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We have spent time highlighting the people of Taluma: dwarves, elves, orcs, and urchins. Now it’s time to focus on the beasts of the world, from the natural to the preternatul, even the unnatural. You can find an introduction to the classification of beasts here, but follow the posts this season and the bestiary tag to read more about the unique folklore of the beasts of Taluma.
Urchin Attire
Urchins wear simple, practical clothing. They prefer subtle, earthen colors such as browns, tans, and grays, and use nearly no leather. Their belts, gloves, and shoes (when they wear them) are made of hemp or canvas. The style of their clothes is in fashion with the culture of men or dwarves they live among, as they often purchase children’s clothes of the big folk.
Read More about urchin fashion.
Urchin Summer Festival
In the heights of summer, with the sun beating down on the land, and the crops of the big folk growing in the fields, rain awakens swarms of locusts. The first part, the rain, is welcomed by the big folk, but not the second. Locust swarms arise to feed on the all-important grains, making them unwelcome. To the urchins, though, the locusts provide the opportunity to harvest an important food source for them.
Read More about the urchin locust harvesting.
Urchin Beverages: Water
Because of their lifestyle, urchins typically do not have the ability - the room and time - to make fermented beverages like ale and wine. They usually drink only water.
Read More about urchins drinking habits.
Ability Modifiers: Stealth
In the Ability Modifiers feature, we will be exploring Ability checks: mostly Skills, and how to modify, or enhance, their usage in gameplay. This time, we will take a look at how following someone using Stealth can use an ability other than Dexterity.
Urchin Burrows
Because of their small size, urchins are able to find space to make their homes in places the big folk can’t. They can inhabit attics, cellars, and other small spaces within and among other people’s homes and other buildings. Where many urchins live near to each other in an existing neighborhood or district, urchins call it a burrow.
Read More about urchin burrows.
Urchin Rabbles
Urchins almost always gather in communities in large groups. They do not live alone in single family units on a farm, for example. Generally they live within larger communities of the big folk: usually among human towns and cities. A community of Urchins is called a rabble.
Read More about urchin rabbles.
New Feat: Shadowdancing
Some elven battledancers embrace the darkness that their patrons the moon and stars rule from.
Read More about shadowdancing available only to elf battledancers.
Background: Battledancer
The Way of the Sash is rooted in an ancient, sacred martial tradition that uses the movements of dance to be nimble and evasive combatants. Practitioners of this tradition are called battledancers. Battledancers are difficult to hit and outlast their opponents energy until they make themselves open to the battledancer’s attacks.
Read More about the Battledancer Background.
Elves & Swimming
The elves of Taluma, especially Moon elves, not only swim for fun, but compete against each other or just themselves and the sea. These are not usually speed competitions, but distance. Landmarks like an island may be swam to, or they take a ship out and swim back to land. They also hold swim dancing competitions judged on their artistry in the water. In each of these cases they do not swim against the water, but with it. They show their skill to read the waves and move like denizens of the sea rather than ones of the land.
Read More about elves and swimming.