Aerugo
The Aerugo are a race of humanoid moth-like people, characterized mainly by the presence of a second smaller pair of arms, a layer of thin fur covering most of their body (usually either gray or white, but it can sometimes be brown or even dark blue), a pair of moth wings and two antennas protruding from their forehead.
It is said that this moth-folk was the product of the fantasy of a moony Archfey, who created them to populate the nights of the material plane, and dress them with silk-like ribbons that gleam under the light of the moon.
According to some others, Aerugo where created by the power of an ancient magic, that trapped some fey spirits into the bodies of this moth-like people. Whether it was meant as a curse, so that they would be unnaturally attracted by lights, or as a blessing, giving them elegance and a real gift for weaving (or neither of them) is unknown.
Aerugo names: Ausi, Dei, Eli, Fee, Inuue, Laenne, Leesha, Nae, Ofee, Ool, Phii, Pula, Sesi, Siio, Uumon, Wetha
Age. Aerugo larvae mature into moths after around ten months, at which point they show the physical and mental age of a three-years-old human child. They mature at age 15, and are known to live up to 90 years.
Alignment. Aerugo tend towards chaotic alignments, as they grow with little amount of rules to bind them and, experiencing various cultures through their travels, they create their own set of moral laws. They almost never fall into evil alignments, as they respect other cultures and treasure the company of other people and the beauty of the world.
Size. Aerugo range in height from barely 4 feet to more than 6 feet tall. Regardless of your position in that range, your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Moth Wings. Your moth wings grant you a flying speed of 20 feet. To be able to use this speed, you mustn't be wearing heavy or medium armor.
Darkvision. Accustomed at having the moon as the only light in your days, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Sensible Antennae. Thanks to your long antennae you have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell.
Light Susceptibility. You are not accustomed to strong artificial lights, which distract you and impede you from focusing on your targets. You have disadvantage on attack rolls and Wisdom (Perception) checks when you are within 20 feet of a source of bright light that you can see, unless the object that spreads bright light is your target itself.
Extra Limbs. You have a second pair of arms, which are smaller and weaker than your normal arms, but that can still carry out tasks with precision. Those arms can't wield weapons or shields, nor perform somatic components of spells, but can hold and use a spellcasting focus or any other small object, weighting up to 3 times your Strength score. As a bonus action on your turn, you can use your extra limbs to interact with one additional object or feature of the Environment during either your movement or action (as described in page 190 in the PHB).
Weaver of Silk. You gain proficiency with the Weaver's tools. Also, you can use you action to produce up to 5 feet of a thin, silky thread. In order to do that, your mouth and two of your hands must be free (you can use your secondary arms for this action). The amount of silk you can produce is a number of feet equal to 5 times your Constitution score. Once you have produced the maximum length of silk, you can't produce any more until you finish a long rest.. The thread produced in this way is thin and breaks easily, but you can use some weaver's tool to make cloth out of it, which is instead warm, comfortable and resistant.
According to some others, Aerugo where created by the power of an ancient magic, that trapped some fey spirits into the bodies of this moth-like people. Whether it was meant as a curse, so that they would be unnaturally attracted by lights, or as a blessing, giving them elegance and a real gift for weaving (or neither of them) is unknown.
Aerugo Names
Aerugo are given a name by the community they live in, resulting usually in a name in Mothspeech and one in Common, which is used by all other races when referring to them. Those names are usually one or two syllables long, with a prevalence of vowels and usually no harsh consonants. There is no distinction between male and female names.Aerugo names: Ausi, Dei, Eli, Fee, Inuue, Laenne, Leesha, Nae, Ofee, Ool, Phii, Pula, Sesi, Siio, Uumon, Wetha
Aerugo Traits
Your aerugo character has a variety of natural abilities, but who cares you'll never read these two lines.Age. Aerugo larvae mature into moths after around ten months, at which point they show the physical and mental age of a three-years-old human child. They mature at age 15, and are known to live up to 90 years.
Alignment. Aerugo tend towards chaotic alignments, as they grow with little amount of rules to bind them and, experiencing various cultures through their travels, they create their own set of moral laws. They almost never fall into evil alignments, as they respect other cultures and treasure the company of other people and the beauty of the world.
Size. Aerugo range in height from barely 4 feet to more than 6 feet tall. Regardless of your position in that range, your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Moth Wings. Your moth wings grant you a flying speed of 20 feet. To be able to use this speed, you mustn't be wearing heavy or medium armor.
Darkvision. Accustomed at having the moon as the only light in your days, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Sensible Antennae. Thanks to your long antennae you have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell.
Light Susceptibility. You are not accustomed to strong artificial lights, which distract you and impede you from focusing on your targets. You have disadvantage on attack rolls and Wisdom (Perception) checks when you are within 20 feet of a source of bright light that you can see, unless the object that spreads bright light is your target itself.
Extra Limbs. You have a second pair of arms, which are smaller and weaker than your normal arms, but that can still carry out tasks with precision. Those arms can't wield weapons or shields, nor perform somatic components of spells, but can hold and use a spellcasting focus or any other small object, weighting up to 3 times your Strength score. As a bonus action on your turn, you can use your extra limbs to interact with one additional object or feature of the Environment during either your movement or action (as described in page 190 in the PHB).
Weaver of Silk. You gain proficiency with the Weaver's tools. Also, you can use you action to produce up to 5 feet of a thin, silky thread. In order to do that, your mouth and two of your hands must be free (you can use your secondary arms for this action). The amount of silk you can produce is a number of feet equal to 5 times your Constitution score. Once you have produced the maximum length of silk, you can't produce any more until you finish a long rest.. The thread produced in this way is thin and breaks easily, but you can use some weaver's tool to make cloth out of it, which is instead warm, comfortable and resistant.
Languages. You can speak, read and write Common, Beast Speech and Mothspeech. Mothspeech is mainly a language of transmitted pheromones, with few body language, and because of this it can't be written. Also, it is impossible for other creatures besides moths, butterflies or aerugo to comprehend this language (although it is possible with magic), and many won't even notice when you use it. Using Mothspeech, you can communicate simple ideas to moths and butterflies, and understand their "speech". Because of the limited vocabulary of this language, most aerugo speak through both Mothspeech and Common.Weaving the Silk
Here you can find a table describing how much thread you need in order to be able to weave various objects
Feet of Thread Required Object
250 Clothes, common 250 Clothes, travel 280 Clothes, fine 180 Blanket, 5 feet by 5 feet 20 Pouch 200 Rope, silk (50 feet)
Basic Information
Anatomy
Aerugo are born as larvae, but unlike butterflies they do not wander around as caterpillars before metamorphing into their adult form: they instead dig a hole into the ground, where they will make a cocoon and then turn into young aerugo, already capable of walking and flying. There is usually a common "cocoon ground" in each aerugo settlement, where parents leave their young larvae, waiting for them to turn into an adult moth. There is usually a short ceremony that precedes this.
Because of this tradition, aerugo aren't able to recognize their own children, and young moths are usually brought up either by a small group of adult aerugo (which becomes their family) or by the whole settlement itself (making at times little difference, as aerugo settlements are quite small).
In either case, an aerugo usually feels a way stronger tie with his community as a whole than to his "family" itself, and will often try to keep connected with it, using various kinds of messengers, ranging from travelers to butterflies.
Because of this tradition, aerugo aren't able to recognize their own children, and young moths are usually brought up either by a small group of adult aerugo (which becomes their family) or by the whole settlement itself (making at times little difference, as aerugo settlements are quite small).
In either case, an aerugo usually feels a way stronger tie with his community as a whole than to his "family" itself, and will often try to keep connected with it, using various kinds of messengers, ranging from travelers to butterflies.
Behaviour
Even if aerugo can adapt to human society, they will never lose some of the characteristics they share with moths, resulting in them often standing out from the common crowd because of this (as if a pair of wings and four arms weren't enough).
You can use the aerugo Quirks table to determine a personality quirk for an aerugo character or to inspire a unique mannerism.
Aerugo Quirks
| d8 | Quirks |
| 1 | You hate all kinds of artificial light, the only one you appreciate being that of the sun, the moon or the stars. |
| 2 | Artificial lights charm you as much as the ones of the moon or the stars. You can often be found staring at a torch or a lantern, bewitched. |
| 3 | Common sleep schedules aren't your thing: you always try to convince your companions to sleep during the day and travel at night. |
| 4 | You always leave a thin silky string wherever you go. |
| 5 | When nervous you start fiddling with your antennae. |
| 6 | You're easily angered when you see someone mistreating any kind of insect. |
| 7 | When talking, especially when using Mothspeech, your second pair of arms expressively gestures on its own. Some of those gestures may be incomprehensible to other people than you though. |
| 8 | You carry some butterflies or other insects with you, and sometimes chat with them. Other people usually don't notice this, and think you are talking to yourself. |
Additional Information
Social Structure
Aerugo tend to form small communities in forest, usually in mild or cold regions, composed almost only by their kin. This isn't because of some kind of shyness, nor because they don't respect other races: in fact, aerugo love company, and often travel to nearby settlements to exchange goods or gather rumors about the rest of the world. The main reason why humans and other races don't stop for long in aerugo villages is because of the many quirks of this people: the main ones being the fact that they are active almost only at night, and that it is forbidden to light torches or lanterns inside their villages. Also, many aerugo structures are built high amidst tree branches, which makes it quite challenging for many common folk to reach them.
Aerugo settlements often elect a king or queen as their leader, but many times it is paired with or substituted by a council of elders. An aerugo settlement will never grow to a great size, nor will it be centuries old, as these moth-folk love to travel and see new sights. Also, being their villages entirely built from wood, leaves and their own silk, they aren't able to withstand the test of time.
Aerugo settlements often elect a king or queen as their leader, but many times it is paired with or substituted by a council of elders. An aerugo settlement will never grow to a great size, nor will it be centuries old, as these moth-folk love to travel and see new sights. Also, being their villages entirely built from wood, leaves and their own silk, they aren't able to withstand the test of time.
Uses, Products & Exploitation
Skilled Weavers of Silvery Ribbons
Aerugo are able to produce a silky, silvery substance thanks to some glands inside their mouths, which they then weave with great skill and expertise. Aerugo silk, which is both soft and strong, is highly valued among other races, and can fetch a high price at the right merchant.Although this silk would naturally have a wonderful silvery color, it is possible to dye it. If submerged in dye right after it has been produced, it will quickly absorb the color and keep it almost forever, taking many decades to fade.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Night Wanderers, Seekers of Grace
Even if they do form stable settlements, an aerugo will rarely live his whole life only within its borders: driven by an inexplicable curiosity, and particularly by a desire to search for beauty, it will wander in the night, guided by the pale and reassuring light of the moon.When searching for something beautiful, an aerugo will rarely head towards human towns or cities. Rather than for artificial forms of art, it will look for the ones that are within nature, such as in a great waterfall or a colorful aurora.
It does occasionally happen though that an aerugo might prefer a statue to a dawn. In that case, he will travel from one city to another, often following a caravan of merchants or travelers, as this moth-folk appreciate the company of others, and will start thinking of them as part of their "family" if they earn their trust and friendship. Young aerugo are the ones that are easier to find wandering the nights, as with old age they'll settle in a village with others of their kin, or more rarely in human cities. This does not mean that they'll stop travelling: an old aerugo will still head out from time to time, in search of a beautiful sight, and come back home a few days later.
by ???
Alone, the young traveler was camping in the woods at night, keeping watch for the savage beasts that roamed that forest. But instead of fangs or claws, the only thing that approached him were some dustballs of a silk-like material. He looked up, searching for their caster, and it didn't take long for him to recognize a white, humanoid figure, sitting above his little camp on a tree branch. She was weaving some kind of silky cloth, while gazing at his campfire, and not minding anything else surrounding her.
Scientific Name
Homo Lepidoptera
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