Venthari

The Venthari are a people born from remembrance. Their origin lies in a singular moment of quiet grace, when the last surviving Naerids—luminous beings of mind and resonance—chose not to fade alone. In their final act, they offered their essence to a circle of mortal monks who had opened their minds, not to power, but to understanding. That encounter did not destroy or possess. It transformed.

From those few came a lineage not shaped by blood alone, but by will. The Venthari are born with the echoes of that psionic bond still humming within them: a stillness that watches, a clarity that listens. They are not divine, nor arcane. They are perception, refined.

They are rare. Quiet. Unmistakable.

Identity and Culture

To look upon a Venthari is to see composure woven into flesh. Their features are precise, their eyes steady—often pale or luminous, as if reflecting unseen light. Their movements are fluid, deliberate, and entirely without waste. Their voices are calm, even when the world burns around them.

Though mortal in form, they carry an aura of inner distance, as if part of their attention is always turned inward. Many possess faint markings on their skin: psionic glyphs, spiral motifs, or subtle light-trails that shift when emotions rise. These are not decorations. They are reflections of thought and control, shaped by the Way.

Venthari culture revolves around the Way of the Celestine, a living philosophy of balance, perception, and intentional action. It teaches that the self is both lens and mirror, that by refining one’s mind and mastering inner dissonance, one can reshape the world without violence. Meditation, motion, and mental discipline are central to daily life. In their sanctuaries, silence is not absence. It is presence in purer form.

They are raised in monasteries scattered across Eldareth, often in high or hidden places. Each follows a different interpretation of the Way, but all agree on its core truths: clarity before impulse, harmony before force, truth before comfort. Most Venthari learn to channel their thoughts into focused will—a blade, a shield, a song—as the situation demands.

Yet not all who study the Way remain within it. Some Venthari choose paths of precision without mercy, of silence without compassion. These few abandon the teachings they once followed, believing peace must be imposed or that emotion must be purged. They no longer walk the Way of the Celestine, though they may still speak its language. The Way does not permit such branches—it regards them as deviation, not evolution.

Venthari do not form nations. They do not seek titles. Their power lies in presence, in choice, and in the ripple a single, centered will can make across the chaos of the world.

Legacy in Eldareth

The Venthari first stepped into history during the Incursion, when thought itself began to unravel and the skies tore with voices not meant to be heard. While others fought the physical war, it was the Venthari who held the line in the mind. They calmed the broken, stilled the rifts, and carried the psionic burden that would have consumed entire cities.

The Celestine Obelisk, gifted by the Naerids, remains their most enduring tool and symbol. It is not a weapon, but a resonance: a memory that reshapes discord into stillness. Even now, its presence echoes wherever Venthari teachings take root.

Today, their numbers remain few, scattered across mountain sanctuaries and quiet archives. But when a monarch loses clarity, when a sorcerer’s mind fractures, when a war begins to dream of itself, the Venthari arrive. Not as saviors. Not as judges. As witnesses.

For the Way is not truth. It is the will to seek it.

Venthari Traits

Ability Score Increase. When determining your character’s ability scores, increase one score by 2 and increase a different score by 1, or increase three different scores by 1. You can't raise any of your scores above 20.

Creature Type. You are a Humanoid.

Size. Venthari are similar in build to half-elves, though they are typically a few inches taller. Your size is Medium.

Speed. Your walking speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light and in darkness as if it were dim light. You discern colors in that darkness only as shades of gray.

Astral Trance. When you finish a long rest, you access the shared memory of your people. Choose one of the following skills: Arcana, History, Insight, Investigation, or Perception. You gain proficiency in that skill until the end of your next long rest.

Mind Link. You can speak telepathically to any creature you can see within a range equal to 10 × your level in feet. The creature does not need to share a language with you, but it must understand at least one language to comprehend your communication.

Once per long rest, you can use your action to establish a two-way telepathic link with one creature you can see within this range. For the next hour, you and that creature can communicate telepathically with each other, regardless of distance, as long as you are on the same plane of existence. You can end this link early as a bonus action.

Venthari Psionics. You know the Mage Hand cantrip, and the hand is invisible when you cast the cantrip with this trait.

Starting at 3rd level, you can cast the Shield spell with this trait. Starting at 5th level, you can also cast the Detect Thoughts spell with it. Once you cast Shield or Detect Thoughts with this trait, you can’t cast that spell with it again until you finish a long rest. You can also cast either of those spells using any spell slots you have of the appropriate level.

Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells when you cast them with this trait (choose when you select this race). None of these spells require spell components when you cast them with this trait.

Psychic Resilience. You have resistance to psychic damage.

Mental Discipline. Your innate psychic defenses grant you advantage on saving throws you make to avoid or end the charmed on yourself, and magic can't put you to sleep.

Languages. Your character can speak, read, and write Common and one other language that you and your DM agree is appropriate for the character. The Player’s Handbook offers a list of languages to choose from. The DM is free to modify that list for a campaign.