Bat-Folk

"The underground of Vaorilia is peppered with thousands of twisting and turning cave systems, all interconnected and collectively known as the Underworld. Among the stone and rock of the depths of the world, perhaps one would expect silence? But they would expect wrong. No, this underworld is a bustling ecosystem illuminated not by any large amount of light (though this scholar will not it is not devoid of it, given the presence of various luminescent creatures, and deeper still molten earth) but by sound.

The skitter of various creatures, the settling of rocks and water, the echo of foot steps, but most of all, and most wonderfully - the small little peeps of the Bat-Folk.

These souls, one of the three sentient species currently known to reside in the Underworld, are magnificent masters of echolocation. Their small, unobtrusive, peeps give them such accurate readings and detailed information on return that they may very well be able to count the eye lashes on our faces from miles away.

Bat-Folk are more than just their melodious sounds though, these small folk are also masterful acrobatics. A skill needed to avoid the many dangers of the Underworld, and aiding their reputation as fantastic martial fighters. Their wide, thin, but fluffy ears are said to provide balance to them as they cling and climb to the rafters of the Underworld.

Like most of the people of the Underworld though, they tend to shun us surface dwellers. Thus it may be rare to see one among our cities or in Deor proper. Despite this, this scholar at least looks forward to his next venture into the unknown." - A Treaty On The People of Vaorilia, Professor Arista of the School of Peoples

Basic Information

Anatomy

Bat-Folk are a short, fuzzy people with large bat like ears from which they take their common tongue name. On top of that they eye like protrusions upon their face that may in fact be vestigial from a time when they did have color vision. The are bipedal, though climb upon all fours when needed utilizing the strength and natural claws time and evolution have gifted them. Some are even rumored to have near see through stints of flesh between their arms and legs that they could use to glide, this is false.  Some do have sharper teeth than others however, some scholars belief this is left over from a time when the Bat-Folk were two peoples, one carnivorous and one either omnivores or herbivores. Currently they are Omnivores.

Biological Traits

On average, Bat-Folk range from three to four feet tall. They have no visual differences on grounds of sex, and lack the obvious mammary glands one would expect of other mammals. They are light, leading some scholars to think that like birds their bones are hollow. They range in color from warm browns and dark greys to whites and some even having vivid stripes of orange and other colors.

Genetics and Reproduction

Bat-Folk, unlike many of the sentient species of Vaorilia, are products of litters. Anywhere between Two to Six Bat-Folk can be in a given litter, and the gestation time is about two years, during this time period the Mother figure tends to spend a great deal of time hibernating. Some believe this period of time is what allows the Litter to Grow so quickly once they are born before plateauing. Not in size no, but in intellect, that the 'Mother' figure is teaching her children through dreams. There is no evidence to back this up in lore, but in truth it is fact. The Origin of this Dream Talking is not yet known.

Growth Rate & Stages

Once born, the Bat-Folk grow rabidly before plateauing and aging much more like the rest of the planets sentient species. They reach adulthood at twenty years of age.

Ecology and Habitats

Their natural habitat is the surface caves and higher levels of the Underworld, where caverns are mostly occupied by wandering creatures or water. Thus making their echolocation most useful. They build 'habitations' (their word in common for cities, as they find surface cities far too loud and disorderly to share the same name) from the cavernous roof of the Underworld carved from the rock. Some buildings are even made so that the gentle sounds of their sight makes music. This is said to be disorienting to those unaccustomed to them.

Dietary Needs and Habits

They are omnivores, though in the Underworld itself they tend to survive on a diet consisting mostly of various native Fungi and fish found in the underwater oceans and lakes. Often times in their 'Habitations' they grow the fungi they consume on the outside of their very homes, working as both sound dampening to give the families privacy, and as a food source. For those of us with color vision, they also turn these not cities into works of luminescent art.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

They observe the world through advanced echo location - often known to the surface people as 'Bat-Peeps' a sort of weewoo sound that bounces off the world and returns to the Bat-Folk with news of their surrounding. Some scholars believe it is such a low and gentle sound as to help them avoid predators in the early days of the world, others believe its merely a coincidence. Either way, its often times so precise that they can read people better than many people with color light vision. Though it also is sensitive and leads them to avoid loud jobs and environments.

Civilization and Culture

Major Language Groups and Dialects

Given the nature of their communication; Bat-Folk have a unique sound based language that is impossible for other sentient species to learn. It's tied directly to how they look at the world. Beyond that they can, and often times those who leave their homes are forced, to speak one of two common languages found throughout the world. The Common language, said to have been crafted by Isador, and Undercommon a similar yet distinct language created by the Dragon known as 'Old Man' by the Mushroom Folk.

Common Dress Code

Bat-Folk tend to prefer dress that 'soften' the shape of people. Flowing robes and simple dresses. Decoration has little merit to them, though among the Silenced the opposite if often true. Known Kesh Blacksmith Petra, for example, is keen on many jingling items attached to her person. At least when she isn't working.

Common Taboos

In general, anything that goes against the Perfected Form, and the Perfect Masters choices is viewed as Taboo, and grounds to be exiled or Silenced. Depending on the particular Habitation, this can be for minor things such as wearing the wrong coat to major things such as wanting a different job.

Historical Figures

The First Perfected Master was a Bat-Folk named Bellerophon: It is said that he invented the the hand to hand combat styles that they use to this day, and employed them against the monsters first created by the World Heart, before she crafted her Stone Men. He died to mysterious causes, Old Man has told the Mushroom folk that it was poison by his own people as he grew to hubris with age. The Bat-Folk deny this. Saying he was brought to Druar's side as an aid his domain of Perfection.
The Most Recent Perfected Master of Note are actually two: The Twins Castor and Pollux. So identical were these two that they tested the people of their Habitation by often taking each others place. They were... unique for being rather mischievous and odd but beloved as kind rulers. They died together, at the hands of the Stone Men of the World Heart, reigniting the Holy Hatred the civilization of Habitations had for them.

Common Myths and Legends

Druar is the Blood-God of the perfect form. Though unlike most Blood-Gods, he does not show himself to his followers often nor do they depict him often. Bat-Folk believe they cannot possibly depict him correctly, and that is why he made their vision based on sound so they would not be tempted to do so. But beyond that they believe they are his Perfect Guardians, tasked with a holy duty for all time. To keep the mad and wild creations of the World Heart in check. A holy balance hand crafted by the Gods themselves to correct their own error.
Bat-Folk believe that all gods but Druar were, in essence, prototypes for his Perfection. And any Blood-God that came after was made out of envy for having accomplished something so great, but not being able to do so again. Thus they pay no heed to any of the other Gods but him. This isn't to say they don't view them as gods, but that they don't view them as worthy of worship. The only figure they don't actually view as a God is Valaith, Lady of Death. They simply view her as the cost of failure to defend order.
Specific Legends are few and far between, given once more the age of the world. They are actively, after all, in their age of Myth and Legend, but a few do exsist. One such myth is the creation of the First Halfling. Druar is said to have crafted them from the dust Isador did not clean up after his own creation. And thus each of them do have a part of his perfection in him that the other people do not.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

As probably noted throughout this writing, the Bat-Folk are very insular and not fond of outsiders who communicate so much more loudly than they. They are, in their eyes, imperfect and only a step above the Silenced as they have never known the 'Right' way of things. They keep their distance, either out of politeness.... or distrust.

Bat Folk.
If you play Bat-Folk in Vaorilia in Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition, please use the following stats.

Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2, your Strength increases by 1.
Age. Bat-Folk live around the same amount of time as the rest of sentient species found in setting. Maturing around 20 and living to be around 125.
Alignment. Due to the martial nature of their society in the Underworld, Bat-Folk tend to favor lawful alignments, but like all things, individuals determine their alignment, not race.
Size. Bat-Folk stand between 3’ to 4’ feet tall, making them one of the smallest races in Vaorilia. Your size is Small.
Speed. You have a base walking speed of 30. You also have a climbing speed of 30 feet.
Blind Sense. Life in the Underworld has removed the necessity for traditional vision, You have Blind Sense up to 60 feet from you, and are not totally blind beyond that, only less sure, but only as long as you can speak and therefore make the sounds needed for your Echolocation.

Proficiency Bonus. You gain proficiency in Acrobatics, as well as one of the follow: Performance, Athletics, Perception.
Languages. You Speak Deep Common, and Common.
Natural Weapons - Claws. Your people have developed long sharp claws to help facilitate their climbing. They also come in handy in a pinch, your claws are natural weapons and do 1d4 slashing damage. You may use either dexterity or strength when determining your to hit and damage.

Geographic Distribution

• The Underworld

Bat-Folk, Creative Eagle