Gunjai

From DevroWiki

The jungles of Devro are dangerous, and not simply because of the native flora, fauna, and treacherous landscapes. These jungles are home to the wild cousins of the Faelun, the Gunjai elves, who claim the entirety of the southern jungles as their personal domain and defend it mercilessly against all unwelcome foreigners. Since the Fire, Gunjai have become increasing insular and feral, especially towards their human neighbors in Cauldor.

Contents 1 Personality 2 Physical Description 3 Relations 4 Government 5 Religion 6 Alignment 7 Elven Lands 8 Language 9 Racial Traits

Personality

Gunjai Elves retain an aloof air, and most outsiders find them reclusive and brusque. Gunjai elves have a long history of prejudice; their long lives, closeness to nature, and their mastery of many arcane secrets has given them good reason to consider themselves superior to other races. Unlike their cousins, however, the Gunjai also give credence to the importance of martial prowess; all the races of Devro know and fear of the Gunjai’s ability with all varieties of bow. They respect and protect all life within their domains, as it is their only source of whatever they may require. Uninvited visitors who set foot inside their lands, however, do not receive the same respect – they find themselves on the receiving end of Gunjai arrows.

Physical Description

Gunjai elves tend to fall within the same general height guidelines as humans, and match humans nearly pound for pound in weight. They also possess more angular features than humans do. The ears of an elf come to a sharp, high point, and their eyes are usually quite large and almond-shaped.

Gunjai elves live in warm, less hospitable jungle climes, and clothing form matches function; Gunjai have a penchant for animal hides, which they construct into armor. Other clothing includes thin dark garments that match the underbrush and bright colors to hide amongst the jungle canopy.

Relations

Gunjai treat most humans with cool disdain, and broker no mercy on humans caught trespassing across their borders. Even their Faelun cousins are politely asked to leave if caught uninvited in Gunjai territory. This policy of isolationism has created terse relations with most of other peoples in Devro. The Fire, as all good Gunjai know, came from the Faelun, and they do not feel any need to make amends for the pain it caused. This thinking is perhaps the main reason the Gunjai do not like outsiders – before the Fire, the Gunjai had fairly open borders, and suffered kidnappings just before the Fire; much of the Elven stock used to create the Bakarans came from Gunjai warriors. In the wake of the destruction wrought by the Fire, the Gunjai suffered atrocities as retribution at the hands of humans looking for vengeance against anyone obviously Elven. Faelun territories suffered, but not as extensively as the Gunjai, whose borders were not as open, and whose arcanists were less feared. Now, the Gunjai simply shoot at most foreigners on sight, and immediately shoot to kill all Bakarans.

Government

There is no real government for the Gunjai people. The Gunjai live in small family bands in semi-permanent tree settlements. These groups live in more or less communist communes, working together for the good of all in the village. No true Gunjai cities exist, at least none that any outsiders have seen; if such cities do exist, they are far in the jungle interiors. Otherwise, the Gunjai live in nomadic bands of several families that move along established lines, residing in one place for several months at a time before moving on to another spot in the jungles. The Gunjai hunt for their food, grow their own vegetables, and make most everything they need from what the jungles provide them.

Religion

Gunjai primarily revere two Elven deities, Arrdhu and Camulos. Their rites are very similar to their Faelun cousins, but are observed more starkly.

Alignment

Gunjai are fierce and passionate, and while they respect nature, they show a tendency towards chaos. Their insular ways and their usual disregard for others mark them neutral.

Elven Lands

The Gunjai control the southern jungles, which lie west of the Cauldor City States. These lands are mostly thick virgin rain forests, filled with all manner of bizarre plants and animals.

Language

There are two dialects of Elven, Fae and Gun, which are not interchangeable; each race of Elf speaks its own dialect as its primary language. Gunjai Elves, however, rarely make an effort to learn other languages.

Racial Traits

• +2 Dexterity, -2 Intelligence: Gunjai are graceful, but they are not as quick-minded as other races.
• Medium-size: As Medium-size creatures, Gunjai elves have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• Gunjai Elven base speed is 30 feet.
• Darkvision: Gunjai elves can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight and Gunjai elves can function just fine with no light at all.
• Low-light Vision: Gunjai elves can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. They retain the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
• Proficient with shortbow, longbow, composite longbow, and composite shortbow. An adult Gunjai relies on skill with a bow for protection and food; without it, he would not survive long in the jungles.
• +2 racial bonus to Listen, Search, and Spot checks. A Gunjai elf who merely passes within 5 feet of a secret or concealed door is entitled to a Search check to notice it as if she were actively searching for the door. The senses of a Gunjai elf are so keen they practically qualify as sixth sense.
• Automatic Languages: Gun. Bonus Languages: Common, Fae, Goblin, Sylvan, Draconic.
• Favored Class: Ranger or Sorcerer. The Gunjai must select which of these classes is his favored at character creation; once selected, it cannot be changed. A multiclass Gunjai elf’s ranger or sorcerer class (dependent on the player’s choice) does not count when determining whether he suffers an XP penalty for multiclassing. Years in the jungle have honed the skill of some Gunjai with a bow beyond that of their fellows. Others bear the mark of the great lizards, and wield the arcane energies of their distant forebears.
• Regional Feats: Blooded, Bullheaded, Dauntless, Fearless, Forester, Survivor, Swift and Silent, Tireless, Treetopper