Race a Day: Kusa

Kusa

Massive creatures of indomitable will and ancient wisdom.

RACIAL TRAITS

Average Height: 6’4” – 9’8”

Average Weight: 250-1320lb.

Ability Scores: +4 Strength, +4 Wisdom

Size: Medium or large

Speed: 6 squares

Vision: Normal

Languages: Common, Sylorel, Kusa Dialect

Strong Mind: You gain a +2 racial bonus to Will defense.

Tough Hide: You gain a +2 racial bonus to AC.

Making their homes in the arid, grassy plains of Joresch, the kusa are a proud and powerful race. They are known for their quiet, caring ways, their great knowledge, their incredible will, and their great power.

Play a kusa if you want…

            ♦ to be a powerful giant.

            ♦ to be wise, noble, and strong.

            ♦ to be a member of a race that favors the avenger, barbarian, chaos wizard, cleric, druid, and fighter classes.

Physical Qualities

Kusa resemble humanoid pachyderms such as elephants, hippos, rhinos, and warthogs. They have very thick, tough hides, but they do not have tails. They are very tall and broad with wide shoulders and powerful chests. They have a roundish, or even fat looking physique, but they are incredibly strong and swift, belying their size. Their hides tend to be brown or grey and variations slightly lighter and darker. They have no hair and their heads always resemble that of the animal they are born of. They only have three fingers on each hand consisting of two fingers and a thumb and they all have big, round, flat feet like an elephant. Their eyes are large, round, and are typically human in coloring and appearance.

            Kusa age as humans until they are an adult at 18. Then the aging process slows. They become stronger and their minds sharper as they age until around 190. Then they begin their journey to the family burial ground. A kusa can live to be 200 years old.

Playing a Kusa

Kusa are a deeply spiritual people, believing that all life is connected to the earth, and all people to each other. They see the world in great sweeping arcs of life that circle each other in a never ending cycle of life, death, and rebirth. All life is sacred to them, and while they know they are powerful, they do their best not to kill unless they have to, and then they honor those that have fallen.

            Religion is central to the kusa, and they have great ceremonies day and night to pray for the good of the tribe. They believe that since all life is bound together that the Gods can live through them and they can be tools for the Gods. They worship Teyr, Da’oca, Enesh and Selatise equally, seeing them as the pillars of the world with Teyr being the Sun, Da’oca being the earth, Selatise being life, and Enesh being death. The celebrate the Gods at dawn and at night in great, joy filled celebrations that are almost like plays. The sun brings light to the world which gives forth grains that allows for life to flourish and thrive until its natural end comes at the twilight. At night the ritual is simpler, with the Gods being thanked for their bounty and blessings and the peace of the night to rest for the next day.

            The spirits of the earth and their ancestors are also important to the kusa. To them the world is a living thing, sentient and talking to them. They are one of the yurisai clans who believe in the Harmonies; a meditative practice that allows someone to open their mind to the rhythm of the world. The Harmonies are said to be like a great song, and if one is properly trained, they can hear and understand the song and learn to follow its twists and turns, its beats and rhythms. Ancestors can speak to you through the Harmonies of the world, adding to the song you might be listening to and whispering secret knowledge on the wind.

            Kusa society is generally the same from tribe to tribe. They are hunter/gatherers living on the wide open plains of Joresch and choosing to make their own small villages rather than living in big cities. There is a council of wise elders who lead the rest of the tribe and are looked to for guidance. A shaman and a priest work in tandem to aid with religious teachings, rituals, medical and spiritual needs while the rest of the tribe lives a relatively peaceful, quiet, happy existence.

            While they dislike fighting, they can be fierce and terrible warriors if you betray them, and their memory is long, so it is unlikely that you will be forgotten. They can hold terrible grudges depending on the slight, and they will always have justice for crimes committed against home and family. They still hold a grudge against the kaedia for atrocities they perpetrated during the Gerrax Conquest Wars, over 6000 years ago. They might not kill a kaedia if they find one, but that kaedia may wish that it was dead.

            Kusa, overall, are a peaceful people. They enjoy their simple lives and their families. They have a strong oral tradition and pass down stories from generation to generation. They stand by their allies and will even fight for generations of people they deem worthy. The deepest sign of respect one can show a kusa is to revere nature and life, and share stories with them around a bonfire with family.

Kusa Characteristics: Brave, friendly, loyal, peaceful, spiritual, strong, thoughtful, unacquisitive, wise

Male Names: Aleron, Beltidus, Corvis, Daelyr, Forvil, Hammond, Izul, Kandaro, L’ten, Moa’dib, Norhan, Pumba, Q’tal Ru’til, Siv’kor, Tav

Female Names: Cora, Danae, Elyra, Fonra, Hyn, Jara, J’qar, L’tira, Nalum, Oyira, Porry, Salen, Sirah, Syr, Tali, Tera, Terren

Kusa Adventurers

Three sample kusa adventurers are described below.

            Izul is a stanch, powerful and proud barbarian. He defended his tribe with honor and protected his home and family for many years. He was well on his way to becoming an elder when he lost his wife and children in an orc attack. He was badly wounded leaving him with a terrible gash over his left eye and the loss of one of his tusks. With nothing holding him in his village anymore, Izul, now going by One-Tusk, decides that it is his duty to take the bones of his family the ancestral graveyard, which is several countries to the west. During his journey, he meets a group of adventurers that are chasing an evil chaos wizard and trying to stop him from releasing Lor back into the world. Seeing them in need, his protective instincts kick in, and he falls in with the group, determined to use his great power to protect this new family.

            Nalum is a druid, and her great power and speed is used by nearby tribes to deliver messages to one another. She loves her life and her job, being able to meet and interact with so many interesting people and being able to take place in rituals and prayers among the different peoples. She has learned much of her own people and always seeks to learn more. One day, on a trip to the southernmost village, she arrived to find a great fire. Something had attacked the village. Corpses lay strewn about, but there were no wounds on the fallen. With a prayer, she used her ability to aid the fire and burn the village to the ground. She returned to her home to relay what she had found and to tell them that she was leaving. Whatever had caused such terrible things must be hunted down and dealt with, and she was determined to be the instrument of vengeance for her brethren.

            Moa’dib was shaman for his tribe. He was happy in his life, until one day the Harmonies warned him of impending doom and coming change. He prepared his people to defend themselves, praying that they had the power to turn back the darkness he sensed, and hoping they could cope with whatever was coming. Three days passed, and then it came; a terrible dark storm of demons, exploding out of a portal and swarming over the landscape. His tribe did their best to defend themselves, but the demons were powerful. The slightest touch from one of the creatures instantly killed a man, or set them ablaze. It wasn’t long until Moa’dib was the last man standing. It was then a bolt of lightning exploded from the sky, eradicating a large chunk of the demons. Stunned and nearly blind, Moa’dib tried to see what had happened. In the middle of everything, standing unscathed despite the demons swarming him, was a human in blue robes. Confused, the human shouted and spread his arms, and the demons melted away. Moa’dib approached slowly, thanked the man for saving him and the few people still left alive. The human was confused, didn’t know rightly who he was or what was happening. Moa’dib suggested that the man might be from Q’omar, and the man agreed, saying that sounded familiar. With nowhere else to go and the safety of the village uncertain, the shaman suggested that they make a trek to Q’omar, where they might find safety and answers for both his people and the strange man in blue robes.