Rockfolk

Rockfolk are a hardy, mountain-dwelling race renowned for their rugged strength and engineering prowess. Living in tight-knit family clans, they have a profound connection to the earth and excel in mechanical and technological skills.

Country of Origin: The Mountain Kingdom

Physical Traits:

• Rockfolk are humanoid with stout, stocky bodies.
  • They are usually shorter, averaging between 4 and 5 feet tall for both men and women.
  • They have cat-like eyes and ears with prehensile, monkey-like tails.
  • Their bodies have evolved for mountainside living - wide feet for traction, strong gripping hands, robust lungs and hearts.
• Rockfolk are covered in thick, shaggy fur that radiates warmth.
  • Their fur usually comes in shades of gray, brown, white, and black; they are typically monochromatic, though patterned Rockfolk do exist.
    • Rockfolk fur typically turns white or silver with age, starting at the face and hands.
  • Rockfolk usually take great pride in the condition of their fur, with a few hours specifically set aside each night for maintenance.
  • If shaved, a Rockfolk's fur will immediately grow back overnight. Trimmed and styled fur will regrow at a natural pace.
    • Once removed from the body, Rockfolk hair continues to produce heat and will turn to ash within a few days; it is not combustible/will not light other things on fire.

Abilities and Traits:

• Natural Abilities:
  • Extended lifespan - Rockfolk can live up to 150 years.
  • Perception - Rockfolk have a strong sense of direction that is particularly keen underground.
  • Enhanced Athletics - Rockfolk are agile climbers and jumpers with superb balance.
  • Shapeshifting - Some Rockfolk can transition fully into a single animal form; their form retains one alpine feature, such as thick fur, enhanced grip, reinforced hooves or claws, or superior balance. Extinct and mythical forms can be unlocked through payment (standard Valka costs).
  • Bonding - Rockfolk typically bond with Sentinels.
    • There is no cost to join a Rockfolk that is already bonded with a Sentinel; if bonding after joining, they will be charged the standard bonding cost (250c).
• Strengths:
  • Most Rockfolk have an innate ability to identify most stones and metals just by touching them.
  • Rockfolk can typically manipulate stones and metals through songs, chants, and other vocalizations.
    • Songs are passed down through family lines and treated as precious trade secrets.
• Weaknesses:
  • Due to their builds and thick fur, Rockfolk have a difficult time swimming; most have an innate fear of deep water.
  • Rockfolk are weak to Crystalroot, which produces euphoria; individuals may respond by becoming rowdy/playfully aggressive, aroused, or cuddly, or by becoming extremely calm and mellow. The strength, duration, and type of effect varies from person to person.

Society and Lifestyle:

• Build villages on cliffsides and inside deep mountain caverns.
• They live in tight-knit family clans. Most Rockfolk are hunters or shepherds.
• Homes are typically carved from stone and timber.
• Value family and clan loyalty over all else; they are fiercely protective of tradition.
• Believe in a cycle in which an individual soul is either a Rockfolk or Sentinel depending on where they are in the cycle.
  • All Rockfolk were once Sentinels and will return as a Sentinel after they die.
  • All Sentinels were once Rockfolk and will become Rockfolk again after death.
  • The Prime Mountain is a sacred, benevolent ancestor that guides and protects the cycle.

Relationship with Other Races:

• Alliances: Mountain Humans (loose)
• Conflicts: None currently, though they've had conflicts with Igneans in the past
• Neutral: Auren, Volari, Zenoxi, Igneans

Concept Images

Here are some examples of what Rockfolk may look like. It's okay to have a different interpretation as long as you get close to the description above.

Sentinels

Sentinels are unique magical creatures native to The Mountain Kingdom; they are similar to, but different from, the Astrofel found on New Ognos and have an innate ability to bond with Rockfolk.

• Sentinels resemble a cross between a goat and a mountain lion, with bodies made of living stone or metal.
  • They typically have a goat-like face with feline eyes; cloven hooves; curled horns; a muscular, feline build; and two tufted tails.
  • Sentinel coloration varies, some have earthy tones and others possess metallic sheens; their eyes resemble gemstones and emit a soft, steady glow.
  • Sentinels communicate with stomps, snorts, grunts, bleats, "barks", and sounds resembling clacking or grinding stones; they are able to speak telepathically to their bonded.
• Sentinels can produce melodic hums, chimes, and vibrations that amplify and enhance abilities.
  • The strength and effect of their amplification varies depending on the type of song, how strong the bond between Sentinel and Rockfolk is, and how well the two manage to harmonize.
• Bonding is initiated when a Rockfolk breaks off a small piece of the Sentinel's horn and swallow it; if the bond is accepted, the Sentinel will headbutt the Rockfolk in return (usually gently).
  • Consent and friendship are extremely important in the bond, which can be dissolved by either party at any time with minor magical backlash to both.
  • Despite how easily it can be done, bonds are rarely broken as Sentinels will only bond if they sense a strong compatibility.
• Sentinels can be quite challenging, but also incredibly rewarding and affectionate companions once their trust and respect has been earned.
  • They have all the naughty craftiness and stubbornness of a goat paired with the calculating nature of a large predator, not to mention their muscular form is perfect for scaling steep mountainsides!
• Sentinels are formed in The Nursery, a specific cavern system that starts at the Prime Mountain and snakes its way across the country.
  • Sentinels are born from magma at the heart of the Prime Mountain, where they live for a few months before venturing out.
  • They are still red hot and incomplete when they first leave the magma pit.
    • What they eat during this time determines their final form; ex: a Sentinel that eats iron will become an Iron Sentinel while one that eats primarily emeralds would become an Emerald Sentinel.
  • Once their form solidifies and cools, the Sentinel ventures into one of the many Cradles, special caverns where they continue to eat and grow.
    • Young Rockfolk typically venture into the Cradles around the age of ten to find their Sentinel.
      • It is rare for adults of either species to form a bond after leaving the Cradle, but not entirely unheard of.

Concept Images

Here are some examples of what Sentinels might look like. It's okay to have a different interpretation as long as you get close to the description above.