Nezumi
The entire town of Stonekeep sunk into the earth. Master Ano helped us search the wreckage and debris for any survivors but the city has been picked clean of any living people. Evidence suggest it might be another Nezumi tribe that's been brainwashed by the Elders. We can only hope that we can find them in time.
Welp, went to check in with a ratfolk tribe and I can safely say that they have a feeling it might be some of their own that went missing a few weeks ago. They're offered to help us find the rest of them if I try my best to free them from the Elders' control. Thought about just crushing the little buggers but why not? Less of a hassle that way.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Nezumi are bipedal humanoid ratfolk. Like catfolk and Lunari, they have claws that can serve as capable natural weapons. They are also hardier than other species, able to resist the effects of poison and even disease. They are also digitigrade which allows them to run on all fours.
Growth Rate & Stages
Nezumi reach adulthood by the age of 15 and are usually considered old by the time they reach 50 due to the rough lives they live. The ones who don't can live up to 200 years comfortably.
Additional Information
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Nezumi have the ability to see in the dark in shades of grey. Thanks to the rat blood running through them, they also have a keen sense of smell, even rivalling the Lunari in some instances.
Civilization and Culture
History
The Nezumi are one of the most spread out people in Avestra, second only to the Dwarves themselves. Judging by what they have appeared, it is believed that they also used the Underoad network to travel across the land. After the Underoads fell into disuse, they were stranded in different places. In Alus, they settled into the wilderness of the Nomi lands, only integrating after peace was brought to the region by the Emperor of the Divine Blood and their shoguns. It was an interesting process for the ratfolk to integrate into a society mainly made of catfolk but they were able to do it nonetheless.
Some still reside in tribes in the region, staying out of civilization except for trade. Some of this is due to mistreatment by certain leaders who look down upon them. In the north, this distrust allowed the Mitsu Shogunate to weaken as the Orcs of the Skuvtun Khanate press on the northern border. Some Nezumi welcomed this at first until they saw the treatment they faced and decided to either fight against the Orcs on their own or flee south to the Otsu Shogunate.
But it won't be long before the Shogunates are pressed on two sides: The Khanate to the north and the Draconis and Orelians to the south if the latter can break through and conquer the former. The Alusian Nezumi that refuse to work with the Nomi people will have to make a choice between fleeing their homeland entirely or taking up arms against these outsiders and invaders.
The Edrinian Nezumi were also tribal but they didn't take to society like the Alusian ones did. They found what Underoad caverns were left and made them their new home. They even took to expanding some of them, breaking into the sewer systems of cities across the region and even tunneling into mountain holds. With this came opportunity for the more nefarious Nezumi as they became thieves, stealing from treasure rooms.
Soon entire tribes fell into this habit which caused tensions between them and mountainfolk such as the Dwarves. The Orzin holds currently attack any Nezumi tribe that nears their hold on sight as a result to keep their secrets safe. Elsewhere, the Nezumi are seen as capable mercenaries and thieves, sometimes beating bugbear and other stealth favoring groups out of jobs.
However, that is a double-edged sword as that talent is what got the attention of the Elders. They grabbed what tribes their Aberration soldiers could get their hands and dominated them, turning them into servants. Even now, dominated tribes wander the Underoads and raid unaware settlements that they tunnel into, sinking them into the earth or coming out on the surface to attack and drag people into the depths of the Underoads.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
In the west, Nezumi have an average relationship with the species on the western side of Alus. Despite the sterotypes that you would expect from cat and ratfolk living together, it is not a predator and prey situation... most of the time. Due to the threats from both north and south, tensions are growing between the two sides as the Nezumi debate on whether to defend the Nomi lands or not.
In the East, the Nezumi are treated with more suspicion due to the actions of their brainwashed kin. Groups that become assassins and thieves such as Bugbear view them as competition when they are not part of a tribe, sometimes trying to cut the competition out early.
Genetic Descendants
Lifespan
200 years
Average Height
5 1/2 feet
Average Weight
155 pounds
Geographic Distribution
Related Organizations
Comments