Tabaxi Tabaxi Upbringing A tabaxi raised among their own kin can speak, read, and write Common and Tabaxi. Tabaxi is a growling language of alternately rolling, sharp, and sibilant consonants. It is derived from an ancient form of the Payit language of Maztica, and its original written form is pictographic. Tabaxi who have learned to read and write in Faerûn tend to use a variation of the Iokharic script designed for the Draconic language, as both languages are spoken with a mouth which is similarly-shaped and sharp-toothed. If brought up among those of other heritages, a tabaxi will learn the language(s) common to the dominant heritage in which they were raised. Created by the Cat Lord—a divine being of the Upper Planes—to blend the qualities of humanoids and cats, tabaxi are a varied people in both attitude and appearance. In their homeland, tabaxi often live much like the cats they resemble, being naturally curious and at home in environments with plenty of vertical surfaces to traverse, but they are also known for being reclusive. In lands populated by other humanoids, tabaxi tend to be much more reserved in their exuberance, and behave much as any other humanoids do. Tabaxi in
Author: kleonard
Humans are the most adaptable and ambitious people among the common heritages. They have widely varying tastes, morals, and customs in the many different lands where they have settled. Individually and as a group, humans are adaptable opportunists, and they stay alert to changing political and social dynamics.
Halfling Halfling Upbringing A halfling raised among their own kin will speak, read, and write Common and Halfling. The Halfling language isn’t secret and frequently uses the Thorass alphabet common to many human languages in Faerûn, but halflings are loath to share their language with non-halflings. They write very little, so they don’t have a rich body of literature. Their oral tradition, however, is very strong. Almost all halflings speak Common to converse with the people in whose lands they dwell or through which they are traveling. The diminutive halflings survive in a world full of larger creatures by avoiding notice or, barring that, avoiding offense. Standing about 3 feet tall, they appear relatively harmless and so have managed to survive for centuries in the shadow of empires and on the edges of wars and political strife. Halflings’ skin ranges from tan to pale with a ruddy cast, and their hair is usually brown or sandy brown and wavy. They have brown or hazel eyes. Halfling men often sport long sideburns, but beards are rare among them and mustaches even more so; this is not because they cannot grow this sort of facial hair, but rather a general cultural preference.
Half-Orc Half-Orc Upbringing A half-orc raised among humans can speak, read, and write Common and a bonus language, often Orc. A half-orc raised among orcs can speak Common and Orc, and may or may not be able to read and write either language. Orc is a harsh, grating language with hard consonants. It has no script of its own but is written in the Dethek script. The term “half-orc” refers to an individual with one parent who is human and the other orc, or two half-orc parents, or one parent who is quarter-orc and the other three-quarters (or more) human, etc. Due to the dominance of orc features, someone who is only one-quarter human or less with the larger portion being orc is seen as a full orc, while someone who is only one-quarter orc may be perceived as being half-orc. Half-orcs exhibit a blend of orcish and human characteristics, and their appearance varies widely. Grayish skin tones and prominent teeth are the most common shared elements among these folk. Half-orcs stand between 5 and 7 feet tall and usually weigh between 180 and 250 pounds. Orcs regard battle scars as tokens of pride and ornamental scars as things of
3 Tarsakh 1492, Waterdeep – While I await the evening hours before my viol and I begin to ply our trade, my restless mind compels me to put my pen to use and describe one of the few adventures I have had in my nearly-thirty years. Only recently had I amiably parted ways from my aunt and mentor—Kara Graybrook, a bard of some renown in faraway Impiltur—and I had been traveling on my own for some months, meandering aimlessly while I sought my purpose. While visiting the northern city of Mirabar, I heard word that a dragon had recently claimed a mountaintop lair near Pinebrook, a village at the headwaters of the River Mirar.