Mortal Races: Tortles

Tortles are a very rare race of intelligent humanoid turtles who have only arrived recently in Tirenia from foreign lands. They are good-natured and inquisitive travelers. Tortles like to make friends, and they help any people in need that they meet, whether that means helping out on a farm or fighting monsters. Tortles tend to ally with humanist groups against the dragons. Tortles reportedly live to a grand old age, although no one has met one of their elders: they revere the elderly and listen to their advice, but believe that everyone needs to make their own decisions. Tortles are also very artistic, and they are interested in learning about the different art forms they encounter.

The truth about tortles is slightly more strange than anyone knows. Tortles are not from Tellaia: they have traveled the streams between worlds to enter this one, and when they are done, they will leave again. They believe that no one needs to know about the worlds beyond this one, so that they can develop naturally. They are secret warrior crusaders across time and space, led by one of their venerable cleric-elders. The enemy they have pursued here is the Great Death, a malignant cosmic entity that has just begun to seek an entry to Tellaia. The tortles want to help the people of Tellaia cast it out of their world.

Image result for renaissance art tortoise
Art: 'Tortoise above the Venetian Lagoon.' Melchior Lorck, 1555.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Character Creations: Ideals and Flaws

Image
Characters in Tirenia have ideals and flaws, just like in other worlds. Living up to their ideals, or giving in to their flaws, can be a source of Inspiration for them. In a Dragon Princes game, instead of using the standard lists of options, consider using the religious virtues or sins instead. This helps to tie your character more firmly into the setting. The seven virtues are: Charity (Caritas): The Church states that helping those in need is virtuous. Giving of oneself - whether time, money, or anything else - to aid others is its own reward, and should not be done with the thought of reward or recognition. This can also mean donating to the Church, which is capable of helping people on a larger scale. Chastity (Castitas): The moderation of sexual impulses. Tirenians generally do not believe in celibacy. They are also quite accepting of extramarital relationships, which are quite common for the upper classes. For them, chastity is about faithfulness to one's spouse or ...
Read more

The Pirates of Panormo, Session One: Rinascimento

Image
The bronze dragons of Staglia were planning something. Their war against Selenizia had ground into a bloody stalemate. After years of contant warfare, their resources were stretched to the point of exhaustion. And so their troops received the order to hold their positions, while the dragon generals were all recalled to Staglia for an emergency meeting. Meanwhile, surprise attacks were launched against the marble quarries of Camarma and the surreal ruins of Larisa, only to withdraw again. The quicksilver dragons of Trion, the alchemists and inventors of Staglia's war machine.  Something big was coming. And Captain Uberto meant to find out what it was. The crew of the Brazen Nudibranch were dedicated to fighting against the draconic imperialists. It was vital that someone should infiltrate Staglia and discover what the bronze dragons were planning, before it was too late.  The first step in the Captain's plan was to lay anchor at Monte Mamiliano. This small island was a haven of...
Read more

The Pirates of Panormo, Session Two: The Villa Salamandre

Image
 The crew of the Brazen Nudibranch fled the city of Staglia as quickly as they could. They decided to head inland to Trion, the home of the quicksilver dragons. They hoped that they could learn more about the ritual that had brought the marble and gold dragon to life. It was slow going, however, because very quickly they found themselves pursued by soldiers hunting for them. People said that spies from Staglia, with the help of a traitor (Scelto), had infiltrated the city and attacked a gathering of dragons with black magic. The group posed as itinerant monks to avoid being discovered. Soon they reached the shining Fulgente River, in whose silvery waters an angel was said to have once died. Evangelia grew nostagic as they beheld the glimmering water, for her home city, Medilano, was located downstream on the same river, and the Fulgente was sacred to the silver dragons. Avoiding a boat, because of the soldiers checking passengers, they made their way along its banks until they reac...
Read more