Tek Jumpin' Jack Smash Karma: 44/13 675 Posts
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Krosan
The Krosan (Rock Dwarves)
The Krosan are the distant ancestors of even the earlier Duskarn families. Some say they live as long as the mountains themselves, while others say they are spiritually tied to the stone beneath which they live, and will erode and die as the earth crumbles. The latter is purely folk tales, but the Krosan do possess exceptionally long lifespans compared to most other sentient – and even many non-sentient, beings of Delmaria. The average Krosan lifespan is between six and eight hundred years, and there have been stories told of a select few even achieving the one-thousand year mark.
Settling in the mountain ranges of the world, as opposed to their Duskarn kindred who occupy the hilly regions, the Krosan have established gigantic vaults and underground cities within which they reside, isolated from the rest of the world when possible. They rarely change settlements unless a collapse occurs, or something capable of forcing them out moves in on their territory. In the case of the latter, they tend to merely relocate, muster a group or a plan of reclaiming it, and then go back and retake their home by means of axe and hammer.
Callous, even for dwarves, the Krosan dislike almost everybody outside their own peoples, aside from perhaps Gnomes, who oftentimes share the mountains with them. As such, be it from their seclusion or from their simple intolerance, Krosan are exceptionally racist, making interaction with outsiders exceedingly difficult. Almost everything they use in their daily lives, be it clothing, tools, food, and drink, is domestic from within their mountain halls. It is uncommon for them to trade with other Krosan from different mountains, as well, but not unheard of.
Appearance
Krosan are roughly the same height and size as their Duskarn kin, though they most often bear a look of strength that only many years of leading a rugged lifestyle can bring. Though rarely larger in stature, their much longer lifespan provides them with a very weathered look that would suggest a life of hardships, which is most often the case.
Their eyes bear large pupils from spending much time below ground, and are often an unusually light colour. Their hair is usually grey or black, or commonly white, even at a younger age. The beard remains common to the dwarven blood, growing in thick and full, and is still focused upon as a sign of status. Their hair grows in thick, and is often worn long, but much unlike hill dwarves, Krosan skin is very pale due to the lack of exposure to the sun, though it still attains that leathery look throughout the years.
Style of dress ranges depending on status in society. Lower-class wear simple, yet efficient garb to go about their daily duties. Much of it is made from the skins of animals hunted in the mountain ranges, generally goat hides and mountain sheep wool. Those of the upper echelons of society tend to wear more ornate outfits, often in deep brown and grey colours, and their clothes often have rich strands of metal woven in to embroider, generally in the form of their clan emblems. As is typical of dwarves, craftsmanship is exceedingly important, and many will go out of their way to obtain well-made items forged of the most beautiful ores mined from their homelands.
Features
+2 Constitution, +2 Wisdom: Krosan are durable as stone, and gain a great understanding of life and the world throughout their long years.
-2 Dexterity, -4 Charisma: Not a particularly deft peoples, and distrustful because of their seclusion, Krosan tend to shun others in favour of their own type, often going so far as to throw out racial slurs when the chance presents itself.
-Darkvision up to 90ft. Krosan spend most of their lives in the dark halls of their homes beneath the earth, and have accordingly developed proper retinal receptors to deal with it.
- Size: Medium
- Base Speed: 20ft.
- +2 on all Craft or Profession checks related to stonework, metallurgy, forging, and gemcutting. Krosan are particularly talented artisans, and their social structuring involves many guilds related to such practices.
- +2 to detecting hidden doors when crafted from stone.
- +2 bonus to attack rolls when combating Orcs, Goblinoids, Troglodytes, and Minotaurs, due to specialized battle training.
- +4 bonus to attack rolls and AC when combating Delvers and Bulettes, as specialized training is mandatory to repel these frequent invaders of their mountain halls.
- Bright Light Stun: Since Krosan are so used to seeing in the dark, the sudden introduction of bright light will cause them to be Dazed for two rounds while they clear the stars from their eyes. Once their eyes adapt, they are immune to this until returning to the darkness once more.
- Extreme Racism: Partially incurred by their chosen seclusion from the world, Krosan are exceptionally racist towards most other races, excluding Duskarn and Gnomes. While cooperation with others is generally possible, a group of rock dwarves in the company of those of different races will almost always speak their native language to shut out the others, and generally do not listen to suggestions. Furthermore, their natural gruff tendencies tend to cause them to speak what they think of others without hesitation, which generally contains a plethora of racial slurs.
When an exchange of ideas takes place between a Krosan and a member of another race, the Krosan must pass a will save to hold his tongue, or he’ll throw down a racial remark in contempt. This almost always turns the debate bitter, and will generally result in hostilities shown towards the dwarf (And often his party!). The DC adjusts accordingly based upon the situation. Furthermore, a Krosan is generally reluctant to make use of products produced by members of other races (Armour and weapons, drink, jewelry, etc.), though depending on the situation, this may be ignored.
Posted on 2009-11-22 at 00:20:41.
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