Ratfolk

## On Ratfolk

*"They are the best traders and scavengers on Apia. I've never failed to find what I need at their bazaars."- Hibbaan al-Awan, Za'icoran trader, on where he finds the best deals.*

*"They share a love of the open road. That makes them cousins in my book!"- Ulzin Rumblestride, halfling wanderer, on which species is closest to halflings.*

*"Filthy little vermin. Their districts are slums full of crime and garbage. Hold your nose with one hand and purse with the other when you pass through them."- Ekhar Pammu, human mercenary, mostly unfairly.*

*"I hear they live in warrens with hundreds of others. I value my solitude too much for that."- Oondromos, lucantusk druid, on what living circumstances he'd find most unpleasant.*

Ratfolk, or ysoki as they call themselves, are a race of rat-like humanoids who tend to make their living as nomadic traders, alchemists, weapon smiths and scavengers. They are a generally good natured, easy-going people who live in warm warrens and large families. They are tinkerers and hoarders by nature, and as a whole, are masters of commerce, especially when it comes to acquiring and repairing mechanical or magical devices. While most of them are good-aligned, upright citizens who dwell peacefully within or outside the cities of other races, a sizable minority follow the demon lord of rats Chittr'k'k and form their own dangerous subgroup of maniacal tinkers or fleshwarpers. Almost every humanoid has seen a ratfolk at least once in their lives and the memory of the brightly colored merchants on their large riding rats, selling exotic treats and toys is a happy one for many children.

## Physical Description:

Ranging from 3 to 4 feet tall, ysoki resemble humanoid rats who walk upright, complete with fur, long incisors, constantly twitching noses accompanied with lovingly groomed whiskers, and long partially scaly and prehensile tails that help them keep their balance as they nimbly slide around each other within their cramped home tunnels. Male and female ratfolk are difficult for other races to tell apart, as they have similar body types and favor similar fashions. In fact, non-ratfolk struggle to tell any individuals apart unless they have distinct fur patterns or colors. Said fur colors are typically gray, black or brown but can be any shade found on common rats. The fur is typically a solitary color but they can be multi-colored or swirling in patterns that can appear pleasant to the eye. Their eyes are bright yellow or red and gleam with natural cleverness.

They have a strong attraction to shiny jewelry, especially copper, bronze, and gold, and many decorate their ears and tails with small rings made of such metals. They dress in flowing robes, hoods and comfortable linens whenever they are outside the warrens. Regardless of the outfit however, all ratfolk are adorned with backpacks, haversacks, pouches and various small bags. These bags are not mere accessories, each is full to bursting with different trinkets. When inside their warrens, they tend to avoid such garments and ditch the various pouches due to the cramped spaces. Instead dressing in simple tunics more for modesty than anything else. Contrary to a common stereotype of being dirty or diseased, ratfolk are instinctively clean and pleasant smelling. They brush their fur regularly and bath often.

## History:

Ratfolk have so long been a part of Apia that most beings can't remember a time before they were. Yet no one is entirely sure where they originally came from. There are three popular theories, all of which have some support among various factions of ratfolk. The first is that Vutune, the goddess of family, healing and fertility, saw the rats were wonderful caregivers and loving parents. So impressed was she with their nurturing spirits, she uplifted some of the rats into the ysoki race so that other mortals would learn from their example. Many ratfolk worship Vutune today and believe this interpretation. Another, less pleasant, interpretation is that the mind flayers accidentally created the ratfolk while experimenting with what would become the cranium rats, casting the rejects out into the bowels of The Hollow where they somehow thrived. A variant of this theory calls Chittr'k'k the creator, but most ratfolk see him more of a corruptor of their people than a creator as he embodies the worst aspects of the rat, rather than the nobler tendencies they are driven towards.

The final, most extravagant theory is that ratfolk found their way to Apia either from the planet Agrnorix (where they live in large numbers) or aboard a spelljammer which got stuck on Apia Prime, perhaps the same spelljammer that brought the Giff. This is primarily supported by the fact that they have no "natural" god (one that looks like them), the fact that three planets within The Tapestry contain ratfolk and the natural ability they seem to have with repairing spelljammers. Any of these theories could be true or none of them are. Ultimately, the fact that the ratfolk have spread so far across the surface of Apia Prime, Agrnorix and Biagawa, ensures that they will be a part of those stories going forward.

Ratfolk fought in Latrell's rebellion, providing their own skills as alchemists, skirmishers and inventors. After the Rebellion, they spread throughout The Hollow and many of the surrounding nations. Taskanda and Vitteodel's merchants in particular benefited from the nomadic ratfolk caravans. Ratfolk heroes and villains have been involved in personal stories. They've battled demons, monsters and bandits, or become them. Ratfolk are often underestimated, but often prove invaluable in the communities they find themselves in. They might not have earth-shattering stories or legends but have their own adventures and tales to tell.

## Geography:

Ratfolk are found all across Apia Prime and two of her sister planets, Agrnorix and Biagawa. They have large warrens in The Hollow and near many major settlements. While the ratfolk call almost every nation on Apia Prime home, they are primarily found in The Dragon Empire, Latrellus, Taskanda and Vitteodel. Inside those countries they have their own districts within the cities, or small warrens that function as nearby satellite towns.

## Personality:

Ratfolk are a gregarious, sociable people. While many other humanoids struggle to overcome the natural revulsion many have for rats when first meeting a ysoki, that discomfort quickly goes away after a few conversations. Ratfolk are genuinely friendly people who love to be around others. They're used to cramped warrens with around 100 adults or so and find the din of suburban life charming. They are friendly and mild-mannered, quick to strike up conversation and bartering. They speak with high, squeaky voices, rushing all their words out in a jumble as quickly as possible as if too excited to wait for more traditional sentences. They always have some trinket stowed away among the webbing of pouches they'll happily trade on a whim. They ask questions, explore strange ruins and look for treasures others would ignore. They are curious about all things alchemical and mechanical with potion sellers and herbalists being well-respected trades among the community and ratfolk gunsmiths being competitors on the national markets. While their guns are not giff or Machanacite quality they are solidly made and readily available. Ratfolk traders are professionals who earn reputations as excellent hagglers but will not lie or cheat. They ensure their merchants are of the utmost respectability.

As a deeply communal race with large families, ratfolk tend to want others to like them and do things in groups whenever possible. They tend to be good-natured jokesters with the rest of their families but even the mildest ribbing are given out of love for each other. The easiest way to anger the otherwise friendly race is by threatening one. They will not stand idly by, seeing a threat towards one as a challenge to all, and respond in kind. They share happily but often take without asking which, while normal within the warrens, can lead to confusion with other non-ysoki races. They legitimately don't see it as stealing and have every intention of putting it back, they just didn't ask first. Ratfolk have nothing but love and empathy for normal rodents and rise rats of all sizes, including giant and dire as well as the massive riding and pack rats that have become so famous across Apia. Their homes are full of them, from the tiniest little rat to the large six-legged kirrix and all are treated as beloved pets and cohorts.

Ratfolk love sweet and savory things and are known to enjoy cheeses, various kinds of candies and jerky, as well as fruit liqueurs. The easiest way to a ratfolk's heart is with a wheel of fine cheese and a bottle of plum brandy.

## Society:

Ratfolk are communal, they are sociable. The warrens and homes they find themselves dwelling within easily house over a hundred ratfolk and various rats, who pass each other quite happily within the tunnels. Typically, the community will be within hand-crafted tunnels, with boroughs dug out and kept well lit, dry and clean. Within the city they tend to cluster in apartment complexes or tenement buildings, hollowing out walls and floors to allow easy access to the spaces. It's not uncommon for them to set up shanty towns within sewers, usually with the blessing of the town's rulers who receive a modest rent from a space they'd otherwise not profit by.

Part of the reason ratfolk are so gregarious is the large families they are born into. Married couples can produce quite large litters of offspring, usually between 3-8 pups and it's actually considered bad luck for a family to have only one child. Ratfolk, unlike the common rat, mate for life and, while divorce is allowed it's rare; word travels fast among the gossip-loving ysoki. Usually widows or widowers won't remarry after the death of a mate and instead linger in deep, nearly incurable depression. Because of large, tight knit families, most ratfolk grow up surrounded by cousins and usually refer to each other as such.

Each warren is led by a council of patriarchs and matriarchs, usually the oldest and wisest of each individual family living there. These elders settle matters of argument between ratfolk, assign caravans and review the warren's finances. They approve the manufacture of weapons or alchemical ingredients and generally try to ensure their large extended family is happy and healthy. While they want to be together, ratfolk do feel a natural call to explore and wander, thus most will spend at least some time within one of their numerous trading caravans. Some take up the wanderer's lifestyle and never return, declaring a pack of adventurers their "new family," and clinging to them like they would their own typical family. Even these adventurers write often and try to visit whenever possible.

## Religion:

The vast majority of ratfolk worship Vutune the great mother. She's assumed to be their creator and most fits their family structure. Even in human cities, many priests of Vutune are ratfolk. As a runner up, many are taken to praising Midos, god of honest commerce, who supports the ratfolk's drive to make an honest living as traders. While they have no gods of their own, tragically a sizable portion of ratfolk warrens have given themselves to the worship of the demon lord Chittr'k'k and become insane, paranoid and psychotic villains reveling in swarming waves of dark technology and alchemy.

## Alignment:

The majority of ratfolk are neutral good. They have family structure, they seek to help each other and strive for honesty. While sometimes they get confused by outside laws and always put their warren's own good above others, they are good at heart. Those vile ratfolk in service of Chittr'k'k are chaotic evil, without a shred of empathy for themselves or others.

## Relations:

Ratfolk try to be friendly with everyone, but get along better with some than others. They see humans as their best allies and many ratfolk settlements are near, or within human ones. They are traders and allies whenever possible. The nomadic halflings are also friends of ratfolk, who share their love of trading and roaming. Tabaxi and ratfolk tend to be good friends despite the outward differences, who share a curiosity about the world and a love of discovering things. For the same reasons, gnomes and ratfolk become fast friends, bonding over alchemy and mechanical contraptions. Gnomes are always welcomed in ratfolk warrens and even on rare occasions are adopted into them (or vice versa) when a gnome and ratfolk marry. The usually warren dwelling porcine are used to cramped conditions and likewise get on particularly well with ratfolk.

Dwarves tend to be too rigid for the ysoki's liking and half-orcs, orcs and tieflings frighten them. Their main rivals however are the kenku, who often compete for their primary territory within human settlements. While both share large families, kenku are known to lie, cheat and deceive, something that the ratfolk abhor and the two are known to clash in back allies over territory and resources. While wererats are not a true race, their appearance fools many non-ratfolk who blame the ysoki for atrocities committed by the lycanthropes. Ratfolk hate wererats and will destroy them whenever possible. More than one overconfident were-creature has mocked a ratfolk hunter before meeting their end courtesy of that hunter's silver bullets.

## Language:

Ratfolk have spoken common for so long it's unknown if they ever had another tongue. It's the language spoken in the warrens and among families. Many of the deep Hollow dwelling ratfolk learn undercommon as well.

## Names:

Ratfolk names are mostly harsh sounding in most cases, but they're otherwise pretty simple. Many names are often as short as 3-4 characters, but it's not too uncommon to find much longer names. Female names are often softer than male names, but the differences can be quite subtle. Most also identify their warren as well, such as introducing themselves as "Agiz of the Chillcrossing Warren."

**Example Male Names:** Croc, Jac, Zrar, Cac, Crehc, Argog, Skemmiz, Jogvihc, Griccas, Darkir

**Example Female Names:** Rox, Jel, Hun, Mil, Keks, Fhafu, Tebbe, Jifetch, Fhebum, Rissi

## Adventurers:

Ratfolk are often driven by a desire to seek out new opportunities for trade, both for themselves and for their warrens. Ratfolk adventurers may seek potential markets for their clan's goods, keep an eye out for sources of new commodities, or just wander about in hopes of unearthing enough treasure to fund less dangerous business ventures. Ratfolk battles are often decided by cunning traps, ambushes, or sabotage of enemy positions, and accordingly young ratfolk heroes often take up classes such as rogues or rangers and often use firearms or explosives.

## Racial Traits:

Ratfolk traits are described below...

+2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, –2 Strength: Ratfolk are agile and clever, yet physically weak.

Ratfolk: Ratfolk are humanoids with the ratfolk subtype.

Small: Ratfolk are Small and gain a +1 size bonus to their AC, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, a –1 penalty on combat maneuver checks and to their CMD, and a +4 size bonus on Stealth checks.

Slow Speed: Ratfolk have a base speed of 20 feet.

Darkvision: Ratfolk can see in the dark up to 60 feet.

Rodent Empathy: Ratfolk gain a +4 racial bonus on Handle Animal checks made to influence rodents.

Swarming: Ratfolk are used to living and fighting communally, and are adept at swarming foes for their own gain and their foes' detriment. Up to two ratfolk can share the same square at the same time. If two ratfolk in the same square attack the same foe, they are considered to be flanking that foe as if they were in two opposite squares.

Tinker: Ratfolk gain a +2 racial bonus on Craft (alchemy), Craft (Gunsmith) Spot, and Use Magic Device checks.

Languages: Ratfolk begin play speaking Common. Ratfolk with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Draconic, Dwarven, Gnoll, Gnome, Goblin, Halfling, Orc, and Undercommon.

Favored Class: Rogue or Ranger