Beastkin
For all their myriad shapes and sizes the Beastkin take a great deal of pride in their community. Though they only make up about 10% of the total population they have maintained a society within a society in order to continue some remnants of the ways before they came to the The Great Tree. The Beastkin are broadly humanoid though have some traits of various creatures from throughout the world, many have speculated that they are not a single species but a series of sub groups. At this point their shared link to the animal kingdom has given them a stronger bond to each other than most. The Beastkin are also a member of The First Ones having traveled the Great Desert and arrived at Arbor to make it their home along with the Human, Goblinnoid and Korrigan. It should also be noted that the name Beastkin is a colloquialism and not what they refer to themselves as Seiju
"In a world where the values of capitalism tear apart communities, the Beastkin of Arbor stand out as a shining example of unity and solidarity, where their bond to the animal kingdom and pride in their community thrives despite the harsh working conditions of the steampunk world of the Great Tree" -Unknown
Physical Characteristics
As mentioned earlier the Beastkin are perhaps best thought of as a collective group of species rather than a single one. Generally speaking most are bipedal with varying degrees of animal hybridized into them. What should be noted is that there is much intermingling of the various sub groups so it is not unheard of for strange births to take place. True hybrids are rare though and most children take only one type as their prominent features develop.Amphibian
The Amphibians include every type that breathes or spends a large portion of their time underwater, the most prevalent of these are the frog like people, for them you can expect them to be found in and around the waterways of Arbor as their skin requires a constant upkeep of moisture in order to avoid cracking. Like smaller frogs they come in a multitude of colours and in some cases can excrete a kind of neurotoxin that is quite deadly and hallucinatory.
Avian
For every type of bird there is you will find an Avian of a similar variety, from Albatros to Zebra Finch everything under the sun is represented as such many are taken aback to learn they are a single species. It is truly a strangeness for other species that the mother and father seem to bear no weight on what the children might look like. In addition to this startling discovery the Avian race lay eggs instead of carrying their young in much the same way that normal birds do.
Furred
Welcome to the realm of the furred ones, where extraordinary speed and incredible strength are the norm. These creatures, united by their beast-like characteristics, thrive in the cold nights, taking on night jobs where their natural talents allow them to forgo the need for costly coats. Explore a world where the lines between man and animal blur and discover the unique abilities that set these beings apart from the rest
Scaled
While the other subcategories of Beastkin tend to be more outgoing, the scaled ones are known for their isolationist tendencies. A significant portion of them being cold-blooded, like the Yuan-ti who reside in the underground settlement of The Green. However, not all scaled Beastkin are cold-blooded and some of them are open to mingling on the surface. Among them, there are a few that display characteristics reminiscent of dragons, though true dragons have not been seen since the time before Arbor's existence.
Smooth
And yet, there is still more to discover. Many of the smooth-skinned Beastkin, though resembling normal humans, possess distinct features or appendages that set them apart. Among them are the massive, hulking individuals inspired by elephants and hippopotami, a testament to the diverse and fascinating array of creatures that make up the Beastkin community.
Extraordinary Abilities
Many of the Beastkin share a link to their beast ancenstries and thus exhibit one or more enhanced abilities related to them. However only 2 have something that could truly be called extraordinary, the aforementioned Yuan-Ti and what will be referred to here on out the DragonbornDragonborn
Perhaps the Dragonborn are not simply members of the scaled tribe but instead are more like Touched exhibiting strong incilinations to one or more elements while being part of the Scaled tribe. None can be completely sure but some members of this group can expel a single element that seems to correlate to the colour of their scales. In addition to this they seem to have gained a small amount of resistance to the same element.Yuan-Ti
Another member of the scaled tribe and this time it's not their physical nature that makes them unique or perhaps it is. For some reason the members of this tribe have a unique resistance to magic of all kinds making spells difficult to land at all. Along with their natural poison resistance they seem to slip our of danger in the way many snakes do.History
Before coming to Arbor the Beastkin like most of the First Peoples were a persecuted bunch, chased from place to place for simply being who they were. It was this attitude that led them to fleeing their homes in pursuit of something better. They were all too happy to hitch up with the other waifs and strays that made up the large group feeling into the desert centuries ago.Arrival at Arbor
When the groups finally made it to Arbor many of the beastkin were apprehensive about the worship of this Great Tree. They had different beliefs about a great animal spirit that guided them through life and didn't want to give up that worship. Of course with many of these things there was a dominant group and eventually at least on the surface the the worship of the old spirits was phased out and the beastkin got into line though perhaps with more bloodshed than many would like to believe.Present Day
In the here and now though there is much Beastkin that remains separate from the rest of Arbor and while many have integrated into the larger population some even starting mixed families there are still enclaves of only beastkin notably the Avians and the Yuan-Ti maintain a separate area for themselves and in the case of the Yuan-Ti guard the location of it with fervor.Public Perception
For most the beastkin are just another group of people that make Arbor their home for human children the want and curiosity of why there is a walking talking cat and can they pet it occupies much of their mind. Many in the beastkin community still worship the old spirit awaiting the day that the church loses enough power so they can go back to the old ways openly. The church sees the worship of the spirit a sign of heresy and work to stamp out any signs of it's continues worship.Mechanics
| Arbor Species | 5e Race(s) |
|---|---|
| Amphibian | Grung, Tortle |
| Avian | Aarakocra, Kenku, Owlin |
| Furred | Centaur, Hadozee, Leonin, Minotaur, Tabaxi |
| Scaled | Dragonborn, Kobold, Lizard Folk, Yuan-Ti |
| Smooth | Giff, Loxodon |
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