Deerfolk
The deerfolk make up the commonfolk of the steel legion, forming most of the servant and menial labor roles beneath their minotaur masters. Deerfolk are often seen as second class citizens within their own nation despite the fact their minotaur masters would not survive without them. Deerfolk are adept farmers, sailors, artisans, and the creators of the life weaving magic path. Though accomplished and treated poorly by their bovid masters, deerfolk are loathe to leave their island nation as it is the only place one is safe from wild predators, as the minotaurs have slain them all and ensured the safety of their small island nation.
Whereas kobolds are humble but united and thus difficult for any one group to mistreat, deerfolk are far less unified and hold a culture similar to minotaurs. Animosity between villages, families, and clans are common and can extend multiple decades or even generations. Legion culture can be described as direct and brutish at the best of times but among the deerfolk direct confrontation is rare. Deerfolk are disallowed from carrying weapons of any form and are restricted from having names, their official title being whatever craft or job they happen to have, though most deerfolk keep a private name amongst themselves and only use their public jobname among their minotaur masters. The ban on weaponry makes many deerfolk poor fighters who rarely leave their island despite the relative freedom they could obtain by doing so. Among those who are capable of combat train in secret, often as ninja who are employed as assassins, spies, or protectors that use improvised weapons disguised as or outright farming tools modified for a killing edge.
Deerfolk are the originators of the magical process known as weaving, a mixture of healing and transfiguring magic that was originally used for restoring the body of wounded or dying soldiers. This practice later evolved into cosmetic transformations, allowing most races to change minor attributes such as eye color, bone shape, height, or fur/hair color. The later discovery that humans could be weaved far more extensively than others created a thriving and bolstered industry for the legion as a whole. The exact process and creation of weaving is not quite understood by anyone, much to the vexation of minotaurs, whom the deerfolk could neither be persuaded nor forced into revealing their secrets. While some independent weavers ply their trades outside of legion territory, in particular in Far Water, only the most exceptional of magi can learn and use the complicated process.
A quick-start guide:
- Nodo deerfolk, representing the general commoners gain +10 vigilance, +5 mechanical/biology/cognition, and -5 robustness/toughness.
- Yayoi, representing the coastal deerfolk gain +10 vigilance/spirit, +5 mechanical, and -5 cognition/vitality.
- Yuki deerfolk, considered to be yokai, gain +15 cognition, +10 vigilance, and -10 spirit.
- All deerfolk subraces have a bounding gait, allowing them to ignore terrain slowdown and potential tripping due to difficult terrain. Nodo and Yayoi deerfolk gain inspiration for cleaning up messes, while Yuki increases the magical regeneration of anyone bearing a rune lantern by merely standing near them, similar to ogres.
Biology
Deerfolk are exactly as one would expect, humanoid deer. Deerfolk have hooves, cervine tails, and may have antlers or horns depending on gender and ethnicity. As a general rule, female deerfolk do not have antlers or horns unless they are a yuki. Male nodo will exclusively have antlers while yuki will have singular, pointed horns that face directly upwards. Physically speaking, this is the only readily noticed distinction between a nodo and yayoi while the yuki are readily set apart by having a more 'reindeer' appearance of cervines bordering colder regions. Deerfolk will not shed their horns yearly as normal cervines do unless they are lost entirely, though some antlers may being growing again if only partially damaged. While the nodo and yayoi are quite similar, both having earthy colored fur of brown, white, tan, wheat, straw, or auburn colors, the yuki will stand apart by being born with snow white fur that changes during puberty, darkening to black, mahogany, or chocolate colors save for white spots left on the hips and shoulders. Unlike the nodo and yayoi, who are separated primarily by having horns or antlers, yuki can have either.