Heartis

Home of the Tabaxi, the saurians, and the grung. A lush jungle with all sorts of strange creatures lurking within. Remains of a civilisation that worshipped the moon similar to the elves of yore. Villages are all treehouses with tons of verticality, like a million cat trees. Practically unnavigable without a climb speed. Falling to the forest floor is a death sentence. Pirate Lord Jira is especially interested in it.  

Tabaxi

 

Maztica

The largest tabaxi settlement. A treetop village hidden in the canopies. Given that all tabaxi are adept climbers, access to Maztica can only be achieved by climbing up to it. That said, there are established pathways carved into the trees that aren't obvious to those used to thinking in terms of three-dimensional space. There are also pulley-operated elevators that are designed to allow large cargo to be brought from the jungle floor.   The village itself consists of several wooden platforms attached to the trunks and boughs of the trees, upon which are built small, somewhat primitive huts. Each platform has its own canopy of tightly knit branches and vines to create a waterproof shelter. Each hut is somewhat small and sparsely decorated, as tabaxi typically only consider a home a valuable place to lay their heads at night, preferring to be out an about. Each hut only contains a dense collection of soft things to lie on and containers to lie in. Tabaxi have a loose idea of personal property, and its not considered unusual for friends to fall asleep in each other's houses with no warning and for no reason other than they felt like it. Doing so to an acquaintance is considered a minor annoyance, rather than a crime. The houses themselves vary massively in size in accordance with each tabaxi's preference, which is often unrelated to their size. Massive half and full moon tabaxi will sometimes prefer cramped little hovels for themselves to curl up tight in, whereas some of the largest houses will belong to the diminutive crescent and new moon tabaxi.   Given the mobility of the tabaxi, Maztica is arranged in such as way as to be nigh untraversable to outsiders. The various wooden platforms are connected by incredibly loose rope bridges with no railings, series of smaller platforms, and in some cases even a single rope to be shimmied across. There are few stairs and ladders, instead most higher or lower spaces are accessed by hopping from branch to branch or by climbing specific tree trunks wrapped in twine to aid in gripping with claws.   Although tabaxi tend to be rather individualistic, valuing their own freedom and routines, Maztica is a fairly communal society. Meals are consumed at the various cookhouses throughout the village, communal kitchens in which any of the facilities can be used by anyone who needs them, although it is considered polite to prepare meals for other tabaxi that show up whilst you're cooking. Other communal services include nurseries, typically run by older women. Tabaxi parents are affectionate with their children, but believe the burden of raising children is for the community as a whole.   The whole village is centered on one large central platform situated atop the thickest tree. This is the community commons, where tabaxi come to socialise and engage in conversation. It is the departure point for hunts, usually done by individuals or small groups. When a tabaxi returns from a hunt, it is customary to leave a portion of the kill behind in the commons to be accessed by those unable to hunt. Certain tabaxi are designated community hunters trained by Sehkmet. These tabaxi hunt in larger groups to take down large game and return it to the commons. These larger kills are stored in a hollow beneath the commons, which lunar sorcerers use to fill with ice and preserve them as an emergency food supply.   At the north and south ends of the village are the sun tree and the moon tree, home of the twin rulers of the tabaxi, Sehkmet and Nalsa. If any crime or quarrel needs resolved, the agreived visit one of the trees dependent on whether is is day or night and consult with the ruler inside, acting on their judgement. Such a thing is considered a last resort, as the tabaxi respect but also are wary of their rulers, who act aloof and inscrutable, like distant gods.  

Sphinx Rulership

The tabaxi of heartis are presided over by a pair of sphinxes who have existed since the Forgotten Age. An androsphinx who is part lion and rules during the day, and a gynosphinx who is part panther and who rules during the night. The two have forever been bitter enemies who can't stand the sight of one another, hence the split rulership. They two are venerated and sought after for advice, but they are altogether strange and enigmatic, speaking a language that none can understand and communicating only via cryptic messages and visions. For the tabaxi, who are a more individualistic people, this light touch guidance is perfect for them, only needing rulership during difficult or strange times.   The androsphinx, Nalsa, is a large and noble presence whose roar can be heard from anywhere on Heartis. He is a warrior through and through, training prospective defenders of their homeland and granting them blessings to keep them ever watchful. He appears lazy at times, but remains ever-vigilant throughout the day, projecting a noble spirit that can be felt by all of his charges. Despite this noble presence, however, not all is well with him. A mysterious injury saps at him, causing him to limp heavily when not in public, and causes him to struggle to breathe at night. Being a prideful beast, he dares not show this weakness, but those closest to him can see him struggling.   The gynosphinx, Sehkmet, is a more subtle and individualistic person. She watches over the night from the shadows, preferring her presence to not be felt at all, only showing herself to those that she deems worthy. Though she may seem cold and distant, she almost always spends some of her night hunting large game to keep her charges well-fed.   The reason for the two rulers' separation is unknown to the general populace, as they cannot be understood. In actuality, the two were once lovers, having been wed in their youth during the Forgotten Age. During the calamity that brought about the Ancient Kingdom's collapse, Nalsa and Sekhmet were both able to receive visions of the aftermath - that being, the total destruction and erasure of their entire culture and way of life. Nalsa, desperate to preserve all that he could, took a young eladrin who had escaped the destruction, and using all the power he could muster, sent the young man hurtling through time to tell the story of what happened to his home, at a great physical cost to himself and despite Sehkmet's protests.   Sekhmet was furious that Nalsa's actions, seeing that the powerful warrior had given up most of his fighting strength to save one insignificant child that would probably just die anyways, and that she was now doomed to see the man she loved suffer for the rest of his life. Nalsa, ever proud, refused to relent that he had done the wrong thing, and stubbornly insisted that he wasn't all that badly hurt anyways. The two's argument could not be reconciled, nor could Sehkmet bear to see her husband in such a state, so a compromise was reached. They would rule together, but separately. Not seeing one other, but still being in each other's presence.   By the time the party arrives at Heartis, it'll have been under siege by the Thousand beast Pirates for several days, who are after both a piece of Nalsa's flesh to feed to Jira, and also an old artefact that the dual sphinxes guard that may allow Jira to compensate for his one weakness.   During this time, the tabaxi believe that their protector, Nalsa, has abandoned them, as he is nowhere to be seen whilst Sekhmet leads militia during both night & day, running herself ragged. In truth, Sekhmet had ordered Nalsa to be chained and muzzled, knowing that if he tries to fight, his body may give out on him, killing himself in the process. Nalsa is aware of this fact as well, but is happy to throw away his life.  

Nightwatch & Dawngaze

Although many tabaxi learn to train, hunt and fight, and many are taught by the sphinxes, a few display particular aptitude. Such tabaxi are taken directly under the wing of one of the sphinx rulers to serve as their personal guard and as protectors of Maztica. To join one of these guards in considered a great honour. These guards are rather mysterious, however, spending most of their time with the sphinxes and rarely socialising with other tabaxi.   The Nightwatch serve under Sehkmet, and are particularly talented at stealth and reconnaissance. They are elite hunters who travel the night with Sehkmet in order to ensure the village has enough food. They also work as live-in servants, tending to her wounds and her household. They typically consist of the smaller, stealthier subspecies, and tend to be trained in a variety of magicks.   The Dawngaze are the Nightwatch's counterparts that serve Nalsa. Unlike the Nightwatch, the Dawngaze typically don't stray far from the village. Instead, they patrol in and around the village, keeping a watchful eye out for any signs of danger or trouble, mostly fending off large beasts that discover the village's location. They also roam the village and sort out minor They are each trained by Nalsa himself and are the strongest fighters in the village, consisting almost entirely of half-moon and full-moon tabaxi. They tend to be fighters and barbarians, although a few become so dedicated as to become ancients paladins. They also serve as personal attendants to Nalsa, and rarely bed down anywhere but within the Sun Tree.  

Saurians

The saurians call themselves ancient, and they mean it. They were one of the first sapient species created on this plane, preceding even the elves and according to some, even the giants. They have a rich oral history describing glorious city-states and meeting the very gods of the world. Their decline was complete before even the Forgotten Age, deep within the temporal mists of the Age of Ancients. Nowadays, saurians are scattered throughout the corners of the world, their origins were long forgotten by everyone except themselves. The resemble a mix of dinosaur and human, and can easily live 1000 years.   Although small communities can be found throughout the world, the largest collection of saurians is in the ancient ruins deep within the forest. There they have turned the ruins of an ancient city into something resembling a modern-day town that they have dubbed 'New Sauria', shoring up gaps in stone walls with wooden fortifications, using domesticated herbivorous dinosaurs to plow fields, and generally begin to piece together a small amount of the society they once lost.   All saurians long for their ancestral home, Sauria. A mighty city that once ruled most of the world, renowned for its beautiful pyramid-shaped buildings built to withstand the flow of time. After all their old city-states fell, it was rumoured that their capital of Sauria had somehow survived the devastation. Many saurians dismiss this as a mere pipe dream. The remains of Sauria can be found on Titan's Grave, used as a fortress by Emperor Soleb.   Saurians are an extremely proud race with a very traditional caste-based society, with each saurian being expected to fulfil the role assigned to them by their subspecies. They maintain that this strict hierarchy is what has allowed them to persist over the generations, whilst others would maintain that the same hierarchy is simply clinging to a time long past.   A great cultural melancholic apathy presides over all Saurians. They have existed for so long and seen everything they once held dear reduced to rubble. They saw the Ancient Kingdom rise and fall during the Forgotten Age, along with countless other civilisations and cultures. Many believe that there is no point to building much of anything beyond what is needed to provide for their families, as any and all would be washed away by the sands of time. None share this view more strongly than King Rajaan( or 'Old One-tooth', as tabaxi kittens tend to call him), the tyranos ruler of New Sauria. A grouchy and wizened old creature that desperately clings to what little amounts of saurian culture survive, and who earns his subspecies' namesake as 'Tyrant Lizard'. Whilst he cares deeply for and feels responsible for his charges and his race's legacy, his methods for keeping his cultural heritage and people alive leave very little room for individual thought or expression. What he says, goes. Although he was old enough to remember the Forgotten Age, he and his peers simply didn't care. The new kingdom was destroyed, just as was inevitable. Why care about the minutia?   This apathy extends to the tabaxi as well. Outwardly, Rajaan despises the tabaxi, and would rather they leave him in peace to grieve his lost world. Under his command, saurians fiercely protect their town from outsiders, but other than that have very little to do with the outside world. Young, curious tabaxi are often warned to stay away from New Sauria. Unfortunately, due to their mischievous nature, many tabaxi kittens see it as a game to intrude as far into New Sauria as they can before getting caught, which usually results in Rajaan letting them go on pain of death should they ever return. Despite his fierce temperament, he has yet to actually execute any trespassing youngsters.   In actuality, Rajaan can't quite let go of the hope that Sauria really does exist, and that the saurians aren't doomed to fade away. His naming of his modest village as 'New Sauria' is proof of that, as well as doing his best to ensure that New Sauria has plenty of poets, scholars and artists educated in ancient saurian culture, and so staunchly enforces the obsessively rigid structure that his ancestors enforced. Because of this, Rajaan and many others actually harbour empathy for the tabaxi, seeing as they also lost their culture many years ago. To this end, Rajaan is actually the one who has been entrusted with the tabaxi's old artefact, as a sign of respect for all that was lost. If the tabaxi were to come under attack, Rajaan would act aloof and cold as many might expect, but in reality, he would be doing so to ensure that the attackers don't discover where the artefact's real location is.  

Saurian Subspecies

Ankylos

By tradition, the ankylos are the military caste of saurian society. Ankylos are introduced to fighting in small groups as a competitive team sport for the entertainment of other saurians. As ankylos age, they take on roles in the city guard, in militaries, or as bodyguards and warriors.   These combat roles well suit the ankylos, who are the heaviest among saurian kind and possess both natural weapons and defence. Along their back, the ankylos have contiguous bone plates that create a shell and their tail ends in a club formed from a dense nodule of the same bone plates.  

Deinony

With their heightened speed and relatively smaller frame, the deinony serve saurian society as ambassadors, merchants, and rangers. In ancient eras the deinony would travel from one saurian city-state to another delivering their ruler’s lists of demands, requests, or peace offerings. It has been centuries since two great saurian city-states have been close enough for such a relationship so deinony today serve as the primary face of saurian society to the outside world, if the outside world knows of saurians at all.   To the uneducated eye, a deinony might look like a particularly feral lizardfolk. To those who are familiar with both races the deinony’s size, protruding nose, and dagger-sized talons on their feet make the two impossible to confuse.  

Plesios

Plesios form the bulk of the agricultural caste of saurian society. Plesios are naturally gifted at tending the land and the sea and are taught horticulture and herbalism at a young age. Many plesios become farmers but some rare few serve their communities as druids or rangers instead.   Plesios are the tallest of the saurian owing in no small part to their sizeable neck. Plesios stand nearly 8 feet tall on average with their neck comprising about 2 feet of that height. Despite lacking any external gills, plesios are equally at home above and below water. Their skin produces an oily sheen when they remain out of water for extended periods of time.  

Pteradas

In saurian society, pteradas make up the artisan caste. In a culture that changes as slowly as saurian society does, pteradas are given a limited freedom to innovate and experiment with new forms of art and thinking. In practical roles, pteradas become artists, philosophers, and inventors.   Physically the pteradas are the smallest and lightest of all saurians. Their relatively spry stature allows them to use their wings, a membrane between the bottom of their palms and their top of their hips, to fly. Their heads are long and angular, due to their pronounced beaks.  

Sarchos

Sarchos occupy a precarious position in saurian society. It’s an accepted fact that sarchos were one of the youngest of the saurian races and their unique gifts leave them ill-suited for landlocked settlements. While historically the sarchos made up the bulk of saurian citystate’s navies, today few such city-states exist and those that do are hard pressed to muster enough members to call it a “navy.” As a result, sarchos are largely forgotten by other saurians or sometimes even viewed as suspicious outsiders.   Sarchos have long snouts, a thick scaled hide, short powerful legs, and long tails. While their gait on land could be described as awkward, they swim with the grace of a sea serpent, using their tails to propel themselves forward. Sarchos are sometimes mistaken for large crocodiles by humanoids unfamiliar with saurians.  

Triceras

Triceras are regarded as gifted scribes and ritualists and make up the majority of the scholar caste in saurian society. As such, triceras are called on to remember the customs and traditions of the past as well as interpret and implement the application of historical laws. Triceras fulfill their function as members of the scholar caste by serving as judges, priests, and lorekeepers.   The most striking physical characteristic of the triceras is their forehead which forms an elevated ridge that separates the front of their skull from the back. Three horns protrude from the front facing side of that ridge. A shorter horn sits directly above the triceras’ beak and two longer horns grow on either side of central horn.  

Tyrannos

Along with the blood of the mythical Tyrant King, the tyrannos inherit the birthright of leadership and form the ruling caste of saurian society. Historically, the tyrannos proved their worth as rulers by launching extended military campaigns against one another. As the numbers of their subjects dwindled, the efficacy of such campaigns became unsustainable. Traditional tyrannos do little today but rule over the decaying ruins of their once great society while enterprising tyrannos may attempt to start trade with the wider world. Tyrannos are given a wide berth in terms of the functional roles they play in society but most often act as politicians, rulers, and merchants.   The tyrannos are easily identified by their large heads, which they claim are a result of their superior intellect and political prowess, and their short arms, which everyone else should be careful never to call to attention.  

Grungs

Grungs are frog-like humanoids that dwell in tribes up in the trees near the rivers of Heartis. They are small but deadly, using the natural toxin they excrete to take down large foes. Due to their small size and relative vulnerability, they have a habit of attacking anyone that dares come near.   Grungs reproduce by laying eggs, which hatch into grey tadpoles that metamorphose into amphibious humanoids over three months, and into adults over another six to nine months by which time their skin had adopts the bright colours which identify their castes. Grungs reproduce quickly: one chieftain named Yorb had at least one hundred and eighty children, and that was just his sons.   Grung society has a rigid caste system, not unlike the saurians, and each grung's place is determined by its colour:

• Green: Warriors, hunters, and general labourers.
• Blue: Artisans, domestic and childcare workers. Grung crafts are traded with other races, and can be found in both New Sauria and Maztica.
• Purple: Supervisors of the green and blue grungs. They make sure that the lower castes are happy.
• Red: Scholars and magic users. Also known as grung wildlings, they are considered superior to purple, green and blue castes, and are respected even by higher castes. Red grungs are known to fulfill the roles of tribal shamans and priests.
• Orange: Elite warriors, with authority over all lesser grungs. The orange grungs are charged with protecting the grungs' most important or sacred sites.
• Gold: Also elite warriors, with the highest leadership positions. Every tribe leader is a gold grung. Tribes typically fall apart if there are no gold grungs left to guide them.

  Grungs are aggressive and territorial. They often attack any intruders, be they adventurers or members of another tribe. Border wars are quite common among clashing grung tribes. A single tribe usually claims area within one mile around the settlement. The territory is rigorously patrolled and, if an intruder is encountered, the grungs never engage in negotiations. any trade with the other two sentient races of the land is done on their own terms, with blue grungs travelling to Maztica and New Sauria in order to trade.   Leaders are almost always the strongest fighters of the gold caste in the tribe, and as females tend to be larger than males, most tribes are matriarchal and are led by female war chiefs, however some are led by a male king or chief. One way of reaching a position of power is via dueling to the death for the title. Each tribe also has a female shaman.  

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