Azata, Raelis

This bronze-skinned humanoid is muscular yet lithe, garbed in colorful clothing emblazoned with glowing runes.

ECOLOGY

Environmentany ( Elysium)
Organization solitary, pair, or band (3–6)
Treasure standard

Formed from the souls of authors, artists, and storytellers, raelises travel to the farthest corners of the world and beyond searching for epic stories, poems, and simple tall tales. As they travel and quest for ever more obscure tales, they strive to make the world a brighter place—setting wrongs right or acting as agents for divine beings.

Though raelises appear to be frail, they possess a wiry strength and long-fingered hands ideally suited for the brawling and wrestling they enjoy so much. Deep brown or gray eyes dominate their expressive faces, and smiles and laughter come easy to their lips. Newly formed raelises have fair skin, but it slowly darkens over the centuries as they spend long hours exposed to the sun and elements. A raelis stands 9 feet tall and weighs close to 1,000 pounds.

Ecology

The lust for new tales and stories drives raelises to the mortal planes more often than most of their azata brethren.

Unable to just stand idly by, raelises aid mortals more frequently than do other azatas, though they almost always do so disguised as humans or sometimes even common or familiar animals. Raelises prefer to avoid physical confrontation when dealing with mortals, but don’t hesitate to influence events in other ways. A raelis might travel from town to town spreading tales and news to encourage rebellion in a poorly run kingdom, or insinuate itself into an invader’s army to sow dissension. Often a raelis’s influence isn’t felt until it is long gone, as raelises use their powers to bend minds in subtle ways to plant the seeds of change.

Essentially gender neuter in their natural form, raelises have an androgynous beauty to their lean, sculpted bodies. When altering their physical form via alter self or other magical abilities, they can choose to take on male or female forms. Younger raelises often have a preferred gender, but as they get older, raelises choose their gender based on mood or as the task in front of them demands. They occasionally tryst with mortals, though their lack of stable gender identity sometimes leads to confusion.

Ironically, bards and storytellers are the mortals least likely to receive the aid of a raelis azata. Raelises almost universally believe the best mortal works are born of strife and crisis. Shielding a known storyteller from the trials of life could very well prevent the greatest epics from being written. Exactly how far they are willing to let things go is a matter of preference and a frequent topic of debate among their kind. Raelises like to compare the trials and suffering of storytellers to the fire and anvil that forges a great sword. Raelises do not enjoy this suffering, however, and those who deliberately abuse or murder a storyteller while a raelis is near discover swift justice after the fact.

Traveling is raelises’ second love; they pride themselves on their knowledge of obscure back roads and trails. While they all have favored trails, raelises consider it a bad omen to make the exact same journey twice and they go long distances out of their way to avoid doing so. After eons exploring in this manner, the average raelis becomes a living atlas.

Though competent flyers, raelises prefer to walk or even run when they travel. Even on the coldest and hottest of days they travel with their feet bare. They love the feel of grass or even mud between their long toes, and pass time reciting stories they have collected, getting a feel for the flow of the verse and the rhythm of the words. Raelises can run for days at a time without stopping to rest or even sleep, crossing great distances or just scouting all available roads and trails in an area.

Habitat & Society

Their ability to travel discretely and their familiarity with the cities and geography make raelises excellent spies and agents for deities with similar interests. Though many raelises are poets and storytellers, they value the stories mortals create. Few raelises worry overmuch about the accuracy of any given story—they are more interested in the art of the telling rather than the veracity of the tale. Some raelises even prefer the most outlandish tall tales and outright fabrications, as long as the exaggeration furthers the story.