[hider=MERDHRAI]
[center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/210411/2d5a5876ca4fc2c085a361e514e751fa.png[/img]
[i][color=00CED1]Otter Folk[/color][/i]
[img]https://www.scabard.com/user/Tetrapod/image/tia1.jpg[/img][/center]

[b][color=00CED1]RACE TRAITS:[/color][/b]
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[*] [b][color=00CED1]Athletic (-1)[/color][/b]
Members of this species, through evolution or adaptation, have developed a robust cardiovascular system that allows them to keep doing physically demanding tasks for much longer than others, and deal with the generated heat more efficiently. 
[*] [b][color=00CED1]Small (0)[/color][/b]
Members of this species are much smaller than other species, most likely due to some form of natural predator in their early history. A few feet tall, they possess a small stature that is easy to hide. While fast on their feet and quite nimble, they are usually not as strong due to their smaller size, and will take less punishment.
[*] [b][color=00CED1]Special Diet (+1)[/color][/b]
Members of this species gain most of their nutrition from a single food source close to their home region. Their bodies have evolved to efficiently break it down to the point where they are unable to digest food that is too different from it. This can be a specific type of plant or certain animal that only dwells near their living area.
[*] [b][color=00CED1]Resilient (-1)[/color][/b] 
Members of this species are unnaturally hardy, able to resist otherwise deadly infections and eat a range of poisonous plants. Even open wounds will pose little risk to their life, and most of their organs are robust enough to sustain themselves for a while with damage that would be life threatening for others.
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[b][color=00CED1]FLAVOUR TRAITS:[/color][/b]
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[*] [b][color=00CED1]Playful[/color][/b] (0 TP) [i]They are a playful and ridiculous bunch. Where humans brawl and murder each other, the Merdhrai are rambunctious and fun loving. Like their smaller, and distant cousins, the Otter, they are always up for an impromptu race or wrestling match.[/i]
[*] [b][color=00CED1]Quick Wit[/color][/b] (0 TP) [i]Enjoys poems, riddles, and rhyming. Many tales tell of Merdhrai who will gift you a valuable pearl if you can defeat them at their favourite past time. [/i]
[*] [b][color=00CED1]Amphibian[/color][/b] (0 TP) [i]Though it should go without saying, the Merdhrai are excellent swimmers and thrive in water. They are capable of high speeds, can fight as well under the water as they do above it, and can hold their breath for up to ten minutes.[/i]
[*] [b][color=00CED1]Fur and Fury[/color][/b] (0 TP) [i]Their small size belies the fearsome energy and battle prowess of the race. Sharp teeth and savage claws make even an "unarmed" Merdhrai a dangerous opponent to face.[/i]
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[b][color=00CED1]RACE PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION:[/color][/b]
[i]Merdhrai stand at about four feet tall and weigh thirty to forty pounds. They have short legs and arms, about nine inches each. All have claws, sharp teeth, webbed feet and hands, and opposable thumbs. Their body is covered in a layer of waterproof fur that ranges in colour from white to black, though the most common colours are slate grey or brown. Whiskered faces give them a kindly look and the older males grow bushy beards that are nearly always white or silver in colour. Males are, generally speaking, larger than females but exceptions are common enough to no longer be a conversation piece. Muscles ripple everywhere and only a fool follows an Merdhrai into the water.[/i]

[b][color=00CED1]POPULATION:[/color][/b] 
4,500 - 6,500

[b][color=00CED1]RACE BEHAVIOUR:[/color][/b]
[indent][i]The masters of all things water, the Merdhrai believe themselves to be better than other water going creatures, for they are among the few sentient ones. Merdhrai are very arrogant and rude to strangers, but once you gain their trust they become very kind and honourable. Merdhari children are very social playful but adults are can be distrustful to those outside of their own species. The Merdhrai were created when a god gave human intelligence to a normal otter. The otter escaped into the wild and bred with a normal otter, passing its intelligence on to its offspring. Eventually their bodies evolved to suit their intelligence, and they evolved opposable thumbs and bipedal movement. Merdhrai live in large tribes, usually of several males, their mates, and their children. Raising pups, feeding the clan, and defending it, fall equally among all members.[/i][/indent]
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