Umibo

Umibo are a slime-like elemental race composed of living, sapient masses of water, native to the Mists of Akuma setting for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition. Physically, Umibo are dramatically different than humans, being taller, much heavier, and lacking facial features entirely. To the umibo the life of a human is only a drop in the sea of time and for many centuries it was believed that the mystical water people were immortal. Though this is untrue they are extremely long-lived, wandering Soburin for more years even than the oldest kappa. Many people fail to recognize different umibo from one another, claiming that “they all look alike.” In truth, the water folk are all unique, leaving signatures of psychic resonance, possessing specific currents within their form, and differing in the hue and clarity of the liquid making up their interior. When wounded umibo do not bleed crimson but instead leak pulsing psionic energy in a sickly shade of violet, gradually turning a pinkish red as more of their life ebbs away.

It is rare to find an umibo deep inland (trying to remain near the sea and its life-giving salt) though when witnessing a water folk in the interior of the continent one knows that they are pursuing a truly dire task. Most soburi see the umibo as blessings when they choose to travel the prefectures and it is considered the height of rudeness to show one of them disrespect.

Once, umbigo were one of six races of incarnate elementals native to the lands of Soburin, sharing their home with the damako of the wood, fūkaze of the air, irin of the metal, kahi of the fire, and suchi of the earth. It is believed that all of these races were born from the souls of humans whose devotion to nature caused their souls to live on by merging together and infusing themselves into the natural elemental matter of Soburin. However, all of the elemental races suffered immensely during the Kengen Occupation. The damako and irin died out as the land was exploited, whilst the others simply vanished after the Battle of Gyakusatsu - the assault upon the Imperial Capital when the ceramians first invaded.

The umibo were captured by ceramian invaders and imprisoned using weapons and pens of psychic force that extended through the seabed in the Hofuku Prefecture. Over the years these dark machines gradually made the water people weaker to the psionic power they had once mastered, resulting in the diminished umibo of today. In the modern era, their psionic abilities are stretched nearly to the limit just holding their forms together and when they die, an umibo disperses into water unless another of their kind subsumes their lifeforce.

This suffering has left more than its fair share of scars upon the umibo race. Though they retain strong alliances with the native kappa of Soburin, they have become strongly distrustful of surfacers. Where once they were wise, benevolent and accepting of others, now they are mysterious, skeptical, and xenophobic. They are staunchly anti-technology, fearing the dark sciences that so abused them during the Kengen Occupation. That said, there is a distinct generation gap in effect amongst the umibo. Young umibo are optimistic, believing that with faith a better future awaits Soburin; they are generally proactive, even-tempered, respectful, and loyal. The oldest are further removed from these tendencies, adopting a bitter hatred that has tainted them with an urge to take revenge on surface dwellers and warped the usual likable qualities of their race into laziness, imposition, disrespect, and a lack of faith.

Under the waters of Soburin’s seas are aquatic settlements called kessai, villages where umibo live in a utopian fashion without most traditional structures of authority. These are located below places where natural eddies and whirlpools are common—not only because of their subconscious desire to be near a phenomena like the one that begat them (bringing with it a sense of wholeness), but also to make it difficult for the surface dwelling races to attack them. Legends claim that the Imperial Siblings’ weapons are hidden beneath the sands of kessai all around the continent, but as many pay homage to the yai sovereigns of water few explorers have had the courage to test these tales.

PC Stats

Ability Score Increase: +2 Charisma, +1 Wisdom

Size: Medium

Speed: 20 feet, Swim 30 feet

Amphibious: You can breathe both air and water.

Vulnerability: Psychic

Malleable Form: You are resistant to force damage and immunity to the prone condition (if required to stand up, you spend no movement). When not wearing any armor or carrying any equipment, you can move through a space as narrow as 1-inch wide without squeezing.

Watery Heritage: You can cast the Create/Destroy RWater and Fog Cloud spells, both once per long rest, using Charisma as your spellcasting ability score, without components, and without the need to Concentrate on these spells.