Homebrew Elken Species Details

The Elken race is a distant cousin of both orcs and elves. They are a graceful, rank-based people, who despite some having triggers to violence, are almost always peaceful to each other. They tend to live in large tribes, in isolated taiga or expansive redwood forests, and they are adapted to the cold and harsh environment of the wilderness. The Elken aren't usually regarded as fey, and don't tend to live in the fey realm.

Graceful Yet Fierce

Elken people tend to be quite large, roughly 5'10"-6'10", and quite physically toned, but most end up quite slender from hunger or exhaustion in the wild. They are incredibly flexible and have a quicker reaction time than most other races.

The Elken are normally of a very light grey to a very dark grey in skin colour, and their eyes are always bright colours like yellow, green, blue, red or even purple. Most have very little body hair and will often have decoratory face paint to make themselves look more intimidating. The darker skin tones will use white with red marks down the forehead, and the lighter skin tones may use a darker grey base, or just use red. They take pride in their scars.

Elder Oriented

Elken people have a rank system based on merit and age. Elders tend to be the most experienced, but also do very little to achieve more merit. Elderhood tends to begin around ones' 90th year, and an Elken may live up to 130 years.

Elken enter adulthood after their tribesman/tribeswoman trial, often consisting of a few challenges set by an elder who specializes in the same thing as the youth. This tends to be around an Elken's 16th year, however, it often depends on the mental maturity of the student, many only complete their trial after their 17th, 18th, up to their 25th year.

Living The Land

Elken people live in tribes and villages in taiga and redwood forests. They usually make dens within the trees, or even at the treetops. They are not apposed to using the resources at their disposal, like woods, stones and sometimes metals, however they understand the importance of letting the land heal and giving back to the world around them. The Elken also live for the hunt, and hunting game is their main food source.

Some Elkens pick up practices in medicine, herbalism, art, lumbering and smithing, however the majority tend to be hunters, cooks, storytellers and collectors/crafters. The average Elken is usually impartial to other races, however like humans and orcs, certain individuals can be incredibly aggressive, and others may lean more toward basic avoidance and pacifism.

Together We Are Strong

The Elken race believes in a basic set of rules, many generations old, most of which are about how to cook food, not being lazy and sharing, but there are 2 main laws that all true Elkens follow. Together We Are Strong, never fight or make decisions on your own, as many single minds are much less useful than one connected mind. Life is Precious, do not kill besides to feed yourself and your family, and defend those you love. If this rule is broken, the offender must overcome several trials, set by the elders in order to be accepted again. 

Cautious And Isolated

The Elken people tend to have a keen eye for the large mass of other races, and so often hold their own prejudices against them sometimes.

Elves. “Elves are tricky and untrustworthy. They offer many things they cannot share, and expect from others more than themselves.”

Orcs. “Orcs are aggressive and unordered. They may see scars as important, but more as a sign of age and merit, than of hardship.”

Humans. “Humans are unpredictable, dangerous and the hardest race to read. And they try to fill their short lives with things that matter no more than their big open fields and crowded cities.”

Elken Names

Elken people often have birth names, heritage names, and earnt names.

Birth names are decided on the child's birth, and often consist of one syllable. Heritage names are similar to last names, however they tend to use the earnt name of a family member or parent, a.k.a. if a parent was known as Ere "Wolf", the child or offspring may be Tuul, of the "Wolf". Once a name is earnt for a certain act or burden, it replaces both the birth name and heritage name. It is rare that anyone other than a wife or husband will use the birth name of an Elken, everyone else tends to refer to them as their earnt name.

Child Names: Tuss, Caul, Ken, Wor, Yave, Pool, Zumb, Kwan, Ry, Ri, Fint, Ade, Rinn, Sai, Lorr, Bant, Val.

Heritage Names / Earnt names: (of the) "Dragon", "Wolf", "Bark", "Arking", "Call", "Pincer", "Caesar", "River", "Marine", "Sun", "Moon", "Sky", "Wind", "Save", "Immortal", etc.

Elken Traits

Your Elken character is adapted to keen skills, used in harsh, wild enviroments.

Ability Score Increase

Your Dexterity score increases by 1, and your Intelligence score increases by 1.

Age

The Elken race can live up to 130 years old, and typically enter elderhood around ones' 90th year. Elderhood tends to be a state of mastery, but also inactivity, acting more as leaders, wisdom keepers, and experts for youth. Elken youth, enter adulthood after completing their tribe trial, which often consists of a few challenges set by an elder who specializes in the same things as the Elken youth. Trials tend to begin from ones' 16th year, however, some may not begin their trial up to their 25th year due to immaturity, or being rejected by the tribes' elders.

Size

Elken people tend to range between 5'10" and 6'10". Your size is medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet. You also have a base climbing speed of 5ft.

Darkvision

Used to the dark winters, and night-time wilderness, both from ancestry and adaptation, Elken have a sense of Darkvision up to 60ft, however they can only see in shades of grey in dim light or darkness.

Keen Senses

You have proficiency in the Perception and Insight skill.

Relentless Endurance

When you are reduced to 0 hit points but not killed outright, you can drop to 1 hit point instead. You can’t use this feature again until you finish a long rest.

Together We Are Strong

Elken people work best in teams. While you are in the general vicinity of at least one party member, you gain +1 to AC, and so long as you and at least one other party member are looking for food, water or travelling through difficult terrain (winter, tundra or woodland), you always find food and water, and travel through said difficult terrain as if easy terrain. The Armour Class increase is in affect for as long as at least one party member is in visible distance.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Elken. Elken is a mix of Common, Elvish and Orcish. Most educated Elves can understand Elken, but see it as primitive, and other races can do basic communication with Elken people who only speak Elken. Elken is a hunting language, and often shortens most phrases and conversations to simple words and commands, hence why Elken people have storytellers, who's jobs are to tell intricate stories in Common. Elken does not have a written form.