Krake

In Calla I wanted to have several races that players would enjoy that stepped outside the normal rpg races and were something truly unique and fantastical. Tonight I have been working on the Krake. The Krake are a fungal creature, they resemble a large octopus walking around on its tentacles. They have four very large tentacles, these lack the suction cups found on an octopus. They use these limbs to move around and manipulate objects. They are an intelligent race, but lack the ability to verbally communicate. Instead they use a complex sign language. Fortunately, they have a written language and have mastered most of the common written languages of Calla over the centuries they have been in contact with other races. Krake can hear, but they lack a mouth or respiratory system.

Krake eat by burying their tentacles in soil. They can also sustain themselves with refuse, or waste if that is all there is available. Their preference is nice clean topsoil. Krake normally rest while "eating", and do sleep in a fashion very similar to other races.

At the end of their life-cycle, roughly 30-40 years, a Krake will settle down. Finding a suitable location it will plant itself in fertile soil and begin the process of reproducing. A Krake can have between 2-6 children which will sprout from their submerged tentacles and grow alongside their parent. The parent Krake will spend the next year or so teaching the children and preparing them for their lives in the world. After a year the young Krake will be fully formed and will break free from the parent's body and the soil. Soon afterwards the parent will die, it's life-cycle completed.

Krake are ancient allies of the dwarven race. Many centuries ago it was the dwarves who discovered them and helped them to develop a complete writing system. Dwarves consider themselves to be caretakers for the Krakes, and guard their homeland as if it were their own. This long alliance has helped the Krakes to be accepted in wider society, and at this point in history are not looked upon with fear or indifference as they might have been if they had not had the dwarves to speak for them. For their part the Krakes have worked hard to be a honorable people.

Krake are strong, and intelligent. They are not beautiful, they are not fast, but they are very dexterous. Not many Krake are arcane casters, without the ability to speak they are limited to what spells they can cast. Many Krake are rangers, or barbarians as they have a strong tie to the earth and the wild. Many are also rogues, fighters, or noble paladins. Krake worship the Calla dieties, and call no particular god their own.