[ Outsiders > Celestials > Eladrin ]
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Kanya Eladrin
Also known as muse azata, or lillend â€
CG; CR 7
Alternate form: A slither of snakes
Kanya, also known as lillends, are bearers of blessings, fortune, and harbingers of spiritual wisdom. They possess an aura of inspiration so potent that many mortals call them muses. Yet controversy surrounds their true nature—while many consider them eladrin, they differ strikingly from typical members of that race with their half-humanoid, half-serpent bodies, suggesting they may be something altogether different.
In appearance, a kanya possesses the upper body of a comely man or woman, complete with broad wings that shimmer in vivid patterns of feather and scale. From the waist down, their form shifts into a powerful, sinuous serpent tail nearly twenty feet long, with striking patterns.
Kanyas inhabit Ysgard, particularly the Gates of the Moon, though they can astrally travel to the Prime as well as to Arborea and Limbo. They are drawn to woodlands, unspoiled natural beauty, and wilderness lands. Though generally peaceful and delighting in song, conversation, and artistic expression, kanyas can swiftly turn fierce defenders of any threatened artistry or masterpiece—enemies disrespecting such beauty will find themselves ensnared in lethal coils.
Kanyas prize creativity, spirituality, and joy above all else. They wander the planes freely, coming and going as muses of mortal artists and heroes, inspiring songs, poems, and evocative epics. While they delight in chronicling the tales of heroes and gifted individuals, they maintain a respectful distance, observing through stealth and magic to avoid influencing the course of events unduly. However, when a chosen favourite faces certain doom, they’ll often intervene. Despite their affection, kanyas prefer to trust mortals to shape their own destinies, wary both of influencing fates incorrectly and drawing unwanted demonic attention.
They have no need for food or drink, although they enjoy both. Kanyas are instead sustained by the joy of music, art, and wilderness vitality. They can subsist on the essence of moonlight, mountain breezes, raging rivers, or forest fires but will indulge in material foods with equal zeal, entering a slow torpor as they digest. This slowing dulls their spellcasting and physical power, yet they willingly embrace the gentle sleepiness when they feel safe among trusted allies.
Kanya society follow complex systems of mysteries and family-affiliated totem masks, which they use to denote wisdom and rank within their communities. They despise imposed order on wild places, often feuding with those who try to tame the wilderness, whether they are fiend, monitor of celestial.
Stats: Planes of Chaos [AD&D 2e] Monstrous Supplement p16-17 (as lillend); Bestiary [PF1e] p26 (as azata, lillend); Monster Core [PF2e] p34 (as azata, kanya)
Source: Margarita and Jon Winter-Holt. Canonwatch: Lillend are not eladrin in the 2e canon, while they were merged with eladrin in PF1e and then renamed to kanya azata in PF2e. I think they fit pretty will with eladrin and like the messiness of a chaotic celestial race that doesn’t fit the pattern of living in Arborea like all their peers.