There are many heritages who look more like animals than they look like people. The beastfolk are one example, but centaurs and even dragonborn are also more bestial than they are humanoid in appearance. Because of this, people of more humanoid-looking heritages often have a difficult time seeing beastfolk as people as well—and some humanoids outright refuse to do so. In these people’s minds, beastfolk and other animal-like beings are nothing more than talking animals and should be treated as such.
In areas where that belief is common, beastfolk and other animalistic heritages form enclaves where they can live in secret, away from those who would exploit or enslave them. These communities are widespread: a homestead here, nestled in a copse of trees; another homestead built into a hillock there, surrounded by scree or dirt. There also might be several hours of travel between each house. This is deliberately done to make it unlikely that an invader or slaver would be able to find all the members of a particular enclave. It’s entirely possible that a village of humans or another heritage might build a village in the same area and have little or no idea that they’re sharing territory with a beastfolk enclave.
Even if the buildings aren’t physically close to each other, the enclave is still a tightly knit community. They rely on each other for goods, services, and aid, and care for one another deeply. There is usually a communal building that acts as a meeting hall, typically built in the rough center of the enclave, but there’s rarely anything that acts as a dedicated shop or temple; such services take place either in individual homesteads or in the communal building. The homesteads themselves are roomy enough to comfortably house fellow enclavists who travel those long distances and need a place to rest for the night, and most enclavists are welcoming of their fellows.
However, they are usually fearful and suspicious of outsiders, especially non-animalistic ones, at least until the outsiders have proven themselves to be honest, decent, and willing to contribute to the good of the community. Those who fail to follow the rules—whether officially-written laws or unspoken but important social mores—are often punished with exile.
Characters raised in this culture share the following traits:
Patrol. You are very good at learning the layout of any area of land you are in, as you have had to patrol your Enclave to keep it safe. If you spend 30 minutes walking around a plot of land with a radius of 1 mile and succeed on an Investigation or Perception check against the region’s DC, then for 1 week you gain an expertise die on Survival checks made within this area.
You may patrol an area multiple times, extending the length of time in which you get this bonus but not increasing the size of the expertise die.
Self-Sufficient. When your nearest neighbor is several miles away, you learn to take care of yourself. You are proficient in Survival and one of the following tools: herbalism kit, brewer’s supplies, carpenter’s supplies, cobbler’s tools, leatherworker’s tools, mason’s tools, potter’s tools, smith’s tools, tinker’s tools, weaver’s tools, or woodcarver’s tools.
The Howl. You have learned a secret language called The Howl. As the name suggests, it sounds like loud animal vocalizations—the bugle of an elk, the howl of a wolf, the roar of a lion—and can be heard clearly up to 3 miles away. A creature that doesn’t see you speak The Howl must make an Insight or Nature check, at disadvantage, against your passive Deception. On a success, the creature realizes that the sound wasn’t made by a normal animal.
The Howl isn’t used for conversation. Instead, it’s used to relay simple messages, usually of no more than three or four words, over long distances. It has a written language that takes the form of trail signs that likewise only provide simple meanings. It doesn’t have a signed version.
As with other secret languages, such as Druidic or Thieves’ Cant, The Howl is rarely taught to outsiders. However, you can easily teach people of any heritage to understand what certain calls and signs mean, allowing you to communicate with them over long distances.
Tooth And Claw. If you are a member of a class that can take maneuvers, you may always take maneuvers from the Tooth and Claw tradition, even if your class doesn’t ordinarily allow access to it.
Wary and Watchful. You know how to keep a lookout for signs of intruders. You are proficient in Perception.
Languages. You speak, read, sign, and write Therolian, and one other language of your choice, and you can speak, read, and write The Howl.