The Zoltai Strain

Zoltai is the umbrella term used to refer to the people native to the southern region of Kashura, specifically the lands south and west of The Conflux Sea region.

Homeland:

Zoltai have historically inhabited the Southernmost regions of Kashura. From the southern coast of The Conflux Sea and Ashaya, through the deserts and mountains of Thaamir, the vast plains of Bashai and the endless red hills of The Bleeding Lands, all the way down south to the fertile floodplains of Irappur and the jungles of Teyvanila. That is not to say that Zoltai can only be found here, as over time they also spread over vast parts of Kashura, often assimilating into the societies and cultures of other Strains.

Faith and Culture:

Until the event known around most of Kashura as The Starfall, The faith, or rather the group of faiths most commonly practiced amongst The Zoltai Strain were The Yazatavi. The Yazatavi, also known as Titans or Venerable Ones, are said to be a group of six primordial beings that supposedly created the world in their struggle for power and now lie dormant, though their power and will still suffuses all of Kashura, and can be felt within the land itself.
This changed with The Starfall and the subsequent rapid expansion of The Morya Sultanate. The Aastha Abayadi, more commonly referred to as The Creed of Abayad, is the state religion of The Morya Sultanate and, at least under its current ruler and founder, Maharana Morya the Great, does not tolerate the practice of other faiths. As such, the hundreds of thousands of Zoltai now under The Sultanate’s control were forced to renounce their old gods.
Many converted willingly, while others were not so easily convinced, though still chose apostasy over death. The ones that refused were either killed or driven into exile, though despite this threat, many Zoltai continue to practice their old faiths in secret, especially in The Sultanates frontier provinces. Cultural practices vary widely from place to place, but one that is almost ubiquitous among Zoltai cultures is The Offering of the Firstborn. According to this custom, parents are supposed to send their firstborn child to grow up with a Temple or Monastery of their choice as an offering to The Gods. Depending on the monastery and the gods they venerate, they will be taught anything from meditation, martial arts and magic (if they have the aptitude), to painting, dance and poetry. Once they reach adulthood, they are allowed to rejoin their families or set out for the world, though most choose to remain.
That said, just because they are supposed to do something doesn’t mean people do it. Most families can’t afford to just give up one of their children for a time span between 18 years and forever, so they either don’t do it at all, or do it shortly before they would turn 18 anyways, making it more of a symbolic gesture done out of obligation than anything else. Especially in high society though it is seen as a sign of prestige to send your children to a monastery early, and in large numbers, one must after all demonstrate why the gods favor one house over another, and the skills learned are generally at least somewhat useful for a noble-to-be. Besides that, many Zoltai-dominated cultures are faced with the dichotomy of the natural instincts of The Zoltai Strain opposed by the requirements and expectations of polite society. The legacy of Zolthanor is seen by many as unsightly, and unbound aggression is often looked down upon both as a sign of lack of self-control and lower mental faculties.
There are however also some Zoltai cultures where aggression is not associated with this heavy social stigma, though they are in the minority and are usually found in less densely populated and developed areas, such as The Bleeding Lands and some parts of Teyvanila.

General Appearance:

The term Zoltai incorporates a lot of different cultural and ethnic groups, as such their physical appearance tends to be quite diverse.
Zoltai have 2 arms and 2 legs and usually vary in height between 5-7 ft. (~150-210 cm) once fully grown. That said, there are also those that can reach heights of over 8 ft. (240cm), and others that barely reach 3 ft. (90cm). They tend to have similar physiques to those of The Hominid Strain, though they are on average a bit more bulky and heavily built. Their skin tends to be smooth, though it scars quite easily, and varies in color from earthy and sandy browns and grays, to vibrant greens, pale blue-ish green hues, and even bright reds.
Their eyes and hair, similar to those of hominids, can take a wide variety of shades, though the most common ones are black and brown. Their ears have pointed ends similar to those of The Elven Strain, though they tend to be a bit shorter, with the exception of the smallest Zoltai, where ear size varies between large but reasonable, to twice the size of their head.
Many Zoltai have tusks, sharp teeth and some rarer ones even have claws on their hands and feet. For most they tend to be purely cosmetic though, serving little function besides sexual appeal and intimidation factor.

Sexual Dimorphism:

Similar to how it works with Hominids, Male Zoltai on average tend to be taller and stronger than their female counterparts, though the difference is not quite as pronounced as it is with Hominids. This is by no means a hard rule though.

Average Lifespan:

Zoltai tend to live around 1 century, though there have been major outliers which have drastically exceeded this lifespan.

Blood of Zolthanor:

As per the most common theory, Zoltai came into being with the defeat of Zolthanor The Endbringer, The Yazatavi of Death and War. They spawned from the soil as his blood splattered upon the earth, born from conflict, out of the blood of an angry and hateful god. Some try to fight against this heritage, keeping Zolthanor’s wrath at bay and only releasing it when absolutely necessary, while others embrace it completely and lose themselves in it.
While there are other theories attempting to explain the origin of The Zoltai Strain, this one is by far the one most prevalent, even amongst people that do not worship The Yazatavi.

Strain Abilities:

When choosing Zoltai as your Primary Strain, you get the following abilities for free:

+2 to any one Ability Score and +1 to any other Ability Score

Proficiency in The Language of your Homeland and one other Language.

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.

Unbreakable both in Body and Will, the Blood of Zolthanor keeps you standing and fighting where most others would fall. Even the blood of a titan can only do so much though.

Ceaseless Aggression:

As a bonus action, you can move up to your movement speed toward a hostile creature you can see or hear. You must end this move closer to the enemy than you started.

The wrath of Zolthanor burns in your veins and drives you to pursue your enemies at breathtaking speed.

Optional Strain Abilities:

The Following are Strain Abilities available to you by choosing the Zoltai Strain: (As all other Strain, Zoltai get 5 Strain Points (SP) and can get additional additional points by spending 2 Ability Score Points per Strain Point)

Gigantism: (1SP)

Prerequisites: minimum +2 Strength from Strain, Class and Background

This Ability Cannot be chosen with the Pygmy Strain Ability

Certain Zoltai are much greater in stature and bulk than others. These Individuals tower over their kin, wield greater power, carry greater burdens and are naturally much more intimidating. This trait is the most common amongst Zoltai in The Bleeding Lands and Thaamir.

Your Height Increases to anywhere from 7-8ft. (210-240 cm)

You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.

You gain proficiency in the Intimidation Skill.

The Amount of Food and Water you need to Consume per day is doubled.

Your unarmed strikes deal damage equal to 1d4 + Str. Alternatively, if you already possess natural weapons of some kind the damage die increases by 1 stage to a maximum of 1d10.

Pygmy: (1SP)

Prerequisites: minimum +2 Dexterity from Strain, Class and Background

This Ability Cannot be chosen with the Gigantism Strain Ability

Conversely, there are some Individuals amongst The Zoltai Strain which are much smaller in stature than others. This trait is most common amongst the jungle-dwelling people of Teyvanila where it is almost ubiquitous.

Your Height Decreases to anywhere between 3-4ft. (90-120cm), your size category becomes small and your carrying capacity is halved.

You can move through the space of any creature that is of a size larger than yours.

Your base movement walking speed is set to 25ft.

You gain proficiency in the Stealth Skill.

The amount of food and water you need to consume on a daily basis is cut in half.

Legacy of Zolthanor: (1SP)

While the blood of Zolthanor flows through the veins of every Zoltai, it stirs more in some than in others. These individuals often display more savage behavior and almost beast-like qualities: Sharp jagged teeth, large vicious tusks, vertical-slit pupils, a taste for blood and animalistic mannerisms are amongst the most common.

Your unarmed strikes deal damage equal to 1d4 + Str. (Or Dex if you have the Pygmy Strain Ability). Alternatively, if you already possess natural weapons of some kind the damage die increases by 1 stage to a maximum of 1d10.

When you score a critical hit with a melee weapon attack or thrown weapon attack, the attack deals an additional 1d12 damage of the weapon's primary damage type.

Bloodthirst: (2SP)

Prerequisites: The Legacy of Zolthanor Strain Ability.

A rare manifestation of Zolthanor’s legacy in the blood of his children is known by many as “The Red Thirst”. It drives them to kill and feast upon the blood and flesh of their enemies, allowing them to draw strength and vitality from them in turn.

The damage die of your natural weapons increases by 1 stage to a maximum of 1d10.

When you kill a creature, or a creature dies within your melee range, you gain temporary hit points equal to twice your proficiency bonus.

When you kill a creature with your natural weapons, you regain 1 of your spent Hit Dice.

Death’s Dance: (2SP)

Prerequisites: The Bloodthirst Strain Ability.

Many Zoltai try to shut out their bloodthirsty instincts for fear of what they might do to those around them. There are however those rare few who not only accept their gifts, but revel in them, letting instinct take over and cloud their mind in a crimson haze.

The damage die of your natural weapons increases by 1 stage to a maximum of 1d10.

While you have the temporary hit points of your Bloodthirst feature, you are immune to the charmed and frightened conditions. Effects you might already be under are suppressed and don't end automatically, though you continue to make saving throws to end the condition, even while it is suppressed.

When you kill a creature, your next attack within 1 minute will deal extra damage equal to twice your proficiency bonus, or 4 times if it is a critical hit.

Scarred Skin: (1SP)

Prerequisites: minimum of +2 to Constitution from Strain, Class and Background

The skin of The Zoltai is known to scar very easily, and their scar tissue is said to be especially tough. Some Zoltai cultures undergo ritualistic scarring, while other Zoltai might simply be scarred from decades of war and battle. No matter what the cause may be though, once pronounced enough, The scar tissue of The Zoltai can serve a to bolster one's defenses all on its own.

Your skin has been scarred heavily enough to provide additional protection against many attacks. While not wearing heavy armor, your AC increases by 1.

Fight another Day: (2SP)

Prerequisites: The Pygmy Strain Ability.

Smaller Zoltai often find themselves at a disadvantage in lands dominated by their less vertically challenged brethren, so many of them needed to develop different ways of engaging and avoiding danger. These Zoltai often have keen eyes or exceptionally fast reflexes, allowing them to find gaps in their foes attention to retreat, hide and plan for the next attack.

You can take the Disengage and Hide actions as bonus actions on each of your turns.

Tiny Fury: (1SP)

Prerequisites: The Pigmy Strain Ability and the Legacy of Zolthanor Strain Ability.

While less common in general, the wrath of Zolthanor sometimes manifests in a slightly different way in smaller members of The Zoltai Strain, making them more adept at striking down larger foes by going for weak spots that would be harder to target for larger folk.

When you deal damage to a creature that is of a size category larger than yours, you can deal extra damage to it equal to your strength bonus, dexterity bonus or proficiency bonus (whichever of the three is higher), with the damage being doubled on a critical hit. You can use this ability an amount of times equal to your proficiency bonus and can do so no more than once per turn.

If you are out of uses, you can expend one of your unused hit dice to regain 1 use of this ability.

You regain all uses when you take a long rest.

Overwhelming Athleticism: (1SP)

Prerequisites: minimum of +2 to Strength from Strain, Class and Background.

Physical prowess runs in the Blood of The Zoltai, allowing them to shoulder enormous burdens.

You gain proficiency in The Athletics Skill

You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.

Ceaseless Endurance: (2SP)

Prerequisites: The Relentless Endurance Strain Ability, minimum of +2 to Constitution from Strain, Class and Background.

Tapping deeper into the resiliency granted to them by their blood, These Zoltai are both too hardy and too stubborn to keel over and die without getting at least one more hit in.

You gain one additional use of Relentless Endurance per long rest.

Unbreakable: (2SP)

Prerequisites: The Ceaseless Endurance Strain Ability.

An extremely rare and potent manifestation of The Zoltai Strain, as the bodies of these individuals keep them alive and standing beyond all rhyme and reason. They quite literally refuse to die.

When you would drop below 1 Hit Point with no uses of Relentless Endurance remaining, you can spend 3 of your unused Hit Dice and suffer one level of exhaustion to drop to 1 Hit Point Instead.

Regeneration: (3SP)

Prerequisites: minimum of +2 to Constitution from Strain, Class and Background.

Members of The Zoltai Strain are sometimes born with an extremely rare mutation that allows their bodies to recover from deadly trauma, returning from the brink of death almost instantly. It is seen as both a blessing and a curse, for those that possess it often die young.

Once per turn, you can concentrate the regenerative powers of your body to swiftly recover from injuries. To use this ability you must spend 1 of your unused Hit Dice and then recover 1d8 + your Constitution modifier in Hit Points. The amount of Hit Dice you can spend with one use of this ability increases to 2 at level 5, 3 at level 9, 4 at level 13 and 5 at level 17, increasing the amount of d8’s rolled by the same amount.

You can keep using this ability as long as you have hit dice, but doing so more than once per rest inflicts 1 level of exhaustion, as your body struggles to generate the energy required for such a feat.