Hailing from the treacherous volcanic regions of the Elemental Plane, relatively little is known about the enigmatic grivau when compared to other races. They are generally private, choosing to keep much about their society and culture to themselves and only sharing what is necessary or obvious. However, they are very keen when it comes to perceiving details about the other races. As a result, grivau have often been labeled as silent observers, quiet and watchful as statues.
Etymology and Other Names[]
The name grivau comes from the Motille word for 'ward', referring to the fact that the grivau are the wards of the Avatars. Oftentimes those of the Material Plane will refer to them as gargoyles.
Biology and Anatomy[]
The grivau are made of living stone. As a result, their biol
Aesarae, Dragonfly's Tactician, a grivau player character.
ogy is more reminiscent of a planet than that of a living creature. Their skin is literally rock hard, though not as easily shattered as stone, and with a density similar to that of another living creature. Beneath their rocky skin, grivau have crystallized minerals that are structurally similar to that of a geode. As a result, grivau with injuries such as cuts often appear to be sparkling as their crystallized insides shine through. Under the "geodes" is a thick layer of near-solid and extremely viscous rock, and at the center of this layer, a white-hot molten core. This unique physiology not only makes them searing to the touch, but also means they lack internal organs, and thus do not need to eat, sleep, or breathe to survive.
Though they do not quite resemble any known creature in terms of appearance, grivau have some features comparable to common animals. Their faces are round and short, similar to a rabbit; however, they also have hooked upper lips more akin to beaks. Their eyes do not have sclera, and their pupils appear as horizontal bars. A grivau's ears are large, emotive, and batlike in appearance. They tend to be lithe, with burly forearms and bird-like legs and feet with sharp talons. Grivau come in a wide variety of natural, earthy tones, such as beige, brown, white, black, and grey. Most grivau have mottled markings of a similar color, giving them a natural camouflage. Some individuals also have literal mineral veins across their skin, while others have crystallized formations of different mineral types in varying places.
Grivau are functionally immortal in that they were all "born" many thousands of years ago and do not die of old age. Though they are unable to reproduce or otherwise replicate themselves, it is still possible for a grivau to perish from grievous injury. As a result, the number of remaining grivau is slowly dwindling.
Sociology and Culture[]
Grivau society is steeped in religion and faith. Though there are many different facets of their worship, most of them revere Avatars in some fashion. Even across different cultures, their origin story always stems off the Avatars in some way. Because of this, though the practices of their faith varies from religion to religion and culture to culture, most grivau refuse to harm the animals of their plane, and many even go out of their way to protect them.
Perhaps because their gods are very much and very obviously real, non-religious grivau are few and far between, and those who don't believe the Avatars to be gods at least recognize the power and existence of the massive creatures. Such grivau are subject to close scrutiny, though most will not go so far as to call them heretics, for the Avatars are protective of all grivau, no matter what they believe.
Clerics, paladins, and the like are viewed with utmost respect in their culture, and most go on to become religious leaders. In their society, in order to have a voice in politics, one must also have some sort of divine magic. Similarly, arcane magic is often viewed with scorn or distrust in their culture, and for this reason, many grivau who have arcane talent choose to hide it.
Behavior[]
Grivau tend to be very deliberate in their movements. To most grivau, anything worth doing is worth doing properly, and so much of their behavior is conscious and purposeful. For example, most grivau tend not to twitch their large ears idly; instead, they may twitch their ears to better hear something far away, or chase off invading insects. While they will not bounce their legs out of restlessness, they may bounce their legs to draw attention to something, or gather momentum for a jump.
They are also, for the most part, very quiet in terms of speech. Most grivau will very rarely yell or raise their voices, and when they do, it is usually in moments of intense emotion. Some grivau take their silence even further and only speak when it is absolutely necessary, while others refuse to speak at all. Selective muteness is far more common in grivau than in any other race, though it is still relatively rare among them.
Naming Conventions[]
Grivau names tend to have airy, delicate sounds, heavy with vowels and with few to no consonant clusters. Consonants are always pronounced softly, and most grivau names end in a vowel. It is extremely uncommon for grivau to have names shorter than three syllables, though most will be no longer than five syllables long.
While grivau do not have surnames, they do have titles. Their titles are most often the name of their occupation or job, and because of this, a grivau's title can change throughout their lifetime. In addition to their title, all grivau also have a patron saint. Their patron saint is, most often, a specific species or type of Avatar that is thought to watch over them more closely than other types.
Grivau tend to go by their names, followed by their patron saint with a possessive followed by their title.
Examples of grivau names: Lounaya, Boar's Blacksmith, Celesti, Lion's Chef, Eradia, Spider's Shepherd, Aetonori, Falcon's Priest
Notable Grivau[]
- Unesto, Snake's Priest
- Omala, Crow's Cleric
- Tukoro, Beetle's Warlord
- Yolani, Stag's Uniter
- Aesarae, Dragonfly's Tactician
Racial Traits (3.5e)[]
Grivau are a Medium race, incurring no benefits or penalties for their size.
Thanks to their Quiet Observance, all grivau gain +2 to Listen and Gather Information.
Owing to their Molten Skin, anyone who comes into physical contact with a grivau, including allies, must make a DC 10+level Fortitude save to avoid taking 1d6 fire damage. Once per day, this skill may be used as a touch attack that deals 1d6 fire damage and acts as the Burning Disarm spell.
Due to their unique physiology, grivaux quite literally Feel No Pain. A grivau never becomes Unconscious when reduced to 0 hit points, and a grivau who reaches 0 hit points automatically becomes Stable. A grivau may continue fighting as Stable until their hit points are reduced to a negative amount equal to their Constitution score, at which point they Die.
Each grivau has a Patron Saint, a type of Avatar that is thought to watch over them particularly fiercely. Though not all grivau revere the Avatars as gods, all the Avatars protect the grivau, and so every grivau, regardless of faith, has a Patron Saint. The different types of Patron Saints and their benefits are as follows:
Reptile: Ranging from crocodiles to lizards, Reptile Patron Saints are cold and calculating. Once per day as a standard action, a grivau with a Reptile Patron Saint may absorb power from any natural light source. Doing so lowers the light level by 1 step, and grants the grivau the effects of Haste for 1/2 level rounds (minimum 1) for a maximum of 5 rounds. Doing so outside of combat functions as the spell Darkness. Grivau with a Reptile Patron Saint may choose either +2 str OR +2 wis on top of their starting statistics.
Bird: Ranging from hawks to sparrows, Bird Patron Saints are aloof and flexible. Grivau with a Bird Patron Saint have an excellent sense of direction. They always know the direction of north from their current position, and are able to ignore enemy invisibility and concealment. Grivau with a Bird Patron Saint may choose either +2 dex OR +2 int on top of their starting statistics.
Mammal: Ranging from elephants to mice, Mammal Patron Saints are strong and generally well-liked. At will, a grivau with a Mammal Patron Saint may communicate with animals, as the spell,Speak With Animals. Additionally, they may cast Summon Nature's Ally at a level appropriate to their own level once per day as a spell-like ability. Grivau with a Mammal Patron Saint may choose either +2 str OR +2 cha on top of their starting statistics.
Insect: Ranging from beetles to butterflies, Insect Patron Saints are masters of survival and cunning. Grivau with an Insect Patron Saint gain the ability to wield a weapon one size category larger than themselves without penalty. This ability stacks with similar effects. Grivau with an Insect Patron Saint may choose either +2 con OR +2 int on top of their starting statistics.
Other: Any Patron Saint that does not fit into one of the above categories, Other Patron Saints are extremely versatile. Once per day, grivau with any other Patron Saint may choose either the Reptile, Bird, Mammal, or Insect Patron Saint powers and gain use of it for the day at half effectiveness. Grivau with any other Patron Saint may choose either +2 dex OR +2 cha on top of their starting statistics.