Ilana

Originating from Penumbra, the capital of the antagonistic Prismatic Shardlands, this curious race of genderless humanoid moths possesses a unique dimorphism within their biology and culture. While abilities and stature differ greatly between Ilana Luna and Ilana Sola, they are both drawn to their culture's immense love of art and expression. While Ilana around the world may have vastly differing perspectives and origins, it is rare to find one who hasn't painted their body in one way or another, as it remains the primary touchstone of Ilanan culture.

**Ilana are a playable advanced race. For more information on advanced races, see the forums.**

#### **Height**

Ilana Sola are considerably smaller than their darkness-inclined family members, but when compared to common races like Humans, the difference is less pronounced. The height of most adult Solan individuals lies between 4'0 and 5'2.

Ilana Luna, on the other hand, are blessed with sturdy, massive frames, with some rare individuals appearing twice as large as their light-dwelling counterparts. The height of most adult Lunan individuals lies between 6'2 and 7'8.

#### **Shared Stats**

**Shared Defaults**: Both Ilana variants are Medium in size, and have a base land speed of 30 feet. In addition, they begin play speaking Common, and may choose bonus languages as if they were Humans.

Additionally, they are both Humanoids with the Ilana subtype.

#### **Ilana Sola**

**Ability Score Modifiers**: While Solan frames give them the agility they need to survive, aided by their sharp wits, their frames end up being more brittle than most. Ilana Sola gain a +2 bonus to Dexterity and Wisdom, and a -2 penalty to Constitution.

**Flight**: While the wings of Sola are capable of carrying them normally, they are best suited for windstorms. Sola gain a fly speed of 30 feet with Poor maneuverability.

**Wind-Blessed Wings**: Sola who are exposed to powerful winds gain a +10 foot bonus to fly speed and improve their maneuverability by one step for each Severity Level above 2 they experience. In addition, they do not suffer any Fly penalties from winds of any severity, and automatically succeed on any checks against being blown away so long as they move via flight on a given turn.

This bonus is decreased or nullified by any effects that allow one to ignore severe winds, or decrease the severity of wind that one experiences.

**Enhanced Vision**: While their eyes are sharper and less vulnerable to brightness as their counterparts, they are, in turn, less tuned to darkness. They gain Low-Light Vision, and decrease any distance-based penalties for Perception checks by half.

**Agile Athleticism**: Ilana Sola gain the Athletics sphere with the Fly package as a bonus talent. If your character uses the PoW system, you MUST replace this via ARTs.

**Knack for Scouting**: Ilana Sola gain a +1 racial bonus to Acrobatics and a +1 racial bonus to Sense Motive due to their agile and intuitive nature.

#### **Ilana Luna**

**Ability Score Modifiers**: Lunan frames are much more powerful and dense than those of the Sola, though they are significantly less maneuverable as a result. Ilana Luna gain a +2 bonus to Strength and Intelligence, and a -2 penalty to Dexterity.

**Thick Coat**: While their coat hinders their maneuverability, it can also assist them by catching blades and softening direct impacts, bestowing a +1 Natural Armor bonus and 5 Cold Resistance.

**Grounded Wings**: Though they are unusable for flight, Lunan wings assist them in alternative ways, either by adapting to the weather around them, or by providing a burst of air to assist a leap. Ilana Luna treat all weather effects as 2 steps less severe, and may make a running jump without having to run 10 feet beforehand.

**Brutish Athleticism**: Ilana Luna gain the Athletics sphere with the Leap package as a bonus talent. If your character uses the PoW system, you MUST replace this via ARTs.

**Inclined Towards Darkness**: Ilana Luna are adapted to the darkness of their homeland's caves, though they are weak to harsh lights as a result. They gain Darkvision (60 ft) and Light Sensitivity.

**Methodical**: Ilana Luna are built to survive in harsh environments, giving them a +2 racial bonus to Survival, while their gentler demeanors grant them a +1 racial bonus to Diplomacy.

#### **Alternate Racial Traits**

**Enamored With Darkness**: Ilana Luna with this trait improve the range of their Darkvision to 120 feet, but gain Light Blindness as a result.

This replaces Inclined Towards Darkness.

**Adapted**: Ilana Luna with this trait lose their Light Sensitivity racial trait, but also lose their Darkvision entirely.

This replaces Inclined Towards Darkness.

**Primal**: Ilana with this trait have become more wild in nature, trading their practiced maneuverability for adaptability and, in some cases, brutality. They may take the Aspect of the Beast feat and the Fast Sprinter or Sharp Claws functions of the Catfolk Exemplar feat.

This replaces Agile Athleticism for Ilana Sola, and Brutish Athleticism for Ilana Luna

### Appearance & Society

Ilana appear as humanoid moths, covered in a coat of fur with density and color that varies between individuals and subraces (See below). They possess two arms, each ending with a hand-like appendage with 5 dextrous claws instead of fingers. Their digitigrade legs are similarly clawed, but only possess 4 claws-- 3 in the front, spread evenly along their foot, with one near the back of their heel. They possess wings that differ wildly in both shape and size depending on the individual, but all wings, regardless of shape, rise up to their shoulders, becoming flush with their body just underneath the wreath of pronounced fur circling their necks. Their eyes are naturally big, taking up a lot of the space on their head, and their sharp mouths are positioned lower on their head than usual for a humanoid. Their head is additionally topped with a pair of antennae. While there are Ilana with multiple sets of arms or thoraxes, these rare examples only arise from intentional body modification of a magical, alchemical, or mechanical sort.

The Ilana possess a unique dimorphism, with two distinct subraces: The Ilana Sola and the Ilana Luna. This dimorphism is of an esoteric nature; it is not hereditary, and does not arise from differences in sex. In fact, the Ilana lack any obvious external dimorphism in regards to sex, which is largely why Ilanan culture evolved without the concept of gender.

The fur of Ilana range from a small variety of colors, often appearing as some shade of grey or brown. Where the variance of Ilanan individuals truly arises is in their wings and antennae, which differ wildly in shape and pattern. However, the color palette of Ilanan wings and antennae are as limited as their fur. While these traits presents no actual issue in terms of identifying an Ilana, as Ilanan culture developed, there arose a desire to differentiate and express oneself in more flashy and unique ways. It is this desire that spearheaded the cornerstone of Ilanan culture: body painting, and art as a whole.

Forming dyes from the prismatic sands above, the Ilana began decorating their wings, fur, and antennae with various colorful patterns according to their personality and desires. Some would opt to have more simplistic designs, often merely changing the natural hue of their fur or appendages, while others would spend months or years woking on their style, perfecting or adapting it as they felt necessary. Regardless of the effort an Ilanan individual puts in, it is rare to find any adults who have not modified their natural appearance in one way or another.

Due to the difficulties presented with painting one's own wings, it is a challenge that either allows an individual to showcase their talent with designing something they cannot physically see, or something that allows friends or partners to cooperate. Groups of Ilana will often make an event out of designing or transcribing patterns on eachother, either as a display of affection, or an activity that allows one to fortify their bond with their companions or community, while improving their own artistic ability.

### Society in the Ancient Times

Lunan Ilana were the first to emerge in their curious evolution. Unlike their Solan counterparts, they have a tall, powerful build, well suited for breaking open fauna with hard exteriors. As a result of their large frames, their wings cannot be used for flight. Instead, Lunan wings largely assist them with balance, and can provide a quick burst of energy to assist with a leap.

Solan Ilana on the other hand, are very small and nimble. Often standing more than 2 heads shorter than their Lunan counterparts, their bodies are sufficiently light and small enough to allow their wings to fly. While this is certainly a helpful evolutionary characteristic for many reasons, it is especially so within the shardlands; this is because Solan wings are uniquely adapted for flying in areas with high speed winds, which are often elicited by the deadly shardstorms dotting the surface.

While Lunan Ilana possess no natural defenses against the shardstorms above, Solan Ilana may fly in tandem with the fierce winds elicited from the storms. Notably, a skilled pilot suffers zero risk of injury from the shards surrounding them, giving them the unique ability to live within and traverse the shardlands during the day.

However, the small, light frames of the Solan Ilana are not well-suited for insulating against the bitter cold of the shardland's nights, which is where their Lunan counterparts thrived. Without the threat of any deadly storms, the Ilana were free to work within the quiet nights of the shardlands, unfettered by the frigid darkness. This dichotomy was the structure around which the first Ilanan society was built, giving them the coordination they needed to begin construction of what would eventually be known as Penumbra.

In the old ages, as Penumbra was just establishing itself, Lunan individuals tended to be more solitary, due to their inclinations towards the lonely, quiet night. This is also why Ilana Luna were traditionally drawn towards intellectual work, such as research and study. Contrasting this, Solan individuals were more expressive, energetic, and had sharper natural instincts. These distinctions began to fade in the modern era as survival became easier within the confines of Penumbra. While stereotypes remain, there is nothing that would incline a Lunan Ilana towards a nocturnal lifestyle, or a Solan to a diurnal one, as the city remains safe of storms regardless of time.

### History

Originally, the Ilana were a subterranean race, residing deep within the vast, twisting gemstone caves of the Prismatic Desert, feasting on the critters that roamed their home. One day, however, the children of the Ilana had changed. They were smaller, more nimble; nimble enough to let their wings carry them off the ground, but they had one critical weakness: they were not suited to the darkness of their homeland. Their eyes could not pierce the pitch blackness enveloping them, and their fur was not able to withstand the chilling cold. Driven by devotion to their family, the Ilana trekked throughout the cave networks to ascend towards the light they had abandoned before. It was not long before the Ilana became the first settlers of the Prismatic Shardlands.

The original Ilana would come to be known as the Ilana Luna, as a result of their disposition towards the night. With thicker coats and sturdier frames than their counterparts, they were fit for surviving the bitter, frigid nights of the desert, unthreatened by shardstorms. The Ilana that deviated from the Luna would become known as the Ilana Sola, their eyes more attuned to the sun's bright light. Beneficially, the Sola's nimble frames allow their wings to carry them throughout the desert's open sky, acting as their one defense against the fatal shardstorms often associated with their home.

In the beginning, Ilana adopted jobs well suited to their body. Solan individuals would fly throughout the day, scouting scarce resources brought in by the seas or the winds, while catching the hard-shelled animals that roamed the shardlands during dawn and dusk. On the other hand, Lunan individuals were tasked with trekking across the frigid desert, retrieving the resources scouted by their counterparts and using them to plan, devise, and construct the only settlement that is able to withstand the shardlands. Bearing a mighty and hard yet brittle wall that could withstand the micro-cuts caused by the shardstorms, this city became known as Ortis, celebrating the cooperation of the Sola and the Luna that allowed them to emerge from the depths. Nowadays, however, this town is known as Penumbra.

Due to the lack of natural resources surrounding Ortis, mages are held in especially high regard in Ilanan culture, as their manipulation of magic is what allowed the Ilana to build lights, fireplaces, and other basic necessities. Without magic, Ortis could not exist, which is why many still give their appreciation towards magically-inclined individuals to this day.