View source for Chapter IX - The Ch'taren

-1-
 
The ch'taren are the most recent race to come to the attention 
of scholars, first appearing in the latter parts of the War of
Night. The original home of the ch'taren is unknown, and the
ch'taren themselves do not speak of it, other  than to describe
themselves as 'refugees'. What is known is that the ch'taren 
exploited what is perhaps the greatest Summoning in
Avendar's history in  order to enter this plane of existence. The
shuddeni, seeking to bring an end to the War of Night, had
attemped to create a long-term nexus to the Void.
Instead of an army of demons from the Void, however, the
shuddeni inadvertently conjured an army of the ch'taren, who
had adapted the  shuddeni's spell to bring them to the prime
material. The ch'taren brought with them the magics of spirit,
and the worship of the goddess Rystaia, and served as a
galvanizing force in the final defeat of the shuddeni.
 
The ch'taren appear as semi-translucent beings, roughly 
humanoid in form, with some combination of gold skin and
silver hair. Not quite of our plane, material objects will
sometimes pass through a ch'taren, making them difficult
to capture or slay with mundane weapons. Contrawise, some
tie to the ethereal plane makes them susceptible to magical
energies.

-2-
 
As a people, the ch'taren are a carefree and merry lot, seldom
troubled by the affairs of the world at large. What societal
structure they originally had is  largely lost, as the ch'taren
tend to be flexible enough to adapt to the  government or
culture of the people around them. Most ch'taren do not lead 
settled lives, taking up an adventurous mindset for at least
some portion of  their youth.