Ratfolk
The ratfolk? Err... well I suppose they must live somewhere, you see them around, but I guess I've never really thought about it.
Overview
The Ratfolk are a people who have gone largely unnoticed throughout their history, living either in hidden warrens or in the shadows of other civilizations, always present but rarely taken notice of. Today they are much the same, outside of their warrens they prefer to live in the outskirts and dark corners of cities, often earning a decent living despite the fact that non-ratfolk may barely realize that they are present.
History
The ratfolk are remarkably absent from the histories of any of the other species of the shattered continent. Outside of a single mention of a war between a minor dwarven hold and a nearby ratfolk warren, they are essentially nonexistant, despite having been around for as long as any other race.
Before the Serpentfolk
The ratfolk have always lived in the shadows of the larger races; from elves to dwarves to humans, they have always found that a good living can be made anywhere the larger races build their cities.
Reign of the Serpentfolk
With the rise of the serpentfolk, the ratfolk found that their tendency to keep the locations of the warrens secret was literally lifesaving. The serpentfolk found ratfolk to be both an entertainingly difficult quarry to hunt, and remarkably tasty, and it wasn't long before few if any ratfolk existed outside of the warrens.
After the Cataclysm
Following The Cataclysm, many ratfolk took the opportunity to raid the empty cities of the serpentfolk, but as the humans began expanding rapidly and building their own cities, many ratfolk fell back on their old habits, moving into the shadows of the human cities and resuming their old lifestyle.
Modern Times
Today, Ratfolk can be found on the outskirts and in the less occupied corners of every human city on the continent, as well as most elven cities. They are less common in dwarven settlements due to historical tensions between them, as well as cultural clashes.
Ratfolk Society
Ratfolk are an extremely communal people, living in large extended family groups and feeling an intense bond to their families. Wherever an individual is found, there are almost always others nearby. While occasionally found in traveling wagon caravans, they are most often found either in their warrens or in the cities of the larger races.
While many would term them claustrophobic, ratfolk find the tight, winding tunnels of their warrens to be the ultimate comfort. The various family groups which compose a warren are typically close, intermarrying and taking great pains to resolve any conflicts that might threaten the peace in the warren. When a warren grows overcrowded, or a conflict arises between families that cannot be resolved, a group of ratfolk will set out to seek a location to found a new warren.
When ratfolk decide to venture out into the world, they rarely do it alone, taking a bare minimum of a handful of their relatives with them. When they want to settle, permanently or not, they tend to gravitate towards cities and seek out the most tightly packed places; often alleyways or slums, and occasionally they will dig new tunnels and warrens beneath an existing building. This choice makes many people regard them as poor, low class, and dirty, not realizing that they dwell in these places by choice.
Names
Within their warrens, ratfolk are known by a single name, usually a short one, and if further clarification as to which warrenmate one is talking about is needed, a nickname, family connection, or position within the warren may be tacked onto the end. Outside of the warrens, perhaps feeling the need to provide some clarifiaction as to their place in the world, the ratfolk often adopt a surname relating to either where they live or a notable deed they have accomplished.
Ratfolk tend to take a very straight forward approach to naming things, both in picking surnames and in naming businesses. The names they pick tend to be combinations of the thing they are naming and their relation to it, or simple descriptions of the function of the thing being named. An individual who works as a stableboy and lives above the stables may be named "Skrik Above-Stables", while one who owns a weapon's shop they have inventively named "Sharp Swords" may be called "Rikkan Owns-Sharp-Swords"
Religion
The Heavenly Warren
Within the warrens, ratfolk don't tend towards conventional religion or gods, rather venerating an idealized version of the warren which they rever to as 'The Heavenly Warren'. The Heavenly Warren represents a home which is perfect in all aspects, giving the ratfolk something to aspire to and work for within their own warrens. The concepts presented by the Heavenly Warren are a secure home full of strong families with lots of pups where everyone works together for the good of the warren.
Other Religions
Outside of the warrens, ratfolk tend to adopt local popular religions although not often with zealotry . Religions which are particularly fanatically worshipped or presented to them with 'fire and brimstone' are likely to turn them off, and individual ratfolk tend to adopt religions which fit their outlooks on life rather than changing their own ideologies to match.
Notable Warrens
The Under-Institute Warren
The sewers underneath the The Knutterden Institute of Chemical and Alchemical Indagation are strangely clean, something that most attribute to the effect of many different caustic and volatile chemicals being dumped into them by The Institute, but the reality is somewhat more mundane. The Under-Institute Warren connects directly to the sewers and the ratfolk who live there are fully aware of the dangers of allowing alchemical waste to build up near their home, so they keep the sewers nearly spotless. Because they all learn how to identify and neutralize a wide variety of al chemical ingredients and reagents, the warren produces a great many alchemists and students for The Institute
Ratfolk out in the world
Outside of their warrens, ratfolk can be found in nearly every corner of the world in which other races have built cities. Naturally gravitating towards the hustle of bustle of crowds, often going nearly unnoticed, they navigate packed crowds with incredible ease and are often employed as runners and messengers by those who deign to notice them and realise their worth. They can be found filling many roles outside of their warrens, although they tend to prefer roles which keep them comfortably out of the public eye, such as foot messengers, potioneers or alchemists, and scribes.
Relations with other races
While ratfolk generally try to get along with everyone they meet, as with every race, their interactions with others are colored by their shared histories and perceptions of one-another
Humans
Ratfolk tend to prefer the faster pace of life in human cities to those of other races, but living alongside humans isn't without issues, as they face some discrimination due to their association with vermin. A more serious issue is that they are occasionally mistaken for wererats, whose universally bad reputation can cause major issues for an innocent ratfolk. These cases of mistaken identity have lead to the normally peaceful ratfolk harboring a serious grudge against these lycanthropes.
Dwarves
Ratfolk are less common in dwarven cities than those of other races largely due to the fact that their meticulously planned nature leaves few dark corners and out of the way places for ratfolk to live undisturbed. In addition to this, the dwarves tend to frown on the digging of tunnels and warrens under their cities. Ratfolk generally admire dwarves for their steadfast and honorable natures, but this same perception leads to them being overly sensitive to perceived criticisms, even when the dwarf in question was only joking with them.
Elves
Ratfolk generally like elves and half-elves, but sometimes find life in their cities to be a little bit slow paced. Pace of life aside, ratfolk like elves, particularly their music and art, and their warrens and homes are often decorated with elven art. Ratfolk traders are a common sight in elven territory, and one of the most reliable sources for elven goods anywhere they can be found.
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