Though the ice caps of Morgnis are frigid and inhospitable to most, the hardened survivalists of the dyottore have made their ancestral homes in these lands. While imposing and historically aggressive, their modern reputation is not that of rampaging marauders, but of craftsfolk of unparalleled skill.
Etymology and Other Names[]
Dyottore is derived from the Frozen Sea Accord words dyto, meaning "virtue," and gyorae, or "make." As such, many dyottore translate the name as "Virtuous Makers," reflecting their Crafted Legacies.
Biology and Anatomy[]
Dyottore are typically broad-shouldered and thickly built, their bodies best likened to inverted triangles. Their arms are often much larger than their legs, though this does not impart their ability to move quickly or carry their sizable weight. A dyottore's arms end in large, fuzzy paws, with four clawed digits and a fifth, opposable thumb that lacks a claw; their palms and the underside of their fingers lack fur, and the soft pads underneath enable fine control of grasped items.
A dyottore's legs, though more slender than their arms, are capable of prolonged running and adept leaping with minimal preparation. Their metatarsi are elevated, causing them to walk solely on their phalanges, as opposed to some other endoskeletal races that walk on both metatarsi and phalanges. While a digitigrade leg structure permits dyottore to move quicker than one might expect from a creature with their build, they are less stable when standing still on average. When running, their long tails tend to stick straight out to get them a counterbalance, unconsciously moving to keep the dyottore from toppling over.
Dyottore are covered head to toe in thick, coarse fur that insulates their bodies against the chill winds of their homelands. Often, this fur is a shade of tan, gray, or off-white, with their bellies a lighter shade. Dyottore are also notable for their massive, sabre-shaped upper canines, which will grow throughout an individual's entire life. Exceptionally old members of the species may suffer from impaired movement from their oversized fangs, so some will file their fangs back down to retain a full range of motion, or even to look younger.
Sociology and Culture[]
In the deserts of the Morgnan ice caps, life can end suddenly and without warning. To ensure the preservation of their memory, dyottore took a necessary part of life and made it integral to their culture; the art of building things became a way to ensure your deeds were forever remembered, and Crafted Legacies were born. In modern times, this means dyottore youths will choose some form of crafting to specialize in, and eventually to produce a magnum opus that will both cement their memory and allow them access to The Halls of Fyntrusnecht when they die. The most common Crafted Legacies are the longhouses that dot the ice caps or the Islineg, ships meant to cross ice instead of water. Due to the size of these undertakings, they can easily become collaborative Legacies that combine the life's work of many individuals, and collectively granting them all even greater status in death.
Historically, dyottore formed aggressive raiding parties that would sail the Morgnan ocean, pillaging villages along the coastlines for resources before returning to their cold homelands. While this lifestyle has largely fallen to the wayside, dyottore still prefer to congregate in groups of like-minded individuals when travelling; seeing a lone dyottore outside of the ice caps is exceptionally rare, as both tourists and businessfolk abroad travel in "gangs." Even in their ancestral homelands, dyottore pack mentality is readily apparent, both in the way nobody leaves longhouses on their own, and in the way that some dyottore maintain their oldest traditions in forming roving gangs of ne'er do wells and bandits.
Like the Kanirineta, dyottore tend to vehemently oppose necromancy, marking themselves exceptions among the galactic attitude towards the school. By dyottore beliefs, necromantic magic tears souls from their positions in the Halls of Fyntrusnecht, denying them their just reward for the hard life they had led. Descendants of individuals "besmirched" by necromancy may declare eternal war against the mage or mages responsible for the insult, creating new blood feuds that can stretch centuries. These feuds often only end when one involved line is utterly decimated, be they the mage's or the "victim's."
When a dyottore dies, their body is subjected to a multi-day process to prepare it for a traditional funeral. Their fangs are ritually removed and used to form the blades of a pair of war scythes; one will be presented to their next of kin during the funeral, the other will accompany them into the next life. The body then has a custom suit of funereal armor forged around it, to ensure their protection in eternity. The process of forging this armor is exceptionally difficult, and those who devote themselves to the craft of funereal armor are known to treat every suit as if it were to be their own legacy. Finally, in a ritual that predates living memory, the deceased is set adrift in the Rime-Ring Plains, where whichever god has laid claim to them will find their body and bring them into the afterlife. Stealing a deceased dyottore's funereal armor and war scythe is the gravest crime possible in most dyottore-heavy places, and anyone found guilty of the crime is put to death on the spot and denied a proper funeral themselves.
Behavior[]
As their anatomy means many dyottore are unsteady on their feet, they tend to prefer weaponry that can be used as a third point of support. Staves, canes, and polearms are popular weapons among dyottore for this reason, as are the massive skull rams only the mightiest can wield. Dyottore who do not support themselves in this manner tend to prefer kneeling to standing when still, or making use of fighting styles that emphasize movement. Battle Dancers in particular tend to be dyottore, or taught by dyottore masters.
Naming[]
Dyottore given names tend to avoid hard consonant sounds like Xs, Cs, Ks, and Ts in the middle or end of the names, preferring softer consonants like Rs, Gs, and Ns. Surnames are either patronymic, appending -son or -deter (or -dottir, in some instances) to an individual's father's given name for a son or daughter respectively, or a translated compound word. The exact surname is ultimately up to an individual's preferences, but the patronymic option is more common among young dyottore when applicable.
Example names: Fyoro Erideter, Orraine Kjurnson, Rokuare Shieldbringer
Racial Traits[]
Dyottore are a Medium race, incurring no benefits or penalties for their size. Those with Dyottore player characters may choose between +2 Strength and -2 Dexterity or +2 Dexterity and -2 Strength. Dyottore value martial prowess, often favoring speed or might, but rarely both.
Ensured Legacy: Dyottore gain +2 Acrobatics and +2 to one Craft skill of their choice.
Reformed Raiders: Dyottore gain Resist 5 Cold, and are proficient with all Dyottore Weaponry. A dyottore only has to pay 10% of the listed cost for a dyottore weapon, though they use the full listed price when crafting one.
Appreciative Eye: Once per day, dyottore may make a Craft check to study an item, structure, vehicle, or other created object. At first level, the dyottore may use this ability to attempt to determine who made the object, and the most major event in its past. At fifth level, and every five levels beyond, the dyottore can determine more specific information about the object in question as their understanding of their craft grows.