Iddun

Even those untrained in magic of the iddun race have arcane torrents in their bloodveins. Generations upon generations of isolation in their closed-off country of Felddun have given them an affinity for magic rarely seen on such a wide scale in the modern races of Ealdremen. They rely upon magic even for the most mundane of tasks and shirk all but the most basic of technology, viewing complicated machines as inherently opposed to the simplicity of spells and enchantments. The traditions of the iddun people last far longer than their short lifespans would suggest; they have refused outside help since the world beyond their borders became increasingly globalized and saturated with the foreign technologies the iddun revile.
==Etymology and Other Names==
The name iddun is from their own language and means "magic-people" in reference to their proficiency with the arcane. By a quirk of their linguistics, the neighboring doeron race's languages generally were able to easily reproduce the sounds of the term iddun. They took the name with them as they integrated with other species while their isolated neighbors locked themselves away. Some languages may instead call iddun a derivative of the name they use for the rakko race due to the shared resemblance, especially in their faces and heads.
==Biology==
The iddun are among the shortest races of Ealdremen, and they are the smallest of Ealdremen's quadrupedal sentient species by a significant margin. Because of their short stature, their heads and especially their tall, pointed ears set atop their heads may seem oversized relative to the rest of their bodies. They have eyebrow-like scaly ridges above their eyes, which tend to give them a perpetually annoyed expression in conjunction with their toothy overbites. Most iddun will have yellow sclarae and green irises, but some iddun may have their eye colors change throughout their lives depending on the magic they are exposed to.
Much like the arcane magic they wield that is coded by the color spectrum, an iddun's scales can be a variety of hues from individual to individual. An individual's body is mostly solid colored with a different, but often similar, color for their underside and sometimes the insides of their ears. For some iddun, their snouts or lower jaws may be the same color as their underside, or the different coloring may stop at the bases of their tails.
The front claws of the iddun have separate thumbs, which allow them to grasp objects when sitting back on their haunches or while in flight. Their wings also have articulated digits but are not able to hold objects. It is generally awkward for an iddun to hold something and walk at the same time. Because of this, many iddun will rely on spells to carry objects for them; failing that, they may keep things nestled between the spikes on their backs or in pouches they can reach with their mouths.
==Sociology==
The iddun seek consistency in their societies and rely on their old traditions that have kept them safe for hundreds of years. Whatever is done ought to be done for the community's benefit. They strive to excel, but not only to benefit themselves; because their communities are isolated from the outside world, limited resources must be allocated carefully, and any use of them must be for the greater good. An iddun seeking their own advancement in the world would be corrected with unified social pressure or even exile in the worst of cases. To a typical iddun, if every individual is taking care of one another rather than themselves first, then there is more care and attention given to any single individual. Rather than only one person taking care of themselves, they could conceivably have a whole community looking out for them. This reflects in their attitudes toward their governments, which have little lawmaking power and mostly exist to bargain or negotiate with others, even on a national scale, or to manage public projects and coordinate the efforts of different communities towards a larger goal.
Fears of overpopulation and their general collectivistic society means that many iddun children are raised by everyone around them, not only by their biological parents. Having a child is considered a great responsibility that the whole community must be prepared for; it is treated with the same amount of gravity that immigration into a local community would be. An iddun does not believe someone has a "right" to live somewhere by virtue of being born there. In the event that a community judges it cannot take care of the child, the child is adopted by another community that can, or brought to a religious temple to be raised there and eventually serve one of the many traditional gods the iddun revere.
Advancements in magic spread like wildfire through communities, and iddun are quick to share their knowledge with one another. Becoming famous for a spell that simplifies life is the greatest honor an iddun and their community can receive. Iddun shun technology that requires too many resources to maintain or create, instead prioritizing the perpetual ebb and flow of magic to keep their lives comfortable. Because more complicated technologies malfunction in the presence of magic, many modern inventions do not even work properly in the magic-saturated lands the iddun call home.
==Racial Traits (D&D 3.5e/Pathfinder)==
Iddun are a Small quadrupedal race and inherit such bonuses and penalties for their size and subtyping. Iddun characters may choose either +2 Intelligence and -2 Charisma or +2 Charisma and -2 Wisdom to be applied to their starting attributes. Iddun are naturally inclined towards arcane magic, and some choose to study it methodically whereas others rely on their inherent attunement to it. Those that study magic tend to shun their innate connection to it, viewing it as a crutch; those that embrace it tend to neglect the value of their bodily senses and over-rely on magic to guide them.
From their Chrono Attuned ability, once per day, iddun can choose to prolong or forestall a magical effect currently active on them as a swift action. The iddun rolls 1d4 and adds or subtracts the resulting amount of rounds, at their decision, from the effect's duration, to a minimum of 1 round. Chrono Attuned cannot be used on effects that do not come from spells, spell-like abilities, or items that have a spell as a component of its creation. If the iddun has the share spells class feature, such as with a familiar or an eidolon, they may choose to use this on their companion instead if they are within touch range.
Iddun are capable of Flight and have a flying speed of 20ft with poor maneuverability. At character level 5, and every 5 character levels thereafter, this fly speed increases by 10 to a maximum of 60ft at 20th level. At level 5, their maneuverability becomes average, and at level 10, their maneuverability becomes good. While flying, an iddun can ascend at half speed and descend at double speed. Their flight speed is cut in half if they are wearing medium or heavy armor. While flying, an iddun can act normally. They receive a +1 racial bonus to the Fly skill and it is treated as a class skill for them regardless of their class.
From their Arcane Studies, iddun receive +1 Knowledge (Arcana).
Category:Ealdremen Races