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SHISK

ANCESTRY

RARE

HUMANOID

SHISK

Hit Points 8

Size Medium; Speed 25 feet

Ability Boosts Intelligence, Free

Languages Mwangi, Shisk

Additional Languages equal to your Intelligence modifier (if positive). Choose from any Common language, and any other languages to which you have access (such as the languages prevalent in your region).

Senses Darkvision

Shisks are secretive mountain-dwellers, bone-feathered humanoids who lurk underground in dark tunnels and caverns. Their fascination with collecting and protecting esoteric knowledge is one of the few things that can persuade them to explore the outside world.

Shisks rarely encounter other peoples, even in the Mwangi Expanse. Shisks subsist on low-calorie diets of vegetables and insects, causing them to rarely compete with others for resources or seek out people to trade. They have a tight-knit society, wary of outsiders, though they don’t outright attack visitors.

Their history is passed down verbally and musically, and they rarely maintain written records in order to keep their knowledge safe. Often the only proof that shisks exist comes from explorers finding signs of their architecture: organic and low-impact adobe buildings carved out of mountains rather than built atop them.

You Might...

  • See yourself as a part of nature and avoid taking anything you don’t need.
  • Be wary of others getting one over on you by tricking you into revealing something.
  • Love warmth and enjoy sunbathing despite your subterranean nature.

Others Probably...

  • Are concerned by your diet and how little you eat.
  • Become confused or annoyed by your refusal to give information freely.
  • Appreciate your incredible memory and knowledge.

Physical Description

Shisks have features and skin-tones similar to humans, usually ranging from deep tan to deep black. They are lighter than their body size might indicate, due to having hollow bones. Shisks have no body hair—instead, their backs are covered in vestigial plumage that now grow only as bony quills that resemble calcified pin feathers. Though shisks can’t fly, these spines are longer around their arms, as if they once had wings. A shisk’s eyes contract into slits in the sunlight and are typically warmly colored, from hazel and brown to more unique colors like red or amber. Shisks have two prominent narrow fangs as the front teeth on their upper jaw, causing some people to mistake them for asanbosams or vampires.

Society

Though rarely encountered, shisks are willing to speak, host, and trade with outsiders. Their economy might be confusing to others: they greatly eschew materialism in favor of information and the arts. They freely give away material goods for knowledge or even performances, considering themselves on the “winning” side of a bargain if people are willing to take material things in exchange for valuable information. They never give away information for material goods, only for other knowledge, and they rarely ask for material goods in trades.

Shisk are so paranoid that different communities of shisks have been known to clash with one another over secrets. Wars are fought not over territory or resources, but over coveted information. On a few occasions, when shisk sages or diplomats convinced different groups of shisks to put aside their differences and collaborate, great puzzles and mysteries of Golarion have been solved in a matter of hours.

Shisk clothing is loose and breathable, and often minimal to avoid catching on their bony feathers. Due to their society’s disregard for materialism, the shisk live in great harmony with nature around them, taking only what they need. Shisk often take up simple hobbies, such as sunbathing.

Alignment and Religion

Seeing themselves as part of the natural world and typically focused on their own pursuits instead of society, most shisks adopt neutral alignments. Some shisks are patrons of gods that have been long forgotten. Many shisks worship the sun god Chohar, a fact which might seem odd for people who dwell underground. The Green Faith is highly common among shisks, but when seeking out personal gods to revere, most shisks prefer gods of knowledge and secrets such as Irez, Nethys, or Norgorber.

Names

Shisk names are usually granted by their parents, though these names often have secret meanings known only to their families. They are often filled with sibilant syllables, occasionally punctuated by sharp vowels.

Sample Names

Adomssha, Asjossa, Chishinsa, Dalissho, Lessia, Lishassha, Somissu, Quinshu

Shisk Adventurers

With a cultural obsession around learning and secrets, shisks are perfect fits for the scholar background. They are also reclusive in their tasks, making hermits and nomads common. Their love of histories spread through song makes them ideal entertainers, while shisks’ coexistence with nature means they are ideal herbalists and animal whisperers. Shisks make excellent bards and wizards, as they excel at focus and long hours of research. Those who venture into other societies to learn are also great fits for the investigator class.

Shisk Enclaves

Most shisks can be found in small communities burrowed into the Barrier Wall, existing in caverns and tunnels that riddle the mountains from peak to base. A few scattered enclaves can be found in the Bandu Hills—the dry and arid region well-suited to shisk tastes. Occasionally, shisk societies burrow deeply enough that they reside within the Mwangi Darklands, while other brave families or individuals seek out the academic haven of Nantambu, hoping to accelerate their education.

Shisks are almost completely unknown outside of the Mwangi Expanse. A few can be found on the Thuvian side of the Barrier Wall, and at least one shisk is believed to have approached the Citadel of the Alchemist to be accepted as a student. One small and bold enclave is rumored to reside in the Shattered Range near the nation of Nex, hoping to glean secrets from the many powerful wizards who live there.

TABLE 1: SHISK HERITAGES
Exclusive Heritages Description
lorekeeper shiskLOTME You grew up surrounded by knowledge and secrets.
quillcoat shiskLOTME Your body has adapted a defensive mechanism to break off your quills in an attacker, allowing you to defend yourself against aggressive predators, though it takes a while for the quills to grow back.
spellkeeper shiskLOTME Your magical knowledge allows you to cast simple spells.
stonestep shiskLOTME Navigating mountains and other rocky terrain is second nature to you.
stronggut shiskLOTME Your metabolism is slow, allowing you to go for days without food and process maladies at a slower rate.
Versatile Heritages Description
ArdandeRE Your elemental heritage is reflected in the oils and fragrances of plants, in tree resin that fossilizes into amber, or in the gentle smell of a flower.
ReflectionDA You were created as a duplicate of another creature, intentionally or accidentally, though you might not know of your origins.
TalosRE Your physical features reflect the influence a zuhra or other metal elemental has had over your bloodline.
draconic scionBAD You possess the power of dragons, whether you descended from dragons, learned from dragons, were transformed by exposure to draconic energy, or reincarnated from a past life as a dragon.
TABLE 2: SHISK ANCESTRY FEATS
Level 1 Shisk Feats Prerequisites Benefits
Eidetic EarLOTME — You have an amazing memory for sound.
rLet’s Try That AgainSG-04 — You feel a sense of deja vu when you’ve made a mistake, almost as if you weren’t so careless in a past life and could certainly do better if given another chance.
rLike a RoachSG-04 — Living with the bare necessities isn’t terribly hard for someone who has defied death, and like a cockroach, you always know how to survive.
Shisk LoreLOTME — You hoard knowledge like a dragon hoards gold.
SpelunkerLOTME — Living underground, you have learned to find your way without landmarks or even solid ground.
Spine StabberLOTME — The quills on your arms are particularly sharp and sturdy.
rWeight of ExperienceSG-04 — The experience you’ve accumulated over multiple lifetimes envelops you like a weighted blanket, providing comfort and bestowing confidence under pressure.
rWisdom From Another LifeSG-04 — You absorbed a wide variety of facts before you died, and your soul still remembers slivers of this precious knowledge.
Level 5 Shisk Feats Prerequisites Benefits
rAnimal Soul SiblingsSG-04 — Your eyes have been opened to the spiritual essence suffusing the world.
BristleLOTME — You curl into a posture that splays out your bone spines.
rEmpathy IncarnateSG-04 — Reincarnation has given you a compassionate perspective and enabled you to relate to almost everyone you speak with, putting them at ease and quickly generating trust.
rFey InfluenceLOIL — You have been exposed to powerful fey magic.
Inured to the HeatLOTME — Your have a love for extreme heat.
rI’Ve Had Many JobsSG-04 — Finding and excelling at odd jobs is child’s play to one who has worked many occupations during many lives.
rReincarnated RidiculerSG-04 — You’ve practiced the art of taunting an enemy, ensuring they know death will only make you stronger.
Renewing QuillsLOTME quillcoat shisk Your spines grow back much faster than other shisks.
rSleep of the RebornSG-04 — Philosophers compare the cycle of life, death, and rebirth to sleeping, dreaming, and waking.
Level 9 Shisk Feats Prerequisites Benefits
Dig Up SecretsLOTME — You are an endless well of knowledge and can remember several vital pieces of information at once.
rDrain EmotionLOIL Fey Influence You touch an adjacent creature and attempt to draw out its excess emotion.
rFey AscensionLOIL Fey Influence The fey influence on your form and features grows even more powerful and notable.
rLingering EchoesSG-04 — Not everyone is reincarnated, and you feel a strong connection with the spiritual echoes of those who didn’t receive the same opportunity as you.
Piercing QuillsLOTME Spine Stabber Your quills can dig particularly deep into the flesh of your opponents.
rPlant Soul SiblingsSG-04 Animal Soul Siblings You’re now able to connect with the spirits present in the greenery of the natural world.
Quill SprayLOTME quillcoat shisk or quill unarmed attack You can launch a mass of quills at opponents.
rRapid RetrainingSG-04 — Some feel trapped by their choices and have a tough time reinventing themselves.
rYou Seem Somewhat FamiliarSG-04 — You fought hundreds of foes in your various past lives, and now and then, something about a new opponent tugs at your memory, almost as if you defeated their grandparent long ago.
Level 13 Shisk Feats Prerequisites Benefits
rCannibalize MagicLOIL Fey Influence The fey magic inside of you is a vital part of your body, and you can steal other sources of magic to replenish yours.
rClinging to LifeSG-04 — This life still holds much for you, and you aren’t ready to fall back into the River of Souls just yet.
DelverLOTME — Subterranean life taught you to swim through the ground like water.
rEldritch CalmLOIL Fey Influence Your fey heritage has altered your mindset to more resemble the uncanny perspective of the fey.
rGlamourLOIL Fey Influence You unlock a new level of fey power and can manipulate the perceptions of others using a font of First World magic.
rI Sense MalevolenceSG-04 — Your time in theRiver of Souls has given you deep insight into the machinations of those who refuse to move on.
rLinguistic RevivalSG-04 — You achieved fluency in different languages with each reincarnation, and your brain remembers much of the grammar, idioms, and obscenities that you spouted in old lives.
None Shall KnowLOTME — Even magical means have a hard time prying information from you.
rPain Is TemporarySG-04 — Sangpotshi practitioners know that suffering is a fleeting sensation that ultimately strengthens the soul and prepares it for a new reincarnation.
Secret EyesLOTME — You can call forth an invisible eye to let you peek on secrets.
rStone Soul SiblingsSG-04 Plant Soul Siblings Your connection with nature’s spirits has progressed to the point where you can even have casual conversation with pebbles and boulders.
rUnbreakable ResolveSG-04 — The experience of coming back after death has granted you a strong sense of resolve; devilish words, slick spells, and conniving trickery can’t easily catch you off guard.
Level 17 Shisk Feats Prerequisites Benefits
rBoneyard AcquaintanceSG-04 — Before your soul returned to the material Plane, you interacted with a host of other souls on their way to the Boneyard.
rFey TranscendenceLOIL Fey Influence You become a powerful fey creature, gaining strengths tied to the First World but also some of the weakness against which all fey must contend.
Fountain of SecretsLOTME — You constantly remember details about the world.
rIndomitable SpiritSG-04 — Your soul has accumulated countless particles of quintessence over myriad deaths and rebirths, and for one moment, this raw material from the Great Beyond envelops you and your comrades.
rRelease the LightSG-04 — Many people report seeing a bright light before their death.
rSee You in HellSG-04 — You aren’t sure if you’ll be reincarnated again, so you might as well take this foe with you.
rThis Time, Bring the BodySG-04 — Death sends a soul into the River of Souls.