All Para- and
Quasi-Genasi have a natural curiosity about the rest of
the Multiverse, but in Salt Genasi this curiosity has
flowered into a passion for exploring matched only by
their Magma, Dust, and Steam Genasi cousins. And like
their cousins, Salt Genasi have focused on the
single-minded exploration of one particular facet of the
multiverse.
Just as Magma Genasi often
focus on exploring the naturalistic side of the
Multiverse (writing treatises on the life cycle of the
Ethyk, for instance, or studying the ecology of Jangling
Hiter), Salt Genasi tend to concentrate on exploring the
waterways of the planes. Oceans, lakes, rivers, seas, and
even swamps and marshes; any reasonably sized body of
water is enough to make the average Salt Genasi feel an
urge to map its boundaries, explore its expanse, and
experience life to the fullest while sailing its
surface.
Interestingly enough, of all
the planar races, none are as enamored of the Prime
Material Plane as are the Wanderers of the Brine. This
stems from the fact that oceans on the planes usually
cover entire layers (Ossa, Thalasia), they're usually
fairly homogeneous ("One stretch of Ossa is pretty much
the same as any other," is a common saying among Salt
Genasi), and smaller bodies of water are infrequent in
comparison to the amount of land.
Prime worlds, on the other
hand, often have more water than land. Moreover, the
oceans of one prime world are usually vastly different
from those of other prime worlds, and in many cases there
are vast differences within the same ocean. And for those
more interested in rivers, lakes, and other somewhat
smaller bodies of water, you really just can't beat the
Prime for variety.
As if that weren't enough
(and you'd certainly think it would be), many Salt Genasi
have discovered Spelljamming and have taken to it with
the same enthusiasm that they have for exploring oceans
on the Prime. In their minds, it's just another type of
ocean to explore. And since Spelljamming allows them to
go from Prime world to Prime world without needing
portals or gates, many Salt Genasi end up on the Prime
and never return to the Planes. Because of all this
hopping about on the Prime, Salt Genasi who spend most of
their time on the Prime call themselves Primewalkers, an
obvious reference to the more common Planewalker, and a
not-so-subtle hint to their fellow Planars that the Prime
is also a plane worthy of respect, just like the Abyss or
Bytopia.
This isn't to say that you
won't find Salt Genasi exploring planar waterways. In one
particularly interesting case, a Wanderer of the Brine
named Hobart Frimax has modified a Spelljamming ship to
make it submersible, and is exploring Thalasia beneath
the waves. In another instance, a Salt Genasi named Mitel
Cannate is busy exploring the layer of Belerin (and
staying one step ahead of both the Asuras and the Hydra),
on the Plane of Elysium. And Salt Genasi who are more
interested in profit than in exploration routinely set up
shop as ferrymen on the River Oceanus. However, these are
the exceptions rather than the rule.
In appearance, Salt Genasi
possess one or more of the following traits:
- An encrusting of salt on their
skin and/or in their hair
- Lips which seem perpetually
parched and cracked (although this causes no
discomfort to the Salt Genasi)
- An odor of brine about them at
all times
