GREE

The Gree are a race of laws and of organization.  They have inhabited the land to the east of the String Mountains for as long as the land has existed.  They are a race of fur-covered humanoids that remind the other races of a weasel.  They were the masters of the oceans and sea travel for centuries, but have lost that title.  They had one of the most powerful nations on the planet, but that too is crumbling.

The focus of the life of a Gree is to follow the laws set out by their people and to serve in the role determined for each.  This philosophy was set in process soon after the land they still live on was settled.  It was handed down from the leaders of the time, who were clerics of the Grees’ creator and patron, Gruwees.  Although the vast majority of Gree follow the path without question, there are some who have been betrayed by it, or who have seen the differences in other cultures and therefore desire change.  Every Gree must decide whether they are part of the new tide or part of the ancient traditions.  Few choose the former.

The structured Grean society has lead the race to the mastery of some things at the expense of others.  They are one of the two premier shipbuilding races.  Their metal ships are a marvel of magic, derived from their unparalleled knowledge of the elements.  This knowledge has also allowed them to construct the elemental epbul.  This rare weapon uses elementals themselves as the force behind blasts of fire, water, lightning, or any element they wish.  They are the master crafters of the Blue Metal, a soft magical alloy that they use to create their ships and elemental epbuls.  Their understanding of law and organization is second to none.  In this order, however, they have lost much of their creativity.  They are a stagnant race.  Art and music are uncommon, and emotion is seen as a weakness.

The Gree see most other races as step below and behind.  They despise the Horarians, who took the seas away.  They also hate the Dwarves and Vishtoo, who have long been their neighbors.  These biases have contributed to their slow downfall.  It is left to the few Gree who see the problems and try to integrate the ideas of other cultures into Grean society to stop the decay.  These Gree are outlaws and outcasts.

One of the few accepted variations from the norm is a tradition that has its roots in the beginnings of the Gree.  For no reason anyone has determined, one out of every 12 Gree is born with wings.  These Gree were at first slain as monsters, a fact every Gree will deny.  Eventually, the usefulness of such Gree was recognized and they became elite soldiers.  The Grean Wings are a deadly force placed on a level with the Amatine Assassins.

APPEARANCE:  The Gree are generally about 5ft. in height and weigh about 120 lbs.  Their bodies are streamline and almost serpentine.  Their legs are short, and their arms are proportionally small.  Grean eyes are long and can track independently.  Their ears are small and can be hidden under their fur.  Their nose is small and black and sits at the end of a long snout, with their mouth at the bottom base of it.

Grean hands have only four digits, one thumb and three fingers.  Each finger has a small claw which is sharp enough to puncture Human skin, but rarely used as a weapon.  Between each finger is a small bit of webbing, which can also be found between their toes in larger form.  Their feet also have only four digits.

Gree tend to have gray or brown hair, with white or black occurring occasionally.  About one in ten Gree are spotted.  More commonly, a Gree will have colored patches only around their eyes or on their stomach.  Eyes are brown, gray, or blue.  Females have the same coloring as the males.

On the occasion that a Gree is born with wings, the wings are most similar to those of a gull.  They are long, thin, and come to a point.  The wing’s color matches that of the fur, although Gree with wings tend to be of lighter coloration.  All Gree also have a tail.  It is small and hides well beneath their fur.  The only known use is for maneuvering both in sea and in the air.  Much like the tail, a winged Gree can tuck his wings back so as to make them nearly unrecognizable, albeit they do look bulkier than Gree without wings.

Gree view clothing as necessary, for both keeping warm and for showing proper station.  For the most part, males and females dress similarly in style.  The only difference being that all female clothing has shorter lengths in the sleeve, pant leg, boot height, etc.  Once again, this is done to show station.  Leather is the overwhelming material of choice among the Gree.  Other materials are considered too expensive.

Because of their lack of defined shoulder, Grean arms come out of the torso in much the same way as a four-legged animal.  Vests are the most common choice.  Clothing is tubular to fit the body, and most things wrap around using a tie string or buttons to keep them in place.  Pants are never worn below the knee and skirts simply don’t exist.  Although they prefer not to wear anything on their feet, the Gree have adopted sandals and boots for the appropriate occasions.  Jewelry and any form of headgear are very uncommon.  Helmets are worn to battle and jewelry to ceremonies. 

The winged Gree have much the same fashion except that they usually forego shirts, being that they are difficult to get on and off around their wings.

ALIGNMENT:  Gree tend toward lawful and neutral.  Chaotic Gree are unheard of, and good Gree are rare.  Even non-lawful Gree fear the law too much to break it.

RELIGION:  The patron and creator of the Gree is Gruweas, who is also their namesake.  They see the judges as important and necessary.   Han~Sui is in that category, but is also the patron of the military.  Sutyr has become worshiped as a hard-line reformer.  Lavash-Ki is the greatest evil and hated above all other deities.

WHAT MAKES GREE DIFFERENT:

The differences in the Gree come from only the distinction between those with wings and those without.