Goloma
Golomas fear most other people and deliberately use their unusual biology to frighten off those they consider to be dangerous predators. Rarely seen and poorly understood, golomas' many-eyed and wooden faced visages instill terror in most they meet.
Though just as capable of being dangerous as any intelligent creature, golomas have a deep-rooted psychological understanding that they are prey, and that all two-eyed people are predators. As a result, golomas rarely reveal themselves to others, and when they do, they often adopt threatening personas as a means to protect themselves. Even those few golomas who venture out into greater Mwangi society often have trouble relating to other ancestries, due to their strong differences in perception and mindset.
You Might...
Instinctively process large amounts of disparate information quickly and efficiently.
Project an air of intimidation to conceal your nervous disposition.
Have difficulty distinguishing individual objects or people from others that are similar.
Others Probably...
Are frightened by your strange physiology.
Mistake your difficulties with identifying distinct people from one another as indifference.
Are awed by your skill at noticing minute details at a glance and drawing rapid conclusions.
Golomas are humanoids with rough skin that ranges in color from warm brown to ebony, although sickly gray or white individuals with albinism are not uncommon. Their fingers and feet are coated with a thin layer of chitin. A goloma's face is an oblong wedge made of smooth chitin, almost resembling a wooden mask. Protruding from this face are eight gelatinous, shining eyes. A goloma's mouth and jaw are located beneath their face-plate, and a bony crest juts from the top of their chitinous visage. The back of a goloma's head and neck is coated in black hair that is filled with thousands of tiny, peering eyes. These eyes tend to glow and squirm as they look around—an unsettling sight for most.
An ancient goloma story states that during a calamity unleashed long ago, gods and demons burst forth from the earth to steal the eyes from other creatures. Only the golomas and others who were in hiding were spared—yet golomas soon began to be hunted by the now two-eyed people, who were hungry to take goloma eyes to replace what they had lost. This accurately sums up most golomas' mentalities: to be exposed is to be vulnerable, and to trust a stranger is deadly. Golomas usually travel and live with groups of other golomas, as this is where they feel most comfortable.
Golomas learn at a young age to be vigilant at all times, observing the environment for any irregularities and then reacting with quick, calculated instinct rather than deliberative action. Other ancestries often perceive golomas to be paranoid and hypervigilant. Golomas are also better at wide-scale observation than observation of specific things—they can easily notice commonalities across large fields but have difficulty remembering what a specific object or creature looked like. This only increases their paranoia, as they have trouble visually distinguishing known friends from potentially hostile foes.
Golomas often pay homage to Naryne , as the Goddess of Nobility, hoping a noble act will keep them safe. Other popular gods include Maal, who strict edicts against revenge, and his sense of honor, give them hope that they will be left alone.
Golomas keep to themselves in self-sufficient societies, and commonly possess backgrounds such as hunter, laborer, artist, or farmhand. Golomas who keep a lookout for their communities might be scouts or acolytes. They make excellent clerics of more unusual gods—those who are less attuned to a typical humanoid mindset and seek worshippers who can truly understand them. Druids are not uncommon among golomas, and they also make excellent investigators.
A goloma's true name is kept among golomas, as there are hundreds of cautionary tales of what could happen if another creature learns a goloma's true name. Names tend to lack soft syllables, which golomas often struggle to pronounce, and typically consist of hard consonants and individually enunciated vowels instead. Among other people, golomas tend to use names that are intended to be intimidating, taking elements and sounds from Aklo, Necril, or words from local languages that seem to cause strong reactions.
Sample Names Biqkuul, Ehbouja, Haamaah, Kouzo, Quaerjii, Tebaazu, Uruueda, Zekuukeu
Though just as capable of being dangerous as any intelligent creature, golomas have a deep-rooted psychological understanding that they are prey, and that all two-eyed people are predators. As a result, golomas rarely reveal themselves to others, and when they do, they often adopt threatening personas as a means to protect themselves. Even those few golomas who venture out into greater Mwangi society often have trouble relating to other ancestries, due to their strong differences in perception and mindset.
You Might...
Instinctively process large amounts of disparate information quickly and efficiently.
Project an air of intimidation to conceal your nervous disposition.
Have difficulty distinguishing individual objects or people from others that are similar.
Others Probably...
Are frightened by your strange physiology.
Mistake your difficulties with identifying distinct people from one another as indifference.
Are awed by your skill at noticing minute details at a glance and drawing rapid conclusions.
Physical Description
Golomas are humanoids with rough skin that ranges in color from warm brown to ebony, although sickly gray or white individuals with albinism are not uncommon. Their fingers and feet are coated with a thin layer of chitin. A goloma's face is an oblong wedge made of smooth chitin, almost resembling a wooden mask. Protruding from this face are eight gelatinous, shining eyes. A goloma's mouth and jaw are located beneath their face-plate, and a bony crest juts from the top of their chitinous visage. The back of a goloma's head and neck is coated in black hair that is filled with thousands of tiny, peering eyes. These eyes tend to glow and squirm as they look around—an unsettling sight for most.
Society
An ancient goloma story states that during a calamity unleashed long ago, gods and demons burst forth from the earth to steal the eyes from other creatures. Only the golomas and others who were in hiding were spared—yet golomas soon began to be hunted by the now two-eyed people, who were hungry to take goloma eyes to replace what they had lost. This accurately sums up most golomas' mentalities: to be exposed is to be vulnerable, and to trust a stranger is deadly. Golomas usually travel and live with groups of other golomas, as this is where they feel most comfortable.
Golomas learn at a young age to be vigilant at all times, observing the environment for any irregularities and then reacting with quick, calculated instinct rather than deliberative action. Other ancestries often perceive golomas to be paranoid and hypervigilant. Golomas are also better at wide-scale observation than observation of specific things—they can easily notice commonalities across large fields but have difficulty remembering what a specific object or creature looked like. This only increases their paranoia, as they have trouble visually distinguishing known friends from potentially hostile foes.
Beliefs
Golomas often pay homage to Naryne , as the Goddess of Nobility, hoping a noble act will keep them safe. Other popular gods include Maal, who strict edicts against revenge, and his sense of honor, give them hope that they will be left alone.
Adventurers
Golomas keep to themselves in self-sufficient societies, and commonly possess backgrounds such as hunter, laborer, artist, or farmhand. Golomas who keep a lookout for their communities might be scouts or acolytes. They make excellent clerics of more unusual gods—those who are less attuned to a typical humanoid mindset and seek worshippers who can truly understand them. Druids are not uncommon among golomas, and they also make excellent investigators.
Names
A goloma's true name is kept among golomas, as there are hundreds of cautionary tales of what could happen if another creature learns a goloma's true name. Names tend to lack soft syllables, which golomas often struggle to pronounce, and typically consist of hard consonants and individually enunciated vowels instead. Among other people, golomas tend to use names that are intended to be intimidating, taking elements and sounds from Aklo, Necril, or words from local languages that seem to cause strong reactions.
Sample Names Biqkuul, Ehbouja, Haamaah, Kouzo, Quaerjii, Tebaazu, Uruueda, Zekuukeu
Heritages
Farsight Goloma
Source The Mwangi Expanse pg. 115 2.0
Your eyes have adapted to see more in less than favorable conditions. You gain low-light vision.
Frightful Goloma
Source The Mwangi Expanse pg. 115 2.0
Your face has a particularly off-putting appearance. You are trained in Intimidation (or another skill of your choice if you were already trained in Intimidation) and gain the Intimidating Glare skill feat as a bonus feat.
Insightful Goloma
Source The Mwangi Expanse pg. 115 2.0
You've learned to watch for telltale signs of dangerous sentiments to help you avoid trouble. You gain a +1 circumstance bonus to your Perception DC against attempts to Lie to you and your Perception checks to Sense Motive.
Vicious Goloma
Source The Mwangi Expanse pg. 115 2.0
The chitin on your hands forms powerful claws that allow you to defend yourself. You gain a claw unarmed attack that deals 1d6 slashing damage. Your claws are in the brawling group and have the agile, finesse, and unarmed traits.
Vigilant Goloma
Source The Mwangi Expanse pg. 115 2.0
You've learned to be aware of not just obvious physical dangers, but also noticeable magical threats. You can cast the detect magic cantrip as an arcane innate spell at will. A cantrip is heightened to a spell level equal to half your level rounded up. In addition, your awareness allows you to notice magical traps easier than others. Your proficiency rank in Perception is considered one step better when attempting to detect magical traps. (Trained is considered expert, expert is considered master, and master is considered legendary).
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