Seronia

In the frozen lands of Thule, the barbarians speak of the woad women who come in the night, slaughtering camps and taking men hostage, while using women and children for profane magics in reverence to their creator. 

These are the tales of the qritani.

Before the Frostfire, the mysterious dryad Baba Yaga ruled over the north in a stretch of land known as the Witch Wood, with her adopted daughter Marina the Dark Maiden acting as her general for her impressive army known simply as The Horror. The army was comprised of giants, berserkers, and other fell creatures that had either sworn service to Baba Yaga or found themselves enslaved after angering the witch.

With the war between elves and men finally reaching her lands, Baba Yaga stationed her army around the Witch Wood to repel any invaders who might tread on her domain. Eventually the fighting reached Yaga's perceived boundaries, and it was during this time of confusion that her daughter attempted a coup.

Motivated by unknown forces, Marina attempted to assassinate her mother with a group of warrior women known as the qritani. These women had been enhanced by the plants surrounding Baba Yaga's bonded tree with a dye created from their leaves known as witch woad. These berserkers slew the few remaining guards of Baba Yaga and led her daughter into the hidden waterfall grotto where her bonded tree resided.

Marina engaged her mother in combat while her qritani chopped down the bonded tree. As Marina declared herself victorious, Baba Yaga instructed the qritani to seize her daughter. To Marina's surprise, the loss of the tree did not seem to phase her adoptive Mother, who used her immense magics to turn the ruins of her tree into an artifact known as The Dancing Hut, animating it with life. 

From here, history becomes unclear. It is known Baba Yaga revealed that this was a test her daughter failed, but did not kill her. Some say she remains frozen in the magical grotto once the Frostfire took hold, others say she was made into a slave inside The Dancing Hut. The qritani also claim that Baba Yaga stated that they would be the only daughters she would ever have again. Whether or not that is true, it is known that the qritani were rewarded for their part in Marina's test by having Baba Yaga bond the witch woad to their skin and physiology, creating a new race entirely.

Since then, the qritani have existed as equally the boogeywomen and revered council  for the barbarian kings of the north. Some tribes of qritani take what they want from villages and travelers, while others seek harmony and positions of power as their Great Mother Baba Yaga did. These qritani often wear full facial masks and are called Saye'tha, a title of respect and acknowledgment of their mastery of the arcane. 

As the qritani are “blessed” to be all female, they require males to propagate their species, an intentional design made by Baba Yaga the qritani say to keep them from simply eliminating all others and ruling absolutely. Some qritani simple kidnap who they need then dispose of them, others will have men volunteer or be chosen to serve the qritani in a protective fashion, as well as a reproductive one when they call for it.

Regardless of what male humanoid mates with a qritani, the offspring will be a woad skinned female, often with dark blue or black shades for hair color. Their skin bears intricate birthmark glyphs that differ from qritani to qritani.

 QRITANI (KREE-TAWN-E) RACIAL STATS

+2 Constitution, +2 Intelligence, –2 Wisdom The qritani's unique nervous system blocks pain and expedites thought, but at a cost to sanity.

• Medium: Qritani are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
  
• Normal Speed: Qritani have a base speed of 30ft.
  
• Darkvision: Qritani can see in the dark up to 60 feet.
  
• Blessing of Baba Yaga: With an Intelligence score of 12 or higher, Qritani gain the following spell-like abilities: 1/ day— hypnotism, icicle dagger, ill omen. The DC for these spell-like abilities is equal to 10 + the spell’s level + the qritani's Intelligence modifier.
  
• Cognitive Celerity: Qritani receive a +2 to initiative and may search using the Perception skill as a free action.
• Neural Dyad: Qritani have a secondary nervous system that kicks in if their main one shuts down. As a result, they are immune to paralysis, phantasms, and poison. They also receive a +2 to all saving throws versus spells and spell-like abilities.
• Languages: Qritani begin play speaking Common and Qri