Tortle

Tortles are the waterbound nomads of the world. They travel the waterways of the empirs and travel routes along the coastline of the continent. Carrying their homes on their backs gives them a natural sense of security; nowhere is a strange new world when home is with you always. Though often viewed as stoic because of their reserved nature, any who get to know a turtle sees the warmth they carry with them and share with others. Tortles, sharing many of their physical traits with their beastial cousins, color their shells with beautiful swirls and arches in mesmerizing patterns to brighten their otherwise earthtone forms and, if you know how to read their artwork, tell the life story of the tortle who wears them. As one image fades, or a panel falls off a tortle's shell, the tortle will seek an adventure or new experience to have emblazoned on their shell.
Tortle travelers carry the knowledge of generations with them, and are often devout worshippers of the Archivist. Some clans have entire histories contained within their patterned shells. Tortles, again, while seen as reserved, are thrill seekers who aim to live their long lives to the fullest, often competing to see who can have the tallest tales painted onto their shells.