Tengu
Tengus are survivalists and conversationalists, equally at home living off the wilderness and finding a niche in dense cities. They accumulate knowledge, tools, and companions, adding them to their ever-expanding nests.
In the islands of the Grand Kieves, tengu often find work as fishers, blacksmiths, and net weavers. Some rare few who leave the islands may find themselves working as "jinx eaters" on board superstitious Riojan vessels-- members of ships' crews who are believed, accurately or otherwise, to absorb misfortune. Tengus have a reputation for being especially nonjudgmental, especially with regard to social station, though their willingness to associate with lawbreakers has often led some to look at them with suspicion.
Tengus are extremely social, banding together in extended communities with many families living in adjacent houses and sharing the work of the household. Tengu children raised in the same household often consider each other siblings, usually forgetting which of them share a biological connection.
The greatest divide in tengu society is between tengus remaining in the Grand Kieves and those who have dispersed across the world. Tengus refer to these two groups as those "in the roost" and those "migrating", respectively. Roosted tengus tend to be more traditionalist and conservative, and are especially concerned with preserving their culture. Migrating tengus, on the other hand, voraciously absorb the culture of the various nations and settlements that they now call home.
Setting Notes
- Tengu are Common in the Grand Kieves but Uncommon everywhere else in Sharum Mal'Kari
- The following Tengu Heritages have the Rare trait in Sharum Mal'Kari:
- Mountainkeeper Tengu