Thoptra

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Thoptras

A lone locust stalks the wilds, trailing a group of muscans who recently trespassed. Soon, he hears the sounds of panicked buzzing and the unnatural groan of the flies' undead being called. Jumping from his hiding spot amidst the branches, the locust sees his millipede wrapped around the leader of the muscans. Then, raising his bow, drew an arrow and fired. Finally, the locust drops an undead beetle to the ground, and with a stringent noise from his legs and wings, calls forth his kin to assist him.

The quiet and gloom of the night set in the tavern. Even the beetlefolk seem too tired to keep the party going. Yet a sudden musical tune cuts through the atmosphere, and a cricket, green and carrying their lute, arrives from the back, playing with glinting eyes and infectious cheer. Soon, everyone in the tavern is singing along and tossing a couple of silver for the bard, who continues to spark their audience.

A race divided

The thoptras hail from the Cullpines, a plane that resembles a dark and gloomy pine forest. Survival in the Cullpines is brutal, it is either kill or be killed, and only the keenest hunters have a chance to survive. These thoptras that mastered the ways of the pines became the Locusts. They sought to empower their kin and rise above the plane's dangers.
However, not all thoptras shared the locust's views and sought to leave the dangers of the Cullpines behind for good. They managed to transport themselves onto the Material Plane, which strengthened their innate magic. Drunk with power, the crickets betrayed their own kin, enslaving the locusts with their magics as they sought to rise as the new leaders of their people.
With their loyal and brutal locust enforces and vile spells, the crickets build a tyranny on the back of thousands of insectoid slaves.Their tyranny was stopped only through an uprising led by their locust cousins. Ever since, the two factions have been divided, driven apart by the betrayal of their own kin.

Born Hunters

Locusts have an almost innate sense of hunting. Since their past in the Cullpines, they have always maintained close ties with the wilderness they dwell in. Their natural connection with beasts allows them to gain their assistance, and their own knowledge of the terrain makes their mobility almost mystical in the eyes of outsiders. Locust hunting swarms seem to work with an unearthly sense of unity and efficiency.
Despite their claim of neutrality, locusts are simply distrustful of other races due to their previous enslavement under the crickets. However, most locusts are very loyal and to earn one's trust is to gain their friendship.

Life of the Party

While locusts still bear grudges of the past, most crickets have long since forgotten their previous position as tyrants. Having become nomads or settling in the courts of other bugs, crickets live in the present. Seeing the positives and avoiding the negatives, their laidback behavior can spark conflict with more strict figures, but many find their attitude relieving or calming during more trying times. Although a cricket's sudden mood swings often left too trusting individuals with a knife in their back and empty pockets.

Thoptra Traits

While crickets and locusts couldn't be more different from each other, there are still some traits all thoptra share.
Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity increases by 1.
Age. Thoptra reach maturity at 16 years of age and usually live up to 80 years.
Alignment. While locusts usually lean towards neutrality, focusing on their hunt and avoiding the affairs of the world, Crickets are jovial and carefree, and as such lean towards chaotic alignments.
Size. The two subraces of thoptra vary significantly in size: The locusts' lean bodies are between 4 to 6 feet tall, while the crickets' stocky build reaches only about 3 to 4 feet in height. Your size is Medium or Small.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Languages. You can speak, read and write Common, Insect-Common, and Thoptran. Thoptran is a curious language spoken through musical and rhythmic tones. The crickets' dialect is more melodic, leaning into chirping sounds, while the locusts' dialect consists more of sharp clicks.
Subraces. The califera are divided into two subraces, the charismatic yet whimsical Crickets, and the stoic and suspicious Locusts.

Cricket

They say there's no better entertainment than a cricket in a tavern. Those who have seen these cheerful and open figures fill the room with music and cheer. The crickets seek to enjoy life's pleasures one day at a time, with no regard for the past or future.
Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 2.
Charming Musician. You know the friends cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the charm person spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. When you reach 5th level, you can cast the suggestion spell once and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
Mystical Stridulation. You can replace verbal components for your spells with sounds you create from your wings and legs.
Performer's Intuition. You gain proficiency in one skill of your choice: Deception, Performance, or Persuasion.
Standing Leap. You can jump a distance equal to your walking speed and high jump equal to half of that distance, with or without a running start.

Locust

Dwelling in the distant wilds are the locusts, skilled hunters, and guardians of the wilderness. Armed with bow and blade, these reclusive individuals claim to keep neutrality and focus on their own lands. Naturally connected to the creatures of the wild, locusts travel through the branches with astounding speed before bringing their prey down with a barrage of arrows.
Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution increases by 2.
Flight. You have a flying speed of 10 feet, but you must land at the end of every minute or begin to fall. When you reach 5th level, your flying speed increases to 20 feet, and the time restriction is lifted. You can't be wearing medium or heavy armor to use this speed.
Swarm Tactics. You have advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least one of your allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn't incapacitated.
Prowler's Intuition. You gain proficiency in one skill of your choice: Animal Handling, Medicine, Nature, or Survival.
Speech of Beast and Leaf. You can communicate in a limited manner with beasts and plants. They can understand the meaning of your words, though you can't understand them in return. You have advantage on all Charisma checks you make to influence them.