Race: Burmecian

A female burmecian.

The concept of burmecians is based roughly off the race of the same name from Final Fantasy. Other information here is loosely based off the nezumi from Rokugan, and then the rest is mine.

Burmecians

"My people learned to fight in the skies. What have you done?"

Ages ago, when the Yuan-aga walked the world in great numbers, a small species of mammal lived alongside them. Unnoticed, they scampered about, but gradually grew in cunning and intelligence. When the Ageless Winter came, they found themselves almost alone in the world. They burrowed deep into the earth, learning to use tools to create fire and to dig farther and deeper than they had before. Eventually, as the cold subsided, they found themselves in the midst of a plains surrounded on all sides by enormous mountains.

Cut off from the rest of the world, they continued to develop, gradually learning agriculture and the art of smithing. Though they were small, they were hardy and determined, having lived through one of the longest ice ages to visit the worlds of Trinity.

Then the dragons came.

Having never experienced such flying monstrosities, at first the burmecians cowered: how could they fight such foes, who flew high amongst the crags, unreachable by their spears? How could they hope to slay beasts so enormous they crushed entire homes?

It was in the midst of draconic attacks that the burmecians discovered natural talents they never knew they had. Their frames, developed for quickly darting along tunnels dug beneath miles of snow, were able to propel themselves into the air to great heights - not high enough to strike the creatures, but enough to get out of their path of destruction. Over time, a small group of burmecians began taking their physical training to its limits, and found themselves able to leap heights.

They had learned to pierce the heavens.

With this newfound knowledge, the burmecians set to work on a fighting style that emphasized leaping. Forgoing swords and other traditional melee weaponry, or even bows - which lost their punch as their ammunition reached its apex - they instead focused on spears and polearms of all kinds, sharp blades and heavy hammers on long poles which could use their increased momentum from leaping at their foes. The burmecians had discovered the art of the lancer.

Today, burmecians remain largely hidden away in their ancestral homeland, a testament to their strength of will. While they are not distrustful of outsiders - indeed, some burmecians have found a natural knack for trade, and many lancers are willing to train members of other races - they largely prefer to keep to themselves.

Personality: Surprisingly proud, burmecians have a keen sense of racial pride. While not arrogant, burmecians take issue with those who question their abilities due to their stature or rat-like nature, and do not take well to disrespect. They acknowledge the skills of others, and being a race with no natural affinity for a Force, view all of the Forces relatively equally. They tend to prefer the company of the shorter races, but some intentionally seek out larger acquaintances, if only to be able to say that they are their equal.

Vital Statistics
		Starting Age			Aging Effects
	Adulthood	Simple	Moderate	Complex	Middle Age	Old	Venerable	Max Age
Age	12 years	+1d4	+1d6	+2d6	50 years	75 years	100 years	+2d10
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	Base Height		Height Modifier		Base Weight		Weight Modifier
Male	3' 7"		+2d4"		65 lbs.		x1d3 lbs.
Female	3' 4"		+2d4"		50 lbs.		x1d3 lbs.

Physical Description: Burmecians are relatively short, but the tallest among them reach the height of smaller humans with some regularity. Their faces are elongated, much like those of most rodents, with males possessing a small tuft of whiskers on either side.

As with most humanoid races, burmecians developed longer head hair as they became bipedal, which varies in coloration but typically stays within the dark end of the spectrum, with blacks, browns, and reds being common. Many burmecians wear their hair long enough to cover their eyes, using their keen sense of smell to guide them.

Burmecians walk on their toes, their feet naturally curved for extreme motion and leaping ability. While their torsos and arms are generally lean, burmecians' legs are strong and dense.

Relations: Burmecians get along well enough with most races, provided personalities don't clash. The major exception to this are the gria, for whom the burmecians have a significant degree of instinctive distrust. While most gria don't have a problem with burmecians, most burmecians have problems with gria.

Ethos: Burmecians are clan-like, and their history is dotted with clan wars when other threats - such as dragons - were not present. Burmecians tend to put community above all else, resulting in a strongly-Green ethos; many are also quite eager to prove themselves, presenting as Red, which tends to cool into a sensible, long-thinking Blue as a Burmecian ages.

Burmecian Lands: Burmecians claim the small valley in western Molandum as their own, and it has been their homeland for millenia, with not even the strongest of akashics able to ascertain when they migrated there. Burmecians are relatively common in the rest of Molandum, and as burmecian traders tend to travel the world - and beyond - small groups of burmecians can be found almost anywhere.

Religion: Burmecians are a strongly stoic people, and believe in themselves most of all. While some of their people are religious, they have an overall tendency towards atheism. Legends among their people indicate that this atheism is the result of burmecians having once been followers of the True Gods, as a rule, and when they disappeared, so too did the burmecians' faith.

Language: Burmecians speak Burmecian, a rough-sounding language to those who hear it, which is derived from a combination of languages over the course of history. Aspects of Burmecian come from Runic, Draconic, and some older tongues that have long since been lost.

Names: Burmecians organize themselves into clans, which are rather large, extended family units. While burmecians recognize immediate family, they recognize anyone with the same clan name as family, no matter how distantly they are actually related.

Male Names: Andreas, Fratley, Hjalmar, Jens, Jeroen, Mats, Ragnar, Simon, Sjakie, Teodor.

Female Names: Eira, Freya, Ilse, Klazina, Krisjana, Marjolein, Ragnheidur, Solvig, Tanja, Terese.

Clan Names: Anjagh, Beringer, Heijmans, Jansingh, Nifterik, Rundstrum, Skjeggestad, Stendahl, Van Asch, Van Wegberg.

Adventurers: Not all burmecians are content to spend their lives in quiet isolation away from the rest of the world. While most of the Burmecian valley is a peaceful place, there are always hints of danger - and hints of a much larger, much more interesting world outside. Some burmecians are driven by the goal of bringing honor to their clan, though these burmecians are a relative rarity, as "clan honor" is a concept that is rarely brought up in their society.

Burmecian Culture

The following is a rough overview of some of the highlights of burmecian culture.

• One:
• Two:
• Three:

Burmecians Are Responsible For...

...the modern techniques of the lancer. The need to be able to strike enormous opponents capable of flight at great heights forced the burmecians to devise new ways of fighting, which slowly spread throughout the world.

...two.

...three.

Burmecian Racial Traits (d20)

• +2 Con, -2 Per. Burmecians are exceptionally hardy, but for most of their development lived underground in dark, cramped spaces, leading to their senses being less acute.
• Small. +1 bonus to Armor Class, +1 bonus on attack rolls, +4 bonus on Hide checks, -4 penalty on grapple checks, lifting and carrying limits ¾ those of Medium characters.
• A burmecian's base land speed is 30 feet.
• Burmecians possess darkvision, with a base distance of 60 feet.
• Scent: Burmecians gain the scent ability.
• Cornered Fury (Ex): Burmecians can fight viciously when cut off from friends and allies. Whenever a burmecian is bloodied and has no conscious ally within 30 feet, he gains a +2 racial bonus on melee attack rolls and to Armor Class.
• Great Leap (Ex): Burmecians ignore their height for purposes of the Jump skill.
• Hatred (Ex): Burmecians receive a +1 bonus on attack rolls against creatures of the dragon type. Burmecians are taught from a young age the best ways to combat these foes.
• Powerful Build (Ex): The physical stature of burmecians lets them function in many ways as if they were one size category larger. Whenever a burmecian is subject to a size modifier or special size modifier for an opposed check (such as during grapple checks, bull rush attempts, and trip attempts), the burmecian is treated as one size larger if doing so is advantageous to him. A burmecian is also considered to be one size larger when determining whether a creature’s special attacks based on size (such as improved grab or swallow whole) can affect him. A burmecian can use weapons designed for a creature one size larger without penalty. However, his space and reach remain those of a creature of his actual size. The benefits of this racial trait stack with the effects of powers, abilities, and spells that change the subject’s size category.
• Automatic Languages: One Common language, one Trade language, Burmecian. Bonus Languages: Any.
• Favored Class: Choose one - einhander, lancer.