Vorthani Pirate

When Vorath led the vorthani out of bondage to the mind reavers, this branch fled into the void between worlds instead of the Astral Plane. They are tall and gaunt to the point of looking skeletal, with skin from grimy gray to dull yellow and long, dirty brown hair spilling over richly jeweled arms and armor.

Their classes are fighter, mage or the fighter/mage combination, to a maximum of 11th level in each. The best fighter usually captains the ship, leaving every mage free for the helm or for battle. Priests of Vorath (also capped at 11th) turn up now and then, and the rare fighter/priest almost always commands its vessel. Crews divide evenly among the three common class choices. Approaching a foe they use spells and ship weapons, and in melee they favor swords.

Every adult can use ESP, plane shift and astral spell three times a day each, as the lowest-level caster able to cast them, which also lets them run series helms. These powers work only in the void, never in the flame-sea. Combined with a starhelm and the living structure of an elven ship of under 50 tons (a flitter, for instance), the pilot can spend that day's plane shift and astral spell to carry the whole ship and everything aboard into the Astral Plane. They escape this way, or lurk unseen beside known trade routes and drop back into the Prime Material Plane to strike. Since the trick fails in the flame-sea, they never chase prey into it.

Working from hidden asteroid bases, they try to seize any ship bigger, faster or better armed than their own, and elven ships most eagerly, so many elven fleets pay rich bounties for their heads. Their deepest hatred is for mind reavers: they spare no cost to kill every one they meet, and none will ever crew a captured reaver ship.

The strong take what they want, at sea and at home. A crew's ship sets its rank in the settlement, which explains their endless hunt for better vessels, and the best ship, or a pact of the best, rules each base by force. Fiercely isolationist, they share space with no other race and may try to wipe out any that settles too near. For pirates, they live a surprisingly ordered, militaristic life.

Strict carnivores, they eat meat in any condition short of rotten, and some bands practice cannibalism.