Odavan

Description

Pale, dry skin adorns a slim frame, decorated with insectoid, tumor-like growths that almost cover the pitch-black eyes staring back. That is the Odavan. Formerly human and under a different name, these people originate from the northern regions of the Broken Plains where they lived up until the Great Catastrophe. When the Catastrophe struck, they were quite near to the origin point and it hit them hardest. Most of them died, their skin peeled off to their bones, stuck in a state of forced undead animation. Those tribes closest to the coast were able to escape with their lives and those that managed to find land even survived, but they were irreversibly changed. Negative energy in its purest form had touched them, and left its mark. Their skin ranges from a sickly grey to pale white and they are often covered in these tumor-like growths that seem almost insectoid. These often form into horns or spikes that give them a fearsome appearance. Furthermore their entire constitution seems to have changed and they no longer require as much food or sleep as before, which has helped them in their new environment, but they also do not derive the same enjoyment from it any longer.
They found land somewhere in the Odaav Ocean, from which they adopted their current name, having lost their former ones to time. The land is cold and not well-suited for agriculture, but with their changed forms they were able to survive here quite well and set up a moderately-sized port town from where they send out their ships to trade or catch the fish unique to this area.

Culture

The Odavan were changed in all aspects by the touch of death and they often appear muted in not just appearance, but also in behavior. They are soft-spoken and do not express their emotions very strongly or at all, at least not in public. They favor a calmer temper and spurn rash or overly ambitious decisions, because those are what ruined them. Their culture is also very formal, with much respect shown to their elders and superiors. Openly questioning the decision of someone who outranks you (whether that is within an organization or within a family) is something that is simply not done. If you have an issue with a decision taken, you calmly discuss it in private and accept it if your superior still chooses to go with their own decision.
They are wary of outsiders and are critical in who they do business with. They particularly dislike the Hobgoblins of the Magvar Empire for their ruthless slave industry. They also are strongly prejudiced against those who are more open in displaying their emotions and affections such as the Sulvari. Amusingly enough, due to scarcity of food in their lands, they are often distrustful of people who are plump or fat, as that means they are eating well and they assume it to be at the expense of someone else. For those who they do trust however, they are stalwart allies that will never let their friends down. As survivors of the Catastrophe, they consider themselves to be capable of taking on any hardship better than anyone else, and will step in front of their allies to protect them.
They have certain peculiar traditions surrounding death, born from their struggle to survive in the olden days. For the Odavan, not using your dead is considered strange if not outright taboo. They carve up their dead and make household items or tools from their bones, engraved with the name of whom the bones belonged to, signifying that even in death they still care for and help each other. To them this is how they honor their dead, and the practice of bone-carving is considered one of the highest forms of craftsmanship.

Statistics

While originally human, the Odavan have been irreversibly changed and use the following statistics.
Ability Score Increase.
Your Constitution score increases by 2, one other ability score of your choice increases by 1.
Age.
Odavan mature slower than humans, reaching adulthood at 25 years of age, and reaching lifespans of 200 years or more.
Size.
Odavan stand shorter than humans, at about 4.5-5.5 feet tall on average. Your size is Medium.
Speed.
Your walking speed is 30 feet.
Death-touched.
You have resistance to necrotic damage.
Born from Catastrophe.
You have advantage on saving throws against diseases as well as death saving throws.
Death's Usher.
You know the Toll the Dead cantrip. Constitution is your spellcasting ability for this spell.
Dark Metabolism.
You only need 4 hours of sleep to gain the same benefits as a human gets from 8 hours of sleep. You also require only half as much food and water as other humanoids to sustain yourself.
Pallid Constitution.
After you complete a a Short or Long Rest you gain temporary hit points equal to D8 + your proficiency bonus.
Languages.
You can read, speak and write Common and one extra language of your choice. Odavan often speak Orcish as the Khalag are their most common trade partners.

Lifespan

They age slower than regular humans due to the negative energy that has influenced them. They reach up to 200 years.

Average Height

They tend to be slightly shorter than humans, standing around 1.4-1.7 meters on average.

Average Weight

Their frames are thin and slim and they usually are skin over bones. On average they weigh around 40-70 kg.