Homebrew Dymovo Species Details
Byrlakshiv gasped for air as he burst from the freezing snow. The frozen slush nearly sucked him back as he struggled. He grabbed hold of a rocky shelf just within his short reach and pulled with all his might. The instant he came free, he scrambled up to safety, his bare feet finding excellent balance on the freezing rock. Much to his relief, his travelling companion Fykkaalthavshim was already safe beside him on the shelf, bent over with hands on her knees catching her own breath. The two of them paused a moment and dusted the snow from their woolen ponchos and fur-lined trousers. But it wasn't all good news: their road forward had been utterly consumed by the avalanche.
It took a moment for the bruised dymovo to realize his companion was laughing. "What's so funny, Thav?" he panted.
"Take the scenic route, you said..." she panted. "There's nothing to do in the foothills, you said... are the foothills that dull, Lak?"
He smiled and combed the snow from his hair as he looked skyward. "Duller than this, without question."
Thav followed his gaze upwards and found that the aurora had come out, the rivers of light framed a massive field of stars in their glow. The two stood for some time in wonder, not minding the cold bite of the gathering wind.
Part halfling and part giant, as hardy as dwarves and as quick as gnomes, more ancient a race than elves yet a hundred times rarer and more misunderstood, the Dymovo are seen in very few iterations of the multiverse. Yet dymovo, for all their mystery, have accomplished truly miraculous things.
Little Giants
Like their distant cousins the halflings, Dymovo often live in sequestered communities set into earth or under ice. Yet where halflings have flourished in pastoral fields and bustling cities, the Dymovo have instead scattered to some of the most hostile regions imaginable, from arctic tundra to scorching salt flats. And where halflings often keep to their communities and venture out only for noteworthy adventures, dymovo are forever departing one tribe and joining another in a cyclical migration that lasts for most of their lives. Their ancient giant heritage plays as much a part of this as anything, granting them impressive strength for their size as well as tremendous stubbornness and a subtle knack for magic. A dymovo's life is usually harsh, but they're equipped for such existence in a way that few can comprehend.
A Thousand Tribes, One People.
Many dymovo consider themselves to be a part of a single, world spanning community, and they take pride that their single society resembles no other on earth. Instead of taking land by conquest, a dymovo clan simply migrates to a remote corner of the world and claims the land as theirs. Yet this clan still considers itself a part of the dymovo "Tree" that has spread across the world. They do not consider themselves a diaspora because all the world is theirs to share, and tribes connect with each other regularly by sending their kin on vast journeys to different branches of the great tree. These journeys serve both as a coming of age and as a way of sharing knowledge and solidarity with each other, and has led to a widespread resistance to a remarkable range of harsh conditions. Whenever other races settle nearby, it's far more common for the dynovo to observe them warily from afar than it is for them to make formal contact. There are many folk among all races who have never even heard of dymovo due to their self-enjoyed isolation, and many a human or goliath shaman has spent their entire lives telling folktales about them as spirits or demons without realizing a flesh and blood dymovo family lives just four hills over.
Yet this universally shared life in the great wilderness has led to an almost universally simple existence among the tribes. Each clan has elders and warriors but no single entity governs them all. They possess no cities and keep no fortunes. A dymovo clan may claim a vast track of land, but the land always belongs to the "Tree"; the mere concept of a king or queen strikes most dymovo as laughable, and the few among them who have tried to take such titles have failed miserably. Even marriage and the ownership of livestock and home is forgone by most dymovian society. Yet the Tree is a tight-knit one, and any would be attacker who raids one tribe may find themselves overwhelmed by a small army gathered from across a thousand miles in less than a month.
The isolation of tribes from other societies has lead to many dymovo seeing all other races as selfish and petty, while outsiders often see dymovo as untrustworthy and crude, if they acknowledge them at all. The many other civilizations of the world are unlikely to open their arms to the great dymovo Tree, and clan elders across the branches of the Tree see that as a blessing.
Winding Roads, Tough Feet
A dymovo's halfling heritage is obvious not merely in their small stature, but also in their typically bare and well-calloused feet. They can be seen walking across hot sand, craggy rocks, and solid ice sheets with no footware of any kind, and are even capable of navigating deep snow drifts without any real trouble. Movement is inherent in dymovo society, and its common for a dymovo over 100 years old to have travelled across more than one continent. To better aid in their constant travels, dymovo have mastered the construction of roads in a way that no other race has. Yawning rope bridges hundreds of feet long, narrow byways through thick forests invisible to all but the keenest eyes, and sinuous paths down through the Underdark are all testaments to dymovo engineering.
These roads get their best use on a dymovo child's thirtieth Arthenmorn. On that holiday the dymovo child must go eastward and live with the next tribe over, for it's said eastward was the direction the first dymovo walked the day they were made. The dymovo must then live five years with that tribe, then strike out eastward again for the next tribe. This never-ending voyage shall last until the dymovo dies, or becomes physically unable to continue. The giant heritage within a dymovo grants them centuries of life and strength, meaning that a dymovo may walk the circumference of the world more than once in their lifetime. This is considered the core pillar of life as a dymovo, and binds all the tribes together.
Function is the Form
Though the dymovo style is rarely flashy, the craftsmanship is such that a vestige of giant magic can be felt in every product made by a dymovo artisan. Iron pickaxes that don't rust, rope that holds tremendous weight, wool ponchos that shut out even the most savage deluges are just some of the noteworthy items a dymovo may carry on them for their journeys. Within these crafted tools are subtle hints of a dymovo's potentially vast life experiences. Unique dyes, intricate scrimshaw, well hidden cave markers that tell full epic tales if copied and lined together... countless fine expressions of art find their way into a dymovo's life on the road.
A Life Not Meant for Everyone
The Tree comes first and last in dymovo society, but not all dymovo can adhere to it. Some dymovo abandon life in the wilderness for the unknown frontier of the city, where they're usually taken on sight as unusual halflings. Others are inspired by a faith or song that they discover on the road, and take up entirely different careers. Less savory types may use their skills to attack travelers, and a cruel dymovo with enough charisma to win over its fellows could put together a fearsome war party.
Still others only seek a temporary reprieve from the cycle of their journey. These dymovo may spend years at a time among villagers or become a hired hand on a farm, before they decide to pick up the great walk eastward once more.
The dymovo worship no gods observed by other races, though they do recognize and respect Yondalla, patron goddess of halflings and Annam, patron god of giants, the same way a human may recognize a distant and noteworthy ancestor. Their traditions tell of halflings and giants being the oldest of all humanoid races, and of an era where those two alone walked the earth when the gods were still young.
Arthen, goddess of wilderness and rebellion, saw great talents and flaws in these two races and sought to combine them into a people of great heart and small stature. She walked across burial fields and past cairns, gathering the blood of giants with the bones of halflings. Dissatisfied with this alone, she gathered it with the heat from the sun, the chill of snow on the mountainside, the stems of wild milkweed and stirred it with a great wind from across the sea. Elders say the first dymovo rose up in the midst of this wind on the shore, but stood still and felt the roar of it over their shoulders as the sea frothed before them, entranced by nature's force. Only when it stilled did they turn together and walk inland, where they have walked ever since.
This faith is the sole faith recognized across the great Tree. Unfamiliar faiths or deities usually inspire a passionate and radical reaction, yet whether the reaction is positive or negative varies wildly depending on the dymovo coming across it.
Dymovo Names
A dymovo is given a single syllable for their name when they're born. On Arthenmorn when they first begin their great journey, the elders add a second syllable to that name. On the thirtieth anniversary of that day, that tribe's elders add a third syllable and so on. A dymovo who has lived a long life can have a name that is many syllables long, one that they'll abbreviate into nicknames again. Many dymovo find a poetry in this cycle of short names to long names to short, similar to their vast journeys across the world.
Male Names at Journey's Start: Maevil, Bothun, Olut, Ipyyn, Quivi, Grofen, Manekk, Loatom, Volunn, Volikk, Utol, Ikirn, Posswiv
Female Names at Journey's Start: Wyysigg, Kyliff, Deesha, Aewo, Pryvyyk, Zihosh, Itther, Owess, Chylsigg, Zasim, Bonniv
Dymovo Traits
Your dymovo character has the heritage of little folk and giant folk in their veins, and abilities express this ancestry.Ability Score Increase
Your Constitution score increases by 2 and your Strength score increases by 1.
Age
Dymovo mature at the same rate as humans, but they're considered children until the age of 30. A dymovo lives to be about 400 years old.
Alignment
Most adult dymovo who live within the Great Tree of their tribes tend towards neutral alignments, neither becoming deeply attached with any single person or tribe but remaining deeply devoted to the greater journey and their road through the wilderness. Dymovo who reject this life tend towards chaotic alignments.
Size
Dymovo are usually between 3 and 4 feet tall and weigh around 60 pounds. Your size is small.
Speed
Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Dymovo Fortitude
You have resistance to both fire and cold damage.
Tool Proficiency
You gain proficiency with your choice of weaver's tools, woodcarver's tools, or mason's tools.
Natural Athlete
You are proficient in the athletics skill.
Tough Sojourner
The amount of food and water you need to consume to avoid exhaustion is halved.
Powerful Build
You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.
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