Tortle

What many tortles consider a simple life, others might call a life of adventure. Tortles are born near sandy coastlines, but as soon as they’re able to walk on two legs, they become nomad survivalists eager to explore the wilderness, experience its many wonders, put their skills to the test, and make new acquaintances.
Tortles are rarely seen outside of the Meridian Concord, and the warmer waters the Ixaocan Peninsula, Jungles of Xeti, or the Isles of Ishkalah. Many folks living in the Ondari Dominion, Kargenras, and elsewhere believe their existence to be a hoax altogether. Tortles are most common in areas closest to warm waters in places that are hubs of travel and information, such as large ports or crossroads where they can travel the length and breadth of the world, an listen to the tales of travelers. A notable exception to this rule is a population of predominently sedintary Tortles who live in the Cindarian Dukedoms, and enjoy the warm earth, and geo-thermal springs of the volcanic islands. Most Tortles live a migratory existence, rarely settling down in one place for too long.

Life of a Tortle

When a Tortle nears the end of its natural lifespan, it seeks out a mate and procreates. Tortles lay their eggs (numbering as few as one or as many as a dozen) in a fortified compound enclosed by stone walls that are easily defensible. If no such compound exists, they build one. The parents spend the remainder of their lives guarding the compound, defending their offspring, and sharing a lifetime of knowledge before they die. When the children are old enough to leave the compound, they pick up whatever weapons and tools their parents left behind and set out on their own. While most nests are solitary, some locations; particularly in the Telredor Swamps and the Isles of Ishkalah, are considered mass nesting grounds and are occupied permanently all year round by breeding pairs.

Beliefs

Tortle culture and tradition is almost entirely oral, and the tales of their people, and other interesting stories are told over and over again by particularly long lived, and knowledgeable Tortles known as Lorewalkers. They place extreme value on knowledge and stories, spending their lives traveling, listening and retelling tales over and over again, and learning new tales and stories to spread.
Tortles don’t have their own pantheon of gods, but they often worship the gods of other races. It’s not unusual for a Tortle to hear stories or legends related to a god and choose to worship that deity. Tortles believe that night and day watch over them and other creatures. The moon is the eye of night that watches over them in darkness, and the sun is the equally vigilant eye of day. Tortles feel most at peace when one or both of these “eyes” are looking down on them. Because of this, and their love of knowledge; they tend towards the Gods Azyr, Selûne , Avandra and Ioun. They become more nervous and uneasy when neither orb is visible in the sky. Tortles tend to be most uncomfortable underground in places like the Underdark or Dwarven where neither the sun nor the moon is visible to them.
Tortles have been known to join organizations such as the Earthen Circle, or the Askari Watchers where their knowledge of the world is highly prized.

Adventurers at Heart

Tortles have a saying: “We wear our homes on our backs.” The shells they carry around provide all the shelter they require. Consequently, tortles don’t feel the need to root themselves in one place for too long. Very few tortle settlements are known to exist, and the few that do are found in the Telredor Swamps, and the sandy coastlines of Xeti. These settlements are primarily used as a kind of moot, where tortles can socialize with one another, share useful information, rear young, and trade with strangers in the safety of greater numbers. One is sacred place of spawning all year round as well as moot for the exchange of information. Another is a biannual gathering on the equinoxes, when they gather for two tendays. With the exception of spawning grounds, Tortles don’t regard these settlements as places worth defending with their lives, and they will abandon a settlement when it no longer serves their needs.
Most tortles like to see how other creatures live and discover new customs and new ways of doing things. The urge to procreate doesn’t kick in until later in a Tortle's life, and a tortle can spend decades away from its native land without feeling homesick. Tortles embrace a simple view of the world. It is a place of wonder, and tortles see beauty in the ordinary. They live for the chance to hear a soft wind blowing through palm trees, to watch a frog croaking on a lily pad, or to stand in a crowded Human marketplace.

Appearance

Tortles resemble oversized bipedal turtles. They stand between 5 and 6 feet tall and weigh in excess of 450 pounds, a third of which is their shell alone. Their scaly skin ranges in mottled shades of green and brown. They are amongst the longest lived mortal beings in Othlorias, with some living as long as 600 to 800 years of age.
https://www.dndbeyond.com/races/tortle - for in game stats