Rith

*For information on this race as an adversary in campaign mode, see Rith Enemy Types.*

## Description & History

The Rith are a quasi-humanoid race, bipedal and sapient but closer in appearance to fish or frogs than men. Their lineage is extremely ancient, probably the oldest of all the races on Pangaea, though none know them well enough to say for sure. They hail from the polar continent Ikthyss, which is now balmy South Pangaea, where they once existed in underground caves and lakes warmed by volcanic activity. They lay very fragile, jelly-like eggs and have permeable skin which allows them to soak up (and leak out) moisture on contact, making their species highly dependent on fresh water. The thawing of old Ikthyss has made conditions on the surface ideal for their expansion.

All Rith are tall, tailed, web-toed, and equipped with four external gills which allow them to breath underwater. Males and females vary slightly in appearance, with females being larger, plumper, and less colorful, and both sexes become darker and wartier with age. Their immature form is called a Polliwog and requires a lengthy six month metamorphosis before being able to breath and walk on land.

First-hand knowledge of Rith culture is limited. Rith are strict isolationists by nature, not especially social even among their own species and accustomed to being the only sentient lifeforms in their environment. Their tribes are believed to be smaller than most and scattered over very long distances, an adaptation to the rare conditions that made life possible for them on Ikthyss. They raise young communally, but only until they are old enough to walk, at which point each individual is left to fend for itself. Rith tolerate the presence of others of their kind, especially Polliwogs, but are not sentimental or especially altruistic. Older adults especially have very little patience for gatherings and often cannibalize smaller Rith that offend them. Were it not for their shared religion and need to reproduce they would probably not congregate at all.

Despite what some Ubaan elders may say the Rith are not connected to them or their pantheon. They are animistic, believing in a host of mostly cruel and fickle nature spirits who amuse themselves by interfering with the lives of mortals. Their religion dictates that all aspects of the natural world (forests, stars, stones, etc.) have a Spirit, but only those who represent water or living things can be trusted. Rith of all ages gather in raucous, short-lived choruses to sing the praises of merciful spirits like Pond Scum, River, and Eel. They build crude totems of their most loved (and hated) spirits, carving large rocks into their likeness by belching acidic slime with well trained precision. Favorable totems like Rain and Flood are erected for prayer and sacrifice while enemy totems are made only to be desecrated. It is common practice for Rith to spit, throw mud, and urinate on the totems of evil spirits like Fire and Drought.

## Special Ability & Mechanic

* **Spit** - Press circle to lob a ball of slime. Medium-long range with a splash effect, low damage, average rate of fire.
* **Water Meter** - When playing as a Rith the player has an additional meter on their HUD that represents hydration. If the player character is not standing in water or swimming then this meter will constantly be going down; if it is allowed to hit zero, then the player's health will drain next.

## Items

* **Muckwiggler** - Boneless, slime-filled eels that replenish a moderate amount of water when eaten. Doing so temporarily increases the firing speed and splash range of Spit. Max stack 15.
* **Floatstinger** - Freshwater jellyfish that replenish a moderate amount of water when eaten. Eating Floatstingers temporarily imbues the player's spit with a poison effect. Max stack 15.
* **Bileberries** - Vile aquatic plants that can be crushed and slathered on to restore a small amount of meter. Their stink is horrendous. Using a cluster makes the player repel all nearby enemies, effectively making them immune to physical attacks for a time. Max stack 5.

## Interactibles

* *Jugs* - The other races all keep drinking water in their encampments. Picking up their water jug restores a large portion of meter.
* *Rain Totems* - Press triangle to bow and pray to the spirit in the clouds. Summons a light rain that refills your meter for 30 seconds. Not all levels have Rain Totems, but those that do have multiple. Pray at every Totem in the level to make the rain permanent.
* *Flood Totems* - Press triangle to kneel and pray to the great river spirit. Temporarily floods nearby bodies of water, changing which parts of a level are accessible.

## Stat Ratings (Age of Fire)

* Movement speed: **3rd** best
* Swimming speed: **1st** best
* Jump height: **3rd** best
* Unarmed attack: **3rd** best
* Damage resistance: **4th** best

## Turret

* **Sea Totem** - A truly monumental Totem; one of the largest turrets ever. It's every bit as sturdy as it looks but doesn't have true offensive capabilities. The Sea Totem does occasionally attract random lightning strikes but is mainly intended to bring down rain and well up groundwater. Essentially a lake-maker, it floods the surrounding area in shallow water. Legends without aquatic affinity are slowed down while moving through it while those with them speed up and receive all the same boosts they would in a natural body of water.

## In the Age of Fire

The Rith had already begun expansion when their high priests reported an elemental disturbance: the great and terrible spirit of Fire was gaining power, more power than any one spirit should ever have, and soon they would have so much that the entire world would be nothing but flame. Fearing for their future, the Rith communed with the spirits of Rain, Flood, and Sea and devised a plan to douse Fire once and for all.

The Rith have no regard for the plans of other races. They ignore their threats, their offers, and their schemes, fighting only to gather power in the name of the water spirits. With the right incantation and enough totems they believe they can redirect the path of the great power growing in Luenra. Their ultimate plan is not to rule Pangaea, nor to save it from the volcano, but rather to drown it and live in a world without Fire or Earth.