Abandoned by our gods, and having lost the ways of magic long ago, our people are a strong race, bound in honour, tradition, and the life of warriors. There are some among our ranks who now take power from the elements, and there are those who attempt to study the ways of sorcery. Many, however, devote their lives to the ways taught by Kuras, and search the stars hunting the Scro (and other evils), to retake our homeworld. Others live upon other worlds, fighting for honourable ways, awaiting the call to arms to ertake our world. Still others serve with our elven cousins among the stars, or walk the other places within the universe.

Our people are strong, and receive a +1 bonus to strength. This may go as high as 19. We have also overcome the frailties of body our elven cousins have, and thus receive no penalty to constituion. However, we retain their speed, and their innate agility, and receive a bonus of +2 to dexterity, to a maximum of 20. Unfortunately, the battle-scars and tattoos our people now wear as badges of honour are frowned upon by others, especially those not of warrioristic cultures, and we receive a -2 penalty to charisma. Furthermore, we have almost lost the abilities of our cousins to see in the dark, and thus receive only 30' infravision. However, our normal vision is superior to that of humans, as though we had the keen eyesight trait (+25% normal human vision), and we have retained our hunting senses, also receiving the keen sense of smell trait (-1 bonus to surprise in appropriate situations where smell is a factor, and +2 to the hunting proficiency).

Similarly, most of those things of their lives they take for granted are beyond our grasp. We have almost lost the ways of the forests, being almost akin to humans in our relationship with them, and receive no special abilities related to them. There is talk of our elven cousins almost being invisible in the woodlands, but we train ourselves to be quick and unseen no matter where. We have a similar ability to theirs, of stealth of movement. All of us can move silently, and hide in shadows, as a ranger of the same level, regardless of occupation. Furthermore, this is not restricted to woods like a ranger but may be done anywhere. Of course, armour (any over studded leather, or any non-Kuras armour) detracts from this skill, and so we dislike wearing it.

Although it is prudent to be silent sometimes, it is dishonourable to attack a foe from behind, and thus no matter occupation none of us may backstab. There are a few distant, exiled rogues, who have taken careers to do this anyway, but they are few and far between. Our people are honourbound to face enemies in even combat most of the time, not to fell them from behind, ever wondering in their deathly state who was their slayer (One must note, however, that sometimes for the greater glory honour must be sacrificed, and thus to enter a installation of our enemies and sabotage it or overtake it, most concerns such as these are overlooked).

Our people do not bond as the elves do either, though we usually mate for life. Instead, we have an honour code regarding behaviour, and strict courting and marriage rituals. Once one partner is slain, however, it is time to move on and sire more of our race, and is not dishonourable to take another wife or husband. There is no shame in continuing our race, but in fact great honour, and pregnant females are regarded with such.

Our people also use much different weapons than the elves we once were. We receive no bonuses with sword, and only a +1 to hit with our bow (The Tharang). This comes from our hunting of food throughout the ages - we are not those who would go to an inn all the time to find food, but those who would hunt the beast and defeat it ourselves.

Life-spans of our people are shorter aswell. We live slightly longer than humans, about 150 years, but nowhere near the thousand years some elves can live to be. We mature much more quickly also, at the same rate as a human until the age of 20, where we are roughly physically the same until the age of 80, where we hit what they would call middle age. From there we are still warriors until we reach 130, at which time we retire venerable teachers, and protectors of our homes. Our strength wanes slightly at middle age, receiveing a -1 to strength and dexterity, but a +1 to intelligence as our knowledge increases. At old age, our muscles and speed quickly reduce, receiving a further -1 to strength, dexterity, and constituion, but receiving a +2 to wisdom and +1 to intelligence scores. Venerable Kuras receive a -1 to strength, -2 to dexterity, and +1 bonus to wisdom and intelligence.

Furthermore, many venerable aged Kuras have had their Khin'Sha tattoos worn away from age, and appear almost normal by human and elven standards (excepting the many scars of course).

The Khin'Sha tattoos are given at the age of ascension, the Kuras' 17th birthday. Here each Kuras finishes training at whatever academy they attend, and goes about the universe either to adventure and receive honour, or to find clues to our homelands whereabouts (the way was lost long ago), or exact revenge on the Scro. Typically, it is a mixture of all three. Others serve in our military, aboard the ships we build and the outposts we hold. There are some ships within the stars that serve with the elves' imperial navy from time to time, although they do not seem to understand us and frequently prefer to choose human companions over those of our own.

Typically, a Khin'Sha is not a single tattoo, but tattoo's all over our bodies. For instance, some of you may have read the tome known as the Complete Book of Elves (Although how it can be complete without mention of us is inunderstandable to myself), the picture within the cover of this book is not of a sylvan elf, as it is mistaken for, but of a warrior of our race with a Cho'Ju spear. The tattoo's that cover his body are Khin'Sha. Some vary the colours from one part to the next, but typically it is a similar design, all the one colour (with maybe a different colour border-highlight), following the same pattern. Beasts, and words, are never incorporated within Khin'Sha tattoos, as the spirits of the beasts may become offended, and the meaning of words can change over time. It is usually a geometric pattern, series of symbols, or merely gracious curves and designs. Not two Khin'Sha are alike, however some are close, especially within a given family.

The Khin'Sha tattoo's are given through the ascension ritual, using an ink derived from a plant brought from our homeworld. The tattoo's cannot be washed off, and are even resistant to magicks to a certain extent, usually being unable to be changed or empowered with magic, like some other races do (notably the evil wizards of Thay on Fearun). They last up until we are all but retired from combat, and are rarely changed throughout our lifetimes. The only time a Khin'Sha may be added to, is in the instance a limb is lost, or somehow the tatto is removed. Khin'Sha tattooing is known to many among our culture, but mainly to the priests of the elemental ways.

In our time spent living within the caves and hills of our homeland, we fought many beasts both above and below the surface of the world, other than the hated Scro. This time imparted some strange part of the lands spirit into ourselves. Those the elves call Dwarves, whom we call Hala-yah (small brothers) seem to understand this, and feel the same within their blood and bones. We receive the dwarven saving throw bonus versus poisons (of any type, excepting magical), and magical spells & rods/staves/wands also based upon our constitution. Furthermore, a Kuras can usually guess roughly his depth within the earth (although this is not as accurate as the little brothers, usually measured in hundreds of feet), and find the way to the surface through smelling and listening to the winds within the tunnels (using tracking).

Our people do not eat most of what the hala-yah call "pansy elven foods". Instead, we eat boar roasted over a spit, caught freshly, with vegetables found within the forest. Or fish, caught fresh from the river or the seabed, with fruits from trees grown nearby. Our diet is much more extensive, and we dislike the sugar-coated honeyed treats the elves sometimes lavish upon themselves. Foods that promote strength and health are highest among our diet.

Once a Kuras has passed the age of 30, once per month he can invoke the Yrin-Shadar, a powerful blood-rite wherein the Kuras elf draws strength from the spirit of his people, for a short period of time. It takes a round to invoke, and cannot be interrupted. After that round, which usually involves a mighty scream or roar from the Kuras, the elf receives an effective +2 to strength (to racial maximum), 10 hit points, and extra attack per round, for two rounds per level of his occupation. This is not used very often, those abusing the powerful spirits of our ancestors dishonour their own fighting ability, but is reserved instead for righteous causes, such as defending fleeing children from a horde of Scro. The problem with the Yrin-Shadar is the powerful being known as the dungeon master must track our hit points, and we feel naught of the blows we take.

However, like the dwarven lord's known as battleragers (whom we receive a +3 bonus to reaction adjustment to), we do not fall upon reaching negative hitpoints (ie we can fight until we reach -10), but die after the rite if we carry enough wounds to take us to that point. We do not, however, loose our objectivity during the rite of Yrin-Shadar like the battleragers do (of course, typically one will have very specific goals when invoking the yrin-Shadar and to variate from these greatly would be difficult).

One last bonus our people has is the trait of Fast healing, as you may read in the tome known as Skills & Powers. For those who cannot access that tome, it provides a Kuras with the following, quoted directly from the source.

Fast Healer: This highly useful trait allows a character to recover 1 hit point of damage within 2-12 turns of receiving a wound. Also, the character naturally heals at a rate of 2 hit points, not 1, per day.

The hardiest of our people (those with a 16 or higher constitution) receive double the effect from this natural trait, which comes from the beatings and tortures we suffered in the hundred years before the rising of the warrior Kuras. Furthermore, we share our elven cousins resistance to normal human and dwarven diseases, though there is only a maximum 40% chance to be unaffected instead of 50%.

Our people also share the heat and cold resistance of our elven cousins, a trait still within our bones.

Occupational limitations are much different for our people than for normal elves. They are as following, on the table below (listed by class, and prime requisite - based upon the highest appropriate score).

As can be seen, we may progress unlimited as pure warriors. We may also become rangers, though we have a limit to our progression therein. Magi are beginning to appear again, but they are very rare - I myself am over 140 years old, and have only ever encountered two in my journeys across the stars. Our elemental Priests are described later, and progression in that class is quite high, much higher than the Magi or any other type of priest. Some of us, upon occasion, has begun to worship god-like beings again, typically the elven being known as Shevarash (whom is the only elven god most of us have respect for). These are usually mutli-classed as warriors, however. Upon one world I encountered a group of our people whose ranks were protected by Kurasian Druids, though they were not involved with the local human druids, and had slightly different powers and of course used our weapons.

I have also found shamans in my travels, who speak to great spirits of animals and even some of our ancestors, though none has spoken with Kuras himself.

Unfortuanetly, the population of Thieves does exist within our culture, though it is more for those who fail in their training at the academies than anything. These Kuras often have better combat skills than a normal thief (they automatically use priest Thac0), but lose the ability of read languages (these two modifications are automatic, any customisations are in addition to this). On a far distant land there was also one of our numbers who had her mind trained in powerful ways, and became what is known as an psionicist, but I have not met her, not have I even confirmed her existence.

A level one warrior, who has graduated from the academies, begins with a specialisation in his main weapon (though he must pay for it), and a free style specialisation (typically Lareth). Each academy teaches many styles for the different weapons, and it is quite standard for one to learn two styles during training (the second style must be paid for with proficiencies), though not required. Furthermore, each student spends a small amount of time at other academies learning other weapons, though this grants no benefit (apart from the ability to choose most Kurasian proficiencies), and one may never specialise more than once at level one.

At level five, providing the great spirit of the dungeon master allows it, and the appropriate tome of combat and tactics is available, we may gain mastery in our chosen weapon, with no training. For those not familiar with the tome, or who do not have access to it, mastery is presented here.

If a fighter spends another proficiency slot on a melee weapon he already specializes in, his attack and damage bonuses increase to +3 and +3, respectively.

Normal mastery allows for training with a missile weapon, but none of the academies teach such intricacy in ranged weapons. If a Kuras wishes to learn a missile weapon at a higher skill than specialisation, he must seek outside training, and is typically shunned by others. Honourable combat is one on one, hand to hand.

Normally, a character may learn high mastery at level 7, and then grand mastery at level 9. This requires great training, however. If a Kuras wishes to learn either of these, he must return to his academy for a month of hard training, for high mastery (wherein he could possibly be killed), and 3 months of training, for grand mastery (wherein he is very likely to be killed). This time is short, because these weapons are second nature to our people, and we spend much time in the academies at an earlier age - that and, unlike other races, we are far from unafraid to draw blood or face death in pursuit of greater skill.

High mastery, and the much better Grand Mastery, are presented here.

By spending a second slot on mastery, a character can become a high master. By this time, the character has spent four slots on a single weapon and is at least 7th level. High masters increase the speed factor of their chosen weapon by one category; for example, a slow weapon in the hands of a high master is automatically considered to be of average speed. High masters also score critical hits on rolls of 16 or higher rather than 18 (if the optional critical hit system is used) that hit their opponent by a margin of 5 or more.

For great dungeon master spirits not using the strange critical hit system, or the phase initiative system, a critical hit roll is scored on a natural (ie unmodified) 19 as well as a 20 (or as much again as normal if different rules are used), while the speed of the weapon is lowered by 3. Great spirits are also suggested that warriors who are high mastered do not drop their weapons on a roll of 1 on the d20, though they can be disarmed (providing it is appropriate).

High masters who spend one more slot on learning their weapon of choice can become grand masters. Grand masters are capable of feats of swordplay that border on the fantastic. Grand masters gain one additional attack per round above and beyond a specialist's rate of attacks for their level, so a 12th-level melee weapon grand master would attack 3 times per round with his weapon of choice.

Grand masters also increase the amount of damage and the chance of a knockdown when they employ their chosen weapon. The weapon's base damage die and knockdown die are increased to the next greater die size against all opponents. A long sword thus inflicts 1d10/1d20 points of damage in the hands of a grand master, and its knockdown die is increased to a d10. If the weapon causes multiple dice of damage, all of them are increased. Thus, a two-handed sword in the hands of a grand master inflicts 3d8 points of damage on large targets. Needless to say, grand masters are extremely dangerous opponents.

Grand mastery is mostly self-explanatory, and easily fits with any other system (most systems simply ignore the knockdown dice).

It is not uncommon for one of our race to be unable to return to his or her academy for high, or grand mastery training. Instead, at level 13 the warrior receives High Mastery by simply spending a slot, and grand Mastery at level 20. This is done with a few weeks of training at night etc, to go through drills and perfect stances. Furthermore, each time the character gains any sort of mastery (normal, high, or grand) he should achieve it through a great victory, against a more powerful foe, in single combat. It might be a large yeti, or a Scro captain, or even a dragon. In any case, the hitdice of the creature should greatly exceed the Kuras', and he should have no help aside from his blade.

         

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