Ursinin
Enormous, powerful, and often quiet, the mighty ursinin can silence a room just by walking in. Hailing from the icy forests of Ranesh, the ursinin have made homes for themselves wherever they can be close to nature. Though they typically prefer to live alone and may not make many friends, when an ursinin's community is threatened they'll take immediate - and deadly - action.
Giant Strength
Standing at least head taller than almost all other species on average, ursinin tower over their neighbors. Their massive size gives off an aura of strength and sheer power, an impression that's accurate more often than not. Underneath their thick fur coats lie layers of muscle and fat that make the ursinin not only astoundingly strong, but also incredibly hardy. They're known for living in some of the coldest and most remote places in the World - and thriving there in a way no other species could. Men are typically five or six inches taller and 30-40 lbs heavier, but women are often just as strong. There's a popular saying referring to urisinin mothers that alludes to this: don't come between a mother bear and her cubs.Quiet Tradition
Old customs die hard in ursinin culture. You do things the way your parents did, and their parents before them, and theirs before them. It's not uncommon for a single ursinin family to have a completely unique holiday tradition they've stuck to for decades, simply because they're doing what their ancestors did with what they had available. It's considered poor form to question your family's traditions, and worse to question another's. You don't change a religious custom without great necessity - it's unnecessary at the least, and shameful to your ancestors at the worst. Ursinin households are typically organized in a traditional structure as well - mother raises the cubs, makes the home, and tends to the garden and livestock; while father hunts, gathers, labors, or is at a job all day. Children don't typically receive an education, but are taught to aid with matters of the house from a young age. Most ursinin parents have one or two children only, so ursinin population has remained low compared to that of other species.Forces of Nature
Myths persist of the bearserkers, an folkloric clan of mighty ursinin warriors that are claimed to channel the power of nature directly into their bodies, becoming one with the World. The stories claim that before battle, they chant, sing, and perform rituals to enter a trance state, where the earthen magic can enter their bodies without damaging them. It's said that bearserkers become so strong they can chew through metal shields. Despite how many claim to have encountered them somewhere in the wilderness, no proof of a bearserker has ever been found. Table intro table hereUrsinin Names
Ursinin are given a name by their parents at birth, and then receive a family name upon reaching adulthood. This family name is either their mother's or father's name - chosen by the ursinin themselves - with a suffix on the end denoting relationship. Female ursinin use the suffix '-tir' at the end of their parents' name to denote 'daughter', while males use '-sorn', meaning 'son'. Female Names: Bragi, Chumani, Jodis, Mitena, Yri. Male Names: Brand, Isulf, Hroald, Konal, Wicasa. Family Names: Agnarssorn, Eidoltir, Hallfridsorn, Orzarsorn, Skarditir.Ursinin Traits
Your character has the following species traits: Ability Score Increase Your Constitution and Strength scores increase by 2, but your Dexterity decreases by 1. Age Ursinin reach maturity by 20 years of age, and live somewhat longer than most species. Alignment Ursinin lean towards lawful alignments. Size Your size is medium. Speed Your base walking speed is 30 feet. Darkvision You have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray. Huge Strength Your carrying capacity and feats of strength count as one size larger. You may wield two-handed weapons with one hand. Huge Size You have disadvantage on Stealth and Sleight of Hand checks, but advantage on Athletics and Intimidation checks. Natural Toughness Your hit point maximum increases by 1 at level one, and increases by 1 at every level after. You also have resistance to cold damage. Claws You have large, powerful paws, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit while unarmed, you deal bludgeoning damage equal to 1d8 + your Strength modifier. Language You speak Common and Grizzlish.Bear Builds
Though a typical ursinin is massive and covered in a thick layer of medium brown fur, there is a surprising amount of variety among the species. Fur colors range between light and dark browns, to blacks, and even white or gold. Some ursinin have unique patterns as well, with white faces, necks, or bands across the chest. Some are shorter in size with fluffy fur, while others are tall and lanky with short, fuzzy coats. There's a distinct lineage in Shisama specifically - almost all ursinin from the region have white bodies and heads with black limbs, ears, and rings around the eyes. An ursinin character's appearance, build, and coloration may be as varied as any bear species you can think of.Hibernation
In ancient days, the ancestors of the ursinin slept through winters. To do this, they gorged on tremendous amounts of food in preparation and hid away in caves or other secret places. While modern ursinin no longer need to (or can) hiberate to survive, some of those instincts have remained with them to this day. Autumn holidays typically feature huge feasts for the family, and it's not uncommon for ursinin to put on quite a bit of holiday weight. There's a saying among ursinin referring to a person who has eaten or drank too much and needs to sleep it off: "in their cave."
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