Canon:Vashar

This article is based on material by:  TSR, Inc./Wizards of the Coast

The vashar are a fictional proto-human race outlined and detailed in the D&D supplement Book of Vile Darkness.

Creation

The vashar were the gods' first attempt at creating humans, albeit an attempt that went horribly wrong. The gods watched as their creation, a male, attacked and violently killed an animal, feeding on it in brutish fashion. The gods were first impressed as their creation immediately began to fashion a tool from the animal's remains, then horrified as he used it to try and attack them. Disgusted with the outcome of their attempt, the gods slew the man and departed, not to try again for a long time.

However, a demon, perhaps impressed or simply amused by the newly-made creature's audacity and hate, took the remains to a high, almost impossible to reach plateau. There he resurrected him and fashioned a woman of his own sort, and gave them the ability to breed, before leaving them to their own devices. (Which demon is not exactly known. Sometimes it is said to have been the demon lord Graz'zt. Some legends even say that it was a succubus, who in that version takes the place of the woman and births the male's children, imbuing the race with demonic blood.)

Vasharans and humans have a relationship comparable to drow and elves; that is, vashar are still human, but an utterly corrupt and evil form of human.

Society

Vasharans have no concept of love, kindness, or caring. All sex among the Vashar occurs because of rape. They have no taboos against acts such as rape and incest, no instinctive revulsion for vermin such as snakes, insects, or rats, and are not at all bothered by filth or gore.

Despite their nature, vasharan society is apparently quite orderly. While they despise each other to a certain extent, murder is a rarity, and the society is extremely democratic, with a council of elders enforcing their handful of laws. Vasharans would rather kill themselves than submit to a rule of tyranny and may explain their utter hate for gods. The vashar seem to have a desire for freedom from a more powerful influence, taken to its extreme. This hatred is what binds them together as a society, despite their apparent anarchistic leanings. Since they don't worship gods, vasharan clerics use divine energy stolen from other deities' priests. The Ur-Priest class was created to accommodate clerics without gods, but with divine spellcasting ability.

While their entire society revolves around engineering the death of gods, Vashar are apparently mostly neutral towards other races, and treat them as normal humans would. Thus, as far as other beings are concerned, the Vashar are likely more amoral, not caring if members of other races live or die (or need to be killed) than directly hostile or malicious.

Despite their own desire for freedom, vashar apparently sometimes descend from their plateau to capture slaves.

Classes

Favored Classes

• Any

Non-Applicable Classes

• Druid
• Bard
• Barbarian
• Any class requiring them to be a disciple or thrall

Common Classes

• Wizard
• Sorcerer
• Fighter
• Rogue
• Assassin
• Blackguard
• Shadowdancer
• Loremaster
• Warrior of Darkness
• Cancer Mage
• Vermin Lord
• Diabolist

Uncommon Classes

• Ur-Priest
• Ranger
• Demonologist

Game mechanics

A vasharan has the same starting features as a human. The only difference is that the extra feat they gain at first level must be a vile one, as they gain it from their utter corruption.

Notes

The new "vile races" introduced in the Book of Vile Darkness seem to personify some basic sin and add in a particular evil drive. The other race discussed is the Jerren, who definitely fall into the categories of greed and cannibalism. Likewise, the vashar could be considered creatures of vengeance and psychopathy.

The terms "vashar" and "vasharan/vasharans" seem to be interchangeable. Vashar can be either singular or plural, while in the other usage of vasharan, the "s" is required to make it plural, as vasharans. This may be a matter of preference, or something used to distinguish when one is referring to the plateau where they live (also called vashar) and the people from it (thus, vasharan). The Book of Vile Darkness uses both "vashar" and "vasharan" to refer to the people.

References

• Cook, Monte. Book of Vile Darkness (Wizards of the Coast, 2002).

External links

• Wizards of the Coast, owner and publisher of Dungeons & Dragons
• Book of Vile Darkness at Amazon.com, or at Wizards of the Coast