Mustelish

The Mustelish are a curiously plucky indigenous race of sapient mustelid-folk, possessing lithe, flexible frames built for bounding through forest canopy, diving into streams, or vanishing between rocks with peerless acumen. Slightly taller than most humans, though less broadly built than say the Orcish, the only others who reach their imposing heights aside from the mountainous Giants, they are known for a raw, kinetic grace and swift, biting minds to match. Their society is rooted in small bands or tribally-affiliated settlements scattered across The Grandgleam Forest and, historically, the Elfese region once known as Chikara before Everwealth took it's place. Their long familiarity with the land, and its many cycles of war, rule, and ruin, has made them masters of survival and opportunism. Unaligned in both historical empires and modern politics, the Mustelish have thrived through self-reliance, cooperation, and uncanny evasion. Some view them as tricksters, others as noble loners, but none deny the sting of their spears or the ingenuity of their traps. Their contributions to hunting, toolmaking, and forest craft are foundational to Everwealth’s survivalist traditions, and yet they remain elusive, seen more often in rumor than in city markets. The Mustelish are digitigrade bipeds with long torsos, prehensile tails, and soft but dense fur in tones of stone-gray, soil-brown, ash-gold, or deep rust, though some northern kin sport winter-white pelts or midnight black striping. Their hands are long-fingered and extremely dexterous, able to tie knots in tight confines or scale smooth bark with ease. Eyes are round and forward-facing, typically gold, amber, or hazel. Teeth are sharp, and the jaws powerful enough to crush small bones, though their primary hunting tools are their claws and weapons. Region, diet, and season all influence their fur coloration, which may darken in colder climes or during adulthood.