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Rhuun

(Pronounced: Roon)

The Rhuun are a three-armed, bipedal species distinguished by their unusual limb configuration, with two arms on one side of the body and a single arm on the other. While having an extra arm allows them to hold or manipulate more items at once, it does not confer any direct skill or ambidexterity.

Their remarkable biological and social phenomenon known as “Bonding” truly defines their society.

Physical Description​

Standing slightly taller than humans, with lean, wiry builds. Their colouring depends on their subspecies environment.

Rhuun from the plains have skin colouring ranging through earthy tones, such yellow to deep orange or brown. Those of the forest and jungle areas have shades of greens and browns. The hair is normally braided or tied and decorate the strands with beads and other small items. Their faces are slender with high, pronounced cheek bones. Keen eyes are pools or black, with no discernible pupil or iris.

They decorate their bodies with tattoos and pigmentation patterns marking clan affiliation or personal identity. They have dark brown or black hair which is normally kept long.

Subspecies​

While not as physically diverse as some species, Rhuun exhibit subtle regional variations. Plains Rhunn tend to be slightly taller than their forest dwelling kin. There is no difference in subspecies biology regarding bonding. Plains Rhuun can bond with forest Rhuun.

Average Life Span​

Rhuun typically live between 120 and 140 years.

Reaches Maturity​

Rhuun reaches both physical and mental maturity by about 15 to 16 years of age. It is during this late adolescence that many seek a lifelong partner to bond with, a process that will shape their adult lives.

Features​

Physical Prowess​

Renowned for their remarkable dexterity, Rhuun gain +1d to the Dexterity Trait and raise their starting cap to d10.

Asymmetric Physiology​

The three-armed form grants a simple, everyday advantage: the capacity to carry multiple objects or operate several devices at once. Although it doesn’t inherently enhance their skill levels, it often makes the Rhuun more efficient in tasks requiring tool manipulation, multitasking, or assembly work.

Symbiotic Bonding (Racial Quirk)​

The defining trait of the Rhuun is their natural inclination to form profound, lifelong bonds with another individual of their kind. This bond is not merely psychological, it has a biological foundation rooted in a unique symbiotic organism.

Scientific Basis of Bonding​

Within the Rhuun bloodstream resides a specialised symbiotic fungus that, once activated by prolonged proximity and emotional resonance between two individuals, begins to intertwine and unify aspects of their nervous systems. Over time, the fungal symbiont links the two Rhuun together at a molecular level. This subtle integration doesn’t merge their minds into one entity, but it does create a shared neurological “bridge” that connects their cognitive functions.

How Bonding Works

  • The Bonding Process: Bonding typically occurs when a Rhuun reaches maturity age. The process can take place later in life but never in their adolescence.

  • Alternating States: Due to the unified nervous link the fungal symbiont creates, only one member of the bonded pair can remain fully awake and active at any given time. While one partner is awake and engaged with the world, the other slips into a deep, coma-like sleep. This neurological arrangement ensures no dangerous overload of stimuli travelling through their partially unified nervous systems simultaneously. Attempts to chemically force both to remain awake have resulted in catastrophic neurological breakdowns, leaving both partners catatonic.

  • Shared Experience: Importantly, memories and subjective experiences do not continuously flow between partners. Instead, when the two are physically together close enough for the fungal symbiont’s chemical signals to align—the sleeping partner awakens and a sensory-chemical transfer occurs. They absorb the other’s recent experiences, much like reviewing recorded footage. While they don’t automatically gain skill improvements or learned abilities, they gain context and understanding of what their partner has been through.

  • Mutual Advancement: Initially, Advancement Points are not shared between the pair. With experience and greater understanding of the bond, the pair are able to effectively pool any gained AP to be used by either.

  • Psychological Vulnerability: The bond can also transmit emotional and psychological repercussions. Trauma affecting one partner may echo in the other, manifesting as stress, anxiety, or even more profound psychological damage. Physical injuries do not transfer, though the unaffected partner may experience phantom aches. If one partner dies, the surviving Rhuun is often left in a state of deep psychological turmoil. Re-bonding is possible but emotionally fraught and never taken lightly.

Cultural Norms of Bonding​

Bonding usually occurs between peers of similar age, cementing social ties and creating pairs that complement each other’s abilities and roles. The bonding process typically spans a few weeks to several months, rarely more. Those who never bond are seen as outliers, often withdrawing from mainstream society to follow a more solitary path.

Species Quirks​

Echoed Insight​

AP: 8

Effect: Once per session, when performing a Skill check with a skill that is shared by both bonded, add +1d to the roll. This represents tapping into the vivid recollection of your partner’s vantage point, enhancing your own understanding in that moment.

Bonded Resonance​

AP: 12

Through an extraordinary link, the bonded pair now gains the ability to pool, share, and allocate any earned Advancement Points between them, further unifying their growth and development.

We Are One​

AP: 12

Effect: In a critical moment, you may tap into the mental lattice formed by your symbiotic bond to recall a Tradecraft or Skill your bonded partner possesses that you do not. Attempt a Morale + Psyche check (Target Number 8):

  • Failure: You fail to recall the ability and suffer Strain equal to the difference between your roll and the Target Number.
  • Success: You successfully recall and perform the Tradecraft or Skill once, but suffer 4 Strain due to the immense mental exertion, after performing the Tradecraft or Skill.
  • Critical Success: For each critical success rolled, reduce the total Strain suffered by 1.