Gerudo

Table of contents

• Overview
• Description
• Playing a Gerudo
• Gerudo Language

Beautiful as an oasis,
relentless as desert heat

Overview

Average Height: 7’ – 8’ 6”
Average Weight: 250 – 300 lbs.
Life span: 70 – 100 years
                (Mature in 15-20 years)
Skin colors: Tan to Umber
Eye colors: Amber, Green
Hair colors: Red (white with age)

Vulnerability: Water
Bonuses:

• Treat Heatwave or Coldsnap Weather as two ranks lower when calculating its effect on you (minimum 0).
• You can walk through deep sand and other sand-based Difficult Terrain as if it were normal terrain.
• When you use a Technique, you pay 1 less Stamina.
• You have a Knack for using Command to tame animals and recruit Companions, and for the Coordinate and Menace Combat Maneuvers.

Play a Gerudo if you want…

• …To be a lean, skilled fighter, tireless in your assault.
• …To seek (or flee) romance at every new town.
• …To be a stoic nomad, quietly seeking something over the next sand dune.
• …To try to atone for the past sins of your people with your own actions.

Description

Desert-dwelling amazons, the Gerudo are a secretive tribe made up almost entirely of women, with only one male Gerudo born every hundred years. Often seen as rogues or bandits, they leave their cosmopolitan homes to seek out the treasures of the world – be it money, magic, or men.

Gerudo are exceptionally tall, with lean, muscular frames built for quick movement and light steps. Their deeply-tanned skin is a product of desert climes; their hair is universally red, turning white with age. Gerudo women often wear blue lipstick or nail polish, to represent valuable water.

Gerudo often live in sandy climates: primarily arid deserts, but some bands are found on beaches or rocky cliff-faces. These desolate, isolated homes do not have many resources, so more isolated bands of Gerudo become bandits, pirates, and thieves. Gerudo clans in more well-traveled locations might be merchant hubs and oasis towns, allowing traders and travelers to come to them.

Thanks to the distinct lack of male Gerudo, many Gerudo women leave home in order to find “boyfriends” with which to continue their line. However, Gerudo towns famously do not allow males of any kind within their walls, adding a unique strain to their relationships.

Playing a Gerudo

Gerudo respect tradition, perseverence, forthrightness, and prowess at physical combat. Gerudo magic-users are rare, but not unheard-of - some of the world’s most dangerous magic users have been Gerudo, though many of those examples used their power for evil purposes.

Gerudo have a tendancy to think in terms of monolithic cultures, rather than individual persons, when considering their actions and consequences. Gerudo are deeply aware of their culture’s image in the eyes of others: some Gerudo bands become pirates or bandits, and in the distant past, Gerudo clans united under the banner of an evil wizard-king. A Gerudo Hero traveling abroad knows that their decisions reflect on their culture as a whole, but they may miss how they are seen by individuals, leading to misunderstandings and culture clashes.

Gerudo are often seen as stoic or harsh by other races, but they view themselves as forthright and honest. A Gerudo will state what they want, and then take action to achieve those goals - sometimes, without considering how their statements and actions could be misconstrued.

The Gerudo’s mono-gendered nature means that they find kinship with the women of other races, whether they themselves are male or female. The few male Gerudo who escape their settlements may find males of other cultures strange, but will often try as hard as they can to fit in with them, seeking a kinship they simply cannot find at home. In fact, learning about other cultures in general is seen as a wise, strategic move among Gerudo - not only for seeking friends, but also in finding mates, forging trade deals, or to suss out weaknesses to exploit.

Gerudo Heroes often prefer swords, be they Greatswords, a Sword and Shield, or a Sword in each hand. Their scimitars are famous for their beauty, speed, and strength - just as the Gerudo themselves are.

Characteristics: Forthright, Lithe, Nomadic, Romantic, Stoic, Traditional, Warrior

Gerudo Names evoke a foreign land, not easily mapping to common English names or terms. They typically end in vowels, and unlike the names of many races in Hyrule, they do not shy away from hard consonants.

Female Names: Anche, Bertri, Calisa, Estan, Frelly, Lukan, Konora, Kyra, Makure, Nali, Olu, Pokki, Ramella, Rima, Rotana, Sudrey, Sumati, Yaido

Male Names: Due to the lack of male Gerudo in history, the Gerudo have no established list of male names.

Gerudo Language

Unique among most races of Hyrule, Gerudo use snippets of vocabulary from an ancient native language, in conversations both casual and formal. These words are easily understood by those with more than a passing familiarity with Gerudo, but carry layers of texture and meaning that defies explanation to non-Gerudo. A non-Gerudo using these words correctly is a sign of familiarity and friendship to the Gerudo.

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