Gharif

*"Just when we thought the dry season*

*was bad, we were painfully surprised*

*on our way back through Khuurai, as*

*the wet season had come. Thank Hastur*

*that the Gharif were so quick to be*

*hospitable, letting us stay in their*

*tribes and even going so far as to*

*give us food and water until the rain*

*had passed us."*

   *-Borthan Vethr, Path to Arvil*

Important to the Gharif are the throes of the seasons, as the lands they call home alternate between the dry and wet seasons. The strength of their tribes should not be underestimated, as the masked, fur covered humanoids are masters of organizing mounted combat, especially in the large groups they tend to hunt with. Despite their power, they are a reclusive and humble species, utilizing all of Chomog Khann's blessings to the best of their ability.

## Masked Hunters

The Gharif are a race of tan skinned people with thick fur covering their body. There fur is usually some darker shade of brown, with lighter shades or even orangeish fur being less common. Adult Gharif have large, well-muscled frames, standing around 6 ft tall. The Gharif adorn themselves with ornaments consisting of stones and various bones. They prefer natural objects, so these ornaments are rarely visually unique. The only exception to this is their mask, which are all indivdually unique, adorned with horns and streaks of dye. The Gharif will be given a mask upon reaching adulthood, and will not take it off until their death. It's uncommon that non-Gharif races will see the well-defined face of those not yet granted a mask. That being said, no mask hides the piercing black pupils in the lilac eyes of the Gharif.

## Mortally Aware

Gharif Tend to only slightly outlive humans. They are declared adults by their tribes around age 15, but don't reach their physical maturity until age 25. Age usally takes it's toll on the Gharif around the age of 120. They have a strong feeling that they need to be productive for as long as they can, as they are very aware of their own mortality. This often leads to them seeing that they don't have time to spend too much time interacting with others outside of their tribe. It is, however, not uncommon that a Gharif will choose to leave their tribe upon reaching adulthood. These Gharif tend to be much more open to social interaction with other races, and work very well in groups due to their naturally tactile inclinations.

## Nomadic Warriors

Gharif most often live in large expanses, such as grasslands, savannas, or sometimes deserts. They form tribes and are very skilled hunters and nomads. This is due to their skills with planning, making them greater than the sum of their parts. It is incredibly important to them that all of the animals they kill are used fully. From their hide and meat, to their organs and bones. The Gharif tribes are not so reclusive as the common wood elf tribe. Though they tend to shy away from visiting towns, cities, or even other Gharif tribes, they are very open to visitors, and enjoy the satisfaction of helping them. This is not a very common occurrence, though, as the well-guarded walls of their tribes are intimidating to many. In the colder, Steppe environments, Gharif are more inclined to a nomadic lifestyle. This is how they deal with cooling environments as the seasons change. The Gharif have a strong connection to the seasons, and perform festivals on the first sign of each season's beginning.

## Independent Dependence

It is not uncommon that a Gharif leaves their tribe when they are declared and adult. There are multiple reasons they may choose to do so. Often, it is because of curiosity. The Gharif are not allowed to leave their tribe before they are given their masks. This leads to many new adults who are eager to explore the world around them. After they are taught to hunt, of course. Some choose to leave with a goal of becoming a chieftain. With the exception of being the existing chieftain's first-born, there is no way to become a chieftain of an existing tribe. The only way to become a chieftain otherwise is to found your own tribe, traditionally this is done after what the Gharif call a "Jagaana Yaatra" (*"Waking Journey"* in Ghar). This is the act of living on one's own off of nature alone for a year. The other, less uncommon reason, is being exiled from a tribe. Under very rare circumstance, such as the murder of another Gharif, one may be exiled from their tribe. When this happens, a mark, *Ж* is carved into the forehead of their mask, and a horn is broken off.

## Gharif Names

The names of the Gharif are equally as unique as their masks. No two Gharif in a tribe share the same names, and ancestors' names do not get reused within a tribe until at least 3 generations have passed. In the event a Gharif gets exiled from their tribe, they will change their name to a name of their choosing, and are from then onwards known as Balgas-Ner (*"Ruined Name"* in Ghar) by other Gharif.

**Male Names:**

*Nersiin, Regtei, Tuuk, Davkh, Gerelt,*

*Erkham, Zurkhas, Siias, Irdagch, Asahn*

**Female Names:**

*Esvel, Saika, Tset, Delkhii, Nara,*

*Zayaa, Tei, Esi, Amre, Reltei*

## Gharif Racial Traits

***Ability Score Increase:*** The Gharif are a hardy race of survivalists. It isn't easy to take one of them down. (+2 End)

***Age:*** Gharif reach physical maturity at age 25. Most Gharif won't feel the effects of age until they come close to their 120th year. In the eyes of other Gharif, you are an adult at 15.

***Alignment:*** All Gharif are fairly ***Reasonable***, holding primarily to the order of their tribe. Those who are exiled from their tribes may not hold to such a mentality, despite these values being instilled in them from birth. Even these Gharif are unlikely to be ***Egoistic***, at least violently, as they all hold the mentality that death is not to be taken lightly and should be dealt only in honor. Most Gharif are ***Altruistic Reason***, and ***True Reason*** is not uncommon.

***Size:*** Gharif stand at 5-6ft tall. Your size is medium.

***Speed:*** Your walking speed is 30ft.

***Experienced Nomad:*** Moving across harsh terrain is nothing new for the Gharif. You don't suffer any movement penalty when traversing difficult terrain.

***Inner Survivalist:*** You are proficient in the following skills: Animal Handling, Medicine, Nature, Perception, Survival.

***Gharif Weapon Training:*** You are proficient with Battleaxes, Lances, Longbows, Pikes, and Scimitars.

***Mounted Experience:*** You are a dangerous foe to face while mounted. While you are mounted and aren’t incapacitated, you gain the following benefits:

• You have advantage on melee attack rolls against any unmounted creature that is smaller than your mount.

• You can force an attack targeted at your mount to target you instead.

• If your mount is subjected to an effect that allows it to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, it instead takes no damage if it succeeds on the

saving throw, and only half damage if it fails.

***Languages:*** You can speak, read, and write common and Ghar.

## Subraces

### **Plains Gharif:**

***Ability Score Increase:*** (+1 Wis)

***Defensive Tactics:*** For every party member with an AC higher than yours, increase your total AC by 1 point.

### **Steppe Gharif:**

Those Gharif who cling to the colder steppes have grown to have thicker, darker colored fur. Their skin is similarly dark. Over time, their traditional styles of mask making have shifted, to more inwards, curved horns.

***Ability Score Increase:*** (+1 Dex)

***Thick Fur:*** The Steppe-treading Gharif have thicker fur than their brothers of the warmer plains. You resist all forms of cold damage.

***Archery in Motion:*** In addition to the Mounted Experience of the other Gharif, you have advantage on archery attack rolls against any unmounted creature while you are mounted.