Leonin

Leonin, proud humanoid creatures that share many traits with lions, are a race native to The Still who lived largely nomadic lifestyles. They live in strong, traditional societies, based around hierarchical extended family groups, or prides.

Description

Leonin command attention wherever they go, their impressive forms standing out in crowds and their loud roars marking them on the battlefield. Although there is a good deal of variation in leonin, all are larger and taller than humans. The colour of their fur and manes varies by bloodline and individual, ranging from creamy white to gold to grey. Like humans, their clothing varies greatly by environment, both in terms of practicality for weather but also dependent on the tribe.
A proud race, leonin tend to place a great deal of importance on tradition, ceremony, and maintaining appearances. Fortitude in the face of adversity is praised and admired, even if it comes at significant personal cost. For leonin living in the traditional pride structure, the individual is a secondary concern, and the well-being of the pride is the primary consideration.
Leonin, largely unacclimitised to urban life, have sharp survival instincts and are well suited to survival upon their native steppe. They tend to be dedicated to the concept of the pride, often traveling long distances and making or breaking their fortunes together. Others, however, have broken with those traditions over generations, and have taken to travelling independently across Anakara.

A leonin man

Society

The traditional social structure of leonin is built around the concept of the pride, which is often viewed as tribal by outsiders. It is, essentially, an extended family, composed of perhaps a dozen adult couples, their children, and a patriarch and matriarch that are typically the oldest of the group. A pride normally consists of between 50 and 100 leonin. Membership in a pride only changes via births, deaths, and marriages, with unrelated outsiders being accepted into the group only very rarely and usually under extraordinary circumstances.
Traditionally, prides are nomadic and do nearly everything as a unit—traveling, hunting, crafting, and trading together. Over time, these traditions have been held to less and less strictly, with many prides leaving behind the transient lifestyle to establish their own villages, or even join an existing one built by other races. This is particularly notable in leonin who have left their traditional lands in The Still.

Religion

Much like the other races on The Steppe, Leonin didn't have a creator deity, but rather they worshipped a demi-god who had been a great hero of their people. For leonin, this was Arslan, a brave warrior who led his people against the Nanpō Empire, securing their freedom. It is his example which all leonin strive to live up to.

Interracial Relations

As is to be expected with a race with such a tight knit culture, they were typically very wary of outsiders. This was particularly true for races not native to The Still. Leonin, Centaur, and Minotaur tribes historically fought over land and resources in The Still and frequently continue to do so. However, individual prides were just as likely to fight centaurs and minotaurs as they were to ally with them.
Due to their troublesome history with the Nanpō Empire, leonin were particularly wary of humans and tended to treat them with distrust. Leonin who travelled across Dünya found a cultural similarity with the Goliath way of life. As such, goliath and leonin friendships were among the strongest of any which a leonin made with an 'outsider.'

Player Race Features

• Ability Scores. Choose any +2; choose any other +1
• Size. Medium.
• Speed. 35 ft.
• Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
• Claws. Your claws are natural weapons, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with them, you can deal slashing damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.
• Hunter's Instincts. You have proficiency in one of the following skills of your choice: Athletics, Intimidation, Perception, or Survival.
• Daunting Roar. As a bonus action, you can let out an especially menacing roar. Creatures of your choice within 10 feet of you that can hear you must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or become frightened of you until the end of your next turn. The DC of the save equals 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier. Once you use this trait, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
• Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Khel.