Eternal optimists, xeph are known for finding the silver lining in even the darkest cloud. The nomads wandered the great plains for generations, forming close ties with the other peoples of the region. They mingled freely among any group, their good nature and adaptability, as well as their artistic crafting skills, making them a welcome addition to even the rudest gnoll tribe.

After the creation of the Demonsand Wastes, their numbers were decimated. The survivors found a narrow band of territory in the Wastelands that could support small groups nearly constantly on the move. Never staying in one place for more than a few days, the xeph tribes migratory patterns vary constantly, their scouts constantly seeking the necessities of life.

Despite these hardships, the xeph people still value beauty and art as much as new places. They are trading partners with both the dromites and the gnolls, turning the raw materials brought by both groups into beautiful and utilitarian tools, weapons, and garments. In exchange, they are paid in food, water, and other supplies to make their journeys easier.

Classes:
Bard: Exemplifying their love of art, bards are valued members of xeph tribes, both as artists and as keepers of history.
Monk: The xeph once had an ancient monastic tradition. This tradition was lost when most of the xeph population perished in the Demonsand Wastes. (Master of Many Styles archetype.)
Ranger: Once lone travellers, rangers now serve as guides and scouts to the small tribes of xeph who wander at the edges of the Demonsand Wastes. A tribe’s survival may depend on their ranger(s), leading more to take up the path.
Sorcerer: As the war ravaged the plains, a small sect of xeph sorcerers used a ritual to preserve the plains native plant-life to themselves, gaining the verdant bloodline. In time, they hope to renew the plains to their former glory, but for now safeguarding the seeds is their most important task.
Medium: Occasionally, a xeph turns their psychic abilities to bringing the past into the present. These mediums call upon the spirits of their forebears, hoping that the wisdom of the past will guide the tribes to a future.
Marksman: The marksmen are the elite soldiers of the xeph people. Combining their people’s speed with a mastery over all ranged combat, units of marksmen were the bane of the goblinoid forces. Now that the xeph’s numbers are decimated, few of these masters survive, turning their skills to hunting and protecting the tribes.
Soulknife: Soulknives combine the xeph love of art and their natural speed into a deadly and beautiful form of combat. Every xeph soulknife’s Mind Blade is a work of art, a personal creation granting them each their own style of combat. Many become Gifted Blades, Nimble Blades, and even Soulbolts.
Vitalist: Now of crucial importance, xeph vitalists often serve a tribal leaders, using their powers to keep as many of their people alive as possible. Many vitalists see every death as a personal failure, just another weight added to their shoulders as they try to guide their people away from extinction.


Languages: Xephs begin play speaking Common and Xeph. Xephs with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Ignan, Draconic, Dwarven, Elven and Gnoll.