Verthani

Verthani

(Creature)

Type

Humanoid
(verthani)

CR

By class level

Environment

Any (Verces)

Alignment

LG	NG	CG
LN	N	CN
LE	NE	CE

Adjective

verthani

Images of verthani

Source: Alien Archive, pg(s). 118-119

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Verthani are the dominant sentient species of Verces, the fifth planet of the Pact Worlds system. As their homeworld is tidally locked, the verthani population is concentrated in the Ring of Nations, the heavily urbanised terminator line between the Fullbright scorching desert and the Darkside frozen wasteland.

Appearance

Verthani are 8-feet tall humanoids with delicate features, gangly limbs, and mouse-like eyes that are pure black. The pigment of their skin can be changed: young verthani display bright, expressive patterns and colours depending on their mood, while adults can control them at will. [[cyCybernetic augmentation is common among the verthani.

History

The verthani have long been the pioneers of cybernetics and space travel in the Pact Worlds system, even before the Gap and the advent of Drift travel, traveling bewteen the worlds in their dirigible-like aetherships. Although other worlds have since caught up up, verthani pilots, explorers, and their massive shipyards at Skydock, a geosynchronous satellite connected via a space elevator, retain their reputation. When the Absalom Pact was signed, the success of the verthani Ring of Nations led to the Pact Worlds adopting both its structure and the peacekeeping Stewards.

Society

Each verthani chooses to be a member of one of these castes in adolescence:

• Augmented: a futuristic caste that uses technology to modify their bodies
• Pure Ones: the most populous caste; rejects bodily augmentation and is most concerned with government, farming, and commerce
• God-Vessels: living avatar of their gods who bear permanently branded holy symbols into their skin

Traditionally, the Augmented and the God-Vessels are only allowed to marry Pure Ones; the resulting balanced, shared understanding of each caste contributes to their societal stability. Though this caste system is now seen as archaic and has lost most of its importance, with cybernetic augmentation and free marriage being common, the traditions still carry some cultural pride, proudly worn by some verthani.

The temperate portion of Verces is composed of 27 different sovereign states, united under the Ring of Nations, with different cultures which have nonetheless long been more homogenous than those of many other planets due to the dense population. Verthani culture, generally peaceful, curious, and welcoming towards outsiders, is a model of independent, democratic cooperation: cramped on a narrow line of their planet, the verthani have long learnt not to rely on violence to solve disagreements.

While the Ring of Nations holds the entire hospitable territory on Verces, not all residents of the planet recognise its authority. These outsiders are collectively known as the Outlaw Kingdoms and try to scrap a living over the inhospitable Fullbright or Darkside. They see the residents of the Ring as soft and decadent, and are in turn considered to be backward and inbred by those ordinary verthani.