Vril

*"I was down in the Hollow seeking honorable battle when I came across a drow band. Figured I'd go down swinging. Suddenly, these bat-goblins swarm the drow and killed them all! I don't even think they noticed me. I'd never been happy to see a goblin before!"-Bharkum Straraheck, honorless dwarf, sharing an account of his journey with the Dignity Caste representative.*

*"Let these words never be spoken again, but the ancient priestess' made a mistake in the creation of the vril."-Anlufaen Dhunnorzza, drow priestess, used as proof of her disloyalty to the city. She was later executed for treason.*

*"They can be traded with. They can be friends. Not all of them are kind but plenty are. Once you know a vril's watching your back, you can trust him."-Zackeg Rougheyes, deep gnome explorer, cataloging the friendly races of The Hollow.*

## Physical Description:

Vril look nothing like their goblin ancestors, with any country bumpkin able to tell them apart. Vril do resemble giant humanoid bats more than anything else, though a few goblin features are noticeable. Their faces are distinctly bat-like, with large, flat noses, wide mouths full of sharp fangs, and massively enlarged, back-sweeping ears. They are more gangly than their goblin ancestors, emphasized by their stooped posture and unnaturally elongated arms. They are also strikingly colored, with dark violent skin sporting tiger-like stripes of black. Vril dress in dark clothing designed for both comfort and protection, as many vril fight in the front lines. While tattoos and scarring are nearly impossible thanks to the vril's tough hide, piercings are popular with both sexes and many free vril sport several rings or studs in their large ears.

## History:

The vril are not a natural race of goblin but do not have an origin based on aberrant experimentation. The drow of The Hollow have long used goblins as slave labor, kidnapping or purchasing them in large quantities. Goblins can be easily controlled but they die easily and are poor soldiers, especially compared to bugbears or hobgoblins. Those larger goblinoids have issues of their own however, proving more difficult to control than basic goblins. Drow priestesses, looking at this problem, ordered their greatest wizards and sorcerers to come up with a solution. Create a better, more loyal goblin. The result of their magical cross-breeding experiments were the vril, goblinoids with some bat traits and few traditional goblin ones. They were disciplined, organized, bold and cunning, but the drow, ever careful to keep control, ensured the creatures had a vulnerability to poison, which allowed them to be more easily controlled. Companies of vril were deployed as soldiers and guards throughout The Hollow, or used as slaves in the mines and pits. While the odd vril worked up the courage to escape, most remained docile, loyal servants of the drow, until the arrival of Ezravar and The Goblin Dominion. These enslaved goblinoids were seen as kin by the goblins of The Dominion and a bloody, underground war was fought to free as many as possible. These vril became loyal citizens of The Dominion and a strong core within its armies. Today, vril are split into three distinct factions. Slave vril, that remain trapped and bred within The Hollow to serve as drow, and occasionally duergar, slaves. Free vril, who escaped the drow and live in independent communities within The Hollow, tenaciously defending their homes from all threats. The last group is Dominion vril, proud, loyal citizens of The Dominion, who rub shoulders with the best that nation has to offer. They have never forgotten the debt of blood paid by their goblinoid cousins to win their freedom from the drow and many happily serve in whatever capacity they can.

## Geography:

Vril are typically found either in The Hollow or The Goblin Dominon. Vril found outside those two areas are most likely exiles, mercenaries, escaped slaves, or adventurers. Rumors persist of surface-dwelling free vril communities but this has never been proven.

## Personality:

The result of many long years of constant experimentation, vril have few traits in common with their ancestors and relatives. The drow sought to expunge as many of the traditional goblin weaknesses as possible from them which did lead to some benefits. Though vril share the goblin maliciousness, they are ferocious, bold, daring, possess a strong sense of stubborn resolve, and are well-organized. As a side-effect of their indoctrination as drow slaves, they feel an instinctive cautious respect for all humanoids bigger than themselves, including non-evil ones like humans and elves. Vril are ferociously loyal to their fellows and have a tenacious resolve that is admirable. They can be bull-headed and often see morality as black and white. They are opposed to slavery outside of the Dominion ("Which is merely a form of servitude. Slaves are properly treated here, and can earn their freedom.") They despise drow, attacking them whenever possible, either for simple revenge or to liberate their captive fellows, though tragically, brainwashed vril slaves will often fight to the death to protect those same masters from their brothers and sisters.

## Society:

Vril society is regimented and organized, like those who call it home. Vril live in multilayered houses, containing either a large extended family or a colony of singles. Partially due to their breeding and partially due to history, vril draw comfort in large groups and try to be surrounded by others at all times. Like other goblins, a high birth rate ensures that vril tend to have a large extended family. Their homes are spartan but well maintained. Most own few possessions but those things the vril does own are treasured and lovingly maintained. A vril warrior might own a teddy bear given to him as a child by a kind adventurer, that bear will have been patched, sewn and repaired dozens of times and used with the utmost care. Vril treat possessions with seriousness, respecting the items owned by others as vril remember what it was like to have nothing. Their towns are organized and cared for, carefully defended by patrols of warriors who keep any eye open for any threat. Their communities are led by a chief, typically the strongest or most cunning of the pack and, while he is a chief, typical vril leaders try to act in the best interest of the group. Vril have long learned that, in a crisis, someone must be in charge but, outside of that, they are wary of rulers who claim to speak for them. Generations of slavery have made vril slow to trust, but loyal to their friends. Someone lost in the Hollow who earns the trust of a free vril settlement cannot hope for better hosts. In the Dominion, vril live in their own, carefully cleaned districts and fight in their own regiments. Vril are honored members of The Dominion and, in turn, value the community and security The Dominion brings.

## Religion:

Most vril are agnostic, as the drow have attempted to eliminate the faith of any god save Lloth, who the free vril dispise. Those in The Dominion pay lip service to Maglubiyet but this is more out of a sense of patriotism than genuine faith. Oddly enough, Latrell, the Chain-Breaker, is very common among the vril who chose a god to worship, and some are rumored to offer prayers to The Dark Maiden Eilistraee herself who, in turn, seems to care for those vril as if they were her own children.

## Alignment:

Most vril are lawful neutral, neutral good or neutral evil. They are far too organized for pure chaos but, like most goblins, run the gauntlet of good and evil. Unlike other goblinoids however, the pendulum of vril alignment swings towards good instead of evil.

## Relations:

Vril despise the drow and attack them whenever possible and don't care much for duergar either. They share a kinship with other goblinoids and the desmodu, who share their bat-like appearance. Deep gnomes can sometimes be found in vril cities and vice-versa. They are rarely seen on the surface but actually have little hostility to anyone save the drow. In turn, their unusual appearance means that most people do not associate vril with goblins and, generally, treat them fairly.

## Language:

Vril speak undercommon and goblin. Many also speak common.

## Names:

Vril names can come from the goblin list, many of which have a rather "batty" or subterranean sound to it. A rare few have drow names and those can also be used.

## Adventurers:

Vril adventurers are far from uncommon. Runaway slaves with nowhere to go, sole survivors of clans or expeditions, or expatriates from The Dominion, a vril's natural talent is well suited for adventuring life and many use it is an opportunity to find new bonds and families to replace those that are lost. Vril warriors are highly prized by adventuring bands for their strength and loyalty.

## Traits:

Vril traits are described below...

+2 Dexterity, +2 Constitution, -2 Intelligence, -2 Charisma

Small: As a small creature, a vril gains a +1 size bonus to its Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls and a +4 bonus on hide checks, but they use smaller weapons than humans use and its lifting and carrying limits are three-quarters of those of a medium character.

Humanoid (Goblinoid)

Base land speed 30 feet

Darkvision 60 feet

Resistance to Sonic Damage: 5 points

Light Blindness: Sudden exposure to bright light blinds a vril for 1 round, and they take a -1 circumstance penalty on attack rolls, saves and checks when in bright light.

Vulnerability to Drow Toxin: Vril suffer a -4 penalty on Fortitude saves against Drow Sleep Poison and Spiderkind Venom.

Skinshift: Once per day, as a move action, a vril can alter the consistency of its flesh for 3 + Con modifier rounds. For the duration of the effect, it gains Damage Reduction 5 against either Bludgeoning, Piercing or Slashing damage, chosen when the Skinshift is used. This ability can be used an extra time per day per 4 character levels (2/day at 4th level, 3/day at 8th level, 4/day at 12th level, etc).

Shriek: Once per day, as a standard action, a vril can unleash a horrible shriek that inflicts 1d6 Sonic damage (Reflex Save DC 10 + 1/2 vril's character level + vril's Con modifier to halve the damage). A shriek can be unleashed as either a 15ft burst centered on the vril or as a 30ft cone. The shriek's damage increases by +1d6 at every 3rd level (3, 6, 9, 12, etc). A vril barbarian can shriek whilst Raging.

+4 racial bonus on Climb checks +2 racial bonus on Balance and Jump checks

Favored Class: Barbarian

### Vril Racial Feats

There are also a smattering of vril racial feats that can be taken at any time the vril player gains a feat and meets the prerequisite

Sudden Shriek (requires BAB 2 or higher) allows a vril to shriek as a swift action.

Dazing Shriek (requires BAB 3 or higher) means that creatures that take damage from the vril's shriek must then make a Fortitude save (same DC as the Vril Shriek's Reflex save) or be Dazed for 1 round.

Vril Drow Slayer (requires BAB 4 or higher) negates the Vulnerability to Drow Toxin racial weakness, and grants the vril +1 to attack rolls and +4 dodge bonus to AC when fighting drow, drow-related creatures like driders, szarkai & scorrow, and spiderkind.

Great Shriek (requires Dazing Shriek and BAB 9 or higher) means that the vril's shriek now Dazes for 1d4 rounds and Deafens for 1 minute if a creature fails its Fortitude save.

Improved Skinshift (minimum character level 5) increases the Damage Reduction of skinshift to 10 points.