Editing Ss'ressen (section)

=Black Talons=
The Black Talons, physically distinguished by uniquely dark scales around their hands, are the most famous and well-established of the ss'ressen clutches. They were the ones whose females were visited by visions of the god known as the Fire Dragon (secretly a long-forgotten and benevolent aspect of the ssethric deity [[Kassegore]]), which pushed them to embrace the stirring pangs of conscience and morality within the clutch and turn their back on the cruel, depraved and decadent Ssethregoran Empire, and the dark [[varn]] gods its [[naga]] masters had bound them to. The Black Talons fought their way from the lands of the empire and found a new refuge for themselves in Milandir's Sulfur Marsh.

::Ability Score Increase: +2 Strength and +1 Dexterity for males, +2 Dexterity and +1 Wisdom for females.
::Saurian Tail: Whenever you make an Acrobatics or Athletics check related to balancing, jumping, or swimming, you are considered proficient in the applicable skill. If you are already proficient in Acrobatics or Athletics your proficiency bonus is doubled when making such checks, due to the balance and support provided by your tail.
::Distantly Related: Black Talons, the Brood of Ven val'Sosi, Ghost Scales and Ashen Hides do not become affected by Ss'ressen Frenzy when they encounter each other.

==Brood of Ven val'Sosi==
The Brood of Ven val'Sosi are an emergent subrace of the Black Talons, created through purposeful interbreeding with Ven val'Sosi, a male Black Talon who, through a series of adventures, came to be infused with the essence of a valinor of the goddess [[Beltine]], creating in effect a ss'ressen/[[val]] hybrid, who was subsequently imbued with the divine blessing of the Fire Dragon and was reborn as Pyros Morelia. Through hazardous experiments, it was discovered that Ven/Pryos could father hatchlings who likewise possessed a semblance of [[psionics]], with the hatchlings being marked by pale white to light gray scales and high domed craniums. Currently, all of the Brood have been hatched as males, but it's unclear if this is a side-effect of their divine heritage or if this is a purposeful manipulation of the eggs by the Black Talon matriarchs.

Brood PCs use the same stats as a Black Talon, except their ability score increase is +2 Wisdom, +1 Charisma, and they have the Awakened racial trait, which gives them access to a single psionic power of their choice; they can manifest this as a caster of their character level, using Charisma as their manifester ability.

==Ghost Scales==
The Ghost Scales are an offshoot of the Black Talon clutch who have fallen on hard times indeed. During the initial migration, a sizable group of the ss'ressen grew dissatistifed with the direction they were taking, and broke away to forge their own path. These doomed souls became embroiled in a bloody battle with the Coryani humans of the Illonia province, and were driven into the sewers of that city. Here they fell under the dark control of a mysterious and self-aware magical gemstone of unknown origin, called ''Herka'', which has set itself up as their new god. It has warped their culture, transforming them into a race of slaves who propitiate their master with human blood sacrifice and a constant hunt for magical energies. Their culture has been twisted into an abusive, patriarchal society, to further reduce their chance of seeking help from their Black Talon kinsfolk - though there is a growing resistance movement, forged by the Disciples of Jeggal Sag. The magical emanations of Herka, which are used to incubate the Ghost Scale eggs, has mutated them, giving them a distinctive albino look and chameleonic properties.

::Ability Score Increase: +2 Strength and +1 Dexterity for males, +2 Intelligence and +1 Wisdom for females.
::Chameleon Skin: You gain proficiency in the Stealth skill. When you aren’t wearing armor, you add double your proficiency bonus to all Dexterity (Stealth) checks. If you do nothing for a turn, you can attempt to hide even when you are not obscured

==Ashen Hides==
The Ashen Hides are another Black Talon offshoot, this one created after the Black Talons settled in Milandir. A young ss'resssen priestess, anxious about her upcoming test, secretly spied on her elders and learned that the Fire Dragon is in fact an aspect of [[Kassegore]], a discovery that she could not reconcile with her faith and her earlier teachings. She became convinced that the Black Talons were being secretly manipulated by Kassegore cultists, and eventually gathered allies to flee Milandir. They fled to the volcanoes of Canceri, and formed an alliance with the val'Virdan family, having already come to believe that the Fire Dragon was in fact an aspect of the human god [[Nier]], whose val offspring rule Canceri. The Ashen Hides are now even more matriarchal than other ss'ressen, as the heat of their volcanic home makes it easier for them to produce female hatchlings over any other gender, and they are fanatical zealots, determined to "save" their Black Talon kinsfolk from their unwitting heathenry.

::Ability Score Increase: +2 Strength and +1 Constitution for males, +2 Dexterity and +1 Intelligence for females.
::Improved Natural Armor: Your Natural Armor is 13 + Dex modifier instead of 12 + Dex modifier.
::Born in Ash and Fire: You are Resistant to Fire Damage.