2.b.vi Naejin

Naejin (Nay-zhin)

This species of plant-like people are newly born to the world, even though their origins have existed for ages. Their skin feels like a soft pliable wood, with highlights of petals and leaves throughout their bodies. Some have vines that act like cords of muscle. Each Naejin is unique in this expression, and often takes the form of their parent plant, including having moss and bark.

Naejin, before they are born, exist in the Dream Realm, connected through roots with each other. This dream world is a type of verdant matrix and is often influenced by the real world as the parent plant takes information it sees through its leaves and has it recreated in their root matrix. This leads to Naejin having approximate knowledge of other cultures and history, but all of it is like experiencing it through a filter.

When a Naejin spirit inside a plant reaches an emotional level of maturity, they are born of the fruit of that plant into the Sun Tier. Naejin are often curious about the world, trying to see things that they saw within the dream, they will usually leave right away to explore.

Older Naejin often return home to tend to the trees that bore them, to tell stories and to guide the youth into the world. These elders can be up to several centuries old. Often referred to as Guardians of Nature, they focus more on the plants and their survival.

Naejin culture values storytelling, exploration, and the preservation of flora. They are often peaceful, yet fiercely protective of their groves and the natural world.

Fresh Fruit

Newly born Naejin, freshly escaping their fruit, are acquainted with the real world, and often go off exploring to experience the world.

Photosynthesis: Young Naejin are still growing and developing. Because of this, when they spend time in the sunlight, they are able to naturally regenerate minor injuries over time.

Verdant Step: Young Naejin’s natural growth abilities result in them being able to move through areas that are usually hard to move in, and leaving behind a bed of flowers and fresh growth that can hinder others.

Guardian of Nature

Older Naejin that have been tending their home groves. They will sometimes return out to the world, not quite as energetic as before.

Verdant Vitality: They are able to channel healing to others with a touch.

Rooted Resurgence: They can connect with the roots of other plants to gain dream-like knowledge of the area. While not always 100% accurate, it can allow them to recognize things with a sense of deja vu.

All Naejin

Adaptive Growth: Naejin’s natural bodies provide a natural armor of 4.

Vine Whip: Naejin are able to sprout a vine that they can use as a natural whip weapon.

⌁|+1↪

Vine Whip
Melee Weapon

Adds 1 to the initiative of an action if used as part of the action. Adds a d6 to the recharge of the action using it.
1d6 damage
Blood attribute
Hits on 2+ (at any point after 2 initiative of this action is used, you can pull back the whip to cause the hit to occur on the following initiative, as long as it is 2 before the end of the attack.

⌁x|x↪

Verdant Vitality
Action

As an action use X ⌁ energy and X ↪ initiative with a recharge of d6 and d4.
Verdant Vitality heals someone else up to X amount where X was the amount of energy and initiative spent on the heal, and as much as the amount you were healed this initiative.
Verdant Vitality can also heal someone else up to a +5 die (d4 is +1 and d12 is +5), using up to X energy an initiative, where X is the plus die being healed. If you do, you lose that much health.

6 4

⌁+2|3↪

Verdant Step
Plus Action

As an action use 2 ⌁ energy and 3 ↪ initiative with a recharge of d4. Otherwise add 2 to ⌁ energy or ↪ initiative (your choice) when performing another action, and add d4 to the recharge of that action.
Verdant Step creates an area of difficult terrain in the space occupied by the user during its initiative.
Until the end of the turn, the user is not hindered by difficult terrain.

Who are the players?

Players can be from either category of Naejin. The main difference is whether they are viewing life through the lens of someone who wants to experience it, or someone who has been there, and is returning with experience and wisdom. Not all Naejin are born in groves. Any plant can produce a Naejin fruit, even if their natural way of reproducing would not normally create a pod like fruit, they can still do so.

Culture

Those who are raised in the groves often hear the stories of the elders and learn how to take care of the plants.

Natural Storyteller: If you ever need to tell a story, you are able to get a bonus to a skill check to incorporate the story into a social skill check. You are also able to find hidden meanings in stories with a bonus to investigation.

Druidic Roots: You gain a bonus to Natura and Survival checks if they involve plants.

Attribute increases: Body increased, and any other of your choice.

Cultural Events

Reading Rainbow

In the groves where elders tend to the parent plants, each day during the watering, where the water forms rainbows in the sunlight, they read stories to the plants. Those stories become culture within the Root Matrix Dream world of the yet to be born Naejin spirits.