Karathi

South of the equatorial frontier, where the mists of the White Ramparts begin to clear, silty rivers from beyond the Veil cut through fertile and muddy wetlands. The marshes are speckled here and there with tall karsts, lush coral forests, and cliff-coasted islands. One day, when their reefcrusts finish developing, the islands will crack off of their moorings and take flight as true cloud-skimming ayrlands. Until then, these remote and hallowed domains belong to the dragons, who have appointed themselves the guardians of Karthinia's unspoiled wilderness.
The Karathi live here amidst the giant mangroves, where the brutal and territorial dragons fight one another for supremacy. Surviving and serving under them, the Karathi’s lives are governed by a rigid and complex tapestry of rituals and taboos. They place a high value on hierarchy, loyalty, and martial ability. Everyone is expected to pull their own weight and be able to defend themselves against the threats of the jungle. Crimes are punished harshly, and exile is practically a death sentence. Children are taught to hunt for food at an early age, military training is only to be expected, and entry into the mystical arts merits no exemption from this duty. No greater honor exists for a Karathi than to be accepted into the Drakkengard Elite, who are reborn in draconic form in exchange for loyal service to the only living gods.
The dragons may be arbitrary and ill-tempered, but deep inside the temples nestled in the forests, the pictograms enshrined on the mosaic walls reveal why it pays to stay on their good side. To hear the lorekeepers of the Drakkengard Compact tell it, the dragons' millennia of stewardship over the land's natural bounty is the last line of defense against the avaricious intents of southern colonizers who would bring corruption to paradise. Entire zeppelin ayrmadas have met a swift and fiery end after attempting to cross into these forbidden skies. The dragons also play a crucial role in driving away gargantuan monsters that lurk in the mires, and the dire beasts and undead monstrosities that emerge from the Mist Frontier. In exchange for their protection, the Karathi respect the dragon's territory, maintain the nesting ziggurats and menageries, and offer fresh meat as often as huntluck can afford.
So it is that the Karathi prefer to keep to themselves, knowing full well that most other gahls look upon them as barbaric zealots. Even the Sayr'Rahan bird clans and the shamanistic Mor'Rahans have trouble understanding the strict and stifling customs of the Karathi. Where their own symbiotic relationships to creatures like the archaves or the great turtles are more loose and cooperative, the extreme subservience demanded by the dragons seems bleak and oppressive to all but the Karathi themselves.

Suggested Races

Saurian, Serpentfolk, Dragonfolk, Humans

Ancestral Features

Karathi begin with the Danger Sense edge, and gain a +2 bonus to resist the effects of heat and poison. The Karathi language can be used to speak to dragons and wyverns.

Ancestral Hindrances

• Driven
• Idealistic (FANTASY p28)
• Jealous
• Loyal
• Superstitious
• Thin-Skinned

Ancestral Edges:

• Beast Master (CORE p51)
• Beast Talker (FANTASY p40)
• Favored Terrain (FANTASY p32)
• Brawler (CORE p41)
• Fleet Footed (CORE p39)
• Free Runner (CORE p42)
• Linguist (CORE p39)
• Poisoner (FANTASY p39)
• Rapid Change (FANTASY p41)
• Woodsman (CORE p50)