LeShay
Pathfinder |
Little is known about the reclusive beings known as the leShay. Their existence has been recorded as far back as records exist, yet they rarely involve themselves in any events, and no settlements or communities of their people have ever been found, nor have any children been recorded. Intensely private, they rarely grant any personal details to others, not even names. All that is known about them and their people — or at least what they claim about themselves — is that they are utterly ancient, perhaps the first intelligent beings in the multiverse. Not that they stand as challengers to the aboleth, the powers, or the exemplars to that title, but rather that they predate the multiverse itself.
Their story is fairly consistent those times it's been shared: they claim to come from a reality that was struck by an unimaginably great catastrophe. Something that destroyed its very fabric across all planes and dimensions, something that struck perhaps at time itself. So great was it that all that they knew was torn asunder, erased as though it never was. Yet they survived. The means of this have never been shared, but as they claim, they were here to see the creation of this reality, the successor to their own. Obviously, there is no proof of this but for their own tales, but of course, little proof of such a claim could exist.
It's certainly true, though, that leShay have astounding levels of power, a "mortal" people with enough innate magic to rival some of the highest-ranked exemplars or youngest hero deities. Yet they rarely wield their power, content, it seems, to remain in the background, unnoticed. It's never clear what will bring a leShay to act, for their motives and interests are both utterly inscrutable, forged over the literal millennia and possible eons of their lives; so far as any can tell, leShay are utterly immortal, though not invulnerable.
Personality
There seem to be two chief common threads when it comes to the motivations and personalities of the leShay. First is novelty, a great interest in that which they've never, or at least rarely, encountered before; at least twice, a leShay has been known to have been drawn from their philosophy of uninvolvement into approaching the Sensates for potential membership, only to decline at the last moment. Many seem to choose to pursue artistic endeavors as a part of satisfying this desire, generating their own novelty, while others seem to choose an itinerant life, wishing to see all there is to see of this reality that may not be their own.
Second is etiquette. In many ways similar to the fey, the leShay are utterly entrenched in their ways and habits, their views on proper behavior long, long-ingrained into them, and as a result they find great frustration in those that act in ways they find indecorous or impolite. They are quick to take offense from and slow to forgive those who act against their arcane views on manners, and those that transgress them enough can quickly find themselves banished from their presence, if not worse.
Appearance
leShay have a certain resemblance to elves; they have similar build, similar black eyes, and similar ears, though usually shorter, more akin to that of a half-elf. They share many of the same uncommon biological qualities of elves as well, including trancing rather than sleeping. The similarity is enough so that some wonder that, if their claims are true, they might not be an ancient ancestor of the elven people. Still, a leShay would never be confused for one: their skin is utterly pale, nearly translucent, their hair is shock white and dead, looking almost brittle, and they tend to tower over most mortal races, averaging around six and a half feet tall. leShay tend towards androgyny; it's unclear if the leShay even have biological gender in the same manner as most humanoids, as they seem to accept whatever gender identity is placed on them by others with what occasionally seems like bemusement.
References
- Epic Level Handbook, pp.202-203
