Ratfolk

Ratfolk are clever and adaptable, happily crowding their large families into the smallest of living spaces. They prefer to live in towns and cities, but if such homes are not to be found they are also known to settle in caves and cavern complexes, as these provide great storage for the many and varied goods they bring back from trading expeditions.

Ratfolk love to travel, and they can often be found on the road in merchant caravans. They're good with their hands and have a keen eye for spotting anything out of the ordinary, from threats to treasures. They're also inveterate hoarders; ratfolk warrens are crammed full of unusual odds and ends gathered by previous generations and stowed away in preparation for some imagined future emergency.

Ratfolk culture values cooperation and community. Every ratfolk learns-- through communal games, social occasions, and sports-- to forge fast friendships and connections with ratfolk outside their family. You may never know whose help you're going to need, but when you do, you're going to need it now.

With a long tradition of working as traders and tinkers, ratfolk frequently travel from one town to another. However, discrimination against ratfolk has shaped their culture, prompting them to rely on each other and strengthening their family and community bonds.

Ratfolk are very good at differentiating between bad actors and those who are simply acting out of ignorance, modeling good behavior and slowly working to reverse generations of discrimination for those willing to learn. They are always on the lookout for members of other ancestries who don't judge them for their appearance, embracing these individuals as true friends and welcoming them into their communities. But they can also quickly spot determined bigots prone to violence and steer clear of such individuals, minimizing any opportunity for tragedy.

Setting Notes

• Ratfolk are Rare in Sharum Mal'Kari