Kanthrop Player Information - How to play - version 1.12

[Brytan]

How to play a Kanthrop

Starting out your Kanthrop character
Kanthrops are born from two kanthrops parents, either on the Isle, or in one of the few (and small!!!) tribes on the mainlands. The young kit is brought to the Isle by it’s parents as it is four yahren old, to live his life among the Goldenback tribe of Ura Etheria until his training is complete. At this point their appearance is humanoid, resembling humans mostly, although we all know how much variety there is in that.

Character creation
For character creation this means a few things:
- Your starting location must be Ursa Etheria
- Your background story must reflect how you ended up there and what your character’s knowledge of and relationship with it’s parents is
- You must choose an animal your character will be able to polymorph into as he comes of age, and also describe why it is exactly this animal your character can change into. This choice does not need to be in your character’s background, since he probably won’t know himself at start of play, but must be discussed with a Game Designer and approved.
- Your starting skills must include Inner Animal [Basic], Language – Human [Master]

Background
It is advisable to read through the background information on Ursa Etheria (World Guide) and the Kanthrop people (Player Guide) before writing up your background story, since these two pages hold a treasure of information about the people, it’s culture and religion and also their motives to do what they do. Do not try to make an “outcast” type Kanthrop. It is a fairly common practice in RPG’s to try and create a character that just “doesn’t fit the mold”.

However, should you attempt this with a Kanthrop he will never be a Kanthrop. More on this in the next section…


The Inner Animal
The Inner Animal skill is more than just a skill on your character sheet. It is the core principle around the whole of the Kanthrop population is built. It is this skill that sets them apart from all the other peoples in the world and it is this skill your first efforts as a character will be geared towards developing.

Outcasts
Fairly little Kanthrop ever break loose from their tribes on bad blood. Those that do find themselves without any social ties, mental guidance and, above all, kin. A starting Kanthrop will find himself always on Ursa Etheria, in the care of the Goldenback tribe, being taught the ways of their people. Now, like I stated before, starting a Kanthrop outcast character will probably mean he’ll never get in touch with his Inner Animal, since this is done through a series of trials and rituals performed purely in character and during play only. This means that, without that skill developed properly, the Kanthrop would never be able to polymorph. That isn't to say that a character can not evolve into practicing another religion later, but as it is instilled from childhood and in solitary confinement almost, it is unlikely for a Kanthrop to start out with any other religious beliefs.

Getting in touch with your Inner Animal
This is done on Ursa Etheria. From the age of four, the kit Kanthrop is held in the care of the Goldenback tribe of Ursa Etheria, until he comes of age (usually somewhere around 18-19 yahren, although this can vary since coming of age is not so much a physical state as it is a mental state). At that point the kit is initiated into the Way of the Beast, after which he/she will have to undergo a series of trials to develop his/her connection to their Inner Animal. This all happens in the course of the game and may take as long or as short as it takes for the character to develop the proper level of attunement. After this the Way ends at the Embrace of the Mother (also known as the Awakening), where a kit polymorphs for the first time into the animal closest to his/her being.

Ursa Etheria
Ursa Etheria is not the original home of the Kanthrops. Though for a long time it has been their only home, only the eldest of Kanthrop remember the road leading to the discovery of the mystical floating island above Pan. Being so isolated the Kanthrop have for a long time been sheltered from a lot of the goings on down on the mainlands. Only more recently have Kanthrop started to travel back to the mainlands and settling in remote areas to start new tribes. Two are now known to exist, The Wavetalon tribe (living on a remote island in the Seven Isles) and The Steelclaw tribe (housed on the eastern edge of the Western Kingdoms)

With the spreading of the Kanthrop population to new lands, Ursa Etheria still stands as the true home of the Kanthrop people. It’s lands are still revered for no Sleeper has ever set foot there and all the young kit are still brought their for their Awakening.

Going out into the world
From Ursa Etheria, there used to be only one entrance in, and one entrance out. This is known as Ursa’s Heart. This ancient portal was crafted long ago by a people long forgotten, suspected to be an ancient elven race or even older. Possibly one of the few permanent portals in the world, this gateway connects Ursa Etheria to Pan’s Isle below and can only be traversed by those who have a Shard of Ursa’s Heart in their possession. This shard is a piece of material, grafted into a locket or medallion usually and given to any Kanthrop upon their Awakening. This gives them access to the world below, aswell as granting them passage back to Ursa Etheria should they ever wish it.

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In more recent developments a second means of leaving and entering the island has come to be, namely the currently unnamed passage in the mountains, leading to the island of Pan. This passage came into existance as the island sank back down to sealevel and crashed into Pan's Isle on it's way down, breaking of large pieces of the rockface, creating a bridge between the two islands.

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Contact with other peoples
Kanthrops have always lived secluded lives, and even out in the world the tribes tend to stay out of the spotlight, dealing with the other races of men, adhiel and alike only when they have to. Trade is not something Kanthrops excel in, nor something they require very often since most of what they need, they make or gather for themselves. On occasion they go out into the towns or cities of men and barter, go to an inn to drink or take on an assignment or two, working as guards or hunters/trackers or spies.
Mostly however Kanthrops stay to themselves. More recently some of the younger Kanthrop kit have gone out to explore more of the world, but their upbringing has taught them to be wary of strangers and outlanders so their social skills are never highly acclaimed. Also, their dislike for metal and steel tends to raise so eyebrows among the general population as wild stories abound about savage beasts who can change shape and are vulnerable to silver as a means of defeating them.

Common knowledge of what Kanthrops are is practically none existent. Some of the more learned scholars and mages might have some insight into their race, knowing they exist. But more often this knowledge is based on hear-say only. A Kanthrop should never expect people to “know” what they are, and warping in public is not something that should be undertaken lightly (not merely because a full warp takes 15 burns to complete). For this reason most Kanthrop choose to wear hoods on their cloaks to cover their face and particularly their eyes, as only those reflect their true being.

[Maeve]

nicely done!

I've put this in the resources of the Player Guide on the new site.

[Tristam]

You'll need to go back and remove the reference to Theory of Energy Focus. Otherwise it looks good to me too.

[Brytan]

Thanks for the tip Trist, I updated the post.