Marunae (5e Race)

Marunae

"Amazing!" The elven historian said to himself as the curious little Fey danced around him. Everything about them was completely alien and beautiful. Their eyes were bright and emitted a strange glow but even stranger was the fact that he could hear their beautiful whispering songs even though they had no mouths to sing with.

Physical Description

Marunae are small fey creatures with slightly blue or green tinted skin. They have large bug-like eyes that cover around 50% of their face and emit a surreal glow that fluctuates with their emotions. The more intense the emotion the brighter their eyes but they can stop this glow at their leisure. A marunae's hair is always the same color as their eyes but this coloration can vary indefinitely. Marunae possess no mouth or nose but do have two large elven ears.

A Zealous, Male Marunae by OhDeerLord

History

Historians usually agree that the marunae are among the older of the fey species having many innate magic talents that imply an exceptionally strong connection to the Feywild. Marunae are historically friendly and have been known to find weary and desperate travelers lost in the woods and lead them to safety; whether this is because of an innate nurturing instinct or because they like the privacy of the forest is unknown. They are particular hard to learn about considering they usually live in only the deepest parts of heavily wooded areas, but those that have gone to these extremes have discovered that the marunae were pushed into the wilds long ago by the Aboleth and since they were already acclimated to the forest they simply never left.

Society

Marunae live in very large groups that can exceed 500 individuals known as a coski. Marunae within the coski behave much like ants or bees. There is always one leader known as the coskint which rules with three advisors. The marunae's relationship with outsiders seem to vary by coski as some are accepting and will allow historians and travelers to stay, eat and even sleep, while others receive odd looks with an overwhelming uneasy feeling and doubtful whispers all around them.

Marunae reproduction is different from any humanoid species, resembling that of a fungus rather than a typical creature. A Marunae reaches sexual maturity around the age of 4. Male marunae develop small spore sacks on their shoulders which become engorged and produce spores once per year. Otherwise, the sacks remain small. Spores which are inhaled through the dermis of a female Marunae take root in the skin. A fungus-like sprout begins to grow from the skin of the mother, until it reaches a large enough size to fall off (8-10 inches). The undeveloped, shroom-like fetus then takes root in the soil of the forest floor. If the early stage of the Marunae becomes damaged in this stage, it will not develop into a mature Marunae. After approximately 1 month, the mushroom develops into the approximation of a typical Marunae, albeit, much smaller in size. They then uproot themselves and gain the ability to walk.

Marunae Names

Marunae will generally choose names based on the eye/hair color of their offspring with ties to natural themes.

Male: Cinderborn, Oaken, Fireside

Female: Rosette, Walnutone, Starrynight

Marunae Traits

Mysterious mouthless fey who lurk in the deepest parts of the forest.
Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 2 and your Dexterity score increases by 1.
Age. Marunae age rapidly reaching maturity at 3 years of age but can live well into their third century.
Alignment. Marunae have no alignment restrictions or tendencies.
Size. Marunae stand no taller than 5'4" and generally only weigh about 100 to 115 pounds. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Bio-luminescent Eyes. Your eyes can emit a glow which you can activate or deactivate as a bonus action. While your eyes are glowing, the area in a 15-foot radius around you is dim light.
Breathable Dermis. You do not breath through a mouth or a nose, instead you absorb air directly through your skin. Making small emissions from your skin is how you speak. Marunae feed by extracting nutrients from thin natural substances such as honey, sap or pollen directly through their skin. Although this is how they breathe and eat, Marunae are capable of closing off sections of their pores in the same way that other creatures hold their breath. This allows Marunae to submerge themselves in a pool of water without inhaling water. The same applies when surrounded by gas or other effects.
Aura of Many Voices. Anyone who stands within 5ft of a marunae hears softs voices all around them in the tone of which is decided by the marunae's feelings towards the person. Someone who is in allegiance with a marunae hears gentle and soothing songs while someone who has offended the marunae hears sharp tones and whispers of confusion or doubt. When a creature within 5 feet of you makes a Wisdom saving throw, you can as a reaction, grant them advantage or disadvantage on the saving throw. Creatures who cannot hear or are deafended are unaffected by this ability. After you use this trait, you can’t use it again until you complete a short or long rest.
Deeprooted Magic. You know the druidcraft cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the speak with animals spell once and need to finish a long rest before you can cast it again. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
Languages. You can understand, read and write, Common and Sylvan.

Random Height and Weight

Base Height	Height Modifier*	Base Weight	Weight Modifier**
4′ 9''	+1d6	91 lb.	× (1d4) lb.
*Height = base height + height modifier **Weight = base weight + (height modifier × weight modifier)

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