Race: The Nomi'i - Bioluminescent Creatures From Beneath the World

Hello everyone,

The Nomi'i is my take on a mineral subterranean species, trying to do something different from classic underground races like dwarves or drow.

The Nomi'i are devoted to the sun, which they worship with zeal, but at the same time they deem themselves completely unworthy to look upon it. Instead they choose to replicate its light in the deep crystal caverns.

The core inspiration comes from a few things.

Real-world deep-sea bioluminescent creatures, put underground. I wanted to design a society that operates entirely on silent, visual communication. They live in complete darkness, yet their entire biology is dictated by light.

The lore of the cities of Nox in Elden Ring, banished underground where they couldn't see the stars.

Outer Wilds in the visual design (It's a great game, I recommend it).

Here is a quick breakdown of the mechanics:

Light's Call: Instead of standard telepathy, their telepathy is mechanically tied to the Light cantrip. They have to literally "see" or match the light frequencies to speak to one another's minds, which is meant to mirror their lore of shifting patterns and colors.

Crystalline Shell & Refraction: Because they evolved in crystal-rich environments, their bodies act like living prisms. Crystalline Shell hardens their semi-translucent fur to resist physical harm in bright light, while Refraction allows them to literally absorb radiant damage and reflect it towards someone else.

Enjoy!Evan | MonkeyDM