Adeg
To the west of the Llethu homeland lies a high plateau, forming an inhospitable barrier to travel in that direction. But like all places in Arhosa, that which is inhospitable is not uninhabited, for wherever there is space, there is also life. Much of the life is animal and plant, grasses that resist the whistling winds and sudden hailstorms, but cannot survive the constant grazing of herbivores wrapped in thick coats or thick skins. And where there is game and food, there is also civilization. Here, on the plateau of Gwastad, that civilization is the Adeg. Born into their cold and barren world, they scratch a living from the surface, working little plots of vegetables and managing to herd what game they have been able to domesticate. But do not let such squalid things distract the eye, for when they descend into their underground homes, dug just beneath the surface of the earth, one finds winding passageways brightly lit, fabrics dyed in a great many hues, and records that span perhaps half of all space the Adeg own. For they are a people of history, and of knowledge. Here, where they sit atop some of the highest land in Arhosa, those who pass east to west and west to east pay their tolls with stories, with political happenings, with gossip. And all of it is recorded and catalogued, kept in the knowledge that one day such research will prove useful. And when a member of the Adeg makes a rare descent to lower altitudes, they bring with them much of that knowledge, stored in perfect memories that they can access as needs be.
These memories are but a small taste of what the Adeg can do, for they have found the first god, the god who built the very framework inside which all else exists: Amserwch, deity of time itself. An absent god, a distant god, yes, and one not interested in sharing more than the tiniest fraction of his power with those who worship him, but that tiny fraction, combined with the great lengths that the Adeg go to study history, the passing of ages, and the very structure of time itself, has given them more than enough. And with that, they are satisfied. For they may research as far as they desire, and that knowledge always comforts them.
Adeg Racial Traits
Small
-2 Str, +2 Int, -2 Cha. Adeg are small and not particularly personable to outsiders, although they have some of the finest intellects in Arhosa.
Adeg base land speed is 20 feet.
Alpine: Adeg are automatically acclimated to life at high altitudes. They don’t take the penalties for altitude described in the Mountain Travel section on page 90 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide. Unlike other denizens of the mountains, Adegs don’t lose their acclimation to high altitude even if they spend months or years at lower elevations. This resilience extends to the chill of the high plateau, and they can ignore the first 5 points of cold damage dealt by any attack, whether mundane or magical.
Memory: Adegs have the ability to remember a single scene perfectly, in exhaustive detail, not forgetting it until they desire to. This is a "frozen moment", chosen by silent act of will, of something they have seen, whether that be in personal, through magical means, or passed on by another Adeg. It retains the focus, field of view, and lighting conditions of the original viewing. For every additional character level attained, the Adeg can memorize an additional scene (without relinquishing the first one). These scenes can be retained for years, vanishing only upon death, the physical loss of the brain, or as the result of certain spell attacks. By spending one hour in communion with another Adeg, a memory can be transferred from one Adeg to another with no loss of quality.
History: Knowledge (History) is always a class skill for the Adeg.
Studious: Adeg see patterns in places where others only see noise. Each time an opponent attacks or uses a spell or ability against an Adeg, the Adeg receives a +1 bonus on armor class (if an attack) or on saves (if a spell or ability) against all subsequent actions by that opponent. This bonus lasts until the opponent attacks or uses a spell or ability against someone other than the Adeg (attacks of opportunity do not count for this purpose), or until the end of the encounter, whichever is sooner.
Learned: All Adeg begin play with the Research feat. When using that feat, treat any Adeg community as a master collection.
Favored Class: Chronomancer
Automatic Languages: Adeg, Trade Common. Bonus Languages: Any Arhosan.
RECALL [RACIAL]
Your memories can take form.
Prerequisites: Adeg
Benefit: For you, the act of recalling a memory is not an internal act, but an external one. By concentrating for a full round, you may cause one of your stored memories to play out in front of you as per the major image spell. Everyone who witnesses the memory recognizes it for an illusion, and it does not obstruct sight or line of effect.
A SLICE OF HISTORY [RACIAL]
Looking to the past for inspiration has long been a feature of Adeg society.
Prerequisites: Adeg, Slicer level 1st
Benefit: Whenever you create the reverse aspect of a slice, treat your slicer level as one higher than it would otherwise be. In addition, if that slice successfully affects an enemy against whom you have a Studious bonus, increase that bonus by one.
PERSUASIVE RESEARCHER [RACIAL]
There is nothing that will get in the way of an Adeg attempting to garner knowledge.
Prerequisites: Adeg, Knowledge (History) 4
Benefit: Information is the most powerful tool available to an Adeg. An Adeg may use his Knowledge (History) skill in place of his Investigation skill. In addition, once per day, the Adeg may make a Knowledge (History) check instead of a Will save and use the result of that check to determine the save's success. The Adeg choose to use this before attempting the save. A result of a natural 1 on the skill check is not an automatic failure.
