VEDALKEN*

“Of course it’s flawed. Everything is. And it’s a good thing, too! Can you imagine how dreadful it would be if everything was already perfect?”

Vedalken have an unusual view of progress. They believe that nothing is perfect, nor can it ever be perfect— and they rejoice in this. Every imperfection is a chance for improvement, and progress is an endless march toward a state of perfection that can never actually be reached. Thus, pointing out imperfection is hardly an insult—which leads vedalken to note flaws and problems with an enthusiasm that members of other races sometimes find exasperating.

This enthusiasm extends to every aspect of vedalken work, both practical and theoretical. They are curious and excitable, and often become deeply engrossed in their labors. It’s not uncommon for a vedalken to spend hours on end caught up in the details of an abstract question or a minute engineering problem. Vedalken can be utterly oblivious to their surroundings while meditating on thorny issues, and they are prone to launching into lengthy explanations of their current research, since most find that talking about a problem often leads to a solution.

As a rule, vedalken are gregarious in conversation. However, they are quite circumspect concerning their personal lives, and they engage more with ideas than with people. They form close friendships based around mutual interests or compelling disagreements, and their interactions focus on their thoughts about those issues rather than their feelings about them. Emotional dynamics don’t particularly interest vedalken, either as a conversational topic or a field of study. When they talk about their feelings, it is primarily to provide information that might be helpful to others. For example, a vedalken might tell her colleagues, “I’m feeling irritated right now, so I might not be reacting appropriately. Perhaps we should continue this later.” But any questions about the cause of the irritation are likely to be brushed off as being irrelevant to the situation.

VEDALKEN POLITICS

Most vedalken care far more about invention and inquiry than about politics. They would rather unlock the hidden potential of aether-based devices than dwell on the question of how aether should be distributed to the Consulate’s citizens. For that reason, though vedalken are found both among the officials of the Consulate and among the renegades, their dedication to either cause often lacks the partisan fervor found in the members of other races.

VEDALKEN TRAITS

Your vedalken character has certain characteristics in common with all other vedalken

Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 2 and your Wisdom score increases by 1.

Age. Vedalken mature at the same rate humans do, and most are expected to settle down into an adult life by around age 40. They can live 350 to almost 500 years.

Alignment. Vedalken are most often lawful and rarely evil.

Size. Vedalken are taller than humans but more slender. They average 6 to 6½ feet tall, but usually weigh less than 200 pounds. Your size is Medium.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Vedalken Cunning. You have advantage on all Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws against magic

Aether Lore Whenever you make an Intelligence (History) check related to magic items or aether-powered technological devices, you can add twice your proficiency bonus, instead of any proficiency bonus you normally apply.

Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Vedalken. The Vedalken language is renowned for its technical treatises and its catalogs of knowledge about the natural world and the aether that pervades it.

SOURCES

Plane Shift: Kaladesh

Image – https://gamelore.fandom.com/wiki/Vedalken