Common Ethnic Traits:

• Suggested naming conventions: Japanese

• Hair color: Black, brown, purple, blue. There are brighter colors as well, but many are due to intermingling with other Estonian races, such as the Eugencians and Asmians.

• Eye colors: Darker colors

• Complexions: Light-Fair. Burns first, then tans. Darker Ryujin skintones exhibit a subtle yellowish coloration. An eccentric trait not found in native Estellonian or Nomarian ethnicities, but is apparently very common in the eastern ethnicities found in the regions surrounding their ancestral land.

• Height average and build: The typical Ryujin adult male is about 171.2cm (5ft 7in), and females stand around 158.8cm (5ft 2in). They have a tendency to be more slender than most Estellonians.

• Eugencian Assimilation: The Ryujin in Estellon who have found themselves trapped on our side of the rift gate have been here for nearly five generations. And as such, many have forsaken their culture in order to adapt to their new home. But there are still Ryujin families who keep traditions alive. They may have kept their surnames, and name their children with names from the Ryujin language. Some Ryujin collect weapons and trinkets of their heritage which may have found their ways into the markets. And there is even rumored to be a Ryujin ninja village hidden away in the Osterchild mountains, which still operates with intelligence gathering on Eugencia and Falamore for their homeland. Rumor says that those who manage to locate this village may employ the legendary assassins known as the Ninja to make someone disappear. But these are just residual war stories, right?

• Potential Sorcerer Bloodlines: Destined, Draconic (Imperial), Elemental (Any), Imperious Bloodline, Oni, Possessed, Psychic, Rakshasa, Salamander, Serpentine, Stormborn, Undead.

 

 

Synopsis:

The Ryujin peoples hail from the far east in an island archipelago off the lands of Shé Dàlù. But they are familiar to us in Estellon, because at one time, there used to be the rift gates that connected our cultures. Trade between the nation of Ryuho and the ancient Shiori empires was quite common. Then the Shiori empire collapsed, and the gates went unused for quite some time. But the gates in the central Estellon would be reopened, by the high elves of Valoron, who were attempting to restore the ancient infrastructure that was left of their old empire before its fall. The Elves of course were not the only ones to do so however, as the holy Eugencian empire which shared much of this ancient infrastructure happened to lay claim to land where one of these gates was on. Contact was peaceful between the Elvin and Eugencian kings, and the Ryujin shoguns. Until one king in particular began to lust after one of the Shogun's daughters. One thing led to the next, and suddenly the two feudal lords found themselves locked in a personal armed conflict. A conflict which would later lead to the Torii Wars, in which armies from both sides began clashing, taking what treasures and heirlooms they could from one another. The Elves and a handful of heroes on both sides of the conflict decided the best course of action would be to close the gates once and for all. And they succeeded in doing so. But because of that, many Ryujinese were trapped, either willingly or not, in the heart of Estellon. They laid down their arms in surrender to the Eugencian kings. And soon, the church would issue a purge of all cultural relics related to the Ryujinese. The displaced island people were forced with one option. Aggressive assimilation. They had to join in the burning of relics and forsake their racial heritage if they wanted to survive in this strange new land. And as such, the Ryujin men and women of today here in Estellon dress like the Eugencians, talk like the Tamians, and fight among kingdoms for causes that they were never meant to fight for. And yet, elements of their culture would continue to survive.

 

It has been nearly a century and a half, and now, surviving relics that survived the purge have begun to crop up, fetching high prices among collectors. And there are many Ryujin who seek to reconnect with their racial identity. The most proactive of which is a Ryujin lord in Falamore, who is attempting to emulate the an entire city in the image of a Ryujin one. Although whether or not he has remained accurate or not remains to be seen, as his only reference to go on is a high elf who claims to have seen the imperial capital, back in the day. The wood elves have also become enamored with the ancient traditions of Kamido, and have since blended their beliefs with their own druidic customs. And this new druidic order has spread all through out the land, as Autumn Cloak druids are becoming an increasingly common sight. And there are even some hushed urban legends of secret Ryujin ninja villages that have remained unfound since the Torii Wars isolated in the Osterchild Mountains that separate Falamore from Eugencia. Villages that, in exchange for their continued secrecy will provide assassins and spies for higher, should you manage to find one. This isn't as likely as another story however, where in a former Ryujin ninja operative was captured by the Fosterin church in order to help train their inquisitors in the art of stealth to aid them in their hunt against demons and heretics. But to believe that one, you must already first be a subscriber to the "Secret Inquisition" conspiracy theory. But you get the idea. The Ryujin people are a displaced group of migrants who only have misconceptions and rumors linking them to the past they share. And for others, their surname and exotic features are more than they even desire to have.

 

To grow up Ryujin in an Estelonian society is to grow up knowing you are different. And no effort of assimilation will fully change that. As such, Ryujins tend to gravitate to communities of their own kind. Or at least go to places where ethnic diversity is much less homogenous in order to stand out less. Therefore nations like Falamore and Trevivento tend to have the highest concentrations of Ryujin peoples. As a people though, they are known to be proud and honorable. They have a certain fighting spirit in them which could even impress an orc. Even the ones who aren't built for the battle field will show amazing daring and resolve when something important is on the line. This means that Ryujinese who do show some skill towards fighting in any shape it takes, tend to gravitate towards the profession of adventurers. The culture of adventurers is one that celebrates independent achievement and merit over the ethnic stock or lands one hails from. And to able bodied second or third generation Ryujin, adventuring also leaves their options open to explore or hunt down lost family relics that may have survived the cultural purge. And of course if you happen to hail from a secret village in a certain mountain range, then perhaps marketing yourself as a rogue may also be the perfect disguise.