Cursed-Blood

The cursed-blood are so named for their accursed lineage, forever bound by the twisted tethers of their very own blood. From the moment of their birth, they are each adorned with a quiescent mask, sealing their features in a permanent expression of cold, unfeeling marble. Nevertheless, these fated beings find strength in the familial bonds that tie them together, for they must rely on each other to survive the foul scourge that has befallen Luyarnha.
Alas, the cursed-blood are shunned and abhorred throughout the city-state, only finding refuge far from the prying eyes of society, amidst the squalor of the city's slums. In these desolate corners, where madness and scourge ravage the populace, the cursed-blood stand vigilant, ever protective of their own kin, finding solace in their shared bane.
The cursed-bloods’ origins are viewed as a taboo subject not to be spoken of by the populace, to avoid incurring the wrath of those above. According to whispered rumors, the curse was a punishment meted out by vengeful Great Ones, a retribution for sins committed by their forebears. Once, their kin—demons, dragons, and other creatures of flame and brimstone—roamed freely across the world, but they have long since disappeared, banished from existence by the enigmatic beings that lurk in the glacial void beyond. Now, all who share even a drop of their blood are condemned to a wretched existence, their individual origins erased and replaced by the familial bond they forged from the crucible of their affliction.
This curse, wrought from birth, is both tragic and horrific. Each born as conjoined twins, one of them must inevitably perish for the other to live. Although the death of their twin happens in the womb, the cursed-blood can still hear and feel the echoes of their lost sibling's voice within their own soul. This unspeakable atrocity against life twists their flesh and soul, and forces them to carry the remnants of their other half within their chest in the form of a gaping maw, an eye, or some other feature over which they have no control.

Cursed-Blood Traits

Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 1 and one ability score of your choice increases by 1.
Age. Cursed-bloods develop much faster than humans, reaching maturity after 5 years, and have shorter lifespans, passing after roughly 60 years, though some rare individuals have lived up to 100.
Alignment. Though reviled since birth, most cursed-bloods strive toward lawful and good behavior, willing to sacrifice everything for their family. Yet, some cursed-bloods develop a nihilistic hatred for all life, reinforced by the utterances of their conjoined corpse.
Size. Cursed-bloods average about 4 feet tall and weigh about 100 pounds, with elongated limbs and necks. Your size is Small.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 25 feet and you have a climbing speed of 25 feet. You can't use your climbing speed while you wear medium or heavy armor.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and your choice of either Draconic or Infernal (choose when you select this race).
Vigilant Nature. Your survival instincts are sharper than most. You can’t be surprised. On a turn when you would be surprised, you can’t attack or cast spells that affect enemies.
Conjoined Twin. Your dead twin manifests on your body in one of the following ways of your choice:
• Chest Maw. The mouth on your abdomen can devour many things, temporarily storing them in a pocket dimension within you. It can hold up to 250 pounds of material, not exceeding a volume of 32 cubic feet. If you fall unconscious or die, you harmlessly regurgitate all materials in your maw. Breathing creatures inside your maw can survive up to 1 minute, after which time they begin to suffocate. After 24 hours inside your body, a nonmagical item is destroyed, consumed by your body. If it is a magic item, a creature, or a corpse, you regurgitate it instead. Starting at 5th level, you can store materials indefinitely (but still not while unconscious or dead), and the dimension’s volume and weight it can hold doubles.
• Heedful Eye. As long as the eye in your chest is open, you have darkvision out to 120 feet. You can cast detect magic once while the eye is open, regaining the ability to do so when you finish a short or long rest. Starting at 5th level, you can cast see invisibility once while the eye is open, regaining the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. You can open the eye as a bonus action, and close it at will (no action required).
• Gaping Remain. Ripped out of your chest, due to your will or perhaps your twin’s, it now only exists within you in spirit, capable of influencing the world through you.

You can speak telepathically to any creature you can see, provided the creature is within a number of feet of you equal to five times your level. The voice the creature hears isn’t yours, but that of your twin. The telepathic speech is made in a language you know, and the creature understands you only if it knows that language. Starting at 5th level, the creature is able to telepathically respond to you in a language it knows.

You learn the mage hand cantrip. You can cast it without any somatic or verbal components, and the hand has the appearance of your twin’s. Your spellcasting ability for the spell is Charisma.

Subrace. Although all cursed-bloods view each other as family, depending on their origin—draconic, infernal, or otherwise—their flesh has evolved in various ways, which represent their subrace. Choose one of these subraces.

Related Organizations

• Miraghani