Tengi

" Fierce when in large numbers. Not much else by many accounts. "

Introduction
The Tengi, also known as Goblin-Folk, are nearly as determined as their eternal competitors, the Humans. The similarities between the two are as deep rooted as their rivalry, as their histories were marked in conflict between one another. Being less physically powerful, the Tengi had to forge their own path through tactics and subtly. It is said fighting the Tengi on their terms is essentially suicide.

Playing
Tengi are not into direct confrontation, verbal or physical. They prefer to act subtly, with every advantage they can possibly obtain for themselves. Some might say this lends itself to powergaming- those people would be wrong, given powergaming in this case holds an element of Metagaming. However, it is not unlike a Tengi to rig traps, set barricades, and read up on anything they are going to be doing, and as long as the information would be publicly available, it is fair game.

Physical Traits
The average Tengi is roughly 5'3 ft tall, with skin tones ranging from a desaturated red, to a dark red-brown. On top of their skin, they also sport patches of feathers, on their backs and forearms, which is odd given they also possess hair. The feathers tend to be shades of brown and rarely black, with their hair following the same pallet. Hair and feather colors of Tengi is frequently- but not always- matching, meaning that on occasion one may be born with brown feathers and black hair. Tengi eye colors are always either black, dark red or gray, with no exceptions.

Tengi have slightly longer arm-to-torso length, when compared with the other races in Erenternia, with slightly longer fingers as well, and almost universally have greater dexterity and hand-eye coordination, making them excellent thieves and crafters. They have prominent cheekbones, slightly pointed ears, and very prominent noses, which extend roughly two inches out from their face, as well as inch-long claws on their toes. It is worth noting as well that, while they are capable of growing facial hair, it is fairly uncommon and usually only occurs in older Tengi- those who are over forty years of age.

Tengi fashion is fairly standard, with similar loose garb to the humans, albeit made of rougher and thicker material, usually cut to leave the back and forearm feathers exposed for comfort reasons. Their claws make shoes a difficulty, however some have taken to a sandal-like footwear made of tanned and hardened leather, with some going as far as painting intricate designs into the sides, or carving patterns into the bottoms to leave detailed imprints in the ground, though it is not really known how this tradition started.

Mental Traits
Tengi, despite common misconceptions, are far from cowardly or stupid in the traditional senses. Tengi are simple... very painfully aware of how weak they are in comparison to the other races, as they are near guaranteed to lose most 1-on-1 fights. Because of this, they will often seek allies, or positions that give them an advantage, and have almost no concept of "fair fights". Any dirty tactic or trick is simply considered standard play to them. And they are far from stupid- while they have difficulty with more complex math, and numbers in general to some extent, they are brilliant at analyzing a situation and assessing the most viable option available to them at the time. They are tacticians, and three dimensional thinkers. That being said, due to many having parents, or grandparents, or even some actually having been held in slavery themselves, many are nervous and skittish around Humans, at least for a time, though they do adapt fairly quickly to this.

Unlike Humans, who primarily seek to improve themselves, Tengi are focused more on survival, and forging a few strong bonds. All of this combined with their tendencies towards trickery have made them unwelcome in many communities, and distrusted regardless.

History
The Tengi came into some time in the past, perhaps before or slightly after Humans, though how exactly they came to be has been lost in time. Over the thousands of years, their own origins have been told a million times with hundreds of different creators and circumstances leading to their rise in their own folklore. Most have come to believe they were once some mountain-dwelling avian race, due to their feathers, however beyond the obvious clawed toes and feathered arms, there have been no solid connections found to prove this over any other possibility.

Regardless of where they came from, where they settled was certainly the most major marker in their history- for they, unknowingly, chose to settle in the woods to the north of where Human civilization would take hold. If the Humans were barely considered worthy of notice by the other races, then the Tengi were certainly not even something they registered. That is, until the Great Wars began.

Humans and Tengi fought many skirmishes over the decades, but it was this war that brought the Humans and Tengi into the light. The Tengi claim that Human raiders pillaged their lands, and in retaliation they in turn took up arms and invaded into the Human holds. They fought valiantly, using their superior tactics to gain the upper hand, however they were suddenly met by a force of the likes that they had never met. Magic.

The Humans' sudden acquisition of Magic was the turning point for the war, and after nearly thirty years the Humans had reclaimed their lost lands and some, looting the Tengi homelands and enslaving tens of thousands. Much of the Tengi's own writings and tomes were lost in the finals years of the war, coupled with the massive loss of population and resources, the Tengi were set back by a massive margin.

Years passed, and after what to the Tengi felt like an eternity, the Humans were met by a greater, distracting force. The Meeoku. The Meeoku defeated the Humans as solidly as the Humans had defeated the Tengi, who did not sit idly by while this amazing opportunity presented itself. While the war waged on, the Tengi revolted, freeing themselves from the humans and, with the aid of those who were still free, reclaimed much of their lost lands, using what they had seen and learned under Humans to rebuild while the Humans solemnly took their place under the heel of their new Meeokan Rulers.

Records of this time are hazy, as the Tengi hardly bothered to document much, and most of the Meeoku and Human writings were lost during the Human's own revolt against the Meeoku, which lead to many cities being pillaged and burned. However it is known that despite several minor battles between the Tengi and Humans, for the first time in a thousand years, they were seemingly at peace.

That is, of course, until the Rift opened. The Rift formed north of the Tengi lands, and as such, along with the Wa'Vee, they took the brunt of the initial invasion. With the Wa'Vee pushed back into their stone fortresses, the Tengi were also forced back, and nearly eliminated. However, much to their surprise- though hardly out of the goodness of their hearts given they were next in line to fall should the Tengi- the Humans came to their aid, followed shortly after by the Meeoku. With their combined forces, and with hundreds of thousands of casualties, the three races managed to push the Onigerva back to the Rift, where it was closed by the Savior.

Since then, the Tengi have been partially focused on rebuilding, partially on exploration. Only a few real Cities exist owned by the Tengi, though they are a marvel to behold, with tall towers and extravagantly engraved halls. Their tenuous, and often strained, alliance with the other races of the land has given them an opportunity the race has not had in its entire existence- the chance to relax, breath, and create. Though ever paranoid and cautious of their new "friends" ...

Social Structure
Tengi look almost the same regardless of gender, with the difference mainly being height and nose length- with women having a shorter nose and being taller. As far as strength, and even status in society are concerned however, there is no difference. The Tengi tend to be distrustful of the other races, given their spotty history where they are concerned, however they are not overly aggressive or hostile towards them, and even encourage the tourism of people seeking to gawk at their cities. More money for them after all.

Technology
Tengi technology is far behind the Humans, excluding their architecture. Complex pulley systems and even cranes have been made in order for the Tengi to construct their cities, using a unique Kemente mixture for their brick structures.

Weaponry and War
The Tengi fight "dirty", though the concept of a fair fight is beyond them, so they can hardly consider it cheap or dirty. They battle in tightly knit groups, using guerrilla tactics to their advantage, making them extremely deadly to more rigid armies. They also heavily rely on modifying or specially selecting where they will fight, taking a hill and digging trenches and laying pitfalls and traps at every opportunity. This makes fighting the Tengi more of a matter of actually getting to them in order to even try, rather than an actual battle.

They are also, due to various setbacks in their history, still far behind the Humans in terms of metal forging, and tend to rely solely on bronze for their weapons, with rough mail and gambeson making up their armor. They are not unknown to buying, or better yet looting, the equipment of other races though, and will always seek an upgrade if they can.

Magic
The Tengi are entirely incapable of casting Common Magic, and are never born with it. They are, however, capable of obtaining at least some level of Arcane Magic, though this is exceptionally rare due to the extensive study and resource requirements involved in learning and using it. To this extent however, they are also somewhat afraid of it. It was after all the cause of their greatest defeat, and it was lorded over them for years after the Humans took over their land and enslaved them with it. 90% of Tengi will not willingly fight a Caster, and even fewer will have any understanding of magic at all beyond the basics of "they point, we die."

Geography
The Tengi mainly live in forested environments, with their city walls and towers stretching out far above the treetops into the sky. In the past, and even rarely in modern times, they have also been known to cave dwellings into mountain sides, in a similar style to their towers now, and many poorer Tengi outside the cities still live in caves and tunnels they have renovated.

Economy
Tengi rarely buy, and rarely sell, with their only import being grain- which they purchase from the Humans at an increased price of course. They do deal in Tourism however, with many travelers coming to see their fine cities, which does lend itself to their economy well. There are also many herbs and peppers that grow naturally along the cliffs to the east, which are collected and sold to various cities across the world.

Trivia

 * Despite their association with birds- often due to their feathers- the Tengi do not actually possess most qualities associated with Avians. They do not lay eggs, possess hollow bones, or have beaks. In fact, they are often insulted and offended by the assumptions.
 * One crafty Tengi in the years after the Rift War claimed to have not only unlocked the secrets of Common Magic, but to have also found a cure for the madness it causes. Though most dismissed him, he managed to sell dozens of scrolls and hundreds of bottles of his "cure", all while collecting information on his clients, which he promptly sold to the Human Kings, resulting in many of the Common Mages being captured and executed. The Tengi was shortly after found dead in his hotel room, burnt to a crisp after being slowly tortured- probably by another Common Mage.
 * Tengi have always considered the use of metal coins to be a waste, and as such they do all they internal trading in carved marble coins. They tend to keep a decent amount of metal coin as well for trade with the other races.