Ursin

**Ursin**, also known as **Bearfolk**, are broad-shouldered, bipedal humanoids. Although they strongly resemble upright bears, they have longer legs than any bear and their massive hands are more like a human’s hand than a bear’s paw. They lack the bear’s sharp claws, but they’re as dextrous as any elven craftsman’s. Their muscles develop early in life, and most **Ursin** look it. Their physiques tend toward great bulk beneath shaggy fur. Even the slenderest ursin are quite strong. They are over 7 feet tall when they stand at their full height, but they often appear shorter because of a natural forward roll to their shoulders. They weigh between 250 and 350 pounds. They’re covered in shaggy fur that can have a range of colours. The most common colours are black and brown, often with a lighter frosting or tip on the chest, shoulders, and upper back. Coppery red, honey-coloured, and even pure white fur occur rarely. The colour gives a clue to the particular Ursin's heritage, but it’s not an exact indicator.

## Maturity, Age and Fertility

   As they age, they tend to go silvery around the muzzle, giving them a distinguished look. The average lifespan of an Ursin is around 120 years old, they mature at the same rate as humans. Unfortunately the Ursin population has not adapted well to city life. Being away from nature has meant ursin fertility rates have significantly plummeted. Before the severance ursin couples had a window in which to conceive a child that was naturally tied to the cycle of the moon. During a full moon, there was a 24 hour window in which most Ursin would be able to achieve this if they wished. Since they adapted to city life, this window has now changed, though it is unclear exactly why.

This 24 hour window now only occurs one day a year, during Ursiday, which makes the start of spring with the first full moon of the season. They only have a ten percent chance of becoming pregnant. An Ursin pregnancy follows the lunar cycle and as such, each birth always occurs on the eve of *Amhrán'Eira/*The Rime Song. Because of this, **Ursin** celebrate their birthday by worshipping Vari in conjunction with her Rime Song, on that day.

However, Ursin are not a common sight. They do appear in each city, but the total population of their species has plummeted to a number less than 500. Because of this, they take great care to protect their own kind and refuse to kill one-another unless there really is no other choice. They also birth children where possible.

## Raging Temper

**Ursin**, while much fewer in number, have similarities to Tauren in their temperament, they have a deep and impressive capacity for violence when roused to anger or in defence of their own. Unlike Tauren however, once an Ursin is angered it is difficult to stop them. Their passions run as strong as their bodies, and banter that pushes the boundary into insults and bruised honour often leads to actual bruises. When provoked to anger, or moved to battle, the first attack from an Ursin's weapon can often surprise the opponent with just how quick and furiously strong they truly are. Their great physical strength means they excel at battle, and even relatively minor physical altercations can inadvertently become serious. Many wear scars from physical contests, both simple competition and more serious matters of wounded honour, that went a little too far.

When **Ursin** truly fight, they do so with the clear goal of protecting their friends and family in the moment and in the future. If that means the destruction of a foe, then so be it. They are much quicker than most expect them to be for their size, and are considered notoriously difficult to kill. Thanks to this physical prowess, many follow the path of the warrior. Barbarians and fighters are very common, with rangers and druids following closely behind.

[For the sake of game statistics an Ursin would use the Bugbear D&D race with the following changes, the appearance, height, weight and lifespan of an Ursin is changed as per the description above. **An Ursin does not gain the Darkvision or the Sneaky features, instead they gain the following feature.**]

#### Relentless Endurance

When you are reduced to 0 hit points but not killed outright, you can drop to 1 hit point instead. You can’t use this feature again until you finish a long rest.