Gerudo

Born of the unforgiving desert, the Gerudo are a remarkable people composed entirely of women, each one embodying a spirit as fiery as the sun-baked sands they call home. Legends speak of a Gerudo man being born every hundred years, yet time has rendered such a sight elusive, with centuries passing without the appearance of a male among them. Driven by their unique customs, Gerudo women venture beyond their homeland in search of husbands and later return with their daughters to continue the proud traditions of their people.

Women of the Desert

There are no credible histories about how the Gerudo came about or what their relationship to Hylians or Humans. Although Gerudo are closely related to Humans, they are much larger than their human counterparts and often exceed seven feet tall. The Gerudo are composed entirely of women, although this had not always been the case for the past three hundred years, ever since the Imprisoning War. Before the days of the traitor king, Ganondorf Dragmire, there was a Gerudo male born once every hundred years. As was tradition, this Gerudo would be raised by Gerudo elders to be crowned as king. But in the aftermath of Ganondorf's corruption, no kings have been born since. Ever since then, the Gerudo have carried on led by their chieftains. There are some Gerudo who eagerly await the day of a new king, but most are quite happy with the current status quo and find it mildly embarassing that their past included such a peculiar custom.
The Gerudo maintain their population by finding compatible male partners among Hylians, Humans, and Sheikah. Whether or not these relationships are long term can vary quite a bit. Gerudo from the Desert Colossus are expected to return to their home to raise their daughters, which can make long term relationships with men difficult. The Gerudo of the Great Bay rarely ever maintain long term relationship with men, though they will often allow male sailors on board their ships if they have useful skills to offer. Gerudo that prefer to stay with their men and raise their children in family units will often settle in human cities with their partners. Whatever the relationship might look like, these unions only ever produce female offspring. These daughters will most strongly resemble their mothers, with only some physical features from their father.
Gerudo women are expected to return home with their daughters once they have been weaned and are old enough to travel home. Gerudo children will spend most of their youth never laying eyes on any man, as they are expected to remain within the city for their education, while in turn no man is allowed to enter the city. During this time, the girls are educated on all the various skills they will need in life, be it combat or cooking, as well as some notions of how to pair up with a man and to avoid getting entangled in complex relationships. Despite all of this, many Gerudo women would much prefer to have relationships among their own kind and it is fairly common for Gerudo women to pair up to raise their daughters together. Gerudo girls raised in this way are called bond sisters, even if they are not related by blood.

Raiders to Traders

When the Gerudo were led by kings, they were traditionally a raiding society. The desert offered few prospects for agriculture or hunting. In those days, they maintained their villages much closer to the edge of the Gerudo desert, allowing them quicker access to the bountiful offerings of Hyrule. This was a source of constant conflict with Hyrule. This state of affairs was not so different with the Terminian Gerudo of the Great Bay, where they practiced piracy and were constantly making raids on Clocktown and nearby islands. This way of life had sustained them for hundreds of years, which made them constantly at odds with their neighbors. Tne aftermath of the Imprisoning War changed things dramatically, as the Gerudo now had to contend with the association with the Demon King's armies.
In the years that would follow, the Gerudo made peace with their neighbors. Within the Gerudo Desert, they guide and organize merchant caravans between Hyrule and Calatia. The pirates of the Great Bay have in turn taken to transporting merchant goods from Clocktown to the various sea ports along the coasts of Harkinia and Calatia. Although old mistrusts still linger, the Gerudo are now able to freely move around the world without being objects of fear and hatred. On the eastern continent, the Gerudo have established their own independant province where they are free of their old cultural practices and can live alongside human men and women as they please.

Known Settlements

The Gerudo have three known settlements. The largest is the Desert Colossus in the Gerudo Desert. In Termina, a band of Gerudo sailors have settled in Aveilis. Across the sea, Gerudo have established the independent province of Nabru where they can live alongside men and be free of the laws of their sister cities. However it is not uncommon to see Gerudo travelers across the world, especially for those practicing the tradition of leaving their home to search for a lover.

Thematic Archetypes

The Juggernaut - Artificer
The Gerudo solved the age-old problem of how to get a heavy Iron Knuckle across a desert - make the armor do all the walking.
Path of the Zealot - Barbarian
Blessed by the Goddess of the Sands, Gerudo warriors will fight on until the very end - and a little bit after too.
Bladed Bravo - Dancer
Armed with dual scimitars, a Gerudo blademaster weaves between her enemies to cut them down with graceful movement.
Swashbuckler - Rogue
Sailors in the Great Bay know to beware of Gerudo Swashbucklers and their dangerous bladework.

Gerudo Features

Age. Gerudo mature at about the same rate as humans, but can live longer than humans do.
Size. Gerudo are exceptionally tall, standing close to 7 feet tall on average. Your size is medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 35 feet.
Survivor. You can move difficult terrain made of earth, stone or sand without expending extra movement. You have proficiency in Survival and advantage on saving throws to avoid being Poisoned or taking Exhaustion.
Chosen Mastery. You gain proficiency in one melee weapon type of your choice. You may add half your proficiency bonus to damage rolls with that weapon type. This mastery can be changed each time you gain a level.
Toughness. Your hit point maximum increases by 1, and it increases by 1 every time you gain a level.
Powerful Build. You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift. You can treat weapons with the Versatile property as if they had the Light property. Moreover you can use your Dexterity instead of your Strength modifier when using weapons with the Light property.

Lifespan
Up to 100 years
Average Height
Between 6'9 to 7'6
Colouring and Markings
Gerudo typically have bronzed skin and bright red hair. Some variations can occur, especially in rare cases where they may inherit some of their father's appearance. Eye color varies, but are commonly seen in shades of green, red, and yellow.
Geographic Distribution
Gerudo can easily adapt to any environment. Although they have no special preference for deserts, it is one place where their hardy nature allows them to survive where other people cannot. Maintaining their population requires them to travel to find male partners, so Gerudo travel far and wide and it is not uncommon to see one in any human city or town. Most Gerudo return home after having a daughter, but those that find true love will often remain with their new family.