Doerons can be seen all throughout Ealdremen displaying their vaunted adaptability and desire to learn more of the world. In spite of their biology dramatically varying from the majority of Ealdremen's other races, doerons integrate themselves everywhere they go in their search for a better understanding of both the world and themselves. Most of their children are sent out into the world at young ages to go on journeys of self-discovery, where they learn to be independent and become the person they were meant to be. Until they return home to become an elder in their community, a doeron's life is often transitive and dictated by what they feel they still must learn about themselves.
Etymology and Other Names[]
The name doeron is derived from Doera, a goddess in the old mythology of both Jakoni and Dralvarus. According to legend, she created the doerons to serve as guardians against the spirits that would break free from the underworld where Aluvardi reigned. Thus, the doerons were the jailers of Jakoni, forever attuned to the world of the living so that they might locate wayward spirits and send them home. In the modern day, this religious association is mostly forgotten, and doeron is simply regarded as a word unto itself; many languages have simply modified the name to fit their phonetics, such as Nicta-slio's doaronni or Alamin's dotharonn without any regard for the original namesake.
Biology[]
Doerons are thickly built with short necks and stout limbs to support their massive weight. Their long tails assist in balance both in the air and when standing on the ground, essentially serving as a counterbalance in situations when the doeron needs to lean back on their haunches. The natural gait of a doeron is four-legged with the fingers of their wings closed in towards the arm and the wing itself serving as a walking limb. In some areas of Ealdremen where doerons must acclimate to two-legged races' structures and culture, a doeron may instead trudge along on their clawed hind feet with their tail dragging behind them.
The heads of doerons tend to be distinctive and varied amongst individuals; most of their subspecies feature prominent differences in the head and face as opposed to elsewhere in the body. Doerons have very pronounced snouts that tend to feature a very developed lower jaw and underbite. The crest of horns atop a doeron's head is one of the ways they tell each other apart, as there are often slight differences between even similar-looking horns. Most doerons will have two horns, though it is not impossible for a doeron to have fewer or more; a hornless doeron is a rare sight and likely indicates intentional removal of the horns. They often have dorsal spikes that begin around their shoulders and end at the tips of their tails.
A doeron's coloration can vary greatly even within a given family, but most doerons will only have two or three distinct colors on their scales that form patterns used to identify them. These patterns tend to take the form of distinctive stripes, large spots, or other shapes along their back or stomach. All colors have been seen within the doeron race's coloration, particularly because coloration is most often a partially dominant gene in the species, and their offspring can display mixed hues derived from their parents' genes.
Sociology[]
Doerons tend to praise and prioritize independent innovation and self-discovery, and they encourage their youth to do so within the contexts of their myriad of traditions. The vast majority of doeron-majority communities do not consider even a fully-grown doeron an adult unless they have found their true purpose in life; an aimless doeron is still a child trying to understand their place in the world. For many doeron cultures, this is reflected in the idea of a Soul Gem, a gemstone that is said to only be found once the doeron completes their journey of self-discovery. This symbolic tradition is deeply set in the collective doeron subconscious, as are many of their other traditions passed down from their elders, which tend to also focus in some way on the earth and its bountiful minerals. While some doerons may choose to stray from their people's established traditions, older doerons often feel that someone who is truly "called" to stray is much rarer than the unruly newer generations would believe.
Mutual respect and equal trade both govern many aspects of doeron life. Elders are meant to serve as guides and advisors to the young, even those they are not related to, and young doerons are expected to graciously take their advice and find ways to make it applicable to their own lives. In general, doerons consider most forms of guidance to be relative with few absolute truths or rules. They crave new ideas that can shape their path through life, and their governments often have loose immigration policies or strong incentives to encourage foreigners to bring new ideas and inventions to their land. Doerons themselves rapidly adopt new styles of technology or magic to make it their own and adapt it to their own needs, much as they adapt general advice to their own lives' specific problems.
Younger doerons, especially those still finding their purpose in life, tend to disperse from their homes at a young age and wander various parts of Ealdremen. They are expected to return home with a newfound sense of self, new innovative ideas, and a broader perspective on the nature of the world. Here, they eventually grow to be elders in their communities and guide the next generation with what they learned in their journeys. Doerons are also expected to have children of their own to teach and raise, and they generally bear their parent's name somewhere in their own. Because doerons grow so slowly all throughout their lives, it is common for doerons to not have children until they are considered worldly elders. Having children at a young age, even if biologically capable, is considered strange at best and detrimental to the child's upbringing at worst, as the parent would have nothing of worth to teach them and is hardly more than a child themselves. A parent's passing from old age is sometimes the impetus for a doeron child to leave home and seek out their sense of self.
Racial Traits (D&D 3.5e/Pathfinder)[]
Overview[]
Doerons are a Large quadrupedal race, inheriting the typical benefits and penalties of this size category and subtyping. A rare few might have stunted growth and be Medium quadrupeds instead without any bonuses or penalties to their size but retain the traits of the quadruped subtyping. Doeron characters may choose either +2 Strength and -2 Dexterity or +2 Intelligence and -2 Wisdom. Their enormous sizes and dramatically different set of limbs compared to other races can make doerons appear clumsy especially on the ground, and they might not notice fine details, though they are often shrewd, adaptive inventors and intellectually curious.
Crystal Communion (Ex)[]
Flavor[]
For generations, doerons have sought to maintain their natural connection to the earth. Through the minerals of the ground, doerons can sense tremors in the earth to tell them the precise location of something that is concealed or even invisible. Some say that it is impossible to sneak up on a doeron, as the earth will "speak" to the doeron and warn them of the impending danger.
Mechanics[]
Once per day, a doeron may perform a Crystal Communion as a swift action and gain blindsense for 1d4+1 rounds. Blindsense from Crystal Communion extends out to 30ft and requires contact with solid ground to give sensory information to the doeron. Unlike blindsight, blindsense does not prevent miss chances against creatures with concealment, and the doeron is still considered flat-footed against creatures they cannot see, even if they are aware of their presence.
- Keywords: Active, daily, extraordinary ability, swift action, senses
Flight (Natural Ability)[]
Flavor[]
Almost all doerons have wings strong enough to lift their massive bulk and keep themselves airborne. A rare few doerons may even have two pairs of wings. Though doerons' natural gaits on the ground may seem awkward compared to other races, they are largely skilled fliers and may even be surprisingly agile when in the air.
Mechanics[]
Doerons have a flying speed of 20ft with poor maneuverability. At character level 5, and every 5 character levels thereafter, this fly speed increases by 10 to a maximum of 60ft at 20th level. At level 5, their maneuverability becomes average, and at level 10, their maneuverability becomes good. While flying, a doeron can ascend at half speed and descend at double speed. Their flight speed is cut in half if they are wearing medium or heavy armor. While flying, a doeron can act normally. They receive a +1 racial bonus to the Fly skill and it is treated as a class skill for them regardless of their class.
- Keywords: Passive, natural ability, movement
Tough Hide (Natural Ability)[]
Flavor[]
A doeron's scales have been compared to the metals and gems they seem to have a natural affinity for. Their bodies tend to naturally deflect conventional weapons and absorb the shock of other types of injury.
Mechanics[]
Doerons have +2 Natural AC.
- Keywords: Passive, natural ability
Doeron Senses (Natural Ability)[]
Flavor[]
It is thought that the doeron race's historical pull towards the earth's bounty is linked to some sort of evolutionary heritage from being cave-dwelling species. Regardless of where the doerons came from, they can see in dimly-lit conditions without much trouble.
Mechanics[]
Doerons have Low-Light Vision up to 60ft and do not take sight-based penalties in such conditions, so long as the subject is in their range. These senses do not allow the doeron to see things they normally would not be able to see, such as invisible creatures or illusions.
- Keywords: Passive, natural ability