Homebrew Arouri Species Details

The Aroruri are a rare sight in the world, and only inhabit a relatively small part of it. Small and suspicious of strangers the rat-like Arouri are rarely seen outside of their homes in the caverns of Lavinums mountains. Small and agile they survive the conditions of their mountain homes due to the thick fur that covers their bodies, which varies in shades from white, grey, brown and black. So rarely seen are they, that some scholars outside the Lavinum Empire to believe that the Arouri have gone extinct or were simply the subject of folklore to begin with. As the humans of the Lavinum Empire have continued their march east it has become much harder for Arouri to stick to their traditional ways of isolation from the world. Whilst now more commonly seen than ever before in history, to many they are just a tale of fantasy.

 Mountain Isolation

The Arouri are a mountain people, making their homes in the deep caverns that run through the mountains that mark the current eastern border of the Lavinum Empire. They live in small tribes, each with its own defined territory, and its own set of laws and traditions. The thing that unites the Arouri is know to outsiders simply as "the code" which acts as the foundation of Arouri society. The Codes sets out how Arouri should act, and behave, and how tribes should interact with each other. Arouri are expected to maintain prowess in combat, never ceasing to practice their combat skills from maturity to death so long as they are able. They should act with kindness to their kin, and with suspicion to outsiders - who bring strife and turmoil to the mountains. The ultimate aim of any Arouri should the betterment of their tribe, the happiness of their family, and their own comfort - in that order.

The Code also speaks of the "Greater Tribe" - the Arouri as a whole - and that tribes should not war with each other, that wherever possible they should seek a resolution through discourse. This is rarely an issue however as Arouri are as isolationist to other tribes as they are to the rest of the world, rarely leavening their own territory.

The March of Progress

The growing size and ambition of the Lavie over the last three centuries meant that an eventual confrontation between explorers and the Arouri was inevitable. The Lavie were not the first humans the Arouri had encountered in their history,  but unfortunately foe the Lavie the previous encounters had been far from peaceful for the Arouri. Early relations between the Empire and the peoples of the Mountain was defined by conflict, for over a century the two sides waged war throughout the Eastern Mountains until eventually the Lavie relented and sought to end the bloodshed. It was only then that they discovered the Arouri acted from fear and not aggression.

Unfortunate beginnings in their relations have not had the lasting impact that many would assume. The Lavie are the first in recorded history to have official trade agreements with Arouri tribes, and the first outsiders to ever learn their language or gain any understanding of their culture. However, this is not a change all Arouri are happy with, many tribes remain true to their traditions and "the Code" and have returned to isolation since the end of the war. The Lavie for their part respect the wishes of these tribes. 

The Brewing Storm

The rapid changes that have fallen upon certain Arouri tribes has not always been positive, especially in regards to relations between tribes. Some see interactions such as trade and established diplomatic relations with the Lavie as a betrayal of "the Code" and there are rising tensions between various groups of tribes. Whilst those who trade with the Lavie have prospered and learnt much, they are a minority, and the draw of tradition and the opinions of their extended kin weigh heavily on them.

The Wanderers

For the first time in recorded history, Arouri have been seen leaving their mountain homes and setting out into the world, inspired by their interactions with the Lavie. These individuals are almost exclusively from the Tribes that trade with the Lavie, and even then they are still looked down upon for leaving the tribe. This has not stopped many of the younger generation from setting out to seek adventure and fortune however, and it waits to be seen what impact they world shall have of the Arouri, and what impact they shall have on the world.

Arouri Traits

Your Arouri character has the following traits

Ability Score Increase

Your Dexterity Score is increased by 2, and your Constitution Score by 1

Age

Arouri reach physical maturity around the age of four, they do not reach adulthood until the age of 10 where they are considered adults by their kin. Arouri live for about 50 years, although some have been known to live into their 60s.

Alignment

Arouri live in warrior society tribes in incredibly harsh conditions, living by a strict code of honour and loyalty to family and the tribe. Arouri are often hostile to outsiders and this has led many to view them as evil or chaotic, this is however a misunderstanding of the Arouri way of life. Having lived most of their history isolated from other intelligence races they have come to treat all outsiders and new creatures as a potential threat to the tribe and are therefore honour-bound to defend the tribe from it. Arouri are almost always lawful neutral or lawful good in their alignment, on rare occasions however an individual may break away from tradition and leave the tribe, such individuals are often True Neutral.

Size

Arouri tend to stand between 2 and 3 feet tall, with slender builds. Your size is small.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 35 feet

Darkvision

Used to living in the dark and dimly lit caverns of the East Mountains, Aroruri have become accustomed to seeing in the dark. Within 60 feet you can see in dim light as if it were bright light, and darkness as if it were dim light.

Keen Nose

The Arouri have evolved to have a remarkable sense of smell, being able to track a creature miles way by scent alone. Your keen sense of smell gives you proficiency on survival.

Natural Weapons

Arouri have evolved to have incredibly sharp claws, which they ceremoniously coat in poison they have developed natural immunity to. You can use your claws to make an unarmed attack dealing 1d4+STR, slashing damage  a target hit by your attack must make a DC10 Constitution Save or take an additional 1d4 poison damage.

Languages

Arouri have only recently developed a written language in the past few centuries, Scholars are unsure as to why but the language is based around Dwarven Script. The language itself is entirely unique, distinct from spoken Dwarfish in every way except for the base sounds. Your Arouri character has the ability to speak and write Arouri.

 

As Arouri have lived most of their history without contact with the rest of the world they have had little need for other languages. However a few tribes do engage in trade with other races, so it is not unheard of to find a Arouri who also knows how to speak common. Your Arouri character has the optional ability to be able to speak, but not read or write, common.