Ringtails

The Rakkari, commonly called Ringtails, are raccoon-like humanoids whose oldest known communities come from the wilds of Shahoya. Some of their oldest stories connect their origins to Feonar, though the nature of that connection is unclear and accounts differ between communities.

Rakkari traditions often favor repairing, reusing, and adapting what is already available. Abandoned buildings can become dens, damaged tools may be rebuilt, and discarded materials are often kept if they can serve another purpose.

Families also tend to preserve objects connected to particular people or events. Their value does not depend on rarity or craftsmanship. A cracked cup, worn tool, or simple trinket may be kept for generations if the story attached to it still matters to the household.

Identity and Culture

Rakkari are small and lightly built, with furred bodies and long ringed tails. Their hands are particularly dexterous, with long fingers suited to delicate work. Fur color and markings vary between families, though most have the dark facial pattern that gave rise to the common name Ringtails.

Rakkari homes are usually called dens. In Shahoya, these are often built into places that already provide shelter, while urban Rakkari are more likely to adapt cellars, upper rooms, old workshops, storage spaces, or other parts of existing buildings. A den may be altered gradually over many years as a family grows or new space becomes available.

Personal possessions frequently carry family history. A damaged tool may be kept because it belonged to a grandparent, while an otherwise ordinary token may mark a journey, friendship, agreement, or important event. The story behind an object is usually passed down with it.

Older dens can therefore accumulate collections spanning several generations. Rakkari families do not necessarily keep everything they inherit, but objects with stories that are still remembered are less likely to be discarded.

Two broad Rakkari traditions are commonly recognized: the Rootwise and the Scuttlers.

Rootwise

Rootwise Rakkari remain most closely connected to Shahoya and to communities that preserve older regional customs.

They place considerable importance on knowing the history of the land around their dens. Stories may record former settlements, old paths, changes in rivers or forests, and places associated with local spirits. Learning what happened in an area is often part of deciding whether and how it should be changed.

Many Rootwise communities maintain close relationships with the Tavaska and may consult their shamans when dealing with spirits or unfamiliar supernatural activity.

Objects belonging to earlier generations are commonly kept within the den. Younger Rakkari are taught who owned them, what happened to them, and why the family chose to preserve them.

Scuttlers

Scuttlers developed their traditions in towns and cities, where older Rakkari customs adapted to denser settlements and limited space.

Their dens are usually fitted into existing buildings and may occupy rooms or passages that were previously unused. Entrances are often discreet, particularly in crowded neighborhoods where several households share the same structure.

Repair work, message carrying, and trade in secondhand goods are common professions among urban Rakkari. Their familiarity with service passages, old streets, rooftops, storage districts, and other overlooked parts of a city can also make them useful guides.

Scuttler families continue to preserve household histories, but their collections often reflect generations of movement between neighborhoods or cities. Objects acquired in new places are added alongside older keepsakes brought from Shahoya or previous homes.

The Den Root

Most Rakkari dens maintain a Den Root, a collection of objects chosen to preserve the household's history.

The objects themselves are often ordinary. Their importance comes from the people and events associated with them. A Den Root might contain an old key, a broken knife, a child's toy, a letter, or a piece of jewelry alongside items that would appear worthless to anyone unfamiliar with their stories.

Adding something to the Den Root is usually treated as a deliberate decision. The story behind the object is told before it is accepted, and younger members of the household are expected to learn the stories connected to older pieces.

The collection does not have to remain in one place forever. When a family moves, the Den Root moves with them. If a den must be abandoned suddenly, these objects are usually among the possessions given priority.

Some Rakkari stories claim that the first Den Root still exists somewhere in Shahoya, close to a tree where Feonar once left one of his masks. The stories disagree about where the tree stands, and no location has been confirmed.

Rakkari Across Eldareth

Rakkari gradually spread beyond Shahoya through trade routes and growing towns. Established communities can now be found in Vel'Nathar, Celaine, and the ports of Calvessa, though they remain uncommon across much of Eldareth.

Rakkari craftspeople are particularly useful in places where replacement materials are expensive or difficult to obtain. Repairers and secondhand traders often work with objects that other craftspeople would consider beyond saving, either restoring them or recovering usable parts.

Their dens sometimes preserve details of local history that were never entered into official records. An old household object may carry a story about a vanished business, former resident, flood, fire, or neighborhood that has otherwise been forgotten.

Rakkari generally preserve these stories for their families rather than for scholars. When historians do gain access to an old Den Root, the objects and accounts kept there can provide unusually personal records of the places where that family has lived.

Ringtail 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 Small.

Speed. Your walking speed is 30 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.

Rend and Scamper. Your claws are natural weapons, which you're proficient with. They deal 1d4 slashing damage on a hit, and you can use either Strength or Dexterity for the attack and damage rolls. These claws count as light and finesse weapons. When you take the Attack action on your turn and make an attack with your claws, you can make one additional attack with your claws as part of that action. 

Twist and Tumble. You have advantage on Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks made to escape grapples, bindings, or restraints. You do not move at half speed when squeezing through a space one size smaller than you.

Denborn Instincts. You gain proficiency in two of the following skills: Perception, Nature, Stealth, Survival, or Medicine.

Scavenger’s Edge. You can double your proficiency bonus on Wisdom (Survival) checks to locate food, salvage, or useful materials in urban, ruined, or civilized environments.—such as alleyways, refuse piles, cellars, or sewers.

Nose for Trouble. You can use a bonus action to heighten your senses. Until the start of your next turn, you are aware of any hidden or invisible creatures within 10 feet of you, though you do not learn their exact location. You can use this ability a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus per long rest.

Last-Chance Twist. When you make a Dexterity saving throw or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check to avoid a trap, hazard, or environmental effect, you can use your reaction to roll a d4 and add it to the result.

You can use this reaction a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus per long rest.

Whimcrafted Trinket. You can spend 10 minutes assembling discarded odds and ends into a minor improvised item (such as a lockpick, whistle, toy, or snare). The item functions as expected for 1 hour before falling apart.

Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest. The DM has final say on what can be crafted this way.

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.