Remnant (4e Race)

Remnant
The embodied remains of ancient spirits; light and shadow incarnate.

In the beginning of time, powerful beings existed that were bound with the power of light and darkness. Though these nameless beings are no more, sometimes a shard of their essence is bound to a human body. Such a creature is a living remnant of a great being from the dawn of time.

Play a remnant if you want...
 * to be the living remains of a being from the dawn of time.
 * to be a powerful being bound with light or darkness.
 * To be a member of a race that favors the shaman, psion and Wizard|wizard]] classes.

Physical Qualities
As remnants are essences implanted in a mortal body, they are, on sight, virtually indistinguishable from ordinary humans (or, as some remnants claim, extraordinary humans). The essence tends to work changes on the human body it inhabits as it grows to adulthood. Many of these changes are internal; changes to the brain that enhance cognition, a change in blood color or body temperature. Some remnants have secondary circulatory systems (and a few have even claimed to have a tirtiary system).

Many remnants dress somewhat eccentrically. Some may favor unusually colorful garb, while others may wear a mixture of clothes from different cultures. Other remnants may try to dress according to the human culture they where born into.

Remnants do not share the short lifespans of humans, as the essence inside them makes them immortal. Remnant childhood lasts as long as human childhood (though remnant children tend to develop faster mentally than human children), but once a remnant reaches adulthood that remnant ceases to age.

Playing a Remnant
Many remnants have a tendency for eccentricity that almost leans towards madness. This, combined with their powerful desire for adventure, leads them to throwing themselves into the thick of danger as often as remnantly possible, not to mention into other people's business. It could almost be said, therefore, that simply being a remnant is a hazard in itself. Remnants tend not to think about the potential consequences until they arise.

That is not to say that remnants lack intelligence. Remnants are exceptionally intelligent and have strong mental discipline and control. However, their curiosity is also exceptional, and they have a tendency to indulge it. In fact, they have difficulty in ignoring anything that attracts their interest.

Remnants do not have societies of their own, due in part to their low population, but largely due to their adventurous nature. Remnants tend not to settle anywhere for long, and find ordinary village or city life monotonous and boring. As a result, it does not take long for a remnant to find some sort of trouble in an area&mdash;that is something they are renowned for having a talent for&mdash;or to move on from an "uninteresting" area.

Remnants are not typically an especially pious race, often criticizing clergies as boring or closed-minded. A remnant might find those of the divine power source|divine power source]] difficult to get on with at first. Remnants tend to get on best with those of exceptional imagination or intellect, though they also admire those of great courage.

Remnants are tolerant of, even fascinated by, other races and cultures. A remnant is likely to be exceptionally inquisitive when he or she comes across a new race, culture or idea. As a result of this inquisitiveness, they tend to have an extensive knowledge covering a wide range of subjects.

Remnant Characteristics: Creative, curious, eccentric, intelligent, inquisitive, knowledgeable, resourceful, unconventional, unpredictable.

Remnant Names: Remnants tend to use human names, or to invent a name for themselves.

Remnant Adventurers
Three sample remnant adventurers are described below.

Keira is a remnant shaman who was born to human parents of a primal tribe and trained in the ways of nature. Keira has found life among her tribe fascinating, but something drew her to explore the world. Her curiosity soon lead her into trouble, and she was seriously injured in he first adventure. When she came to, she was in a temple surrounded by clerics covered in her own silver blood. Since then, she has learned to use her inborn remnant powers, and has suffered many more injuries, none of which persuaded her to stop adventuring.

Seeker is a remnant psion with two hearts and double the curiosity and eccentricity to match. Seeker chose his name for himself, but when asked what he is seeking, he simply shrugs and replies that he does not know. Whatever it is he is looking for, his search has lead him into some of the most dangerous places in the world. Seeker delights in the acquisition of more knowledge, but is also fascinated by arts. Seeker is also concerned with the suffering of others, and tends to pry into other people's business whether they want his help or not.

Eliza is a remnant Wizard|wizard]] who has been drawn to the study of magic by her curiosity and her love of knowledge. She is drawn to adventuring so that she can seek out knowledge, particularly pertaining to the arcane. Unlike most remnants, she prays to Ioun for aid in seeking knowledge, not because she is particularly pious, but because she sees Ioun as the best path toward knowledge.