Crocotta

Humanoid, though smaller on average than other species. They possess sharp, surprisingly large teeth and a bite-force that can crush bone. Their skin is usually marked with spots, stripes, or some mix of the two, while their hands and feet sport hooked claws.

Ability Score Mods: +2 Constitution, +2 Dexterity, -2 Wisdom   Medium sized creature, with a speed of 30 feet.   Across the Steppe: Crocotta are known for their incredible endurance. You gain a +4 bonus on the following checks and saves: Constitution checks made to continue running, Constitution checks made to avoid nonlethal damage from starvation or thirst, and Fortitude saves made to avoid nonlethal damage from hot or cold environments.   My Mother's Gift: There are no greater masters of their environment than the Crocotta. You gain a +2 to Handle Animal and Survival checks.

Crocotta cubs are born with full sets of teeth, though their "baby" teeth are considerably less sharp than those they gain during puberty. They are not considered to be mature until they can survive without assistance for a period of weeks (this ritual is known as Euolo), which usually occurs around fifteen years of age.

Crocotta are most at home in the steppes of north eastern Xalendria, where they live as equestrian pastoralists or in small hunter-gatherer groups.

Crocotta are technically omnivorous, but the bulk of their diet consists of dairy products produced from mare's milk and meat, which is either consumed raw or salt-cured. Crocotta will eat every part of the animal they can consume without choking, and are not above scavenging the kills of wild animals when they need to.

Crocotta are humanoid, but their noses tend to be small and have an upward tilt. Their teeth tend to protrude more prominently simply due to their size, and their smiles can be intimidating to other species.

Crocotta tend to be more cunning than traditionally intelligent. Though they are incredibly knowledgeable when it comes to their lands, horses, and other aspects of their way of life, it is exceedingly rare for one of their number to show interest in academic pursuits. However, those Crocotta who have left their ancestral lands for the Gorgorian and Bennu city-states have been shown to quickly adapt to a more "mainstream" way of living, though often on the wrong side of the law.

Crocotta have the strongest sense of smell out of any sapient species, which they normally use to seek out the scarce watering holes in their lands. They are also known for having little to no sense of taste, allowing them to stomach foods that other species would find completely inedible.

Crocotta, like the Bennu, do not use surnames. They may mention the name of their clan when introducing themselves, but more commonly they refer to themselves as children of their mothers (ex: Berenike, daughter of Borena, or Ousigos, son of Mada). Since they inherit everything from property to social status from  their mothers, clan affiliation is considered less important information.   [Author's Note: Crocotta culture is loosely based on Scythian and Sarmatian culture. Please refer to this name generator for ideas. Ancient Greek names are also acceptable depending on background, as city-dwelling Crocotta have begun using Gorgorian names in recent generations.]

Crocotta put little to no emphasis on physical appearance when it comes to choosing a breeding partner, their main concern being the social position their prospective cubs could inherit from a match. However, it seems that in clans where spotted colorations are more common, Crocotta with striped skin are seen as being exceptionally beautiful. The opposite is true for clans where striped colorations are dominate. As the mix between these two patterns tends to vanish with a single generation, Crocotta possessing both stripes and spots are seen as somewhat exotic.

Females stand at the top of the social hierarchy in Crocotta society. Clan Mothers, War Leaders, all other important clan roles save for Song Keepers are strictly held by females, though males can rise through the ranks to become second-in-command. Such an event is not uncommon, especially if the male's mother was particularly high ranking in the clan. The more modern title of Weapon Keeper also seems to be a solely male-held role, as the forging of weapons and metal implements seems to be an occupation that only males have.   While all Crocotta cubs are expected to learn at least basic knowledge on every aspect of clan life, from how to hunt and scavenge to how to pitch a tent, there is a labor divide down gender lines. Hunting, butchering, foraging, and food preparation seem to be the main tasks allotted to male clan members who choose not train as warriors, blacksmiths, or Song Keepers. This male collective is also responsible for the practical education of the cubs, who are watched communally by this group while the mothers are otherwise occupied. Females make up the bulk of the warrior population. When not at odds with other clans, the females split their time between caring for their customarily large herds of horses, the weaving of fabric and sewing of clothes, as well as the rearing of cubs.

Crocotta have their own language, which they jokingly call Cackle. City-dwelling Crocotta, as well as most Clan Mothers and Song Keepers, tend to be bi-lingual at least, choosing to learn either Gorgorian or Bennuan depending on the language favored in their geographic loaction.

Crocotta are not creatures overly concerned with niceties, though some rules are observed with steadfast scrutiny.   Hospitality is a central tenet of Crocotta culture. When a guest arrives in good faith, to turn them away is considered unthinkable. Visitors are offered everything from the choicest cuts of meat to the best seat at the nightly clan gathering. Guests are also highly encouraged to share the stories of their own people, and it is speculated this custom is how certain deities from the Gorgorian pantheon came to be adopted by the Crocotta, albeit in slightly altered forms. It is a long standing joke among Gorgorians that it is better to find oneself lost in on the Xalendrian steppes than in the Great Sand Sea, as the Crocotta are more likely to feed a stray than eat them.   Crocotta are also fanatically devoted to the care of their cubs. In the rare case a cub is abandoned by their clan, they are often adopted with little to no questions asked by the next adult to happen upon them. This sometimes leads to the unintentional abductions of lost cubs, but the urge seems to be too strong for most Crocotta to ignore. Orphaned city-dwelling cubs are adopted immediately by the highest ranking Crocotta in their enclave with the means to care for an extra child. The death of a child is an event felt by the clan as whole, no matter how lowborn the cub may have been. Such tragic deaths are followed by a period of intense mourning that sometimes lasts for weeks and is observed by every adult in the clan.

Most Crocotta wear tunics, breeches, and leather vests paired with toeless boots to allow use of their back claws should they need them. Warriors wear padded leather armor with very little metal. Clan Mothers commonly wear elaborate headdresses made from scavenged materials such as bones, feathers, or antlers. Well-off Crocotta from the coldest areas of the steppes wear thick wool overcoats with fur collars during the frost months.

"Closer, closer, my little cubs. What a tale I have to tell, what a tale! Of how the Groundshaker-Mare galloped across the sky and steppe and our foremothers sprung from her hoofprints."

- Clan Mother Mada, Daughter of Ababa, speaking to the youngest members of her clan

 

Crocotta lack the ethnocentric attitude of the Bennu and the innate arrogance of the Gorgorons. As a result, they tend to be more open-minded about interspecies relationships, especially if they are city-dwellers. Oddly enough, they seem to be the most ill-at-ease with the Minos, the most placid of Xalendria's species. This wariness can perhaps be explained by the contrasting natures of the two groups, as well as the lack of contact between the two cultures before the formation of the Republic. When provoked, however, Crocotta deal with their problems in a swift, bloody manner that often leads to the feasting upon... "special meat."   Crocotta hybrids usually retain the colorations of their Crocotta parent, but their teeth and claws tend to be smaller.   [Author's Note: Hybrids are not playable at this time.]