, able to tap into their own Mist much more easily than other races. They can even distribute Mist from within their own body. They generally attempt to avoid confrontation, but they are more than capable of defending themselves when they need to. Though they don't have hands, they don't need to use weapons; their talons and beaks are capable of dealing damage in combat, even capable of imbuing them with Mist at will, mimicking the effects and power of an enchanted blade. Hsiao are responsible for the majority of major philosophical, academic, and mathematical advancements across Auron.

## Visual Description

Hsiao are a race of sapient giant owls, usually around the size of halflings, although reputed to have grown to human-sized in some rare cases. Aside from their sheer size, their most remarkable trait are their mist- filled golden eyes, which have a tendency to glow. Most Hsiao have feathers colored in shades of brown or white, with black feathers being less common. Males and Females are quite different looking, with Males looking similar to real-world Great Horned Owls, whereas females look like real-world Barn Owls. It's not uncommon for male Hsiao to have facial hair comparable to that of humans, particularly in the latter half of their lives. Usually thin, long, and straight human-like strands of hair. Both males and females have three forward-facing talons, and one rear-facing talon. Though both are deadly, males tend to have larger talons.

## Long Lived Researchers

Hsiao are a very long-lived race, the average age of death being upwards of 800 years old. Much like for the Elves, this results in a disconnect on a social level from other races. This doesn't stop the Hsiao from being fairly social with other races. Though their main interests are academic or philosophical, they strive for peace, almost always taking a pacifist stance on a political level. As an individual, Hsiao tend to remain less aggressive than most, attempting friendships when possible. This doesn't mean they aren't capable of fighting though - Their strong attunement with the mist keeps them extremely powerful magic users.

## Labyrinths of Knowledge

Buildings and other structures are rare among Hsiao settlements. This is unsurprising considering their lack of hands - usually Hsiao villages are burrows within the ground, akin to ant hills in their structure. It's not rare for them to create labyrinth-like tunnels, connecting various rooms and libraries. The settlements also often include nests within trees, which can serve as anything from places to sleep, to being watchtowers for the more militarized locations. Hsiao settlements are usually ruled by a mated couple, serving as the Matriarch and Patriarch of the settlement. The Hsiao worship the God Zodiark, who is seen as the progenitor of Mist. Because of this, Mist is heavily rooted in the culture of the owls. They have an inherent resistance to the negative effects of Mist, and have much more Mist in their body than most - their glowing irises are made out of crystallized Mist, supposedly from the plane of Zodiark itself.

## Magickal Connections

Their deep roots in Mist tend to serve as the primary reason for Hsiao to travel. They jump at any opportunity to witness places with dense concentrations of Mist, even venturing happily into Jagd on occasion. Although they are naturally drawn to Mist, they also adventure to learn about other subjects. The majority of Hsiao tend to latch onto a specific interest, which they show almost as much dedication to learning about as they do Mist. Hsiao are also often drawn to knowledge regarding the Planes of Existence, with many going so far as to seek out ways to travel there. Some others will adventure as a means of seeing through their philanthropic goals.

## Complex Names

Hsiao names tend to be long and complicated, though they are usually shortened to just a syllable or two from the name, followed by their full name in a formal context. Here are some examples, and their shortened forms:

**Male Names:**

*Māotóuyīng (Ying, Mao), Móshùzhìhuì (Zhi, Oshu),*

*Qiángzhènfēng (Zhen, Angzhe), Yǒnggǎnyǔmáo (Yon, Yu, Mao)*

**Female Names:**

*Měilìnǚrén (Mei, Li), Jīnsèyǎnjīng (Jinsey, Jing),*

*Huálìwù (Ali, Liwu) Fàngsōngyīxià (Yixia, Yi, Xia)*

## Hsiao Racial Traits

***Ability Score Increase:*** The Hsiao are an extremely mentally fortified race. (+3 Wis, +2 Int, -3 Str)

***Age:*** Hsiao live to be very old; most die upwards of age 800.

***Alignments:*** Philanthropic and Wise, almost all Hsiao would be seen as ***Altruistic Reason.***

***Size:*** Though most Hsiao stop growing around a height of 3ft., rarely they can be up to 5ft.; Your size can be Small or Medium. If you choose to be Small, you weigh about 5 pounds. If you choose Medium, you weigh 10.

***Speed:*** Though not the fastest on the ground, Hsiao make good use of their wings, as well as their burrowing abilities. Your speed is 10 ft. walking, 35 ft. flying, and 20 ft. burrowing.

***Natural Weaponry:*** Due to a lack of hands, you cannot use weapons or shields. However, you can attack once per round with two talon attacks (1d4 at level 0, 1d6 at level 5, 1d6+2 at level 10, 1d8+4 at level 15 and higher) and one bite attack (1d4-1 at level 0, 1d4 at level 5, 1d6 at level 10, 1d8 at level 15 and higher). These both deal slashing damage.

***Feather Armor:*** Although the shape of Hsiao bodies and their low weight don't lend to armor well, your feathers provide a layer of protection. Your AC is calculated as 12 + your constitution bonus.

***Mistborn:*** Forged in the plane of Zodiark, your spirit is well-attuned with the Mist. This grants you the following benefits:

* You resist Magick Damage

* When you declare an attack with your talons or beak, you can choose to deal magick damage instead of slashing damage.

* When in an area with a *minimal* Mist Density, your spellcasting operates as it would in *low* Mist Density.

* You are immune to the *Sapped* condition unless you are affected by the *Overexposed* condition*.*

***Cantrip:*** You know one cantrip of your choice from the Cleric, Wizard, Warlock, or Sorcerer spell list. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for it.

***Cantrip:*** You know one cantrip of your choice from the Cleric, Wizard, Warlock, or Sorcerer spell list. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for it.

***Conduit:*** You may concentrate for 5 minutes as an action. If you do, you may increase or decrease the Mist Density of the area you are in by one level. You may not use this ability to decrease density to *Minimal* or *none*, and you may not increase density to *Extreme* or *Lethal;* You must take a long rest in order to use this ability again.

***Languages:*** You can read and speak Hsiao and Common.