The Val'ridians

Introduction

The Val’ridians, known simply as the Val, are not native to Zycore. They are refugees of another reality—beings who crossed the veil between worlds during the opening years of the War of the Damned, over 2,100 years ago.

That war did not merely rage across continents, but across the Multiverse itself. As gods, fiends, and eldritch powers clashed, the fabric of reality thinned, and from that weakening a dimensional rift tore open. Through this breach stepped the Val—unaware at first of the fate that awaited them.

It soon became clear that their arrival was no accident.

Gifted with prodigious intellect, alien resilience, and abilities unlike any known on Zycore, the Val became pivotal allies of the Valiant, turning the tide of a war that threatened to plunge all existence into eternal damnation. Their intervention helped usher in the end of the Age of the Damned and the dawn of a fragile peace.

Victory, however, came at an unbearable cost.

The War nearly annihilated the Val’ridian people. Their numbers were shattered, their homeland forever lost, and their survivors scattered across an unfamiliar world. Beginning in the early years of the Age of Woe, the Val spent the next 1,500 years wandering Zycore—studying its histories, mastering its arcane laws, and slowly carving out new communities across Uulek’Dorr.

Yet fear followed them wherever they settled.

Many empires and kingdoms refused to treat with beings so alien, and others sought to exploit them—coveting their knowledge, their technology, and most disturbingly, their blood. Over the next five centuries, persecution, forced displacement, and secret wars drove the Val into isolation. They withdrew from the world, erasing their presence from common knowledge.

Another five hundred years passed.

To the peoples of Zycore, the Val’ridians are now considered extinct—a vanished race remembered only in half-forgotten legends and censored histories.

The truth is far more dangerous.

CHARACTERISTICS

Val’ridians are humanoids of striking and otherworldly appearance, typically standing between 5 and 6 feet tall. Their skin ranges in hue from deep forest green to burnished gold, while their hair displays vivid tones of abyssal blue, crimson ruby, or rarer iridescent shades.

Their flesh is subtly hardened—a remnant adaptation from their original reality—and their bodies have evolved in harmony with Val-Krin, a fusion of arcane power and magitech unique to their people.

Upon reaching adulthood, every Val undergoes a sacred transformation known as the Way of Troskelis. During this rite, Val-Krin is carved directly into the body in intricate, living sigils that trace across the skin. This is not merely augmentation—it is unification. When the ritual is complete, the Val and the Val-Krin become a single, inseparable entity.

This bond allowed the Val to survive a world hostile to their existence—and in some places, to thrive.

Their deep understanding of reality’s underlying structures has also awakened formidable psychic capabilities, enabling feats of perception, manipulation, and mental power that many consider miraculous, or terrifying, in equal measure.

FAITH

To the Val’ridians, faith is not blind devotion—it is continuity.

Their beliefs were forged not in comfort, but in exile, catastrophe, and survival across worlds. Where other peoples worship distant gods, the Val revere a guardian who has walked beside them, bled for them, and reshaped fate itself to ensure their endurance.

At the heart of Val faith stands Gwilteriel, the Witch Queen.

Gwilteriel, Queen of Glentropis, Keeper of the Veil

Before Zycore knew her name, Gwilteriel was an Archfey of immense cunning and vision. In the Val’s native reality, she was not yet queen, but a powerful warden of thresholds—one who studied the fractures between realms and learned how to bind magic into matter.

It was Gwilteriel who gifted the Val the first Val-Krin, a living fusion of arcana and design that allowed them to survive an existence where raw magic and predatory realities consumed the unprepared. To the Val, this gift was not a miracle—it was a covenant.

When the War of the Damned tore holes through the Multiverse, Gwilteriel foresaw the extinction of the Val and acted decisively. She guided them through the weakening veils and into Zycore, even as she herself crossed into the Feywild, where she would eventually rise as Queen of Glentropis—one of its most formidable and secretive domains.

Today, Gwilteriel is recognized within Zycore’s broader pantheon as an Ascended Archfey, though many gods regard her with suspicion. She is neither wholly divine nor bound by mortal expectation, and she does not demand worship in the traditional sense.

She expects endurance.

The Covenant of Troskelis

The Val do not believe Gwilteriel to be omnipotent or infallible. Instead, they teach that she is bound by promise—as they are bound by survival.

This bond is formalized in sacred philosophy known as the Covenant of Troskelis, which teaches:

• Survival is sacred
• Knowledge is responsibility
• Power must be shaped, not hoarded
• Fate can be bent, but never ignored

Through this covenant, the Val believe Gwilteriel does not rule them, but guards the paths they cannot yet see.

The Way of Troskelis, the Val-Krin ritual of adulthood, is considered both a spiritual and philosophical affirmation of this covenant. To accept Val-Krin is to accept consequence—every gain in power demands restraint, wisdom, or sacrifice.

The Witch Queen’s Hand in History

Gwilteriel’s influence is most clearly felt during moments of existential threat.

Her involvement in the Demogorgon Crisis stands as the most widely recorded example. Though the dwarves of Acazor believe the Spellbound Stone to be their greatest triumph, Val records reveal it was originally crafted by Gwilteriel as a final sanction—a failsafe designed to erase the Demogorgon entirely.

When the dwarves repurposed the Stone as a prison rather than a weapon, fate was merely delayed.

When the Demogorgon rose again, Gwilteriel intervened—guiding heroes across impossible distances, drawing armies to battlefields before the enemy could consolidate, and quietly rewriting the outcome of the war. Those she aided were never told her purpose, nor did she demand thanks.

To the Val, this silence is doctrine.

“The Witch Queen does not seek gratitude. She seeks results.”
— Val’ridian axiom

CITIES AND SOCIETIES

Val’ridian cities are not built to be found.

They are designed to endure, to mislead, and—when necessary—to vanish from the world’s notice entirely. Each settlement is a living expression of Val philosophy: survival through adaptation, beauty through restraint, and power through subtlety.

To outsiders, Val cities feel disorienting and unreal. To the Val, they are perfectly legible.

Living Labyrinths

Val’ridian settlements reject symmetry and rigid planning. There are no districts, wards, or civic centers in the conventional sense. Instead, cities unfold as organic labyrinths, their winding paths shaped by geomantic flows, defensive necessity, and centuries of incremental refinement.

• Roads twist and fold back on themselves
• Alleys narrow or widen based on foot traffic patterns
• Sightlines are deliberately broken to prevent long-range observation
• Major thoroughfares subtly shift over time as structures are reworked

What appears chaotic is, in truth, deeply intentional. Each Val learns to read the city the way one reads a living script—through markers, patterns, and resonance rather than signage.

Intruders rarely realize they are lost until it is too late.

Architecture of Stone and Shadow

Val buildings are constructed from a rare, culturally guarded composite known colloquially as Veilstone—a fusion of granite and obsidian infused with dormant Val-Krin lattices.

This material provides:

• Exceptional resistance to weather, seismic activity, and magical erosion
• Natural dampening of divination and scrying magic
• The ability to “remember” structural stress and self-reinforce over time

Structures are angular yet flowing, often blending sharp edges with sweeping arcs. Buildings appear grown rather than assembled, their forms echoing both Fey aesthetics and alien logic.

Many walls and foundations bear faded Val-Krin tracery, remnants of older rites and forgotten guardians.

Lifespots and Arcane Ecology

Perhaps the Val’s most remarkable achievement is their creation of lifespots—self-sustaining ecological sanctuaries engineered through a fusion of arcane science, psychic harmonics, and botanical mastery.

A lifespot can:

• Stabilize temperature and atmospheric pressure
• Redirect ley-line energy to nourish flora
• Sustain non-native plant life in extreme environments
• Heal soil rendered dead by corruption or disaster

These sanctuaries are not purely utilitarian. Lifespots are often breathtaking, filled with bioluminescent plants, crystalline trees, and water features that respond to emotional and psychic states.

To harm a lifespot is considered one of the gravest crimes in Val society.

Hidden Cities of Uulek’Dorr

Though many Val settlements have been erased or abandoned, several remain active—carefully concealed across Uulek’Dorr.

Vael-Tirath, the High Sanctuary

Located within the Fractured Highlands of Doredian, Vael-Tirath rests nearly 15,000 feet above sea level, beyond the natural treeline. What was once a frozen glacial basin has been transformed into a verdant valley of stone, vine, and crystal.

• Ice-fed rivers flow warm through arcane circulation
• Terraced gardens cling to sheer cliff faces
• Structures are anchored directly into bedrock

Clouds often obscure the city entirely, and those who stumble upon it uninvited report disorientation, memory gaps, or the overwhelming sensation of being watched.

Lunessae Deep

Hidden beneath a coastal shelf along the southern reaches of Uulek’Dorr, Lunessae Deep is partially submerged, its lower levels accessible only during certain tidal alignments.

• Light is guided through crystalline conduits
• Marine flora is cultivated alongside terrestrial species
• Psychic currents flow with the tides, used for meditation and foresight

This city is strongly associated with Luneth Veyra (Moonbound Seers), who study fate, cycles, and long-term prophecy.

PERSONALITY

Val’ridians are shaped by a truth few peoples can comprehend:

They survived extinction not once, but continuously.

Every aspect of Val personality—restraint, calculation, emotional distance, and sudden intensity—emerges from centuries of living on the edge of annihilation. To understand a Val is to understand a people who learned that hesitation kills, trust invites ruin, and memory is armor.

Pragmatism Forged in Danger

Val’ridians are, at their core, deeply pragmatic. Their ancestral world rewarded decisiveness and punished indulgence. Emotion was never discarded—but it was never allowed to rule.

As a result, Val tend to:

• Speak plainly and with purpose
• Avoid unnecessary embellishment
• Evaluate risk instinctively
• Act decisively once a course is chosen

To outsiders, this can read as coldness or arrogance. In truth, it is discipline born of survival.

A Val rarely asks why something should be done. They ask whether it must be done—and what it will cost.

Emotional Reserve, Not Absence

Val’ridians feel deeply.

They simply do not waste emotion.

Expressions of joy, grief, or rage are often subtle—shared in private, ritualized spaces, or through symbolic acts rather than overt display. Public emotionality is considered inefficient, even dangerous, as it can cloud judgment or expose vulnerability.

That said, when a Val does express emotion openly, it is almost always genuine—and often overwhelming.

Memory as Identity

The Val do not forget.

History is not an abstract concept to them; it is lived experience carried through story, ritual, and Val-Krin resonance. Even younger Val grow up immersed in remembrance—not as indoctrination, but as inheritance.

This creates a personality profile marked by:

• Long memories
• Reluctance to forgive betrayal
• Deep respect for promises kept
• Extreme reactions to broken oaths

Among elders, grudges can span centuries.

The Weight of Betrayal

Perhaps no force has shaped Val psychology more than the post–War of the Damned persecutions, particularly within the Zebetian sphere.

The knowledge that they were hunted after saving the world left scars that no ritual has fully erased. As a result:

• Trust is earned slowly
• Political naivety is rare
• Val are wary of charismatic leaders and grand promises

Even now, some Val instinctively categorize others as potential threats long before seeing them as allies.

Generational Divide

Val society is experiencing a quiet fracture.

Elders remember the Dark Purge and the long centuries of hiding. Their personalities are rigid, cautious, and often bitter. They believe survival depends on secrecy and preparation—and that exposure invites disaster.

Younger Val, raised within protected cities and lifespot sanctuaries, are different.

They are:

• More curious
• Less burdened by fear
• More willing to engage with outsiders
• Open to art, emotion, and personal expression

This divide manifests as tension between preservation and emergence, between a people who survived by vanishing and a generation that wonders if it is time to be seen again.

Individualism Within Collective Duty

Despite their communal survival strategies, Val’ridians are not collectivist drones. Personal agency is respected—so long as it does not endanger the whole.

Val personalities often balance:

• Strong individual identity
• Deep sense of responsibility
• Willingness to sacrifice personal desire for communal safety

Those who act recklessly or selfishly are not shunned—but they are watched.

Outlook on Other Peoples

Val’ridians do not divide the world into good and evil. They divide it into:

• Predictable
• Unpredictable
• Existential

Races and cultures that demonstrate consistency earn cautious respect. Those that pursue conquest, fanaticism, or unchecked ambition are regarded with quiet hostility.

That said, a Val who chooses to trust someone will defend that bond fiercely.

Adventurers and Exiles

Most Val who become adventurers do so for one of three reasons:

1. Exile — voluntary or forced
2. Mandate — acting on a Custodian’s directive or Gwilteriel’s quiet influence
3. Curiosity — the most dangerous reason of all

These Val often struggle between ingrained caution and the thrill of autonomy. They may appear aloof at first, but over time develop unwavering loyalty to those who prove worthy.

Common Val Personality Traits (Optional Table Use)

• Speaks rarely, but meaningfully
• Plans several steps ahead
• Values competence over charisma
• Distrusts institutions, not individuals
• Keeps promises even when inconvenient
• Reacts strongly to betrayal
• Struggles with expressing vulnerability

Val'ridian Racial Traits

Ability Score Increase

Your body and mind have been reshaped by the Val-Krin. Increase one ability score by 2 and another by 1, or increase three different ability scores by 1 each. You cannot increase any score above 20 using this trait.

Age

Before the War of the Damned, Val’ridians rarely lived beyond 150 years, their native dimension being brutally unforgiving. Since settling on Zycore, their lifespan has expanded dramatically. Most Val live between 500 and 700 years, though many claim to feel the weight of centuries long before their bodies fail.

Size

Val’ridians are tall, slender humanoids with highly variable physiques shaped by vocation and ritual. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Valinian, an ancient tongue descended from a long-lost Fey dialect and interwoven with arcane syntax.

Hardened Flesh

Your skin has adapted to survive hostile realities.

When you are not wearing armor, your Armor Class equals 12 + your Dexterity modifier. You may use a shield and still gain this benefit.

The Val-Krin Ritual (Way of Troskelis)

Upon reaching adulthood, every Val’ridian undergoes the Val-Krin Ritual, permanently bonding arcane magitech into their flesh in the form of intricate sigils and patterns. This ritual defines a Val’s path in life and grants powerful, specialized abilities.

Choose one Val-Krin Pattern below. Once chosen, it cannot be changed.

Val-Krin Patterns (Subraces)

Cirythel Aethryn — Wisdom of the Phoenix

Those who bear the Dramal’kin pattern seek enlightenment through resilience, clarity, and mastery of the mind.

Telepathic Mind.
You can communicate telepathically with any creature you can see within 120 feet, provided you share a language. In addition, you can cast message at will, without verbal or somatic components.

Phoenix Insight.
As a bonus action, you may awaken the Cirythel Aethryn pattern for 1 hour. While active, you gain advantage on Wisdom ability checks and Wisdom saving throws.

Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest, unless you expend an additional use as described below.

Unbreakable Will.
Your mind is trained to resist intrusion. When you are affected by a charm, fear, or other mind-altering condition, you may use your reaction to immediately end that condition on yourself.

You may use Phoenix Insight and Unbreakable Will a number of times equal to half your Wisdom modifier (rounded down, minimum of once), and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Dromek Kharuun — Perfection of the Warrior

The Dromek Kharuun pattern is bestowed upon those who serve as guardians, champions, and living bulwarks of Val society.

Martial Conditioning.
You gain proficiency with four weapons of your choice, which may be simple or martial.

Overdrive Physiology.
As a bonus action, you may activate the Dromek Kharuun pattern for 1 hour, forcing your body beyond mortal limits. While active, you gain advantage on Strength and Constitution ability checks and saving throws.

In addition, once during this duration, you may double your proficiency bonus for a single Strength- or Constitution-based ability check of your choice.

You may use this feature a number of times equal to your Strength or Constitution modifier (whichever is higher, minimum of once), and you regain all uses when you finish a long rest.

Veylune Oraath — Knowledge of the Moon

Rare and often feared, the Veylune Oraath pattern is granted to those destined to shape history through intellect, foresight, and arcane mastery.

Expanded Intellect.
Your Intelligence score increases by 2, and this increase can raise your Intelligence above 20, to a maximum of 22.

Moonbound Knowledge.
You gain proficiency in two Intelligence-based skills of your choice.

Arcane Legacy.
You learn additional spells as your understanding deepens. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

The Pattern counts as the individual's spellcasting focus. Saves are decided by 8 + Proficiency bonus + Intelligence Modifier