The Rat Kin
Rat Kin is a term that refers to several humanoid species resembling rats that cooperate as one.
Rat Kin have a life expectancy of about thirty years and are about one meter tall. But this changes greatly depending of the individual's species, gender and role in the Rat Kin society.
Rat Kin females are extremely fertile compared to females of others sentient species. They have litters of up to a dozen youngs and can have up to five litters per year.
Adaptability, numbers and fertility are the Rat Kin greatest strengths.
Rat Kin Warriors
Rat Kin warriors are the physically most developed Rat Kin species. An healthy adult individual can reach one and a half meter in height and weigh eighty kilograms. They are strong and muscular and can keep on fighting even with great injuries. Females of this species are shorter and smaller but faster, and fight alongside the males in the field, making up for the male's shortcomings. On the battlefield they are an extremely effective fighting force.
Rat Kin Workers
This species of Rat Kin is short, reaching only about one meter in height as an adult. They are the most fertile species of Rat Kin and are the most numerous. They serve as the backbone workers of the tribe.
Rat Kin Overseers
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This is the physically smallest species of Rat Kin, but is also the most intelligent. Rat Kin overseers have glands that produce special pheromones that make the other Rat Kin species obedient to them.
Males of the species become the rulers of the Rat Kin. From chieftain of tribes, to battle commander, to overseers of the workers.
Females of this species can rarely develop aptitude for magic. Magic in Rat Kin is extremely rare, and because Rat Kin do not leave physical records of their history, knowledge of magic has to be developed from scratch every time a new Rat Kin Shaman is born. In rare cases a shaman is born while the previous shaman is still alive, allowing for knowledge in magic to be passed on, but such cases are the exception.
Adaptability
The strength of the Rat Kins lie in quickly replenishing their numbers and adapting to changes in the environment. New species of Rat Kin can prosper and established species die out as changes happens around them, ensuring the overall survival of the Rat Kin as a whole.
Rat Kin Settlements (Y1500)
Today, Rat Kins settlements can be found on almost every continent in Arcania. The continent of Calvaria is home to the largest populations of Rat Kins. Rat Kins do not form large civilizations like humans do, but rather are divided in tribes that occupy a territory. The largest tribes can have tens of thousands of individuals. The smallest, only a few dozens.
Tribes often wage wars against each others. Natural selection at it's finest, only the fittest tribes survive. Rat Kin tribes are known to come together when threatened by other species, like the humans.
Technology and Magic (Y1500)
Over their history Rat Kin achieved various degree of advancement. For the most part, the lack of written records and the division in tribes means that knowledge is often lost. The Rat Kin mostly use primitive weapons and their shamans can weave only the very simplest and weakest of magic. The strength of the Rat Kin lies in their numbers and ability to quickly make up for their losses.