Patak

= Patak  =

Imagine for a moment a people who know, live, and breath only for conflict, and you have an idea of what the Patak may be like. Warriors by birth, the Patak are easily the most battle-ready of races in Armeya, able from even a young age to best the average Embir in personal combat. They are fierce, disciplined, and calm people who, though lacking in peaceful relations to other races, are extraordinarily independent and determined. The Col and the Patak share a common racial ancestor with the ancient and unknown Sael, who modern society understand very little of outside of the language itself, Saelic, which both the Col and Patak, despite their differences, teach to each rising generation in hopes that one day the two races might one day discover more of their heritage. While the Embir take the lowlands and hills in their expansive Empire, which the majority of Patak adamantly oppose, and their cousins, the Col, primarily are found around coastal areas, the Patak lay claim to the Bunburan Mountains' high peaks, where they have long since become acclimated to the thinner air and difficult terrain. Their harsh mountainous homeland lends itself well to the cultivation of the Patak's warriors.

Personality
The Patak are an extremely warlike people, beginning their lives being introduced to a culture that is constantly reinforcing the idea of physically overcoming and taking from others. They are a capable, practical people who are eager to fight and prove their superiority. To encounter the average Patak is to expect a sudden outburst of assault at the slightest provocation. This is not to say that the Patak are bloodthirsty and crazed; they simply hold their people on a higher shelf than all others and so will suffer no insult. They are refined, collected, and controlling; only the rare Patak would eschew their disciplined upbringing for a more barbaric lifestyle. They have known constant war, and though they have failed to take the Empire no less than on three separate accounts, this has not discouraged future attempts. However, peaceful contact with a Patak is not impossible, provided one does not incur their wrath by making rude assumptions, and cases of Patak leaving their own people to carve out a life within the Empire is not unheard of. Unfortunately even these attempts at leaving their past behind them does not end as well as they might hope, as most of their neighbors will continue to look upon them with disdain, fear, and hatred for their relation to their murderous brothers.

Physical Description
The average adult Patak is fair-skinned, slight but flexible, standing anywhere from 7'4" to 8'6" tall, weighing anywhere from 210 - 250lb. Neither gender shows any inclination of greater height or weight over the other. Females are seen on occasion possessing a bluish tint to their skin, and many choose to decorate their flesh with markings that may tell of their heritage or other traits (as a matter of efficiency, it saves time to learn of one's identity, history, and ethical portfolio via a quick glance than by learning of the same slowly through conversation). All Patak are found to have dark brown or black hair, straight and often seen braided or tied. The eyes of a Patak are just as dark as their hair and not expressing a wide array of variation. Their clothing helps to portray their practicality, preferring to dress in whatever may help to properly shield their bodies from the elements. Patak do not often expire from old age, but are nevertheless naturally long-lived, possibly reaching around 438-584 Sets (real-world equivalent of 120-160 years).

Relations
No race is hasty to meet with the Patak. The Embir view them as a constant, looming threat to the sanctity of their civilization. The Patak of Bunbura have tried on several occasions to conquer the Empire, and because of this the Legion functions under orders to apprehend all Patak on sight if they cannot prove their allegiance to the Empire. The Patak have throughout history been off and on in regard to their relations with the Col. On the one hand, the two races share common ancestry, which bonds them and causes each side to really try to understand the plight of the other. On the other hand, the Patak are extremely warlike, and so are exceedingly difficult for other races to get along with, as well as being enemies to the Empire, of which the Col are allied. The Balna do not fear the Patak, for their culture is too spread thin to serve as any kind of a target to the conquering Patak, though they do hold respect for the martial prowess of the Patak (this view is not reciprocated, however, as the Balna are too vulgar and wild for their taste). The Ucharim live too far removed from the direct influence of the Patak to regularly encounter them, though their philosophies toward life could not be more opposed.

Alignment
The Patak are a people that many would be hard-pressed to agree with. From their lofty homes the Patak view the rest of the world as something to lord over, and that the other civilizations of Armeya are, at best, inconveniences which prevent that goal. This is however a generality of their culture, and exceptions may be found.

Lands
The pride of the Patak is their homeland, the city of Bunbura which gives its associated mountain range their namesake. The territory of the Patak covers the western edge of the continent, depriving the Empire the ability to lay claim to the seas on the other side. The desire for the Empire to spread across these mountains is only part of the constant building enmity between the two civilizations.

Religion
The entirety of Bunbura bends knee to the will of Ta Rak Ra. It is he who pushes his chosen people for greater struggle against the fools of the Empire. So strong is their race's fealty to the Revenant that most would rather live as godless heathens than consider accepting another deity as patron. Because of this, it is extremely rare to find a Patak who serves some other god, and more so one who would openly admit this act.

Language
The Col and the Patak have differed greatly over time, becoming incredibly distinct from one another, but some pieces of the ancient Sael culture remain as shared qualities of either modern race, such as language. Both the Col and the Patak still pass down the Saelic tongue to their young ones. It is a mystical language which holds as much mystery as the Sael themselves and although the Col and Patak share the same words they apply them in very different ways more befitting their unique cultures; the diplomatic Col speak fluidly, with words drifting from their mouths like gentle waves, whereas the Patak speak matter-of-factly, gruff, and with defiant strength.

Names
The Saelic descendants allow their children to name themselves when they come of age, which serves that Col later in life as a quality which tells just as much of that person's life as their actions would. During adolescence the Col and Patak are called by a temporary name given them by their parents for convenience purposes. Traditional Col and Patak would choose names from the Saelic tongue, whereas more adventurous may elect to adopt a name more commonly found in the other races of Armeya. The Saelic races still hold a complicated network of noble houses inherited from their ancient roots. These noble families have names that carry merit and recognition through either culture and within the upper political reaches of the Empire.

Adventurers
Patak adventurers are typically the most aggressive in seizing what their hearts desire, and shall allow no foe to stand between them and their goals. To oppose the Patak is to be taught a lesson in superiority, and to fight alongside them is to know the most stalwart, if standoffish, of allies. To adventure as a Patak is to spread the iron grip of Bunbura across the world, to bring others to their knees, or perhaps even to throw off the shackles of one's family and seek acceptance amongst the other civilized races.

= **Patak Racial Traits** =
 * -2 Strength, +2 Dexterity, -2 Constitution, +2 Intelligence.
 * Medium: As Medium creatures, the Patak have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
 * Patak base land speed is 30 feet.
 * Immunity to magic [|sleep] effects, and a +2 racial [|saving throw] bonus against enchantment spells or effects.
 * Mountain Step
 * Acclimated
 * Powerful Build
 * Sael Blood
 * [|Low-Light Vision] : A Patak can see twice as far as an Embir in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. She retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
 * -2 racial penalty to Diplomacy.
 * Automatic Languages: Imperial, Sael.
 * Favored Class: Rogue, Fighter, Swashbuckler. A Patak enters play with one bonus AP if he/she starts in one of these listed classes.
 * Level Adjustment: +1