Manders

Manders are a race of short humanoid amphibians that closely resemble giant bipedal salamanders. As slow-moving as they are slow to change, the manders are a cold-blooded race that values tradition. With long lives and unlimited patience, the manders are master craftspeople whose wares are valued across the Upper Rim and Sky alike.

Squat and Slimy

Manders are usually short with a slouched posture, and thick fleshy tails that lightly drag on the ground behind them. Each hand has four fingers including a thumb, and each foot has four broad toes. Their eyes sit on top of the head with a broad, lip-less mouth with small teeth below two slit-like nostrils. Manders completely lack hair of any kind, though they are known to sometimes have fleshy ridges and bumps on their heads.

Their skin is smooth and somewhat moist, due to a reliance on freshwater and a need for respiration through the skin. As such they wear few clothes in areas of high humidity, and cover themselves with moisture-retaining cloth in dryer areas. Manders lack a nose, eyebrows, and lips, so their expressions are extremely difficult for other races to read. The homes of manders, called dens, usually have few windows and a bathing pool large enough for several manders to immerse themselves in. Most manders have lungs, but only a few have vestigial gills. They vary widely in color from bright pastels to mottled browns and greens, and their skin is often covered with speckled patterns. Stages of Life

Manders do not begin life like most races. They are laid as eggs into their clan’s spawning pool, and hatch months later as fish-sized tadpoles. Over a period of 4-6 years, the tadpoles develop into their adult physiology, but are still smaller than full size. They retain their gills and have longer, fined tails at this stage. Manders begin measuring their age upon leaving the spawning pool entering their clan as a child. Manders rarely know which of their clan are their parents and rarely seek them out. Instead, they are given a place to live and food to eat by dedicated caretakers called Pondmothers. They mature more slowly than humans, and are not considered adults until they are 40 years of age.

Clans

Many different clans exist, and they are often defined by profession and skin coloration as much as geographic location. Two manders of the same general color can often make accurate guesses as to the clan of the other mander based solely on the patterns of their skin, though other races are frequently hard-pressed to tell individuals apart. Clans are a source of great pride for the manders, and they have in the past engaged in brutal and long-lasting wars. Peace between the clans is equally long-lasting, however, and allied clans are often the fastest of friends. A clan is directed by a ruler called a Pondlord, who is elected for life democratically. In the event a Pondlord becomes too corrupt or fails to do his or her duty to the clan, they can be removed from office by way of an honor duel to the death, after which a new Clan Chief is elected if the current one loses. Manders take duty and responsibility very seriously as a culture. Shirking responsibility or abandoning one’s post is the height of dishonor.

Mander Names

Manders make little distinction between men and women when it comes to names. Their names are often descriptive of the mander herself in terms of personality or appearance. Usually they are translated literally into Common for the convenience of others. Longtail, Dusteyes, Grump, Wrinkletoes, and Brightskin are common names.

Clan names are shared by all manders born in the same spawning pond, and serve as a family name when dealing with other races. Some examples from the more populous clans are: Chyt, Friln, Isnn, Vufylst, Mwuk, Kllut, and Dernn.

Mander Traits

Your mander character has a variety of abilities as a result of his or her nature.

Ability Score Increase. Manders are hardy and corpulent. Your Constitution score increases by 2.

Age. Manders become adults at 40 and can live as long as 300 years.

Alignment. Manders value duty, obligation, and tradition. They tend to be Lawful or Neutral, rarely Chaotic.

Size. Manders stand 3-4 feet tall on average and have a slouched posture. Your size is Small.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 25 feet.

Swim. You have a swim speed of 25 feet while not wearing heavy armor.

Darkvision. Accustomed to a life underground or in dense forests, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. 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.

Tool Proficiency. You gain proficiency with one of the following tools of your choice: smith’s tools, mason’s tools, or carpenter’s tools.

Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Mander. Mander is a consonant-heavy language punctuated by short barks and squeaks.