1. Organizations

Atavists

Paramilitary

The atavist shadow watchers are more an informal resistance movement than an organized army. Atavists are divided into cells—strike teams of three to six members (much like a typical adventuring party), with half the cell representing a particular lineage and the rest chosen for the sake of versatility. Occasionally, non-kalashtar who have proven their skill and dedication will be invited to join an atavist cell.

The dominant force behind the atavists is the lineage of Serath. The mystic Soserath had long been interested in finding a way to revive the fl agging strength of the dispersed kalashtar quori, and the discipline of the atavist emerged from this work. Soserath claimed that with sufficient dedication to the path, every kalashtar could come to be the equal of one of the quori—potentially giving the kalashtar the power to face the Dreaming Dark. However, Soserath was killed ten years ago by thoughtstealer assassins. His work is now carried on by others of his line.

Atavist cells remain in constant motion, searching for new threats. When atavists arrive in a new community, they will check in with the local shadow watchers if any are present. If not, they will spend a few days investigating the area on their own—identifying possible targets, eliminating these forces as quickly and efficiently as possible, then fading into the shadows and moving on to the next community. If there are repercussions from an attack, it is likely that a new cell will be called in to deal with them, preventing the original cell from becoming potential targets by staying too long in the area.

The two most accomplished atavists of the modern age are Tolserath (LG male kalashtar, psion [seer] 6/soulknife 1/atavist 8) and Sharserath (LE male kalashtar, soulknife 6/atavist 9). Tolserath is generally seen as Soserath’s successor, overseeing the training of new atavists as he uses correspond to keep in touch with the leaders of different cells. Sharserath was once a noble soul, but had a radical change of personality after narrowly surviving an assassination attempt. Recently, he has been encouraging his followers to adopt the methodology of the Dreaming Dark, and many in the movement feel that he has turned away from the Path of Light.