Kaxxis
Kaxxis mostly exist in the northern-eastern mountains with their salamander allies, living high on the peaks and keeping to themselves, often only interacting with the salamanders to trade or barter supplies. Kaxxis are psionically adept and believed to have killed and absorbed the avatar of their god in pre-history, making them supernaturally strong despite their size. This open fact of their history leaves them as often distrusted by other factions and races, but they can still be found being employed for their unique psionic talents that they make no pretense of not boasting about. Most kaxxis are unnaturally hardy for their size after all.
Kaxxis society is peculiar compared to other groups as their racial preference and spattering of xenophobia makes them form deeply tied clans and towns that form independent coalitions. Other more cynical races often liken kaxxis to a mob of psychic racists but that is hardly close to the truth. Kaxxis are not above using their psionic abilities to ease the burden of their agrarian society. Eschewing the creation of mechanical tools and equipment, kaxxis train brotherhoods of mesmerists who hypnotize animals to act as protectors, beasts of burden, and pets. The domination of animals is such an extensive part of kaxxis culture that it is not uncommon for their territories to be entirely patrolled, protected, and shepherded by normally hostile, untamable and dangerous predators. It is for this reason that kaxxis can live and thrive in environments where even towns led by lords may be wiped out by the dangers of the wilds.
The innate haughtiness of the kaxxis is not based on racial superiority as many quickly assume, but entirely based on the merit of the individual. What often readily offends is that the merit of kaxxis is considered self-evident, they do not believe they must prove themselves as they are inherently inheritors of greatness while other races must be proven person to person. Exceptions do exist as kaxxis see salamanders, being the scions of dragons, as equals without needing to prove themselves. Kaxxis are also quick to recognize the lagus for their comparable psionic abilities and the trolls for their incredibly hardiness that surpasses even the kaxxis. Surprisingly, salamanders and trolls feel equal kinship, though for the former it most often equates directly to the ifrit kaxxis for their very similar elemental abilities.
A quick-start guide:
- Caprinae and ovinae kaxxis both share perks that give them a substantial bonus to their vitality and maximize the damage dealt by psionic powers, regardless of stats.
- Ifrit kaxxis reduce incoming burn damage by 50% and can summon a ball of flames as a spell-like ability, similar to salamanders.
- Caprinae stats: They gain +5 robustness, toughness, vigilance, and +10 cognition but suffer -5 biology and mechanical.
- Oxinae stats: They gain +20 cognition, +5 biology, and +5 mechanical but suffer -5 to robustness, toughness, and vigilance.
- Ifrit stats: They gain +10 cognition, robustness, and toughness, but suffer a -15 to spirit.
Biology
Kaxxis are a race of humanoid caprines, with appearances ranging from sheep-like to goat-like. Starting from the head, kaxxis will generally have either wooly hair or straight course hair that is often stylized or treated to become smoother and soft. Though any ethnicity of the kaxxis can have horns, they are most commonly found in caprinae and ifrits, usually ranging from small to medium pointed horns or curled ram-like horns that serve as suitable weapons. They have flat noses that do not protrude from the snout as other humanoid races do and all kaxxis have flat horizontal eyes similar to regular goats. Fur and eye color tend to be natural, ranging from white and black to brown and tan, but generally have earthy tones. A very common coloration involves opposite pigmentation in the visible skin and the wool or fur, such as having white wool and black skin or pink skin and dark brown or black wool, though it is not entirely uncommon to break this trend. Kaxxis ears are long and hang from the sides of the heads, similar to the animal they mostly resemble. The only other notable features are cloven hooves and short stubby tails. Kaxxis may be covered entirely with short, course fur with no visible skin or may have partially visible skin and sections of thick wool. The growth of wool on kaxxis, most common in the ovinae, is incredibly rapid and must be routinely trimmed or shaven. Kaxxis hold no stigma on using said wool for a variety of utilitarian purposes, even making woolen clothes for themselves or others.
While features may be mixed between any ethnicity of the kaxxis, such as ovinae having horns or caprinae having wool, only the ifrit stand apart. Ifrit may have unnatural coloration of red and gold fur or wool and will often have larger, more intimidating horns. A rare few ifrit have multiple sets of horns growing closely together and exceptionally gifted ifrit may conjure flames between their horns as a sign of power and dominance. Ifrits also tend to be the tallest and physically strongest of the of the kaxxis, though this rarely goes beyond a mere five feet at its greatest. Most kaxxis range from four to five feet in height on average. Ifrit also have claws, which are generally universally black and often have their cloven hooves come to ultra hard sharpened points, making them even more viable as weapons.
Culture
Kaxxis culture can best be described as being isolationist, agrarian, and xenophobic. However, unlike gnolls whose xenophobia extends to a violent dominion towards other races, kaxxis xenophobia is better described as being very tolerate towards other races as long as said races are elsewhere. Kaxxis prefer their isolated farming communities far separated from the civilization of other races, as they recognize themselves as their own polity known as the Horned Alliance that officially confederates with salamanders and unofficially with trolls. Kaxxis communities can be considered largely only welcoming to individuals, rather than groups, with said individuals who have proven their worth and kinship to the members residing in a particular village. Kaxxis society is extremely utilitarian and heavily merit based, with the caveat that the merit of a kaxxis is self evident while the merit of other races must be proven, save for salamanders and trolls, of which have the respect of kaxxis both for their extraordinary abilities and their own isolationist ways. Any kaxxis village will welcome a salamander or troll because neither race will stay long, both being hermetic by nature they never overstay their welcome. Other races will at best be given a few days if they come bringing trade, news, or wealth and if they linger to long will eventually be forcefully removed.
Part of their isolationist ways, kaxxis will rarely allow permanent resident within their territory even to those who have proven themselves unless that particular individual has either married into a kaxxis family or carries a skill so in demand that it warrants allowing them as a resident. Despite allowing other races who marry into a kaxxis family, this marriage is only recognized if the husband is kaxxis. Marriages between kaxxis women and men outside their race are not officially recognized unless the husband is human, as the unique quality of humans generationally adopting the traits and appearance of kaxxis allows the kaxxis to overlook this general rule. This hard rule exists because of the rite of homestead, where any community recognizes newly weds by rewarding them with a house, farmland, and a selection of domesticated beasts for labor entirely for free. Said homestead, furnishing, and its beasts are given freely with the caveat that, should the couple divorce, the homestead will be taken and given to a different couple. Divorce is unsurprisingly rare and these large homesteads often result in equally large families. It is extremely uncommon for a kaxxis family to number less than ten or so children by the time the oldest comes of age.
The prime form of trade among the kaxxis is largely agricultural and artisan work, ranging from long-lasting non-perishable foods, jarred goods preserved in syrup, or high quality tools, weapons, and armor produced by salamanders. The largest trade partner for most kaxxis villages are villages who swear fealty to the Onokrin empire or the Onokrin itself. Trading is done by wagon caravans pulled by domesticated beasts and heavily guarded by kaxxis psions often in control of enthralled monsters. The xenophobic nature of kaxxis disallows their trade racket from being encroached by the rodentfolk, a factor that garners some animosity among the rodentfolk that is further reinforced by the absolute refusal of the kaxxis to allow any form of railroad to be built to their villages. Regardless of this animosity, the Onokrin often deals with the kaxxis by trading raw ores and technology that the kaxxis cannot produce themselves. While the kaxxis do own some ore mines, their lack of industry makes their own supply of metal small in comparison to other empires, as they often rely on tunneling beasts rather than laborers working proper mines.
Though the sheer distance between the kaxxis and races like minotaurs and lagus disallows a formal, cultural attitude between both groups, the kaxxis see merit and respect in both. Kaxxis who meet minotaurs generally believe that they are distant cousins given the relative similarities in appearance and general attitudes of preferred isolation, merit based attitudes, and preference for agrarian living. For the lagus, kaxxis recognize that if any race in the world could rival (if not exceed) their psionic abilities, it would be the lagus. Though fundamentally different in most ways, kaxxis will welcome and tolerate lagus far longer than other races if they are an exceptional psion. The reason being that kaxxis are naturally skilled psions, as are lagus, but lagus are far better organized and their authoritarian leadership means lagus are better trained and more formally structured. Couple with the fact most lagus found abroad are women, and thus viable for marriage, many kaxxis villages will welcome their presence in the hopes that they spread their more formalized training and offer insight towards psionic paths that kaxxis do not grasp naturally.
Mentality
One of the aspects of the kaxxis mentality that often annoys or upsets other races is the fact that kaxxis have an in-group preference. Kaxxis prefer to live among their own kind, following their own culture, by their own rules. Other nations, such as the cosmopolitan Onokrin or the egalitarian Federation, find this fact insulting. The Onokrin view diversity as a method to gain an edge through employing the most suitable specialist in a given role, provided that individual or group adopts the empires beliefs and mindset. The Federation sees equality of opportunity as paramount to their ideals and thus exclusion by factors beyond ones control is considered largely offensive, though more worldly and learned kaxxis retort that the federation believes in equality only for their member races and the Onokrin still demands strict adoption of empire culture.
Kaxxis will often describe themselves and be described by others as arrogant, a fact that they make no pretense of. It is recognized even by outsiders that kaxxis are unusually strong and hearty, to a degree that is almost supernatural given their relatively small size. The average kaxxis is more capable of surviving wounds, disease, and bodily harm than even the stoutest ogres or strongest minotaurs. Scholars also admit that what remnants of pre-history that can be found before the lich wars also heavily support that the kaxxis did successfully manage to slay an avatar of a god, though which god or why is not known. Some even speculate that it was not a 'god' in the traditional sense, but one of the last remaining dragons given the ifrit and their resemblance to the salamander in many ways. Thusly, kaxxis view themselves as living demi-gods, though curiously kaxxis lords are extremely rare, with few ever being recorded.
Though many will levy towards the kaxxis that they are a race and culture of racists, this simply is not true. Survival in spread out, often isolated villages that lack the industry and military to fortify walled bastions and create batteries capable of fighting off the many dangerous beasts that roam the lands means living in a strictly utilitarian lifestyle. Part of the in-group preference is practical. Kaxxis need psions who can make use of the mesmerist path to control wild beasts, both for their agrarian lifestyle and for the defense of their scattered villages. Were a village ever to lack capable psions, like the kaxxis, they would crumble to the threats of the wild. This simple fact, however, is ignored because of kaxxis arrogance. But the kaxxis are strong alone and thus care little for what they consider opinions of the easily offended.