THE DARKARALOME

Darkaralome (dar-kar-uh-lome, sometimes spelled as Dar'karalohm) have a great reputation for sculpture, fire magic and sagely knowledge, but only among those that know of their existence. Though they are well known in many dwarven and elvish lands, they are a mystery to most humans, if not completely unknown. Past wars with kingdoms who mistook them for Drow have heightened their secretive natures. They rarely venture from their volcanic mountain homes these days.

Personality: Darkaralome are both guarded and garrolous. Among friends, they can be quite fun and easygoing, and to some extent they do this with outsiders. However, a darkaralome is always careful as to how much they reveal of themselves to people they don't know.

Relations: Darkaralome get along very well with dwarves, the only race whose stonecraft surpasses their own. They have acceptable relations with elves, half-elves, woodsprites, half-sprites, halflings and gnomes, though they view the latter race as a bit too flighty for their own good. Darkaralome tend to avoid human and half-orcish contact, as they are often mistaken for drow by the unobservant, but they have no problem associating with the less ignorant members of those races.

Alignment: Darkaralome tend away from chaotic behavior, as their secretive nature tends to be at odds with it. Their volcanic stewardship (explained in the Flamewalkers section below) also makes them tend towards the good end of the spectrum. However, adventurers can be of any stripe.

Darkaralome Lands: Darkaralome live near volcanoes, but rarely in active ones themselves. They prefer subterranean lairs close to the surface world, beneath forests in valleys, plains or mountainsides.

Religion: The chief darkaralome god is Lo'hemeh, the Obsidian Flame.

Language: The Darkaralome language uses the Elvish script, but is more akin to Sylvan in style and grammar. Scholars sometimes learn Darkaralome in order to peruse the few books that have made their way out of the guarded hands of the darkaralome people. However, due to the secrecy of the race, the language is sometimes misidentified as "Ancient Elvish" or "Dark Elvish".

Names: Upon birth, a darkaralome is given three names by their parents. The first is their usual name, what they go by for the rest of their lives. The name of her mother or father (or, less frequently, an honored ancestor or family friend) is used as a base for the child's second name. A suffix is added, -mai for daughters, -pai for sons. So, a girl might become Lilka Dorotamai (Lilka, Dorota's daughter), and a son in the same family might be Jas Kaziopai (Jas, Kazio's son). Their final name is a secret, "true" name that the darkaralome might never reveal to anyone else. Telling someone else your truename is a sign of your solemn trust for that person. Typically, spouses share these names on their wedding day (and sometimes later with their grown children), clerics share theirs with their high priest, lieges share theirs with their lord, and soldiers share theirs with their captain. Giving out the truename of someone else is a grievous insult. A darkaralome may change her common name, but can never change her truename.

Male Names: Aurek, Garek, Heniek, Jas, Kazio, Koby, Liuz, Marke, Olus, Pawel, Rufin, and Slawek.

Female Names: Bryga, Dorota, Elka, Halina, Jasia, Lechsinska, Lilka, Magda, Tola, Waleria, Wisia, and Zytka.

Truenames: These can literally be anything. A second common name is often used (Tola, or Marke), but some parents go nuts and use made-up, unpronouncable names (Ykkwpomnnbetzxz), strings of numbers (25388301), or whole paragraphs (It Was A Dark And Stormy Night When I Was Born And Mother Wanted More Ice So Father Left And By The Time He Returned He Had Missed My Birth And Was Very Surprised).

Adventurers: Adventurers are often those whose personalities chafe under the overly lawful society around them. Others wish to gather new knowledge from faraway lands, while many more are simply struck by wanderlust.
 

• +2 Constitution, -2 Dexterity: Darkaralome are hardy creatures, but they lack the fine grace of their sylvan kin.
• Medium-size: As medium-size creatures, darkaralome have no special bonuses or penalties due to size.
• Darkaralome base speed is 30 feet.
• Low-Light Vision: Darkaralome can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. They retain the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
• Weapon Familiarity: Darkaralome treat 'Lomepicks (see below) as martial rather than exotic weapons.
• Slow Regeneration: Darkaralome strongly resist the marring of their natural form. With enough time, scars fade, foreign objects migrate out of the body, and severed limbs regrow anew. A severed hand can grow back in 1d10 + 15 months. An arm can take up to a decade (1d6 + 4 years), and a leg will take longer (1d6 + 10 years). Piercings migrate out of the body in 1d3 months. Tattoos and scars fade away in 1d6 months (psionic tattoos resist this effect). Even magical scars will disappear, unless there's some magic constantly renewing the scar. Severed limbs, if uncauterized and bound to the stump within ten minutes of the injury, will fully reattach themselves in 1d4 + 4 days.
• +2 racial bonus on saves vs. disease and gaseous attacks. The physiology of the darkaralome strongly resists illness, as well as the corrosive gases that sometimes spew from their volcanic homes.
• +2 dodge bonus vs. spells, spell-like abilities and supernatural abilities with the fire descriptor. All darkaralome are familiar with the volcanic magics of their homes.
• +20 racial bonus vs. any effect that would cause the darkaralome to reveal the truename of herself or anyone else she knows. The secrecy of a truename is firmly engrained into a darkaralome's mind, body and spirit. They do not part with these secrets lightly.
• Darkaralome with a Charisma score of 10 or higher may cast the 0-level spells (cantrips) Ray of Heat, Dark Light, and Shower of Sparks once per day. These are arcane spells. Treat the darkaralome as a 1st-level caster for all spell effects dependent on level.
• Automatic languages: Common and Darkaralome.
• Bonus languages: Dwarven, Goblin, Ignan, Orc, Sylvan, and Undercommon. Darkaralome tend to learn the languages of their friends and enemies in their volcanic homes, as well as the ancient Sylvan tongue.
• Favored class: Sorcerer. A multiclass darkaralome's sorcerer class does not count when determining whether he suffer an XP penalty for multiclassing. Magic runs strong in every darkaralome's blood.

Lo'hemeh (loh-heh-meh), The Obsidian Flame.

Legend says that he separated the darkaralome from the rest of the fey folk and sent them to the volcanoes. His clerics promote the gathering of knowledge and careful respect of stone and flame. He is neutral good, and his domains are Earth, Fire, Good, and Knowledge. His favored weapon is the 'Lomepick (explained below).

Although he is the patron of the darkaralome race, Lo'hemeh accepts followers of other races. These rare worshippers are often knowledge-seekers who find Vecna too evil and Boccob too detatched for their tastes.

'Lomepick: An exotic weapon, the 'lomepick (or darkaralome pick) is a one-handed weapon and has two different uses. The head can be used like a pick to inflict 1d6 points of piercing damage (crit x4), or the wielder may slash with the sharpened counterweight for 1d6 damage (crit x2). The wielder must choose which method to use for each attack, before the roll is made. A 'lomepick costs 15gp, has no range increment, and weighs 8 pounds.