Catfolk
The Ashera are feline humanoids whose oldest known communities come from the deserts of Malkaret and the coasts of Akkareth. Their traditions are closely tied to Dahruq, the Trickster-Wind, a god associated with travel, change, and fortune.
Historically, Ashera communities formed along trade routes and coastal paths rather than around large territorial kingdoms. Family ties, shared customs, and agreements between clans helped keep distant communities connected.
Over time, the Ashera spread well beyond Malkaret and Akkareth. They are common along the oases and caravan routes of Nurathar and can also be found in Shahoya and across much of the southern coast. Some communities continue older traditions of seasonal travel, while others have lived in cities, ports, and trade towns for generations.
Dahruq remains an important cultural figure even among Ashera who are not particularly religious. Stories about the Trickster-Wind are often used to teach adaptability, good judgment, and when a risk is worth taking.
Identity and Culture
Ashera are generally similar to humans in height and build, though many have lean frames and slightly sharper facial features. Their most obvious feline traits are their furred ears, long tails, slit pupils, and subtly pointed canine teeth, while the shape of their eyes can give the face a faintly feline cast. What fur they might possess may be gold, rust, brown, gray, black, or white, with stripes, spots, and other markings varying between families and regions. Hair color varies widely, while their skin falls within the same broad range of tones found among humans, but usually blends harmoniously with their fur.
Jewelry and small charms are a common part of Ashera dress. Bronze, lapis, shell, and bone are frequently used, with individual pieces sometimes marking relationships, journeys, agreements, or important events. Some are inherited within families, while others are collected or added throughout a person's life.
Ashera society is traditionally matrilineal, with family lines commonly traced through the mother. A clan may include blood relatives, adopted members, close companions, and families joined through long-standing agreements. Shared obligations and history can carry as much importance as direct ancestry.
Storytelling remains an important way of preserving family and clan history. Songs and spoken accounts are common, while braided charms and scent markings may also be used to commemorate people, journeys, or significant events. Settled communities often maintain written records as well, particularly for trade, property, and agreements, while continuing older oral traditions.
During a traditional coming-of-age ceremony, an Ashera may receive a Windname. This is a personal epithet associated with an event, trait, hope, or lesson from the person's life. Windnames can be dignified, affectionate, humorous, or occasionally embarrassing, and the story behind one often matters as much as the name itself.
Formal promises are taken seriously within many Ashera communities. Oaths may be sworn on wind, blood, or silence, with each form carrying its own meaning and expectations. Breaking one can damage a person's standing within their clan or among others familiar with the tradition.
Ashera work in a wide range of professions. Merchants, guides, couriers, sailors, and spirit-workers are particularly common along southern trade routes, where generations of Ashera families have built extensive knowledge of roads, ports, seasonal conditions, and local customs.
Ashera Across Eldareth
Ashera communities have played an important role in trade throughout southern Eldareth. Their guides helped maintain routes between remote settlements, while merchants and couriers carried goods, messages, and news between inland caravans and coastal ports.
Some Ashera customs have also spread beyond their own communities. Travel charms and songs are familiar in parts of Malkaret, Akkareth, and Nurathar, particularly among merchants, caravan workers, and others who regularly travel the southern routes.
Despite their wide distribution, Ashera communities have historically remained decentralized. Family ties, trade relationships, and shared customs continue to connect settled and traveling communities across the region.
Catfolk Traits
Ability Score Increase. When determining your character’s ability scores, increase one score by 2 and increase a different score by 1, or increase three different scores by 1. You can't raise any of your scores above 20.
Creature Type. You are a Humanoid.
Size. You are Medium.
Speed. Your walking speed is 35 feet.
Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light and in darkness as if it were dim light. You discern colors in that darkness only as shades of gray.
Desert-Born Grace. You are used to moving over soft sand, broken stone, and slick rooftops. You gain Climb and Dash speed equal to your walking speed. Additionally, you ignore difficult terrain caused by sand, dust, or rubble.
Feline Agility. When you move on your turn in combat, you can double your movement speed until the end of the turn.
You can’t use this trait again until the end of a turn on which you did not move.
Predator’s Precision. You have proficiency in the Perception skill. When you make a Perception check relying on smell or hearing, you can add a d4 to the result.
Fortune-Favored. Once per long rest, when you roll a 1 on a d20, you can reroll it. You must use the new result.
Whispers on the Wind. You know the Thaumaturgy cantrip.
Starting at 3rd level, you can cast Feather Fall once per long rest. You can also cast it using any spell slots you have of the appropriate level.
Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells when you cast them with this trait (choose when you select this race).
Languages. Your character can speak, read, and write Common and one other language that you and your DM agree is appropriate for the character. The Player’s Handbook offers a list of languages to choose from. The DM is free to modify that list for a campaign.