“Kazzi, the Mother of All, formed the creatures and plants from the aether leftover from the stars and populated the world of Paoru. She contemplated her children for a time before sparking upon an idea and in that idea, a great love bloomed for a unique race to have dominion over all else. She formed the love she felt and fused it with the clay of Paoru and created the Maora, her most favored children of all.” ~ 1st Story, Book of Forgotten Dreams

“When Kazzi finished populating the universe with stars and worlds and life, she took to naming them and therefore giving them purpose and life. Her brothers looked on in wonder at the plethora of beauty she had made and became jealous. Shazza asked Kazzi for some of her children to have as his own and Kazzi being wise and giving, gave him a certain number of the Yokai to name and have as his own. He called them the Tianshi and they were ever faithful to him. Dempo came in all his shadowy beauty and asked her sister to gift some children to him as well. Kazzi gazed into the endless darkness of Dempo and thoughtfully gave him more of her Yokai. Dempo took them and named them the Oni, who loved and feared great Dempo with all their being. Kaida remained still and gazed with mysterious eyes upon all that Kazzi had wrought and smiled.” – 3rd Story, Book of Forgotten Dreams

“After uncounted time had passed and Kazzi had created her crowning children, the Maora, and departed . Kaida who had watched all with his empty eyes roused from his place in the stars and walked among the Maora as one with them. Kaida came to know Kazzi’s children intimately, their hopes and fears, dreams and nightmares and realized a way to fill the emptiness of his soul. He turned some number of them away from their worship of his siblings and sought to teach them the understanding that only the Gods may know. In this, he killed the children he hoped to make."~ 7th Story, Book of Forgotten Dreams

“Kaida grew displeased with the Asta and soon turned his mind away from them and went deep into the Great Forest of Diu Mi. There he lay among the great roots of the Gau Lo Tree and stared into it’s branches stark against the sky. He lay there for a long time, contemplating his loneliness until a day came when a Mao family came upon him. Mistaking him for someone in need, they took him catatonic as he was to their village deep in the forest. They cared for him, bathed him and fed him as he lay without moving. After some time had passed, he roused himself from his cataleptic state and saw the people who had cared for him. A feeling of great love welled up in him and as is his way, took them and began to change them. He reformed their bodies to be shorter and squatter to move among the great roots easier. Seeing their love for their favorite animal, the Ba Ku, he gave them the horns of the beast. Lastly, he dug into the dark earth of a holy mound in the center of their village and formed them a heart of the iron he found there and breathed new life into them. Thusly, the Notta were born and Kaida communed with them for a time before his emptiness once more made him turn away.” ~ 9th Story, Book of Forgotten Dreams

History

The stories from Go-Shen, which is no more, are at best scattered and rare. A true accounting can not be said to be had of life there. What information is available has been gleaned over the years from stories passed down by the settlers of Eoda.

In an excerpt saved from the Founding, there is an accounting of a minor lord from the holy land who spoke of a village of artisans with brown skin and gnarled horns who made their homes among the roots of great poisonous trees.

According to scholars who have spent their entire lives combing through all the documents that survived the journey from the holy land, the Notta were mentioned extensively as being master artisans and herbologists. Their particular skills came in handy for handling wood from the Glotta tree which is known to have powerfuly poisonous resin and sap that killed most animals and sometimes other plants. The Notta seemed to have an immunity to the Glotta which allowed them to handle the wood freely and work with it. The glotta wood itself was the most sought after for it’s hardness and long life.

In historical texts, it’s said that the Notta who arrived in Eoda after the Mao Exodus brought with them the fabled Glotta seeds and began to cultivate the trees in Baozuo. Their affinity for the trees lay not only in their ability to handle the poisonous wood but their inherent need to make their homes beneath the great roots. Their affinity with the trees can be seen in most Notta communities as their pottery, jewelry and other artwork display a likeness of the gnarled tree.

According to the texts, the Notta always seemed to inhabit a subservient sect of society but their craftmanship gave them a certain sway with their overlords. When the Mao left the holy land, the texts become scarcer as the Notta didn’t bring any written works with them, so much of what is known between the Mao Exodus and the Notta Exodus is derived from stories passed down.

When the Mao left, the Holy Land had been ravaged by two wars and was barely able to nourish anyone. The Notta were left in a nomadic state since their precious trees had all but been destroyed in the last war. The Notta existed in this state for almost 600 years before joining the Asta and Eola in their Exodus. They were at sea for almost a decade before making land in Baozuo and were met with hatred and violence by the Mao as they were enslaved once again.

There are stories of several tribes of Notta of varying physiologies but all shared the primary trait of horns and dark green nails. There is even talk of a tribe of Notta who were not stocky but slender of build like the Mao and shorter than the average Not with underdeveloped horns.

Physiology

The average Not is shorter than most Mao with skin a deep brown. They tend to be built wide and stocky with muscled arms and shoulders. Their hair tends to be in the darker tones and they all have eyes with large irises of a single black color.

Their defining characteristics are their horns which are striated deep black and green. Horns on men tend to grow in spirals while females horns tend to be straighter though not as long. The nails on their fingers and toes are colored like their horns and are very strong. The average Not travels around barefoot as they love the feel of the soil beneath their feet.

Society

Notta communites within the larger Mao cities are very distinctive as the Notta grow their precious Glotta trees there. They favour homes in the ground, preferably beneath the roots of their trees. The first floor of any Not home is made up of the greeting rooms for visitors while the more personal rooms are located farther below. The insides of their homes are made by pouring a slurry that hardens into a plaster like substance that keeps them from other burrowing creatures and water. Though they will always leave roots where they find them.

Their homes always have one large chamber with a single large fire place with ovens for cooking. The family take their meals and socialize here. Male Not all share one sleeping chamber while females each have their own room.

Their family system is heavily matriarchal with all material possessions owned by the oldest female in any family. Dowries are often paid during courtship ceremonies by the male’s family. Women are considered to be the best at handling all material matters for the family while Men are relegated to the spiritual roles of religious education and caring for the young.

In Baozuo, the Notta have managed to carve themselves a nice niche among the nobility as their skills in craftmanship brought them to the attention of the Imperial Throne during the Bloodkin War. When the war ended and the Emperor saw how skilled the Notta had become, he granted the greatest of their craftsman and their familes the exalted rank of Noble Guilds creating in the process the Great Houses of the Duanas.

Each Duana has a monopoly on a certain trade that covers any item made by that trade and education in the trade itself. The Duanas monopolized the trade economy and still retain a chokehold on it today having total control over anything made in the Empire. It was this action that created the Merchant Sodality and subsequent Silk War.

• Duana Mu – Woodworking
• Duana Tie – Metalsmiths (except blades)
• Duana Shi – Stonemasons
• Duana Boli – Glasssmiths
• Duana Zhi – Papermakers
• Duana Niantu – Claysmiths
• Duana Pi – Tanners
• Duana Fangzhi – Textiles
• Duana Jian – Sword Masters

Each Duana started with a single family that had become known for their skill in different materials. As the years passed, other families married into the Duanas creating an extensive family tree for each guildhouse. The rules that govern the Duanas are very strict with each guildhouse run by a small council made up of the matriarchs of each family.

Each child born of a family within the Duana are apprenticed starting at age 7, when they reach 25 they undergo a test overseen by the heads of each of the families within their Duana. If they are unable to create 5 items of masterwork quality in their respective craft field, they are exiled from the Duana and are not allowed to work in that field as long as they live. This is not necessarily a death sentence as they are only exiled from working a trade. They are not made outcast from their families or unable to socialize with any other Not. Normally these Not find work in other ways.

Starting Stats

• Adulthood: 18 years (Intuitive +1d4, Self Taught +1d6, Trained + 1d8)
• Male Height & Weight: 4’5" + 2d4 in, 170 lbs + (2d4 x 7 lbs)
• Female Height & Weight: 4’3" + 2d4 in, 150 lbs + (2d4 x 7 lbs)

Standard Racial Traits

• Ability Score Racial Traits: Notta receive a +2 Str, +2 Con, and -2 Wis
• Size: Notta are medium creatures and receive no modifiers based on size
• Type: Notta are Humanoids with the Notta Subtype
• Base Speed: Notta have a base speed of 20ft
• Language: Notta begin play knowing their regional language or dialect. Notta with higher intelligence scores can learn any language or dialect their country has amicable relations with.

Defense Racial Traits

• Just Small Enough: Notta receive a +4 dodge bonus against creatures of the Large size category. This bonus increases by +2 for each size category above Large.
• Hardy: Notta gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against poison, spells, and spell-like abilities. Notta are immune to Glotta Poison.
• Stability: Notta receive a +4 racial bonus to CMD when resisting a bullrush or trip attempt.

Feat and Skill Racial Traits

• Craftsman: Notta receive a +2 racial bonus to all craft checks made with their duana’s materials (if applicable). If they have no duana, then the bonus is reduced to +1 for all craft checks.
• Greed: Notta receive a +2 bonus to appraise checks to determine the cost of nonmagical goods.
• Twilight Stalker: Notta receive +2 bonus to stealth checks at night.

Offensive Racial Traits

• Natural Attack: Notta can cultivate their nails into talons and use them as claw attacks. If they have done this, they receive x2 claw attacks that cause 1d4 damage.
• Powerful Charge: As a defensive weapon, Notta can charge their opponents with their horns. This causes extra damage including the damage from a charge. Stats are here- (Gore 1d8 + Str Mod)

Alternate Racial Traits

• Master Tinker: Notta gain a +1 bonus on Disable Device and Knowledge (engineering) checks. Members of this race are also treated as prof icient with any weapon they have personally crafted. This replaces Craftsman.
• Silver Tongued: Notta gain a +2 bonus on Diplomacy and Bluff checks. In addition, when they use Diplomacy to shift a creature’s attitude, they can do so up to three steps up rather than just two. This replaces Greed.