Utasu
Called the travelers by other people, the desert-dwelling Catfolk live a nomadic existence alongside the enormous tortoises upon which they reside and travel. The Utasu, however, used to have a much different lifestyle than the one they have now.
One Junli: A member of The Great Caravan that commits a severe enough crime is punished in the harshest of ways; set out on their own with nothing but a Junli to wander the desert and never to return to the Caravan. A character with this trait gains a +4 cultura bonus on survival checks in the desert and +1 cultural bonus on saves against effects of a hot environment. Additionally, they may begin play with their choice of a Junli pelt which can be a bonded item as though the wizard class feature or a Junli as either a familiar or animal companion. For characters with levels of ranger, the Junli is loyal but lacks the characteristics or benefits of an animal companion until the ranger has sufficient levels. Such a familiar or animal companion has one ability score of the character’s choice increased by one.
Culture Traits
Common Traits
- Ability score modifiers: -2 Inteligence +2 Charisma
- Starting Languages: In addition to the common tongue, characters with this culture know Utasan. Additionally, characters with a high enough intelligence to warrant additional starting languages may choose from the following languages: Celestial, Draconic, Dwarven, Elvish, Ignan, or Terran
- Local Knowledge: A character of the Utasan Culture can make knowledge (local) checks untrained so long as the check pertains to Vanishing Spring or The Great Caravan. In addition, they always roll such checks with advantage.
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Trait Descriptions
Clever Cat: Some of The Great Caravan's members see social obstacles as games to be played and won. Characters with this trait receive a +2 racial bonus on Bluff, Diplomacy, and Sense Motive checks.
Curiosity: A character with this trait gains a +4 cultural bonus on Diplomacy checks to gather information, and Knowledge (history) and Knowledge (local) are always class skills for them. If they gain either of those skills as a class skill from class levels, they gain a +2 racial bonus on that skill instead.
Desert Stride: A character with this trait can move through the thick sands of desert environments without suffering any movement penalty.
Gift of Tongues: A character with this trait gains a +2 cultural bonus to diplomacy checks and any perform checks which involve spoken word. Additionally, a character with this trait can chose any language as a bonus starting language so long as it is not a secret language (like druidic)
Manifest Destiny: Utasu are raised to believe in the power of a good story but some take that a step further. They believe that they will be part of the next great story and learn to give fate a nudge in the right direction. An Utasu with this trait treats all mental stats as 2 higher for, and adds +1 to the caster level for, all spells and Bloodline/Domain/Mystery abilities cast using a class providing any of the following: the Destined or Harrow Bloodlines, the Luck Domain, the Fate or Legend Subdomains, or the Time Mystery. In addition, if the Utasu has a Charisma score of 15 or higher they gain the following spell-like abilities: moment of greatness (1/day) and embrace destiny (3/day). The character also adds the spell Grand Destiny to their spell list. This is not a bonus spell known and must still be chosen as a spell for classes which have a limited selection of spells
Master Orator: A character with this trait gains Orator as a bonus feat even if they do not meet the prerequisites and gains a +2 cultural bonus to linguistics checks.
Outrider: The Utasu constantly send out trained scouts and skirmishers to provide an outer perimeter of protection for The Great Caravan. The first time a character takes this trait, they gain Mounted Archery as a bonus feat even if they do not meet the prerequisites. The second time a character takes this trait, they gain a +2 cultural bonus to Perception and Ride checks.
Oral History: Much of Utasan culture and tradition resides in their extensive and elaborate oral history. A character with this trait gains a +2 cultural bonus on knowledge (history) checks. This bonus doubles if the check pertains to the Utasu and their history.
Tortoise Tender: Many in The Great Caravan take long stints seeing to the needs of the large tortoises that fery The Great Caravan from each Vanishing Spring to the next. This often also means caring for the other animals of the Caravan as well. A character with this trait gains a +2 cultural bonus on handle animal and heal checks.
Perfered Class Options
Alchemist Gain 1/6 of a bonus discovery.
Bard Add +1/2 to the bard’s bardic knowledge bonus.
Bloodrager Add 1 foot to the bloodrager’s base speed. In combat, this has an effect only for every five increases in base speed. This bonus stacks with the bloodrager’s fast movement feature, and applies under the same conditions as that feature.
Cavalier Add +1/4 to the cavalier’s banner bonus.
Druid Add +1 hit points to the druid’s animal companion. If the druid ever replaces her animal companion, the new animal companion gains these bonus hit points.
Hunter Gain 1/6 of a bonus teamwork feat.
Inquisitor Add 1/2 to the inquisitor’s track bonus.
Investigator Add 1 to the bonus provided to a single skill (maximum +2) by inspiration. This skill must be one the investigator can already apply inspiration to. The investigator can select a different skill each level. Medium Add 1/3 to the result of any spirit surge die that the medium rolls.
Monk Add 1/2 to the monk’s damage rolls with claw attacks and claw blades. A monk who selects this bonus at 1st level also treats claw blades as a monk weapon. If he is an unchained monk, he can use his style strikes with unarmed strike or claw blade attacks.
Oracle Add one spell known from the oracle spell list. This spell must be at least one level below the highest spell level the oracle can cast.
Ranger Choose a weapon from the following list: claws, kukri, longbow, longsword, short spear, or shortbow. Add +1/2 on critical hit confirmation rolls made while using that weapon (maximum bonus of +4). This bonus does not stack with Critical Focus.
Rogue Add a +1/2 bonus on Bluff checks to feint and Sleight of Hand checks to pickpocket.
Shaman Add 1/6 to the shaman’s class level for the purpose of determining the effects of one hex.
Slayer Add 1/3 to the result of any Sneak Attack damage that the slayer deals after all Sneak Attack damage dice have been totaled.
Sorcerer Select one bloodline power at 1st level that is normally usable a number of times equal to 3 + the sorcerer’s Charisma modifier. The sorcerer adds + 1/2 to the number of uses per day of that bloodline power.
Favored Class Options
History
Before the Breaking the Catfolk of Southern Quarren once had a peaceful life in the deserts of Southern Quarren. While still considered tribal by many at the time, they thrived on the trade warranted them by their exotic goods and renowned husbandry skills. The vast majority of their people lived along the south-western shore in large clusters to take advantage of sea trade. From out of these clusterings of great traders and herdsmen arose the Grand Market, Shahar, the city of 20,000 souls, shining Jewel of the southern shore. The city was not as lustrous as the great stone-fortress cities or peak-top palaces of the star elves; Instead it was a great sprawling collection of squat clay houses filled with markets and bazaars. Stretching along a great peninsula centered on the southern coast, the great market city was the hub of sea trade in the Muahit Sea. The Star elves living in the great peaks further inland traded goods to the desert dwellers for their fine crafts and metal work. However, the elves themselves spent little time away from their airy peaks and rarely frequented the markets by day. The Catfolk’s unique coat and ears allowed them to withstand the great heats of the desert days much better than the other races, allowing them to trade and prosper during the sweltering days.
During the Breaking, it is said that the whole of the south coast slid into the sea overnight killing nearly every living person there. This left only those few Catfolk who had been traveling or out with the herd animals. These poor souls, traveling through a land that they could no longer recognize, gravitated to the one recognizable feature of the desert. They took solace among the colossal desert tortoises that moved from Vanishing Spring to Vanishing Spring and adopted their moving lifestyle. With their cities all gone and nothing left but herd animals in a desert wasteland, the Catfolk took the name Utasu for themselves, a word meaning ‘Wanderer’ in their language. As the newly named Utasu traveled with the tortoises bringing the herd animals they had left with them to the sources of water and small amounts of foliage that grow around the Vanishing Springs they saw that Riding atop the Tortoises bothered them very little. Over time the Utasu started building large padded platforms to put atop the tortoises when they paused at a Vanishing Spring. Eventually this evolved into large tents and covered dwellings. The young, pregnant, or old dwell within these huts during the moving season along with the Shamans of the tribe.
During the Breaking much of the stories and histories of their people were lost. What little they remembered they told to their children not wanting to lose who they had been. This Tradition of telling stories as a way to keep history developed into a reverence for stories, tales, and ancestors. This belief in stories is not without its flaws however and the Utasu are prone to superstition and see omens in simple everyday events. In a world of magic however the more magically gifted members of the tribe are often correct in reading these omens. With such a closely knit society of only several thousand souls, crime and dishonesty is not common but is not unheard of. Lesser crimes committed by their own are punished with hard manual labor and oral recitation of their law code. Outsiders are treated less harshly on first offense with fees, however repeat offenders are met with no quarter. Severe crimes are met with total and absolute punishment; the offender is stripped of all belongings and held until their goods can be sold off. With the funds gained, the Shamans purchase one Junli for the guilty party and use the remaining funds to pay the victims or their families. Then the offender is banished from the caravan and set to wander in the desert with nothing but their junli, just as the first Utasu of old were. Regardless of their survival, these offenders are banned from the caravan for life, the oral memory of the tribe ensuring it.
The Caravan
The Caravan is the greating traveling capital of Utasan culture. Comprised of many sections, the Caravan travels the breadth of Southern Quarren chasing after the Disappearing Springs. At the head of the caravan is the Elder Herd followed by the Junli then the Od'amla. Surrounding this is a wide circle of outriders and scoutings keeping a constant vigil for succour and danger alike.
The Elder Herd
The original herd of Giant Tortoises that the Catfolk first followed for survival after the sinking of Shahar. This herd consists of a dozen or so Colossal Tortoises with massive wooden structures built upon the wide shells that tower above the rest of The Great Caravan that follows behind them. The Old, Sick, and pregnant dwell within these large buildings along with the LoreKeepers and Shamans of the Tribe. During the Resting Season, the Tortoises wade into the large lakes formed by the Vanishing Springs and sleep and drink for as long as there is water.The Junli Crescent
One of the main resources for food and cloth for the Utasu is a large horned goat that made its home in small herds amid the flat desert lands of Quruq. To feed the sizeable population of the Utasu they have had to increase the size of the herd behind its natural capacity using magic to pull more water from the Vanishing Springs and cause the foliage to rapidly bloom and grow for the herd to feed. During the moving season, the herd forms a large crescent shape around the back end of the Elder herd. Shepherds dotting the edges of the crescent keeping it together making sure none wander off. During the Resting Season, the Herd spreads out over the oasis to feed.The Od'amla
Following behind the Elder herd and the Junli Crescent is a large clattering horde of carts and land ships that house the rest of the Utasu and the various stores of food they keep for the Moving Season and any other supplies that they have. During the Resting Season the Odamlar forms a large circle around the feeding Junli and the Elder Herd which sits at the center of this ring.Culture
Shared customary codes and values
To modern Utasu the value of stories and tales is universal. After much of their knowledge and history was lost during the Breaking, those who survived passed along what they could remember to their children, not wanting the story of their people to fade into the sea along with their home. This Tradition of telling stories as a way to keep history developed into a reverence for stories, tales, and ancestors. This belief in stories is not without its flaws however and the Utasu are prone to superstition and see omens in simple everyday events. In a world of magic however the more magically gifted members of the tribe are often correct in reading these omens.
Encompassed species
Related Locations
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