Mercurial

This article contains spoilers! You have been warned.

Mercurials are a human-like race that come from Beldaari, a region of Mount Celestia where a "higher level of reality holds sway". Everything here is more real, more intense: colors are brighter, sounds are louder, scents are stronger, and emotions are more stirring. In turn, Mercurials see our lower reality as a collection of dull, faded images and shadows. If a mercurial spends too much time outside of Beldaari, they gradually lose their connection to that hyper-reality, becoming as just as "faded" as the rest of the world.

Mercurials in their natural form are indistinguishable from humans except for their eyes, which are orbs of liquid gold, silver or bronze. What truly differentiates them from other races is their ability to shed their skin and bones like a coat and walk around as a collection of muscles and organs. They can also wear the skin and bones of other people as a disguise. Mercurials cannot be killed if their original skin and bones are not destroyed.

The mercurials worship and commune with an unnamed deity of pure thought who rules over Beldaari. They spend their days meditating and contemplating on the nature of true thought. Most mercurials are pacifists, refusing to fight even to defend themselves. While in hyper-reality, they can cast wish once per turn.

Mercurials appeared in the Planescape module Doors to the Unknown, wherein the BBEG is an insane mercurial who wants to rule the multiverse. They got reprinted in Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume 4.

Gallery

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  The realm of Beldaari