Riverfolk Grippli
The most common of the Grippli in the Dycides proper, Riverfolk are true masters of the water. Generally they are trained how to steer a boat before they can walk, and learn the geography and natural skills to become great sailors, but most of their practice is on rivers rather than the wild ocean. Another staple of their youth is learning how to work with others, both in the family and among the warmfolk. Genuinely skilled at flattery and with immense charisma, they have become a staple in most communities as the person that knows a guy.
Physical Description:
While as diverse in size and shape as the Red Hand they also have a proclivity to wear more clothing and match their style to those they travel with. As they travel up an down river, eating rich warmfolk food can lead to the occasional captain too rotund to easily disembark their own boat. The mildly distressing ability of a Grippli stare is counterbalanced by the Riverfolk’s constantly flapping mouth always looking for a way to ease tensions, or to create a croaking chorus among them and their family.Society:
While more wealthy Riverfolk have large ships and land abodes, others stick to their ships hoping one day to achieve such a resplendent lifestyle. Regardless, in general the marriage between two Riverfolk is a mating for life, which most do not complain about. They often have their own personal spawning pool inside their boat, or in their abode, so entire families take one boat for their own, and rarely ever the leave the boat they grow up on if not for love or adventure.Relations:
The Riverfolk are often an overlooked people, few have a negative thing to say about them as they go about their business of bringing others to and from home. A long standing sentiment is said, “Always tip the bargefrogs and treat their family well, because none of them can drown.” Depending on their routes they will hide on strong slaves or hired hands for rough passages, or an entire large family may each take an oar or setting pole and going to work. Their exchanges in the Grippli tongue are so fast that non Grippli have trouble keeping up. Regardless they find most ports open to them with the right paperwork and passports, and generally are seen as a blessing on the docks for their efficiency and skill.Alignment and Religion:
Most Riverfolk live lives with emphasis on Good or Lawful alignments, and live much of their lives around strangers. Others work underwater salvage, and live more isolated lives only around others when they have something to sell. Some with a penchant for skullduggery will wait on the underside of their ship, leaving their ship unattended for robbers, and rob them in return. Most however prefer to make decent coin in exchange for transportation. They tend to worship the entire pantheon in front of warmfolk but they keep their whispered words are for Hanspur, the water rat and guardian of waterways.Adventurers:
Some Riverfolk get an inkling that the life on the rivers was not for them, and they choose to expand their range of skills to adventuring. Others merge the fields managing the boat but also serving on land as well for a considerable fee. Others use their river knowledge to smuggle or find smugglers of the many rare goods of the Dycides. Sometimes taking on roles like bards, croaking out a tune or agile fighters using their size to their advantage, there is a running streak of sorcerers and oracles born in a mass spawnings of the Riverfolk, each using that connection for the good of their family and friends.Stats Block
Grippli Riverborn (11) Ability Score: (+2 Dex, +2 Cha, -2 Con) Riverborn are nimble and delightful to speak to, but slight. Size: Riverborn are Small creatures and thus gain a +1 size bonus to their AC, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, a –1 penalty to their CMB and CMD, and a +4 size bonus on Stealth checks. Type: Riverborn are humanoids with the grippli subtype. Base Speed: Riverborn have a base speed of 30 feet. Languages: Riverborn begin play speaking Common and Grippli. Riverborn with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Boggard, Draconic, Dwarven, Elven, Gnome, Halfling, and Orc. Jumper: Riverborn with this trait are always considered to have a running start when making Acrobatics checks to jump. Darkvision: Riverborn can see perfectly in the dark up to 60 feet. Swim: Riverborn have a swim speed of 30 feet and gain the +8 racial bonus on Swim checks that a swim speed normally grants. They may substitute a swim check for a profession(sailor) check. Frog Tongued: Riverborn gain a +2 bonus on Diplomacy, Linguistics, and Bluff checks. In addition, when they use Diplomacy to shift a creature’s attitude, they can do so up to three steps up rather than just two. They learn one additional language every time they put a rank in the Linguistics skill.
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