House Yaksha

### Heraldry

Purpure, a bat displayed guardant argentA silver bat with wings spread to the sides, facing the viewer on a purple field

### Membership

3,132 Members

House Yaksha is the largest of the eleven Houses on Sornieth.

## House Colours

* **#3B2F45**
* **#333333**
* **#653F9C**

## Members

> "*Follow the path of the unsafe, independent thinker. Expose your ideas to the dangers of controversy. Speak your mind and fear less the label of ’crack-pot’ than the stigma of conformity. And on issues that seem important to you, stand up and be counted at any cost."*
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The ultimate devil’s advocate, House Yaksha thrives on the process of shredding arguments and beliefs and letting the ribbons drift in the wind for all to see. They don’t do this because they are trying to achieve some deeper purpose or strategic goal, but for the simple reason that it’s fun. No one loves the process of mental sparring more than House Yaksha, as it gives them a chance to exercise their effortlessly quick wit, broad accumulated knowledge base, and capacity for connecting disparate ideas to prove their points.

> "*There are no rules here – we’re trying to accomplish something!"*
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An odd juxtaposition arises, as they are uncompromisingly honest, but will argue tirelessly for something they don’t actually believe in, stepping into another’s shoes to argue a truth from another perspective.
This tactic shouldn’t be confused with the sort of mutual understanding that more empathetic Houses encourage, House Yaksha are on a constant quest for knowledge, and what better way to gain it than to attack and defend an idea, from every angle, from every side?

> *"There's a way to do it better - find it."*
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Taking a certain pleasure in being the underdog, House Yaksha enjoy the mental exercise found in questioning the prevailing mode of thought, constantly shaking things up and pushing them in clever new directions. House Yaksha love to brainstorm and think big, but they will avoid getting caught doing the "grunt work" at all costs.

> *"When you play, play hard."*
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Their capacity for debate can be a vexing one – while often appreciated when it’s called for, it can fall painfully flat when they step on others’ toes. They don't mince words and cares little about being seen as sensitive or compassionate. Likeminded types get along well enough, but more sensitive types, and society in general, are often conflict-averse, preferring feelings, comfort, and even white lies over unpleasant truths and hard rationality.

> *"Show me a satisfied man, and I’ll show you a failure."*
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This frustrates many of House Yaksha, and they find that their quarrelsome fun burns many bridges, oftentimes inadvertently, as they plow through others’ thresholds for having their beliefs questioned and their feelings brushed aside. Treating others as they’d be treated, they have little tolerance for being coddled, and dislike when people beat around the bush, especially when asking a favor.

## Skills and Equipment

In addition to the benefits gained from being in a house, alliegence to house Yaksha grants you:

* **Skill Proficiencies:** Deception, and one of Arcana or Stealth
* **Tool Proficiencies:** Theives tools, one type of gaming set (Dice set or Playing Card Set)
* **Languages:** One of your choice
* **Equipment:** A set of dark common clothes including a hood, a dice set or playing cards, a pouch containing 15 gp, and a signet ring bearing the sigil of Yaksha.
* **Unlock Feat "Shadow Training":** You have trained in the ways of Yaksha and you can become one with the shadow. You are permanently under a spell of Nondetection. You may suppress this effect for a duration by maintaining concentration. You may cast Disguise Self or Silent Image once per long rest without using up a spell slot.

## Leadership

As darkness falls, so do lies, and all that remains is what cannot be seen... Deep in the forest lies the Yaksha Clan. The clan is for the elegant who does not rush into battle but instead watches the outcome until it is the perfect time to strike. Many believe the Yaksha to be evil, but only those who abuse their powers are truly evil. Join this clan if you enjoy hiding in the shade of night.

## Other Houses

Loyalty, support, emotional feedback – these are not what House Yaksha looks for. The last thing these people want to hear is "you’re right", not unless they have absolutely earned the distinction in a heated round of intellectual debate. If they’re wrong, they want to be told so, and they want every detail of the faults in their logic to be laid bare, partly in their quest for oftentimes arbitrary truth, and partly just so they have to work to defend that logic with counterpoint and parry. This means they get along best with House Glacius and House Zhentarim. Their quest for truth also puts them on good terms with House Lucian.

Their constant hopping is too much for some like House Igneus, who values passion and conviction above all, and are nonpussed by House Yaksha's defense of another side just for the sake of it. Similarly, House Crag can find this tendency to debate everything first annoying.

### List of Houses

 House Avia House Crag House Dynami House Glacius House Greenleaf House Gryffindor House Igneus House Lucian House Nautica House Yaksha House Zhentarim