The Chargon are an enigmatic people whose eel-like heads and serpentine grace mask hearts filled with unexpected kindness. Despite their unsettling appearance (smooth, elongated skulls with large eyes and mouths full of needle-sharp teeth), they are among the most courteous and genuinely caring folk one might encounter. Their mysterious nature comes from a deep cultural appreciation for subtlety and the hidden currents that flow beneath surface interactions.
Masters of stealth and misdirection, the Chargon can slip through shadows and squeeze through impossibly tight spaces with fluid ease. Yet they use these abilities primarily to help others, appearing unexpectedly to offer aid to travelers in need or to resolve conflicts through subtle intervention. Their philosophy emphasizes moving through the world like water, adapting to obstacles rather than confronting them directly.
Chargon communities are often built in coastal caves or riverside settlements where they can easily access both land and water. They serve as intermediaries between different cultures, their natural talent for reading emotional undercurrents making them exceptional mediators and counselors.
The making
An eel feels the water move before anything in it is seen, and that sense is the whole of what Gaea set into the Chargon when she named them among her animal-children at the Birth of Man (see Beastman). In them it turned inward, becoming a feel for the currents under a conversation, the small pressures of mood and intent. The warmth they are known for runs the same way the eel runs through water, by reading the flow rather than fighting it.
Vitals
- Size: Medium
- Height: 5-6 feet
- Weight: 110-170 pounds
Aspects
- Mysteriously kind
- Hidden depths
Game mechanics
Serpentine Mobility
Passive ability. You can compress your body to fit through any opening large enough for a creature one size smaller than you. You have advantage on stealth checks and can hold your breath for up to 30 minutes. Your movement doesn't provoke opportunity attacks from creatures you have not attacked this round.
Emotional Currents
Major ability. Instant. You can sense the emotional undercurrents around you with supernatural clarity. For the next minute, you know the current emotional state of all creatures within 30 feet and can detect lies automatically. Additionally, you can choose one creature in range—they must make a presence saving throw against your cunning challenge number or have their attitude toward you improved by one step (hostile to unfriendly, unfriendly to neutral, etc.).