Kalashtar

Kalashtar are a type of humanoid with a connection to spirits.

Kalashtar reach maturity in their late teens and can live for roughly a century.

## Myths

The kalashtar believe, and this belief is shared by many who are personally familiar with the kalashtar, that they were created in the distant past by Quouo, as a means of allowing her children, the quori dream-spirits, to interact with the material plane. These spirits were granted vessels of flesh that their spirits could interact with the world through, but were themselves alive and free willed to prevent the quori from becoming permanently stuck in these vessels. These vessels are the kalashtar. Even while the spirits are not inhabiting these vessels, they still have a link to them, granting them their psionic and oneiromantic abilities.

## Lands

The kalashtar originated on the island of Dow, the largest and southernmost of the Eastern Isles. Their numbers are incredibly limited, but they *do* form the ruling caste on the island. A number have travelled to the Lung Empire over the years though, and due to the Manian Empire conquering Longua, they can also be found within the main part of that empire. The majority of those within the Manian Empire and the Eastern Continent tend to have little, if any, connection to Dow, and as such consider those lands their homes.

## Culture

Kalashtar are generally a very open people when encountered out in the world. Their connection to the quori spirits often leads them to want to experience as much of everything as possible, and since the quori otherwise cannot directly interact with the material plane, their desire to interact and experience bleeds over to their vessels.

On Dow, the kalashtar have a reputation for being egotistical and overbearing, and are generally considered to have a species-wide superiority complex. This is notably lacking in the foreign kalashtar, who have all but completely adopted the cultures of their homelands, and have little, if any, contact with Dow.

The main deity worshipped by the kalashtar is Quouo, especially on Dow, but those born in other lands are equally likely to dedicate themselves to local deities.

Kalashtar architecture on Dow involves much non-Euclidean geometry, and makes use of copious amounts of marble and crystal. Those living in other lands tend to have adopted local styles, but surprisingly often aspects of traditional Dow architecture sneaks its way in, and as such those with a keen eye can often identify structures built by kalashtar by examining the skyline.

Kalashtar generally follow human fashion trends, and will often quickly pick up the trends of wherever they end up. Fashion is just another experience they do not wish to miss out on.

Kalashtar often become warlocks pacted to their quori spirits, and this sort of pact is one of the most universally accepted forms of pact magic on Erah.

## Evolution

It is commonly believed by academics that kalashtar are descended from humans who made a deal with Quouo which resulted in the quori spirits being bound to them. The deal was likely for control over Dow, as there is evidence of worship of Quouo on that island predating even the oldest kalashtar settlements.