Anaphite Species

Anaphite

The Anaphite are an old people. Reclusive by nature, they rarely appear outside of their homes within deep desert valleys and hidden Oasis. When they do enter society at large, they are often received with a mix of awe and superstition. Tall, powerful builds paired with a reserved and keen mind make the Anaphite unfortunately intimidating. As far as they are concerned however, the fears of younger species hold little sway among the sands of time, giving them an air of focus when surrounded by gawking faces. Far from malign however, they hold no qualms with other cultures, though they spare pity just as reservedly.

Holding themselves to an ideal of balance and natural, unfloutable law, their settlements are home to long lines of Hieroglyphics, believed to be the precursor to the Common alphabet. Ritual is core to their society, and routine is rarely broken save when confronted with something which cannot be ignored. Their isolation thus often goes unbroken, for those who seek them out rarely find anything but preoccupied and aloof populations dutifully going about their tasks. There is no place in Anaphite society for chaos, and there is no allowance for those who would disrupt the solemnity of their cloistered enclaves.

Born with an innate control over the life force of living creatures, the balance between life and death takes a place of importance to all Anaphite. From this, their religion springs, from which they draw their laws and practices. Often, they allow their homes to become large tomb complexes for other civilizations, providing places of healing for the living, and rest for the dead. Those who refuse such a duty, however, expel any newcomers and remain withdrawn from even the most sand-weary traveler. For obvious reason, these communities are little-known save by their own kind, and even among the Anaphite, their isolation need be respected.
Believed to be some of the most capable doctors in the world, it was the Anaphite physician Setthotep that brought knowledge of medicine to the primitive Humans of Nubydios. Claiming it was passed to them by their gods, Anaphite have an odd capacity for understanding the physiology of creatures, even those they have never seen before. Grimly, this makes their skill in mummification, as the first species to practice the art, peerless.

This has proven necessary, however, as upon death the Anaphite turn to sandstone and, without proper care, will crumble away into sand before long. If mummified properly however, Anaphite can preserve their dead for all time, bandages, charms, and careful preservation hardening the stone and keeping it balanced. Naturally resistant to the predations of Necromancers, never the less the Anaphite occasionally call upon their blessed dead to defend their settlements when attacked, sending a fearless legion of stone-skinned guardians into the Dunes to defend their descendants.

Ability Score Increase: Your Strength increases by +2, and your Wisdom by +1.
Age: Most Anaphite reach maturity by 25 years of age, and can live almost indefinitely.
Alignment: Anaphite have a strong community culture, with most living for hundreds of years carrying out repetitive tasks to mastery, while adhering to their strict and draconian laws which lends itself towards a lawful alignment. Most Anaphite are coldly indifferent towards others not of their community, offering the basic aid to lost travelers, though many of their people known to outsiders are generous and altruistic. They tend towards Neutrality, or Good.
Language: You can speak, read, and write Common and (Ignan/Terran/Mulhorandi, depending on setting) as well as Anaphite, a secret language taught only to their own people. While it has a unique written language, it is a highly divergent dialect of (Ignan/Terran/Mulhorandi) in speech.
Size: Anaphite grow to around 7 foot in height, not including their long, pointed ears which can be up to a foot long on average, and weigh between 250 and 290 pounds. Your size is Medium.
Speed: Your base walking speed is 40 feet.
Anaphite Acuity: You are proficient in Religion and Medicine.
Keen Hearing: Anaphite have exceptional hearing, able to hear more accurately and from further away than other races. You have advantage on hearing-based perception checks, and disadvantage of saves against thunder damage.
Desert Striders: When making a jump, you may jump up to double the distance you could normally jump. You may attempt a moderate (dc 10) Athletics check to both Long and High jump during the same leap.
Mortuary Acolyte: You know the cantrip Spare the dying. At 3rd level, you may cast False Life as a 2nd level spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so with a long rest. At 5th, you may cast Gentle Repose once with this trait and regain the ability to do so with a long rest.
Return to the Dunes: Anaphite will turn into Sandstone one week after death. Neither their weight nor appearance change, and they can be returned to life normally. They are somewhat more difficult to animate however, and may make a Wisdom save against any attempted Animate Dead or Create Undead. Success renders them immune to future attempts by that individual as if under the effect of Gentle Repose.