Front loading character designs and getting a feel for drawing certain races on The Road, first up is probably my favorite: the Ben Adimen, more commonly referred to as Bennai, our resident small humanoid race. A few named characters and familiar faces in here, like Artie (one of the protagonists of the current arc) and Odwain’s dad. A full description under a Read More.
“The Ben Adimen are an ancient race from another plane that fled from their home to avoid complete extinction. Most commonly known as ‘Bennai’, they are unequivocally the oldest race to inhabit the Road- the real discussion takes place if you ask a Bennai and a Shade who was here first. The Bennai are an incredibly magical species, more so than any other race on the Road, but they are not very physically imposing. Even the tallest Bennai barely break 5’2” (1.58m), although on average they are closer to 4’11” (1.5m). Still, this isn’t the strangest thing about them- Bennai’s skin is green, their eyes a solid gold, and their hair seems to imitate the local flora they are born around. Although the Bennai are a deeply spiritual and culturally proud race, the tolls of a century or more of slavery beneath the Shades and Humans are evident. In the cities and away from the Green, Bennai are not very well connected to their heritage, and although they still remain strong, many City Ben and Bennai distant from the Green strive to find that one missing piece. Most Bennai are not great with technology, and prefer to rely on their own magical means. Despite the fact that the Bennai labored under a slave trade for so long, they are tough, and they have flourished since slavery was abolished after the Second Great War. Humans, especially in the Tidelands, have not yet fully accepted Bennai as equals- but in the Green, where the Bennai are the dominant force and their culture pervades the very air with inviting warmth, it’s hard not to learn to love them. Bennai live deep in the Green, in the sanctum-state known as Brillig- once it was a large, powerful collection of many city-states around Noth Nulloch, the Bennai’s ‘capitol’; now there are only reclamation projects going on to restore Brillig to its former glory.
The Bennai evacuated their planar homes- the near-planar islands known as the Hebrids- after their pantheon of Gods was torn apart by a being known as the Besher Gatman. The deaths of every Good-aligned God in their pantheon took a heavy toll on the Bennai, and although they are a cheery people by and large their religion revolves almost entirely around eulogizing and praying for the dead. The Books of Twynn Taory- also referred to as the Forever Operas- are written recordings of all the hymns, songs, and prayers that are to be said to their deceased Gods and relatives. However, the Bennai are not devoid of Gods on The Road… unfortunately, most of the neutral and evil Gods of the Bennai have followed them here, and aren’t shy of kicking up trouble. Few Bennai pray to these savage beasts, but it’s not impossible to find cults that worship them comprised of many different races. It’s not all doom and gloom, though; the Bennai are the most innately magical species, after all, and every once in a while a Bennai will be born with significantly more natural magical energy. These Ne’Felem, or Rising Divine, are considered by most Bennai to be the first steps towards the birthing of a new generation of Bennai Gods. They are substantially more powerful than the average Bennai, and over time will inevitably either become great guiding lights for the Bennai people, loved and renowned across the land… or they will become corrupted, turning their power to cruel uses. There’s very rarely ever any in-between. Bennai’s magical aptitude and unique, extraplanar physiology makes their bodies extremely susceptible to their own mental images of themselves; Bennai will begin to change to better suit the way they look in their heads, whether it’s growing facial hair, losing facial hair, bulking out, or thinning down. The process by which Bennai subconsciously will their bodies to change is still not entirely understood- but none of the Bennai seem to mind!”
