Velen
Veleni
Reputation Cunning and driven; stereotyped as primitives, often anything but
Features Bestial features, poison resistance, and a calculating mind
Prevalence Uncommon in all polities.
Height males 5'6"-6'7"; females 5'3"-6'5"
Weight males 130-210 lbs; females 110-170 lbs
Lifespan 40 years

Veleni are a race with no civilization of their own; they began as little more than beasts in the wilds, and the majority of their kind still live the very same lifestyle today. These uncultured beings are primitive and savage, but far from stupid. Some choose to leave the wilderness behind, settling in a polity and adopting its culture like a new shirt — useful, even necessary, but also replaceable. In such civilized Veleni and their city-raised children, the race's truest strengths have the chance to shine — as do its greatest flaws.

Key Features

  • Curling horns, claws, mobile ears, and fur
  • Built for running
  • Keen sense of smell
  • Resistant to poisons and medications
  • Bold, selfish, and ruthless in their ambitions
  • Often social chameleons and manipulators

Aging Table

Stage Age Human Equiv.
Maturity 7 years 14 years
Prime 12 years 25 years
Middle Age 20 years 40 years
Senescence 30 years 60 years
Max Lifespan 40 years 75 years

Features and Abilities

Veleni are human-like in overall form, with proportionately longer legs and deep chests. Aside from their general profile, most people notice first the horns that curl back from a Velen's forehead and across their temples, and the triangular, furred, mobile ears set below them. Veleni also feature naturally short hair, a pelt of short fur that covers their body, and quarter- to half-inch claws on all fingers and toes. These claws do not retract, which makes them useful for traction but an obstacle to fine manipulation tasks such as handling paper.

Running

A Velen's long legs and deep chest give them modest but distinct advantages when running, in comparison to most other races. On average, Veleni are slightly faster sprinters; but it is endurance running where they excel most. This capability serves uncultured Veleni very well in scavenging and in running prey to ground over long distances and even successive days. When running for extended periods, Veleni need half as much water as Humans and cover about 25% more ground (average 10 mph vs. 8 mph). However, they are at a disadvantage in hot and humid environments due to the natural insulation of their fur.

Sense of Smell

Veleni have a keen sense of smell and are strongly oriented on that sense, relying just as much on what their nose tells them as on their eyes to get information about their surroundings. They generally recognize individual scents as well as or even better than faces, and have a sensitivity roughly equal to a typical dog (i.e. not a bloodhound).

Drug Resistance

Veleni have a natural resistance (but not immunity) to all drugs and toxins, from alcohol to medications to poisons. They require doses 25% higher than an equivalent Human would to feel the same effects; similarly, compounds with extended effects (such as painkillers or sedatives) wear off 25% faster for a given dosage.

Reproduction

Psychology

Despite the race's reputation as primitives, Veleni are anything but stupid; on average, they are in fact extremely clever, cunning, and socially adaptable. A Velen's interests are often narrow, focused on something — some ambition or goal or even a thing — that they strongly desire and strive to obtain, but within those interests they have no inherent limitations. Indeed, Veleni are known for determination in the pursuit of their goals, for persisting no matter how long it takes or who they have to go through in order to achieve their desire. They tend to boldness, self-confidence, and a striking deficit of fear; in the mind of a Velen, there is nothing they cannot do and no one they cannot beat… eventually. The only question is whether they will bother.

Veleni can and will adopt mannerisms, customs, and beliefs in the service of their own ends, and work with others as long as it suits them to do so, often charming and manipulating those around them. This adaptability lets Veleni integrate themselves into other cultures quite well, and they have perhaps surprising aptitudes for many 'civilized' professions, including business and trade. However, Veleni are ultimately concerned with themselves and their own goals first and foremost, to which nothing and no one else can so much as hold a candle; a Velen will leave everything and everyone they have adopted behind, or even turn on them, if that seems the better route to their ends.

In contrast, Veleni do not generally get along well with their own kind, particularly for extended periods. Because each have their own driving desires and ambitions, often quite disparate from one another, any two Veleni are more likely to go separate ways than to work together. Those who do happen to want the same things typically see each other as competition, not potential allies. Thus, mature Veleni tend to disperse and spread out widely, and the race has never developed a society of its own.

Prevalence

Note: New Veleni characters may either be uncultured individuals who have just come out of the wilds into civilization, or those born and raised in a given culture. For uncultured Veleni, their Native language should be Velenish and their starting skills should be suited to uncivilized life. Uncultured Veleni may also take Running: Native. For Veleni raised in civilization, their Native language should be the primary language of their childhood polity and their starting skills should similarly reflect that upbringing.

Reputation

Discussion

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