Sandsman

Sandsmen, also known as Desertmen, are the fierce, tan-skinned dwarves of Drydesia. For thousands of years, Sandsmen have had an aggressive warrior culture, never afraid of a challenge and always fighting for what they believe is right. To outsiders, Sandsmen often seem stubborn and ill-tempered.

Homeland

Main Articles: Drydesia & Plite's Desert
Sandsmen originally hail from the Middle East, on Earth. There, their ancestors survived the extreme conditions of the desert through the adaptation of darker and rougher skin compared to their dwarven kin, the Old Dwarves and Snowmen. They lived in these conditions for thousands of years before the Migration to Maji.
After migrating to Maji, the Sandsmen quickly established themselves in the dryer regions of the field. The Sandsmen have occupied two major regions throughout the history of Maji: Drydesia and Plite's Desert. Drydesia is a large continent island to the East of Lakelandia. The entirety of the continent is covered by a vast desert. In the South, mountain ranges hug the coasts, blocking moisture from entering the continent and keeping the inland dry. The Southeastern region of Drydesia is home to a large, volcanic zone covered by lava-filled chasms, known as the Crack in the Earth. Wyverns, some of the fiercest creatures that call Maji home, use these chasms as nesting sites. Drydesia was the first and current home of the Sandsmen on Maji.
Plite's Desert is a large, desert region located in Northern Calos, one of the two continents to the West of the Dragonlands. The region is surrounded by mountains that keep moisture from the coast from entering the desert. The mountains are known for their abundance of natural resources, especially Plite Gems. This abundance in resources was heavily taken advantage of by the Sandsmen during the Era of New Hope, when the Sandsmen controlled the region. Directly to the South of Plite's Desert is the Red River, which runs through a savanna-covered region known as the Northern Grasslands. During the Era of Death, large portions of Plite's Desert became uninhabitable by the Sandsmen and since abandoned.

Description

Sandsmen can easily be differentiated from the cousins, the Snowmen, through their tan skin. Their skin is very rough by nature, in extreme cases being described as having a similar texture to that of sandpaper. Their rough skin makes them naturally resilient to cuts and scrapes, allowing them to travel through sandstorms or cactus-filled underbrush where other races can't. They also feature rough, shaggy hair that can be of any, natural color. Their hair is often cut short, but dreadlocks and long beards are not uncommon.

Culture

Throughout their history, Sandsmen have been known to have a fierce, warrior culture. From this, they are often seen by outsiders as aggressive and stubborn. It is heavily baked into their culture to stand up for yourself and fight for what you believe is right. Sandsmen are naturally distrusting of strangers, but once you get to know them, they are fiercely loyal to those they care about: friends and family. This makes them powerful allies, but also dangerous enemies, as they will never back down from a fight.
Stemming from their warrior culture, the tactics and weaponry created by the Sandsmen are of the highest quality. They are known to produce expert strategists and blacksmiths, some of the strongest and most widespread weapons being of Sandsmian make, such as weapons made from sandstone, a material rarely used by blacksmiths of non-Sandsman background. Sandsmen are also masters of gunpowder and are one of the few races to take advantage of its explosive effects. Many Sandsmen, especially ones wanting to be warriors, are taught to be proficient in the Sandstone Fist, a martial arts form carried over from the culture of their ancestors, the Old Dwarves, and thus similar to the forms of martial arts once used by humans in China, kung fu.
The architecture and layout of Sandsmian cities reflects their expert strategy. Sandsmian cities are built like impenetrable fortresses, surrounded by massive, spiked walls, always guarded by armed guards or soldiers. Even their palaces contain large mazes filled with traps and puzzles one must traverse before ever reaching a room of any importance. Once within the walls of a Sandsmian city, the houses are built to be practical, utilizing the resources available to them in the desert. Sandsmian houses are constructed from mud or sand which has been hardened around supports made from soft woods found within their deserts. The palaces and temples are often made from limestone blocks arranged into large pyramids, similarly to the ones found within Egypt.
Sandsmian clothing is also very important to their desert lifestyle. They commonly wear large robes and cloths to protect them from the searing heat of the desert. Turbans are also customary head wear within Sandsmian culture, even being fashioned on top of helmets being worn into battle.

Religion

Main Article: Dwarven Pantheon
The Sandsmen mainly follow the Dwarven Pantheon and as such, worship the gods of Atnonut, Jax' Middal, Vah' Poran, and Ikoalaa. They do recognize the existence of Kis' and Tiilaer, but do not worship them for their actions breaking the rules set forth by Jax' Middal.
Within the Dwarven Pantheon, the Sandsmen primary worship Jax' Middal due to his relationship to the dwarves and his strong, warrior character, which resonates with the culture of the Sandsmen. As such, Sandsmian culture strictly follows the tenets set forth by Jax' Middal, such as avoiding addiction and not creating life. Due to their connection with Jax' Middal, undead are seen as the foulest of creatures and the resurrection of the dead, no matter in what form, is seen as one of the greatest taboos within Sandsmian culture.

Sandsman Names

Male Names: Bartok, Brokk, Grer, Jari, Lofar, Nabbi, Padraig, Paxton, Pernell, Petro, Phelan, Pitt, Plinkett, Poldark, Ponder, Porthos, Prospero, Provost, Puck, Pym, Regin, Sandor, Scampo, Sindri, Thud, Tresco, Tumbril, Turgon, Tym, Xeri
Female Names: Alma, Eva, Jana, Lena, Nola, Pansy, Pepper, Petal, Pippa, Poppy, Purdy, Puss, Putter, Puzzle, Pyper, Sage, Salome, Syrena, Taffeta, Tamar, Tamsin, Tasha, Tilly, Tink, Tipper, Tori, Trudy, Tyra, Yara, Zara
Family Names: Boffin, Bolger, Bolt, Padgett, Pagnell, Palliser, Palm, Palumbo, Pamber, Pammett, Saltash, Tagg, Taggert, Tait, Tarring

Notable Sandsmen

• Guma Plite
• Snad Plite
• Parto Plite
• James Plite
• Tito Sanari
• Christopher
• Pickett

Encompassed species

• Dwarf

Related Locations

• Drydesia
• Earth
• Plite's Desert

Sandsman

Sandsmen are the fierce, tan-skinned dwarves of Drydesia. For thousands of years, Sandsmen have had an aggressive warrior culture, never afraid of a challenge and always fighting for what they believe is right. To outsiders, Sandsmen often seem stubborn and ill-tempered.

ability score increase: +1 STR, +2 CON

age: Dwarves reach maturity around the age of 20 and live to the age of 150

alignment: Lawful Neutral

Size: Medium

speed: 25ft

Languages: Common, Sandsmian

race features:
Sandsmian Resilience. Sandsmen have adapted to hot climates from living for thousands of years within the desert. You have advantage on saving throws against extreme heat and are resistant to fire damage.
Tough Skin. Your tough skin makes you naturally resilient to cuts and scrapes. When taking 2 or less bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage, you ignore the damage taken.
Expert Miners. Sandsmen have an economy fueled by the riches they dig up from within the earth. Whenever you make a nature check related to a gem, precious metal, or any other form of mineral, you are considered proficient in the nature skill and add double your proficiency bonus to the check, instead of your normal proficiency bonus.
Sandsmian Combat Training. You are proficient with the shortbow, scimitar, shortsword, and scale mail.
Sandstone Fist. You have been trained in the ways of the Sandstone Fist. You are considered proficient in unarmed strikes and add 1d4 to damage rolls using them.