Cathanese

Masters of the west

The Cathanese are the mighty but often cruel masters of the western empire of Cathay. In olden times, Cathay was once a proud part of the Romanoran Empire, and many are distant descendants of the Romanorans. Nearly all people of means, freedom and mobility in Cathay are elves, with few exceptions. In their pride, the elves of Cathay believe their long lives and magical prowess are the signs of their divine right to rule over all other peoples in creation. To this end, the elves of Cathay often enslave other non-elves in order to maintain their often lavish and "noble" lifestyles.
Cathanese who have servants or slaves in this manner use their free time and long lives in numerous ways - from scholarly pursuits, crafting, and often, training for war. As an extension of their elf-centric philosophy, the Cathanese seek to bring their neighbors under their dominion, in many ways creating a twisted reflection of the original Romanoran Empire. Following a devastating and bloody defeat from their failed invasion of the Dragon Kingdom, the Cathanese again seek to reclaim their lost pride as the most powerful elves on Arda.
Life for half-elves and non-elves in Cathay is often harsh. For non-elves, most are treated as servants or slaves. There are a few exceptions of non-elves rising to a position of notice in the Cathanese Empire, most hard-won by tremendous force of arms, superb craftsmanship, or more commonly, by cunning and guile. The vast majority, however, live in poverty, and are bound by imperial edict to remain on land they cultivate for their masters. Life for half-elves are rarely better; most are the product of unwilling unions of master and servants. In the best case scenario they can pass for elves, and live in the same luxury as their parent. Most however, are abandoned or sent to live with their slave parent; if their elven heritage is found out they will despised by the other slaves. Realistically, most of the non-elves and half-elves long for escape from Cathay, with many looking to flee to nearby Ado.
Cathanese mages are known for trying to unlock the secrets of blood; the blood of elves and of others. These practices have spawned no end of ghastly rumors and fairy-tales of elves who have attempted to seek immortality by drinking or bathing in blood. These legends have given rise to new beings said to exist in Cathay; vampires and dhampir. While most believe these creatures of the night to be a myth, the legends persist generation after generation of the Cathanese and abroad.
Adventurers: Cathanese adventurers are fairly rare for many reasons. First, most Cathanese are wealthy and secure, and see little need to risk their lives over petty ventures like "lesser" peoples. Second, the elven supremacy of the Cathanese means they will find few friends and allies outside of Cathay. Lastly, the Cathanese despise sea travel, and thus often limits their options to their neighboring nations. As for the non-elves and half-elves, many wish to escape, but it is often a difficult ordeal. For those who do escape, many seek lives away from adventure or notoriety that could threaten their freedom. For those who do, many find the freedom of adventuring to be both liberating and cathartic for the former slaves; others seek to find ways to free their friends and family who may still be in bondage back in Cathay.
For more information about the Cathanese, see their main article: Cathay

Cathanese legionnaire in light armor

Table of Contents

Standard Ancestry Traits

Ability Score Modifiers: The Cathanese are known for their long lives, which they have cultivated not only great intellect, but also regal presence and grace. However, as many have servants or slaves, they rarely cultivate strength. They gain +2 Intelligence, +2 Charisma or Dexterity, and -2 Strength. Base Speed: Cathanese have a base speed of 30 feet.
Languages: Cathanese begin play speaking Cathanese elvish. Cathanese with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Common (Adoese), Common (Mujmali), Common (Romanoran), Draconic (Dragon Kingdom), Elvish (Al-Andalusian), Kobold (Western), and Orcish (Romanoran). See the Language in the Dragon's Domain page for more information about these languages.

Defense Ancestry Traits

Imperial Blood: Cathanese are immune to magic sleep effects and gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws made against enchantment spells and effects.
Steeped in Magic: Cathanese train and practice with magic from birth. Over their long lives of practice, they gain spell resistance equal to 6 + their character level.

Feat and Skill Ancestry Traits

Imperial Edict: All Cathanese are required by the Cathanese emperor to achieve proficiency in one or more schools of magic. They gain Spell Focus as a bonus feat.

Senses Ancestry Traits

Elven Eyes: Al-Andalusians can see twice as far as an ancestry with normal vision in conditions of dim light.

Offense Ancestry Traits

Weapon Familiarity: Cathanese are proficient with longbows (including composite longbows), longswords, rapiers, and shortbows (including composite shortbows), and treat any weapon with the word “elven” in its name as a martial weapon.

Other Ancestry Traits

Elf Blood: Cathanese count as elves (as well as any other chosen) for any effect related to ancestry.

Cathanese noblewoman preparing tea.

RP Calculation

In order to keep potential new ancestries balanced, I used a "race point" calculator in an effort to create equitable ancestries. For comparison, a non-variant human is 9 RP.

• Standard Ancestry Traits: 0 RP
• Defense Ancestry Traits: 4 RP
• Feat and Skill Ancestry Traits: 2 RP
• Senses Ancestry Traits: 1 RP
• Offense Ancestry Traits: 2 RP
• Total: 9 RP

See the Pathfinder SRD for more information.

See Also

A part of

• Alternate Player Options
• Cathay
• Sangromancer