Bearfolk

The Bearfolk, as they have introduced themselves are descendants of the ancient bear shamans of the northern lands. They were given honor and wisdom by the god Arah, and intelligence by the god Azel. The gods in tandem created the race now know as the bearfolk, a warrior tribe led by a shamanic leader. They have sought peace with the tribes of the north, creating a federation between goliath and firbolg, in which they lead.

Ivellios Seleverun, on the Races of the North.


5 The First Bear Founding The sun was high on the day of creation, it was a bit too high, a bit too far. We reached for the sun but fell short. We let loose a roar of displeasure as the cold set in. We were in the valleys and mountains. Our roar was audible to all. Azel heard our roar, Arah saw our tenacity. They came to us in the valleys and mountains. They found my people. They saw our plight, they stood before us and told us to rise anew. So we did and in the process we gained a mind, thumbs, and most importantly sentience.
The first among them was a Shaman by the name of Moonshine, he found in his awakening the power of Azel and Arah. He pledged himself and his kin to a life debt, he promised that they would guide, direct, and rule the mountains and protect all that was good.



55 - 61 The Long Winter Geological / environmental event The long winter was a period of time where the winter dragged from the year. 55 LR to 61 LR. During this time the mountain and surrounding area's were essentially devoid of plant life due to the heavy snow fall. This made life quite difficult for the Bearfolk, who had depended on hunting for their food. As no plant life meant no game to hunt. During this time, the bearfolk met the other races on that lived in the valleys and mountaintops. They met the followers of Arah, the mighty goliath, and Azel, the Quiet Firbolg. One was built around the community and very boisterous and loud. The other quiet and hidden, more focused on the individual. As the winter passed through the following year with little change, the bearfolk reached out to these groups and sought aid and guidance.
This was met with confusion but eventually the goliath and firbolg groups identified the concern and opted to band together to survive through the winter.
61 After the Cold Founding When the long winter ended the tribes met together in a massive meeting at the bottom of what is now called the Pillar of Azel. In this meeting the Bearfolk Shaman reached out to those assembled and showed them what they perceived the future. They showed a camp, a large camp, much larger than even the camp they stayed in today. The buildings were made of wood from cut trees, and the people grew their own food. In the middle of the camp were twin pillars of Azel and Arah grasping arms. Throughout the camp city were all kinds of people, bearfolk, goliath, and firbolg, all working together in unity.
When the visions ended, the Shamans asked those assembled to help them create this camp city.
In the end the tribes came together to build a city together down off the mountains away from the cold, that had terrorized them for the last 6 years.
They ended up settling a mile from one of the massive sea inlets of the north. This Camp City was to be called Azel's Blessing.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Large bear like features.

Biological Traits

Bear like, bipedal

Genetics and Reproduction

See Bears

Ecology and Habitats

Tribal villages led by a shaman, A council of shamans advice the whole of the bearkin, as they manage the federation between goliath and firbolgs

Dietary Needs and Habits

Omnivore, with an emphasis on meat & hunting

Additional Information

Facial characteristics

Ursine

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Mountains

Average Intelligence

Average intelligence, wisdom based

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Germanic

Major Organizations

Federation of the north

Average Technological Level

Tribal, shamanic practices

Scientific Name

Ursine

Origin/Ancestry

Black, Brown, White

Lifespan

60 - 300 years

Average Height

6 ft - 9 ft

Average Weight

300 lbs - 500 lbs

Average Physique

Large bulky, standing grizzly bear

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Varied on race

Bearfolk Traits

Your bearfolk character boasts a connection to the earth and nature, a relationship that lends the ursine natural abilities.
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Wisdom score increases by 1.
Age. Created by collaboration of the wise Arah and intelligent Azel, bearfolk enjoy lives spanning more years than a human. An ursine reaches adulthood in its late teens, and many live up to 300 years in N'Thack.
Alignment. With the blessing of Azel and the attunement to nature, bearfolk lean towards neutral good. Evil bearfolk are warlike and more prone to conflict than ursine society would expect; neutral bearfolk usually seek harmony in nature, magic, and the many circles of life.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 25 feet.
Powerful Build. You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.
Bear Claws. Your claws are natural weapons which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with them, you deal slashing damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common, Giant, and one other language of your choice.
Subraces. The ursine race was created through the joint efforts of the gods Arah and Azel. When most bearfolk are born, the energies of the two divines pool in the individual's very being, and most often the blessings of either Azel or Arah shadows the other. Ursine look to features the cub displays in infancy to determine the bearkin's patron: strong, quiet cubs carrying the honor of Arah and inquisitive, intuitive cubs of Azel.

Azel's Blessing

Azel graced the bearfolk with her wisdom and her children of the woods. She watched over your birth, bestowing the spirit and humility that the first bearfolk brought with them to the world.
Watchers of the Forest. You are able to intuitively sense the intentions of beasts and flora. By meditating for 1 minute, you can understand the meaning of animal cries and the languages of beasts that you can hear. Additionally, touching a nonmagical plant gives you insight into the well-being of the organism, as if the plant had emotions of its own.
Ursine Gait. Your bearlike physique allows for fast movement across the ground. If you have nothing in your hands, you can use a bonus action to scramble across the ground. Until the end of your turn, your speed increases by 10 feet and you ignore nonmagical difficult terrain.

Arah's Blessing

Blessed by Arah, you exude the traits of the honorable leader and steadfast warrior.
Dauntless Spirit. Arah bestowed vigilance in the senses of his ursine children. You have advantage on Strength saving throws against effects that you can see.
Lumbering Charge. If you move at least 15 feet toward a target and then hit it with a melee weapon attack, you gain advantage on the attack roll. If the lower of the two d20 rolls would also hit the target, you can knock the target prone.