Rakasta

When the catfolk of the Rakastani Imperium first
appeared on Tanicus, they exchanged enslavement by mysterious masters on their
home plane with servitude to the very Rakshasa that had been sent to rerieve
them. Over the centuries, however, many have escaped their servitude and settled
in places far from their overlords, most prominently in the nation of Cho one
the eastern border of Seawn.

Both
on and off their island home, however, the Rakasta are a proud race that hold
tightly to their traditions and cultural values, many of which that existed
even before they left their ancient ancestral home. Their society is one built
on a caste system and a code known as "the Boshin." Those who follow
the code are bound by seven tenets: duty, integrity, loyalty to family and
friends, self-control, honor, respect, and courage.

Rakastani
religion is based on the same deities and eidolons as most of the world,
however they apply a measure of anthropomorphism to divine beings that other
races do not. Emanyn, for instance, has the head of a crocodile and Myrddin the
head of a falcon in their Rakastani depictions. Catfolk that live in the
Imperium are also required to venerate the Rakshasa as immortal
"god-kings." The mortal kings, heroes, and important priests of old
are entombed in pyramids that speckle the central desert of their home island.

Though
they worship the gods and eidolons of the known pantheon, their Suken
priesthood -- the clerical structure within the Rakastani traditions --
functions differently than other humanoid faiths. The Suken clerics do not dedicate
themselves to a single god, but rather consider the principle of how the gods fit
into the cycles of life and time.

Dawn
Suken are granted the Life domain, Day Suken gain the Knowledge domain, and
Dusk Suken the Grave domain. The Cult of Night, whose clergy draw power from
the Death domain, is taboo among free Rakasta because it is made up only of
those openly loyal to the Rakshasa, serving as their high priests. Rakasta
clerics on the mainland sometimes dedicate themselves to a single deity, but
these clerics are considered heretics by traditionalist and within their
homeland.

Additionally,
because of the significance of their caste system and the Boshin, the Rakasta
ascribe their own names to many of the classes and subclasses adopted by
adventurers, and there are several culture-specific class options that are
unique to them (and some classes that catfolk cannot take). These will be
detailed in Chapter 2: Classes and Backgrounds.

Though
humanoid in nature, the faces of the Rakasta remain cat-like with very few
"humanizing" traits. Their fur covers the spectrum of natural feline
colors, and the patterns and lengths of their fur vary. There are Rakasta that
resemble lions, tigers, and leopards and those that resemble bobcats, panthers,
and even house cats, but despite being a caste-based society, their natural
similarities to various existing felines plays no part in their social
structure or mating expectations. As far as the Rakasta are concerned, they are
all fundamentally the same.

It is, however, considered a grave
insult to refer to a Rakasta by their apparent "breed" or imply that
their personalities or behavior may in any way be connected to a beast that
they may resemble. Terms like "tiger-man" and statements like
"He has the heart of a lion" have brought an end to many civilized
interactions. They are all Rakasta, and they expect to be recognized as such.

*Real-World Note: Rakastani culture is a mixture of ancient Egypt and feudal Japan. Their government resembles that of the daimyos and samurai, with assassins that echo the dervishes of the Middle East. They mummify their dead and entomb their lords and kings, even building step pyramids for the most mighty of them, albeit with a Japanese feel. Most undead mummies encountered on Tanicus are of Rakastani origin.*

## Game Information

All
Rakasta share to following racial traits:

* Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and your Charisma score increases by 1.

* Age. Rakasta have lifespans equivalent to humans.
* Alignment. Most Rakasta are raised along a strong code of honor and duty called the Boshin. They tend toward lawful alignments. And while the Rakshasa that rule over them are inherently evil, the Rakasta themselves tend toward a more neutral outlook.
* Size. Rakasta vary in size depending on their sex, with male Rakasta being a bit taller than humans, on average, and females being a bit shorter. Your size is Medium.
* Darkvision. You have the keen vision of your feline ancestors. You can see in dim light within 60 feet as if you were in bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
* Cat's Claws. Because of your claws, you have a climbing speed of 20 feet. In addition, your claws are natural weapons, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with them, you deal slashing damage equal to 1d4 + you Strength modifier, instead of bludgeoning damage normal to an unarmed strike. Note: your claws do NOT count as a finesse weapon.
* Feline Agility. Your reflexes allow you to move with bursts of speed. When you move on your turn in combat, you can double your speed until the end of your turn. Once you've used this trait, you cannot do so again until you move 0 feet on one of your turns.

* Heightened Senses. You have proficiency in the Perception skill.
* Languages. You can speak, read, and write Rakasta, including interpretation of their hieroglyphic art form, and Common.

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