T’Ki

Savage and feral, yet steeped in mysticism, the T’Ki are a race of Halflings that inhabits the highest peaks of the Sa-Tathenen Ra.  They live in harmony with nature, the sole masters of these lofty heights.

Personality:   T’Ki are clannish and suspicious of other races.  Outsiders are not worthy of trust, and gaining the confidence of a T’Ki can take a slow course.  Within their own tribes, T’Ki are outgoing and generous.

Physical Description:  T’Ki stand between 2 ½ and 3 ½ feet tall, and weigh between 30 and 50 pounds.  Their environment is harsh, and as a result their bodies are wiry knots of muscle, scar tissue, and bone.  Body hair is almost nonexistent, though that on their heads is abundant and often unruly, usually worn in thick braids or matted back with dried mud.  Body art is common; tattoos, piercings, and brands are considered status symbols.  Their eyes are usually dark brown or black, with blue and green being uncommon.  Skin tone ranges from ebony to pale white to light shades of green and brown.  T’Ki reach adulthood around the age of 17 (at which time they must accomplish a grueling task set for them by their village elders) and their lives can span 150 years.  Attrition brings their average lifespan to 70 years, and those who survive longer often become leaders.

Relations:  T’Ki do not strive to get along with other races, viewing everyone as either an enemy or a potential meal.  Those who do form bonds with outsiders consider them tribe-mates for life, and on a few occasions, individual T’Ki have adopted groups of adventurers as their tribe.

Alignment:  T’Ki tend toward neutrality and a survivalist attitude.

Lands:  Land is an embodiment of nature, and ownership of it is a foreign concept to the T’Ki.  The villages in the Sa-Tathenen Ra are difficult to distinguish from the surrounding jungle.  They build few permanent structures, and their simple dwellings are often built in the towering canopy of the jungle.

Religion:  A violent storm, a cliff face, an ancient tree…the T’Ki have no formal structure for religion.  Their religious beliefs begin and end with any embodiment of nature, and tribal shamans typically worship elements or other natural occurrences.  T’Ki clerics are rare, and take a spiritualistic approach toward nature as well. 

Language:  The T’Ki language is an odd mixture of clicks, grunts, and guttural sounds.  They also have a well-developed sign language that is as widely used as the spoken word.  Some T’Ki are versed in the Belek trade language.  Villages near settlements of other races usually have a smattering of outsider languages as well.

Names:  A T’Ki has a first name, a second name, and a tribal name.  The second name is usually descriptive (Fleetfoot, Arrowshaft, Greenleaf, Clearwater, etc.).  Tribal names are associated with animals or elements, or with a place that is sacred to the tribe.  T’Ki without a tribe take the name N’Chola P’te (lonely wanderer).

Adventurers:  Adventuring T’Ki are rare, but do exist.  Their savage nature and tendency to view all other peoples as potential food make it difficult for them to gain acceptance outside their own tribes.  Those who leave their tribes (or whose tribes have been made extinct) typically spend their lives wandering far from home.  T’Ki have also been captured and sold into slavery in Abbelekk, but these unfortunates have a low survivability rate due to their intractable nature.

T’Ki Racial Traits

  +2 Dexterity:  T’Ki are experts with simple ranged weapons, and their physical conditioning makes them extremely agile.

  -2 Charisma:  Their primitive nature does not allow for a well-rounded development of social skills.

  -1 Strength:  This reflects their small size.

  +1 Constitution:  T’Ki are physically tough, capable of surviving things that could kill members of other races.

  Small:  T’Ki gain a +1 size bonus to Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on Attack Rolls, and a +4 size bonus on Hide checks.  T’Ki use smaller weapons than a Medium sized humanoid, and their carrying capacity is ¾ that of humans.

  Base Land Speed:  25 feet

  +4 racial bonus on Move Silently, Climb, and Jump checks.

  +2 racial bonus on Listen checks.

  +2 racial bonus on saves against poison or disease.

  +1 racial bonus on attacks made with thrown weapons, blowguns and slings.

  Favored Classes:  Rogue, Barbarian, Druid.  T’Ki wizards are extremely rare, and paladins and monks are nonexistent. 

  Favored weapons:  Dagger, Spear, Blowgun.

  Poison Sense:  T’Ki are well-versed in the use of naturally occurring poisons.  They gain a +1 to any check involving the use or identification of natural poison.

  Iron Stomach:  T’Ki can eat almost anything edible.  Maggots are merely extra protein to a T’Ki.

  Illiteracy:  T’Ki must spend skill points to gain literacy in any language they attempt to learn.  Their own language does not have a written form.

  Feral:  -4 penalty to any die roll made to influence any member of another race.  To overcome this penalty, a T’Ki must gain at least two ranks in the Diplomacy skill.

Miscellaneous

Metalworking is unknown in T’Ki culture.  They have no system of coinage, relying on barter or trade instead.  Their weapons and armor are made from natural materials such as leather, bone, wood, and obsidian.

T’Ki society is tribally based.  Children are treasured, taught to hunt at an early age, and the entire tribe has a hand in raising them.  Marriage is common, but not expected. 

The T’Ki value hunting above all else.  Treasure takes the form of the unusual, or simply items that are shiny.  T’Ki are collectors of trophies, body art, and anything out of the ordinary in their own society.