Zamonian

*"I'd never beheld such beauty. I was stuned, unable to move, until she put arrows in the throats of several of my men."-Jeh Xu, Imperial Samurai.*

*"We are the daughters of Bromis. We have no need of you."- Ophelia, Zamonian ranger, to some trespasser.*

*"Despite their great beauty, they are the equal of any man, hells, they're more than equal to many of them!"-Hesen Bodh, Latrellite soldier.*

## Physical Description:

Zamonians are almost figures of myth. They are all women, lithe and athletic, with creamy skin and long dark hair pulled into ponytails or worn long. All are over six feet, with eyes that sparkle like gemstones. The island of Zamonia is a legend to various sailors and they often see Zamonians as sirens or nymphs, but despite their savage beauty they are in fact a human sub-race. They wear simple togas and robes, with their feet in sandals or barefoot. Winding armbands are popular forms of ornamentation as are tattoos of animals or fines. Scars are prized among the warrior women and a source of great pride for individual Zamonians.

## History:

The island of Zamonia is rumored to have been crafted by Bromis herself, a paradise of beautiful nature unspoiled by mankind. Where the Zamonians come from, they cannot say, perhaps Bromis made them in her image or perhaps they were distantly related to the fey. The Zamonians pride themselves on the deeds of now, not of the past. Unique among the various human races, the Zamonians can reproduce asexually and thus require no men to propagate their unique species (though some choose to take male mates from among worthy non-Zamonians) and it has always been this way. The Zamonians built no ships and instead remained happy in their isolation for uncountable years. It wasn't until the junks of the Dragon Empire landed on their northern shores that the Zamonians realized they were not alone. The Imperials sought to claim Zamonia as another piece of their vast empire, not realizing the warrior women called it home. Skirmishes between the natives and the Imperials was almost immediate with the Zamonians aggressively defended their territory, forcing the Imperials to one walled city and little else. Still, word of the exotic women, beasts, the ruins and treasure they guarded and the failure of the Imperials drew adventurers like flies to honey. This led some Zamonians to seek the world beyond and others to draw their walls even tighter and guard what they held with more ferocity than before.

## Geography:

Zamonians live exclusively on their island in unknown numbers. However, more and more are beginning to take up the adventurer's life and can be found throughout Apia. Most start in the Coastal Kingdoms and you are more likely to find Zamonians in Apia within that region than anywhere else outside of Zamonia.

## Personality:

Zamonians are proud, wild and free. These warrior women are known for their fierce independence and proud nature and almost any Zamonian will embody these traits. Why ask for help when you can do it yourself? Why beg for mercy when your time has come? Live life to the fullest until them, exploring the jungles, slaughtering beasts and making friends. Most have artistic talent as well as natural skill with the bow. They admire beauty in all forms, from masterwork pottery to a finely aimed arrow. Most care little for material wealth beyond fine pieces of jewelry or eloquently crafted clothes. A Zamonian would rather spend her newly acquired treasure on aged wine or fine linens than save it in a bank. Why hoard shiny gems like a dragon when they can be spent on luxury? After all, you can't take them with you.

## Society:

The Zamonians live in a system that may seem anarchistic to outsiders but the simple matter is that the women of the island value their independence and freedom. Who needs landlords or monarchs? No one owns the jungle, it belongs to the strong alone, those with the capability to survive its rigorous tests. Each Zamonian is a queen who needs no approval from her mothers and monarchs to follow her heart and her passion. However, there is a queen of Zamonia, elected by the wisest of the mothers upon the death of the previous queen. While the position is mostly ceremonial she is considered the ultimate arbiter of the rare unsolvable dispute between Zamonians and during natural crisis' or wars she will give orders that are followed to the letter.

## Religion:

Zamonians honor Bromis above all other Goddesses, believing that she made their island and made them in her image. Rila is also popular among the patrons of beauty as is Aphion among wisewomen.

## Alignment:

Most Zamonians are chaotic good, though neutral good or even chaotic neutral Zamonians are far from uncommon. Few would be considered lawful as, while they are willing to follow their own queen during emergencies, the idea of centralized government is near foreign to them. Still, most adventuring Zamonians learn to respect the laws of the outer world, even if the internally roll their eyes at them.

## Relations:

Zamonians have no formal relations, save an intense dislike of The Dragon Empire, with whom they have been in constant skirmishes since the Imperial Fleet's arrival. They also dislike poachers, industrialists and those with no appreciation for nature. They get along well with both elves and orcs for different reasons and half-elf/orc babies are common among the warrior women.

## Language:

Zamonians speak Zamon, a flowing melodic language that resembles elfish in many respects. Adventurers also learn common.

## Adventurers:

Zamonian adventurers are growing more common as the women of the island realize a whole world exists outside their paradise. Some adventure for the sheer thrill of discovery, others do so to test their limits and abilities against fresh challenges. A few go out to learn all they can about the nations of the world and then bring this information back to the island. A few even leave Zamonia in search of a worthy man to provide her with daughters. Because of the individualistic nature of Zamonians, none need permission to adventurer and so most people encounter the warrior women in this capacity.

### Names:

Zamonian names are natural in origin, based on plants and animals. Many receive deed names like Long-Runner or Swift-Climber and Zamonians with these deed names use them in a similar manner to human surnames.

**Example Names:** Willow, Ivy, Birch, Rabbit, Hawk, Albatross, Piranha, Butterfly, Lilly, Rose, Apple

## Traits:

Identical to human traits found on page 19 with the following exceptions:

+2 Charisma. Zamonians are renowned for their beauty. This replaces the starting feat

Proficiency with longbow, shortbow and longsword. No Zamonian worth her salt enters adulthood without knowing her way around the longbow.

+2 in the following skills, perform (dance or sing), survival, swim and profession (artist, sculpter ect). This replaces the bonus skill points a human gets at level one. Zamonians are masters of survival and artistic pursuits but lack the general skills of regular humans.

Human Blood: For all effects related to race, a Zamonian is treated as being human.

Favored Class; Ranger. Zamonians often favor the longbow but those with twin longswords are not uncommon.