Tortle

A tortle hatches from a thick-shelled egg and spends the first few weeks of its life crawling on all fours. Its parents, old and near death, spend what little time they have left telling stories to their offspring. Within a year, the young tortle becomes an orphan, though not before it learns to speak and to survive on its own.
A young tortle and its siblings inherit whatever tools, weapons, and gifts their parents left behind. Each young tortle is expected to fend for itself. It leaves the place of its birth and finds its own corner of the wilderness in which to hunt, catch fish, and get by. With each passing year, a tortle hones its survival skills. It forms friendships with its neighbors while also respecting their privacy. At some point, a tortle feels an almost overwhelming urge to venture far away from home and see more of the world. It gathers up its possessions and heads into the wilderness, returning months or years later with stories of its exploits and new skills.
When a tortle nears the end of its natural lifespan, it seeks out a mate and procreates. Tortles lay their eggs (numbering as few as one or as many as a dozen) in a fortified compound enclosed by stone walls that are easily defensible. If no such compound exists, they build one. The parents spend the remainder of their lives guarding the compound, defending their offspring, and sharing a lifetime of knowledge before they die. When the children are old enough to leave the compound, they pick up whatever weapons and tools their parents left behind and set out on their own.

Basic Information

Growth Rate & Stages

Young tortles crawl for a few weeks after birth before learning to walk on two legs. They reach adulthood by the age of 15 and live an average of 50 years.

Additional Information

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Tortles have a saying: "We wear our homes on our backs." The shells they carry around provide all the shelter they require. Consequently, tortles don't feel the need to root themselves in one place for too long.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Tortles can hold your breath for up to 1 hour at a time. Tortles aren't natural swimmers, but they can remain underwater for some time before needing to come up for air.
Due to the Torltes shell and the shape of its body, they are ill-suited to wearing armor. The shell provides ample protection, however. They can uses shields.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Tortles prefer simple, non-gender-specific names that are usually no more than two syllables. If a tortle doesn't like its name for whatever reason, it can change it. A tortle might change its name a dozen times in its life.
Tortles don't have surnames or family names.

Common Etiquette Rules

Tortles tend to lead orderly, ritualistic lives. They develop customs and routines, becoming more set in their ways as they age. Most are lawful good. A few can be selfish and greedy, tending more toward evil, but it's unusual for a tortle to shuck off order in favor of chaos.

Lifespan

50 years

Average Height

5 to 6 feet tall

Average Weight

Average 450 pounds. Their shells account for roughly one-third of their weight.