Homebrew Kaldt Species Details

Far to the north - beyond the world's spine in the frozen tundra of the Coldlands - dwell the forgotten Kaldt. As most cannot survive in the extreme cold temperatures, their small fortress of Kaldulv remains largely unknown, with the only regular visitors being the inhabitants of the world spine, the frost giants, and perhaps the scarce goliath. The Kaldt. however, revel in the cold and claim the north as their refuge from the politics of the civilized and the in-fighting of the barbarians, living only to hunt and survive in their harsh habitat.

The Kaldt are closely related to wolves, mirroring the ambivalent state of nature. Their bodies are as white as snow, with light blue markings covering their bodies and their eyes shimmering in the color of ice or water. Their eyes glow in a green, blue or grey sheen, and their hair is usually white, and occasionally black or red.Their skin might be frighteningly cold, but they share a great warmth in their hearts, sharing sympathy with all natural beings. They care for the clans and friends as if they were part of themselves, for what is life without companionship. 

Wolf's Blood

As the gods carved out the races who dominate the world of Toril, the likes of humans, elves, orcs and dwarves, the Great Wolf Kael, god of the circle of life, was wrought by curiosity, and handcrafted his own people in his image, with his blood as their source of strength.

He named them the Kaldt, meaning "cold ones" in Ulvan, an ancient Giant dialect of his design. He decided that like the other humanoid races of Toril, they will embody his way of life to the highest order. They were naturally gifted in hunting and were to abide by the balance between all things, making sure no one entity ever holds sway over the course of nature.

Untainted Innocence

The Kaldt have little interaction with other parts of the world, and rarely every see other creatures, places and sights. The common sense of humans, elves, halflings and dwarves are therefore a curiosity of great value. Many things that their southern neighbors find self-explained or are taken for granted are exotic and unknown to the Kaldt, and one can often gain the trust of a Kaldt with small commodities, hand-crafted trinkets and other small odd valuables. 

In exchange, a Kaldt might share their bounty with them, tell of stories of the Kaldt of old or gift them a fur coat to signify their newfound bond. The Kaldt know nothing of politics, culture or religion of the outsiders, and are easily perplexed when visiting settlements and cities, having never seen large amounts of people in one place. Few Kaldt learn Common, and few speak it without flaw, though they will go to great lengths to paraphrase when at a loss for words. They tend to be direct, though they can be tactful. They just happen to be honest, sometimes most brutally so.

Mountain Fortress

The fortress of Koldulv is their only refuge, with few Kaldt ever leaving its borders. It lies on the northern side of the great spine of the world, surrounded by an unnaturally large forest, hard up against the endless ice to the north and bounded on its other side by hundreds of miles of the great mountains. The surrounding land is ruled by the ice giants, with whom the Kaldt are allied to. They live in relative harmony, exchanging knowledge and food on a regular basis. 

Koldulv has a temple called the Wolf's Den - deep in the mountain fortress, built out of stone ages ago by the Kaldt of old - which functions as a place of worship to Kael, where they raise and train their young to this day. The Wolf's Den is comparable to large hall from the outside, with a throne room bejeweled with Hunter Queen's throne, made of white dragon bones and the dust of ancient diamonds, assumed to be from an ancient foe slain long ago.

Fronting it is the Table of Spears in the entrance hall, used for celebrations and feasts in peace and meetings in war. The hall also encompasses underground sleeping areas and an enclosed training area to the back of the hall, and functions as the center of Kaldulvian culture.

Naturebound

The Kaldt, or Wolfkin as they are sometimes called, are naturally gifted nomadic hunters, living off the wild. All animals raised and trained by the Kaldt learn Ulvan. The Koldulven wolves live alongside the Kaldt, as part of their family and clan.

Each clan embodies different aspects of nature, from brute force to peaceful growth, which is mirrored in their fighting styles and hunting techniques. All Kaldt are sworn at a young age to be honorable, truthful and be true to their word. Once one becomes of age, they may choose to stay in the clan they were born to or join another clan, though they cannot rescind their decision afterwards.

They revere nature, and see the hunt as a ritual to ensure the circle of life continues. Before each hunt, they prey for success to Kael, and after the Hunt, the unused parts are burned as a sacrifice to Kael and the bones are buried to pay respect to the creature.

The Kaldt are reclusive, slow to trust those outside of their race, but are fierce and loyal allies if you manage to win one over. Just remember to never insult their wolf pets or clan.

Kaldt Names

Every kaldt has two names: a birth name assigned by the clan mother, and the clan name, which they use as their surname outside of Kaldulv. The birth names are often chosen from the name of prominent ancestors and recent deceased relatives.

They may share the same sound at the beginning of each child's name. Another principle used was variation, changing one name element while leaving the other the same for all children. Sometimes the name of a god was chosen for use in the child's name, slightly altered to symbolize the resemblance in spirit.

Clan Names are usually two similar or opposite elements which symbolize the ideals of the clan and its members, with the exception of the Helder, the first and eldest clan. 

Male Birth Names: Agni, Anvindr, Arvid, Asger, Asmund, Bjorn, Brandr, Brynjar, Calder, Colborn, Fiske, Fritjof, Halvar, Hjalmar, Hjotr, Ivar, Leif, Oddr, Ove, Ragnar, Rannulfr, Sigurd, Skari, Sten, Stigandr, Stigr, Sven, Trygve, Vali, Vidar

Female Birth Names: Astrid, Audhid, Birghild, Brenna, Brynhild, Dagmar, Eerika, Eira, Gudrun, Gunhild, Helga, Hertha, Hilde, Hillevi, Ingrid, Iona, Kari, Ragna, Ranveig, Rea, Runa, Saga, Sigrid, Signe, Sigrunn, Solveg, Thora, Ylva

Clan Names: Ashbolder, Brightwood, Drakespear, Helder, Hornraven, Frosthale, Shieldbeast, Stormwind, Thunderkin, Wolfhide, Icepike, Ringbearer, Firekeeper

Kaldt Traits

Kaldt share a number of traits in common with each other.

Ability Score Increase

Your Constitution and Wisdom scores each increase by 1, and you can increase your Strength or Dexterity score by 1.

Age

Kaldt reach maturity around age 20 and live up to 200 years on average.

Alignment

Kaldt tend towards lawful neutral, as upholding the laws, protecting tradition and behaving honorable are the most important aspects of their lives.

Size

Kaldt are taller and lighter than humans, standing well over 6 feet and averaging around 110 pounds. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 35 feet.

Darkvision

You have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Arctic Habitat

You have resistance to cold damage, are proficient in Animal Handling and have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide in snowy terrain.

Languages

You can speak, read and write Common and Ulvan. Ulvan speech is a form of giant, though it doesn't require their lung volume. It is soft-spoken and whispered, never loud. It is laced with the subtle magic of Kael, making all wolves and giants understand the user.