Martalus (5e Race)

Martalus

"The Martalus are a unique people; though they are social and live in groups, it can be difficult for those without knowledge of their range of appearances to identify them. In fact, most features of a Martalus' appearance are not set in stone; one of the few distinguishing features that remains a constant is their tails and wings, which only appear on males and females respectively." - Xiuhtonal

Physical Description

Martalus only have 2 biological differences between each other. The first is that male Martalus commonly have a tail, predominantly fluffy in nature but they can be scaly or fleshy, and female Martalus conversely have large extendable wings which hold patterns on the inner folds, it is incredibly rare for a male to have wings, or a female to have tails, but it is not impossible. The second is that the female Martalus have a much softer, fluffier coat of fur, while the males have a much less dense coat.

Apart from their sex's differences, Martalus are not created equal, as most of their biology is dictated from their parents features, and tends to be more additive than mixing and molding something new. For example, if a mother and father both had 2 sets of arms, their child would most likely have 4, but could end up with more, because of their additive biology, and when Martalus cross breed, the Martalus parts of them will always show, a female will commonly have the fluffy fur and the large wings with the males having their tails and shorter sleek coat.

History

The history of the Martalus is long and rich, most stored in a large singular library and even with rigorous care, books fall to old age crumbling away with the information they hold. Information has been lost to time, unfortunately including the origins of the Martalus. What is known however, is that at the beginning, there was 2 Martalus. One was named Litica and the other Yikron.

As time passed they grew closer and bonded, and with the difficulties of the world surrounding them, required each other to stay safe. As this bond continued to grow stronger, they decided to have a child, and then another, and then another. It is not known how long after their meeting it happened, but Litica died from non natural causes. It is not known how as that information was never written in the first place. After Litica's death however, Yikron left his children to fend for themselves, in doing so created a tight bond between them, and after many years also had children of their own. much further down the line the martalus started to come together in groups, and then larger and larger groups, eventually causing a civilization to sprout.

Over hundreds of years, society formed; the Martalus' presence spread wide, delivering with it culture, education, and all the inner workings of a functional society. Inevitably, as all good things go, this could not hold forever. A prophet foretold the future: an event that would cause the Martalus as they are to be effectively wiped out, caused by one of their own.

Nothing further was able to be documented.

Society

Before their civilization fell, the Martalus thrived on their planet, building houses, schools, mills, and farms. They all had roofs over their heads and an abundance of food. Each family played a role in society, engaging in specific trades such as woodcarving, farming, hunting, or sparring. Everyone utilized their talents for their own and each other's benefit. All of this was, of course, aided by the Martalus' natural magical powers – some born with the ability to move things effortlessly with their minds, others with incredible physical strength, and some with unique abilities like eating through rocks like broccoli. Due to their varied differences and powers, they were welcoming to all creatures on their world, and had they encountered others, they certainly would have welcomed them.

The Martalus also shared one religion, centered around a single god with a solitary request: to collect and preserve knowledge. This encompassed recipes for food, medicine, and construction techniques. Their history was meticulously recorded and passionately stored in their largest building – their monument to their religion, the head church. The church was constructed as two buildings together, one part for prayer and thanks to their god, the other a deep underground library filled with countless hand-written and bound books, all meticulously ordered.

As a society, they learned from their god, constantly delving into the past for knowledge about current issues. If a child fell ill, they would search for historical cases, reasons, and potential cures within their carefully preserved books. If a solution wasn't found, they would continue their search for herbs and medicines that had helped with similar symptoms in the past. The new knowledge would be recorded in a new book by the church's scribes.

However, one member of the church was special – they received the first and only known information directly from their god: a prophecy. "A child, born of white fur, would possess two natural abilities..." This was unheard of among the Martalus, a truly unique circumstance. "...would bring an end upon all of Martalus kind-" More was said, but none was heard. The prophecy was quickly recorded in a special book in the head priest's office. From that point forward, the society would check every child with a ritual to sense their natural abilities, until one day when all hell broke loose.

As it stands now, the Martalus people have become more divided. Multiple religions are constantly at each other's throats, and families are split by personal thoughts and beliefs. Despite still being naturally curious people, they tend to hide away, not wanting another event like before to occur. Occasionally, new individuals earn Martalus' trust and become friends, and in rare cases, family.

When two Martalus meet nowadays, it's an information war. Who do they believe in? What religion do they follow? Are they living with others? Every conversation between strangers is a test of trust, an espionage in broad daylight, and both sides are well aware. Discussions can turn into heated arguments, resulting in fights, some of which are ugly. Despite their more aggressive nature towards each other, they can still live together and work in unison. Large groups of Martalus have been known to unite under one religion, or none at all, with some choosing to stay out of the conflict between others.

As time passes and exploration continues, the Martalus have started to discover new places with more advanced technology than theirs. Some are learning to wire simple mechanisms, while others are adapting to using computers. Due to the heavy focus on technology, some Martalus have lost their unique powers, with their natural-born abilities diminishing to more of a party trick than it used to be.

As their society stands today, it is still in redevelopment from the doomsday event, as they explore and learn more about themselves and other races.

Martalus Names

In Martalus culture, names carry a distinct touch based on gender. For males, it's about robust and distinct sounds—think Z, M, X, or N. Meanwhile, for females, it's all about softer, melodic vibes—beginning with S, C, L, or A. This naming tradition weaves a balance, infusing strength and power into male names and grace and light into female names among the Martalus.

Male: Zephron, Malakar, Xatius, Azrion, Vesperac, Draetholk, Netrius, Morvikan

Female: Sylara, Azuraelle, Lilithra, Calydria, Nyxara, Aeloria, Ravenna

Martalus Traits

Ability Score Increase. When determining your character’s ability scores, increase one score by 2 and increase a different score by 1, or increase three different scores by 1. You can't raise any of your scores above 20.
Age. The age of marturity for a Martalus is around 6 years for an adolescent, and around 10 years for a fully developed adult. Typically, Martalus do not typically die of old age, but can become frail and more susceptible to injuries past the age of 900 years old.
Alignment. Martalus can sway heavily either side and can also happily sit in the middle. Martalus change by their own actions and experiences, rather than their nature.
Size. Martalus are naturally fairly tall people, and range from around 6ft to well over 8ft. Their physical builds can range from moderately slim, to fairly chunky. Your size is medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision. Martalus have lived all over their planet, including in dark caves to scavenge for materials, as such their eyesight has adjusted. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Body Parts. Martalus females tend to have wings, and males tend to have tails. However one can have the opposite, but never both. Choose one:

Strong Wings: Martalus wings are large and strong carriers, able to travel great distances while holding a hefty load aloft. You gain a flying speed of 30ft. You cannot use this flying speed while wearing heavy armour.

Prehensile Tail: You can grasp things with your tail. It has a reach of 10 feet, and it can lift a number of pounds equal to five times your Strength score. You can use it to do the following simple tasks: lift, drop, hold, push, or pull an object or a creature; open or close a door or a container; grapple someone; or make an unarmed strike. Your DM might allow other simple tasks to be added to that list of options. Your tail can't wield weapons unless they have the light property, use shields or do anything that requires manual precision, such as using tools or magic items or performing the somatic components of a spell.
Diverse Biology. Because of how unique each individual Martalus can be, brothers and sisters could be very different. Pick one trait:

Natural Weapons: Your hands end in retractable incredibly sharp claws. Your claws are natural weapons with the finesse property which you can use to make unarmed strikes. When you hit with them, the strike deals 1d6 + your Strength or Dexterity modifier slashing damage, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike. If you have a tail, your natural weapon additionally gains the Reach property and instead does 1d8 + your Strength or Dexterity modifier bludgeoning damage.

Natural Armour: Your body is covered in thick layers of fur, granting you protection from many natural threats and injuries. While you aren't wearing armour, your fur gives you a base Armor Class of 13 + your Dexterity modifier. Additionally your thick fur acts as insulation in colder climates. You can tolerate temperatures as low as -50 degrees Fahrenheit without any additional protection.

Naturally Talented: Born with hard working blood in your veins, you are naturally talented in a myriad of different skills. Gain one skill proficiency of your choice and one tool proficiency of your choice.

Natural Affinity: As soon as you were born, there was something special about you, and then it hit your parents in the face. Literally. You learn two cantrips of your choice from the sorcerer spell list. Intelligence, Wisdom or Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells, picked upon choosing this trait.

Natural Storage: You happen to have extra fluffy fur, perfect to store things in! Especially since they just seem to… vanish. As a bonus action, you interact with an extradimensional space on your person, either taking out an item or placing an item within. Items within this space still influence your carrying capacity, and can be placed within as long as they can reasonably be held in one hand. This extradimensional space is undetectable, and items within cannot be found on your person.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language of your choice.

Random Height and Weight

Base Height	Height Modifier*	Base Weight	Weight Modifier**
6′ 0''	+3d8	160 lb.	× (3d6) lb.
*Height = base height + height modifier **Weight = base weight + (height modifier × weight modifier)

5.00

(4 votes)

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