Zhan He

''“It is tempting to think of the Fey (Invoke no Names for your own safety) and the Zhan He as the same thing. Both are mysterious and seemingly live outside of the mortal plane. Both are seemingly capricious, but actually live by complex rules. But while the Fey seem to have nearly unlimited ability, the Zhan He are more limited. As Madame Selsena saw in her visions, Zhan He are half-breeds, a race of changeling folk bred from mortals and fey. Their places, when found, are filled with gold from trading with their kin, both human and fey.”    ''

Visions of Greatness: Hidden Mythical Creatures on This Plane 

Appearance
The Zhan He are, to many Utlandi, the first thing that comes to mind when they hear the word “magic.” They are mercurial beings, taking many guises, often mimicking their celestial pantheon of animals, skins glowing with star patterns. Other times they can appear to be made of liquid metal or colorful stone. They can even appear much like the other races of the world, but their rule-based thinking and other tell-tale signs will give them away to the clever.Most will pick a single form by the time they reach adulthood some time in their mid 50s. Such forms are almost always humanoid. Regardless of their form, Zhan He are physically frail. It is hard to tell if Zhan He Have any concept of gender or if a given Zhan He simply takes on the aspects of others they identify with.

Culture
If their forms are always in question, so are their societal rules. Zhan He live by a complex set of rules that are rarely spoken and differ from individual to individual. These rules are law to the Zhan He, and are often full of loopholes in their favor. They are enormously intelligent creatures, and very sociable, as well as subtle, ensnaring other races in contracts backed up by other Zhan He, who are always aware or each others rules and contracts.

Every Zhan He is aware of all other Zhan He's dealings and promises in real time, a condition called Zao, or Clamor. That said, they are only aware of what they have professed to others, not each others internal thoughts. When the Zhan He need to discuss something among others of their kind, they call a Court, or meeting of Zhan He. Where these are held is not discussed with outsiders.

Intercultural Relations
Zhan He have no land of their own, settling among other races and setting up shop, selling magical items that other races have no access to. Where they got them from, no one knows, and the Zhan He aren't telling. Their shops are decorated lavishly inside, and seem to be larger on the inside than the space containing them.

Making a Zhan He Character
Zhan He names are one to four individual syllables, each starting with a consonant, and ending in a vowel (and sometimes n). Names are often shortened by other cultures or run together to make names the are more familiar with, for Example, He-Na-Ra becoming Innara. Zhan He do not distinguish between male and female.

Names: Shi-Wa-Su, Te-Xe-Nao, Xi-Huan, Cho, Cho-Mei-Sei-Ta