Inuksa

The Rock Race
Let Earth Lead The inuksa take their stance from the earth, 'stand your ground, create longstanding institutions, and hold against the ravages of the world'. Inuksa were once a dominant race of the elemental plane of fire. As the Rastaag, the material plane, formed the inuksa began to traverse between the realms. They began to see themselves as stewards of the paths linking the plane of fire and the Rastaag. They would not actively pursue aggressors or those that plotted attacks, but would stand against them during an assault.
The inuksa are contemplative beings of long memories and steadfast resolve when making decisions. They believe themselves the direct descendants of Kor, the god of rock and fire, and typically have molded and shaped rock shrines or fire and lava pits to honor him.

Basic Information

Anatomy

The inuksa resemble the mindless rock golem or even a humanoid earth elemental, but they differ in striking ways. They can be made up of any variety of earthly minerals and materials. They are humanoid in shape and generally stockier than humans, appearing closer to a dwarf in body type. They are typically as tall as humans, elves, or even half-orcs. With this in mind, their physical forms may not be as symmetrical as those of every other race. Their limbs may not be even, their head may not have a neck, they may not have a head, there may be pointed or blunt protrusions across their forms. They usually have digits on their hands but may not have them on their feet. The number of digits may not always match each appendage, there have been very few who had no digits on their hands at all. This is seen as a blessing from Kor, gifting them form closer to divinity. They are believed to be a disciple of Kor and are aptly called Kor-Marked. The Inuksa do not breathe air as soft races do. Much of their physiology is unlike any other race. They require air to communicate in most languages, Primordial has dialects that are the exception, and have a large chamber in their chest cavity that can hold air much the way lungs do. They do still require oxygen, as their ember-heart requires this to stay lit. This is why many inuksa have a fear of the oceans or lakes of the world. Due to their body density they tend to sink as opposed to float, and with prolonged lack of oxygen their ember-heart can be extinguished. In this way the indomitable people made of rock and stone share the same fears of drowning as other peoples.

Biological Traits

Inuksa are generally broader and heavier than humans. Due to their lack of organic tissues inuksa are immune to diseases that may afflict the 'soft' races. There is still a chance they could act as 'carriers' for these types of ailments. For this reason, times of disease may still affect the inuksa when they are in settlements with other races. At times they have even been blamed for the outbreaks, since they would have nothing to lose if it were to spread.

Genetics and Reproduction

The inuksa do not have organs as most other creatures, but they do continue to grow as any other race would. The ancient magicks that flow through them allows the movement and growth of the hard materials that make up the inuksa. They also do not reproduce organically, instead they create a bond with another individual that they share a deep kinship with. Once the two realize they want to create life, the two of them come together at a Cradle Shrine or Forgiveness Shrine. It is at this place that they take part in a Pressing and Splitting ceremony. The souls of the two are fractured and merged and, along with the magical energies of Kor, a new soul is created. This is expressed by the flicker of purple flame, an ember-heart, in the center of the shrine. A small kernel of rock is within and will, after a few moments, disappear into the fire and magma. After 3 months of Fortitude the groundling, will emerge from the pit. The groundling will either appear, rolling out of it or awkwardly crawling out. This process does not have the limitations of sex, or even race. The inuksa do not have male or female genders. They develop strong bonds and with one another and agree to give up a part of their own soul, as well as years of life, to create offspring. As previously mentioned this can also occur between an inuksa and another race. If two feel a strong enough bond then the soft race individual will need to undergo certain rites and rituals to allow their soul to merge with that of the inuksa's. Most of this is to prepare the individual's mind and spirit for this intense process. The inuksa have prepared for this their entire lives during the weeks of prayer and communion during the Mantle Setting ceremonies they complete.

Growth Rate & Stages

After the groundlings are born they are looked after by their parents. Shortly after, typically two weeks, they are brought to a temple or other holy site for The Mantle Setting ceremony. Their parents, or just the inuksa parent if one of them is a 'soft' race, will quietly sit with them for a week. The groundling will grow in mass during this process and begin to understand the teachings of Kor. This occurs every 5 years until they are about 45, when they are considered an adult. The ritual involves the growing groundling kneeling at the flat stone alter and communing with the earth and Kor. This same ritual is known to happen with inuksa after 50 years, but this is only with the extremely devout and at fewer intervals. There have been even fewer instances of the participants increasing in size with the continuation of these rituals.

Ecology and Habitats

Inuksa make their homes in caves, mountains, and canyons. Virtually anywhere that consists of tight quarters and allows them to make the most of their ability to sense vibrations to read their environments. In addition to the dank caves, cold mountains, and arid canyons there are some inuksa who dwell in or near volcanoes. These are typically not active and certain measures are taken to ensure the safety of those nearby. Those that reside near volcanoes tend to do so for a particular resource or reason. This may be for rare minerals, a powerful forge, or a religious experience. Inuksa do little to the environment around them and its inhabitants. As they do not require sustenance from plants or animals the inuksa do not raise livestock or hunt in the surrounding areas. Some of these communities are known to gather small amounts of vegetation for the creation of paints and dyes. They do partake in minor mining operations in search for minerals to sustain them or provide decoration or materials for building. The only creatures they would do harm would be those that mean harm to them or the region, this would typically be more of a defensive act. The inuksa community is built of modest homes and impressive temples. They also have structures built to house trade, mostly with travelers or outsiders. These shops are somewhat spacious but do not compare to temples, and even art installations. They do construct wooden accents, but most everything used in the construction of their communities is made of some form of stone.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Inuksa, though beings made of rock and bound together by magic, are living creatures and require sustenance. To provide their bodies sustenance they require minerals from the earth on a daily basis. This can be met by simply having contact with the earth each day. This is something that their bodies learn as they grow and partake in the Mantle Setting. If your nutritional needs are not met in this way you can also be sustained by eating rock and minerals. You can also ingest normal food and drink if you wish, but this does little to sustain you. Instead of sleeping, you enter a restful state for 4 hours each day. You do not dream in this state; you are fully aware of your surroundings and notice approaching enemies and other events as normal. This must occur on natural ground, such as earth or rock. They are able to absorb rich nutrients and minerals through contact with the earth and natural rock. It is also believed that they are nourished by the energies of the earth itself as well as Kor.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Inuksa believe that a society is built around balance. For this reason they have a council, always consisting of an odd number of members, who make all of the decisions for the community. This group is called a Collum. These members will be some of the elder members of the community, or may have precious stones or veins of metal within their bodies. There may also be a Kor-Marked individual in the community. Anyone of this status will always have the respect, and a position of power, with the Collum. Typically those with these gifts are only granted so much privilege, and once the community begins to suffer due to their selfishness, the Collum will move forward with removing and replacing them. Being removed from the Collum for this reason may lead to the individual being ostracized from the community altogether. Removal from the Collum can also occur if an individual is too fool-hearty, pursues too lofty of goals, or wants to move without contemplation. The inuksan society is based on careful and deliberate thoughts and actions. It is not a democracy, but due to the amount of time decisions make, the Collum is actually able to hear from the community before a decision is made, allowing the others to have input on decisions. Inuksa believe that the best way to live is to do so by finding your place and standing your ground. These communities are built on long standing traditions, business relationships, and trade agreements. The P'Lar hold the most power in inuksan society and are the spiritual governing body that all inuksan communities, and their Collums look to. Beyond these social structures those naturally imbued with precious materials have a high standing in society, followed by those that mine as well as those the study and understand the earth and its minerals. The last group that holds sway in these communities are the merchants. It is this last group that ties many from the outside world to the inuksan communities.

Facial characteristics

Inuksan faces can vary widely. For one, they may not have a head, or even much of a face. Like the rest of their body their face is made up of rock. Typically this is formed from small rocks and pebbles, though there may be larger ones as well. They could have one or two eyes and the eyes will most likely not be symmetrically located on the face. The color of the rocks on their face may be the same color as the rest of their body, or a shade or two lighter.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

They generally find their homes deep beneath the surface. There can also be settlements in mountains, canyons, or volcanoes. Any major cities will be deep within the earth.

Average Intelligence

Inuksa are a fairly intelligent race who spend their academic time learning about the geological aspects of the world. They also show interest in understanding the earth and its energies. Much of their time is spent on spiritual or physical pursuits of their intellectual interests.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Inuksa interact with the world as most other races do. Their hearing is able to pick up a good deal more than say a human and is just about their strongest sense. The sense they depend most on is touch. The inuksa are able to sense the slight vibrations that are put off in the earth around them. This grants them the ability to detect approaching enemies or obstacles before they are visible. Their vision is lacking because it is only used in close proximity. This sense is highly dependent on their ability to sense vibrations around them. Their eyes can only focus on points within a 10 foot range, beyond that images are blurry and details hard to interpret. For them to interpret fine details or even read text they would need to be even closer. Some inuksa that interact frequently with soft races or their societies have frequently turned to goggles or glasses to help with reading and up close details. The inuksa's sense of smell mostly detects strong odors and has trouble picking up more subtle aromas.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

uh sounds Uk as in 'took'

Major Organizations

P'Lar: Serves as the high council for inuksans.
Collum: Serves as the local council for inuksans.
The Circo: The religious order and guide for inuksans.

Beauty Ideals

Inuksa believe that the more ridges and dips you have on your body, the better. They also see veins of precious metals and stones as a gift from Kor, as well as the Kor-marked individuals who lack digits. Artistically and structurally they love smoothly and intricately carved stone. They enjoy taking in art of this fashion with their ability to sense vibrations. Culturally they find beauty in balance and can find common ground any other race that agrees with this. Balance is what nourishes the land around them, a statue's ability to stand, and a communities desires and ability to continue.

Gender Ideals

They understand that a male and female create offspring, this has been evident to them since before they met other races. They understand this due to their study of organic life, but at the same time are startled by it in some ways. Organic creatures can create life without having a strong bond, which hurts the offspring. No bond is required for the new life and no sacrifice of your own existence is made. The inuksa have no genders and are all seen as equal, the only differentiating factor is what you can do to benefit your community. In this way inuksa have no specified gender roles.

Courtship Ideals

Inuksa cultivate friendships with those they live in close proximity to, as inuksa do not typically enjoy travelling long distances. As the friendship grows and the individuals share more of their time with one another they may decide to make a Forge Pact will begin to pray with one another during normally very private times with Kor. They will typically live in the same structure at this point as well. At any point during the courtship the initiating inuksan will offer a bell, chime, ring or some other such object that creates noise, to its partner. The initial inuksa will have an exact duplicate. If the other individual reciprocates they will return with an object to hang on or around the sounding object to create sound. This second item could be a ball bearing, a coin, a precious stone, or some other such token. The pair will wear these items, giving off the same sound whether they walk with one another or apart.

Relationship Ideals

Inuksa look to the longevity of the community over all else. This is similar to how they manage their friendships. There are no short-term goals, they look to build bonds that will last lifetimes. These bonds will safeguard their safety, or prosperity, and in turn the community's. They expect honesty and balance from everyone they look to form a bond with. This expectation is stronger when a Forge Pact is formed. Inuksa expect to only form this bond with one individual.

Major Language Groups and Dialects

Inuksa have always been able to speak the language of the fire elementals and eventually that of the earth plane denizens as well. Once the Material plane came into existence and the inuksa made their way from the fire plane they began to speak the Common language. For this reason inuksa speak Common and Primordial

Common Etiquette Rules

Act politely without being pompous or exaggerated. Wealth is meant to be shared among the community. There is only excess in worship, art, or geology.

Common Dress Code

Inuksa typically do not wear clothes unless they serve as some type of utility. Robes may be worn during certain ritualistic times, such as a Forge Pact or during a Subduction, or in the presence of the P'Lar. Some inuksa also where robeswhen attending festivals or religious rites in which 'soft' races are present. If the clothes do not serve some utility it is likely they are primitively made of plant fiber. In some climates this is moss that the inuksa allow to grow on their bodies. No matter where the community is from or whether or not the individual wears clothing, all inuksa wear items that ring, chime, or vibrate. These trinkets, called geera, are standard to the region and community. They are used to communicate to the others in their community without speaking a word. Geera express status, occupation, age, and homesite. There are also some who have intricate designs carved into their bodies. These carvings may tell stories of Kor or Rastaag or the elemental planes or even the story of the community the individual was raised. The carvings can continue as the inuksa grows in size and mass as new rock formations sprout from their forms.

Culture and Cultural Heritage

Inuksa have certain traits that are only exhibited when they have a close working relationship with other races, as well as some that are always present when working with those of their own kind. Inuksa communities are known to gather small amounts of vegetation for the creation of paints and dyes, as well as others sources. This is mostly for those areas that see many 'soft' races in their borders or for artistic desires. Even when the purpose is purely artistic more bright colors are used as the travelers and denizens from other races will look upon them with more curiousity or acknowledgement. Due to the inuksa's poor eyesight they use muted colors, if any, and really are only concerned with color for the sake of other races who put more of a meaning to it. Inuksans convey subtle moods or objectives without words when in close proximity to one another. This type of communication is lost on the 'soft' races, with the exception of those individuals that frequent work sites shared with inuksa. Even these individuals require extended time of working with the rock race before they are able to gain the understanding of this nuanced means of communication. Inuksans will always commit to prayer whether they have other races in their community or not, this may limit the places they may emigrate to as some regions restrict religious worship of certain deities. Since inuksa do not typically use means of subterfuge or deceit, and may in fact feel they would be slighting Kor if not openly worshiping him, they would most likely not reside in an area where they could not openly worship Him.

Common Taboos

The inuksa do not believe in selfish pursuits and put the community before the individual. Those that put themselves above the rest may be ostracized, or socially shunned until that point. They also look down on lying or falsifying intent. This goes far enough that most inuksa do not use underhanded tactics or subterfuge, even in combat. The other pillar of the inuksa society is unwavering certainty in what works and how it will always work. It is because of this that many inuksa turn away new and innovative ideas. The act of the Forge Pact is meant to be taken only once for each inuksan. This may not be true if their partner passes away, or has a similar fate befall them. This could lead to an individual having multiple partners over their lifetime, but never at the same time. This is because those that commit to one another within a Forge Pact will most likely take part in the Pressing and Splitting ceremony to create life. This act takes a portion of the the soul from each parent, shortening their life. That is why this is highly regarded as a flippant disregard for life. The bond formed before they two individuals create life allows them to fully entrust in one another, something they do not believe can occur when the individual has multiple partners. The major concern though, comes from the fact that with each offspring that an inuksa creates their life is shortened, which could lead to all of the groundlings not having both either, or both, parents if too many are sired. Inuksa also believe that the Forge Pact can occur between any two individuals, as such some communities include 'soft' races in this. This is not completely welcome however because of the physical desires that soft races have and their inability to form these deeply intimate bonds without those physical connections. The 'soft' race individual also needs to undergo so much spiritual preparation that it can cause stress on the relationship and even result in diminished health and well-being. As most inuksa stay in their communities the 'soft' race parent may be a 'rock in water', feeling uncomfortable, out of place, or even lost or afraid.

History

Inuksa existed when the Material plane was forming.

Common Myths and Legends

Splitting of the earth

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Inuksa work well with most races and can find their own niche in the societies of these 'soft' races. They call all other races 'soft' races, not as a slight, but as the descriptor they use to most closely classify the races. They do look down on selfishness, lack of planning, and excess. They feel a strong bond with dwarves and gnomes, due to the similar interests that they share with the 'soft' races. Inuksa have been known to form tight bonds with 'soft' races and even create a Forge Pact with them at times. This can lead to difficulty when rearing the groundling or the 'soft' race living with a very structured life with intense spiritual requirements.

Definitions

Kor-Marked: soft races
ember-heart
Cradle Shrine/Forgiveness Shrine
Pressing and Splitting ceremony
Fortitude
groundling
Mantle Setting ceremony

RACIAL FEATURES & TRAITS

Ability Score Increase. Your Strength increases by 1 and Constitution by 2.
Alignment. Typically Lawful Neutral, but may also be Lawful Good.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Primordial.
Reinforced Rock. Your stone exterior is dense and may even have metal veins within, granting you a +1 bonus to Armor Class.
Living Earth. You are immune to disease. You still require oxygen. You require minerals from the earth on a daily basis to survive which can be met by simply having contact with the earth each day. If your nutritional needs are not met in this way you can also be sustained by eating minerals. You can also ingest normal food and drink if you wish, but this does little to sustain you. Instead of sleeping, you enter a restful meditative state for 4 hours each day. You do not dream in this state but are engrossed in a trance with the earth in an attempt to gain nutrients and insights from it. Due to this these 4 hours are treated as sleep in that you are unaware of your surroundings and events that would not 'wake' you from your meditation. This must occur on natural ground, such as earth or rock.

Lifespan

Inuksa reach adulthood at approximately 45 years old and can reach 850 years of age. It is rumored that some linger in this world for close to a millennium.

Average Height

4.5 - 6 feet

Average Weight

250 - 450 pounds

Average Physique

Most inuksa are stocky wide. THey are very strong and durable creatures that know how to defend themselves. There are some inuksa that are of a smaller build, but these are few are far between.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Inuksa may be any color of earth and rock material. There are times that veins of metal or crystals may also adorn their body naturally.There is a story of caution in the inuksan communities, that these individuals will will be captured and sold, or 'harvested' by other races, if they are caught out on their own. As much as it is a story, it also has some basis in reality. Their body types and colors depend on where they undergo the Mantle Setting rituals. Each time this ritual is completed they absorb some of the nearby elements of the earth, this is how they grow in size. Rarely there are times that groundlings emerge from their cradle pits with the precious crystals or metals in their bodies.