“My father told me he was in a boat out on the lake with two or three men from Gort, and one of them had an eel-spear, and he thrust it into the water, and it hit something, and the man fainted and they had to carry him out of the boat to land.”
-William Butler Yeats, The Celtic Twilight
This material is still in the process of being playtested. It is fully usable as written, but may be refined or changed in later versions. As always, this content should only be used with GM permission.
Superstitious villagers claim that in the cold, misty highlands, especially near deep lakes, there are fairy mounds where strange beings live. They are almost correct. Dwelling within these burrows are the easóga an-mhór (pronounced “ee-soh-ga ahn-wohr,” singular: easóg an-mhór, pronounced “ee-sogh ahn-wohr”), a species of short, furry folk with features curiously similar to stoats, badgers, and otters. They are not actually fairies, but they do not mind the legends and folklore that discourage raiders from risking the fog of their homeland. From time to time, individuals or groups of these mustelid folk strike out in search of riches or a quest by which to make a name for themselves.
It is said that the easóga an-mhór were created by an archfey who was very fond of mustelids but desired intelligent company. Rather than seeking out other fey, it decided to transform some of the animals it cared for into humanoid companions. The first were created from badgers, but given upright bodies and hands and intellects capable of using tools skillfully. The archfey was pleased with them, but wanted a wider variety of conversation, so it created people out of otters, then again created more out of various martens, weasels, polecats, and ermines.
The mustelid folk have not forgotten that they are creatures of the wild as much as they are people, and take steps to remain in tune with their environment. They build their homes under the ground both to stay in touch with their heritage as well as not to blight the land with large structures. In regards to religion, they follow druidic sects and deities linked with the fey almost exclusively. They do mine for metals and precious resources, but the entrances to such mines are hidden within their burrows and they never dig so greedily that they would undermine the stone around them, preferring instead to range further for new places to settle and dig.
Each mustelid folk goes by a personal name and a title. The most common type of title is one claiming ancestry, which takes the form of “Mac” followed by the name of the most recent clan chieftain in their lineage (for example: Mac Muirne). Other titles are assigned based on notable traits of the individual.
Feminine Names: Banba, Cethlenn, Clothru, Deichtine, Eithne, Ernmas, Etar, Findabair, Fódla, Maeve, Muirne, Niamh (Prounounced: nieve), Plúr, Saba, Tailtiu
Masculine Names: Bres, Cíocal, Conaire, Elatha, Fiacha, Genann, Irial, Lir, Morc, Nemeadh, Orba Rudraige, Sláine, Starn, Tethra, Tuan
Titles: Airgetlám (“Silver Handed”), Beag (“Small”), Cathasach (“Vigilant”), Doireann (“Sullen”), Donn (pronounced: dun, “Brown”), Foltchaín, (“Beautiful Hair”), Cromm (“Crooked”), Dubh (pronounced: doov, “Dark”), Fionn (“White”), Gruama (“Gloomy”), Ildánach (“Skilled in Many Arts”), Liath (“Grey”), Luathlám ar Claideb, (“Swift Sword Hand”), Óg (“Young”), Sriabh-nDearg (pronounced: shreev-n-jarg, “Red-Striped”), Tuirbe Trágmar (“Thrower of Axes”)
Common Personality Traits: Proud, persistent, fond of celebrations
Common Physical Traits: Rugged, intricate clothing of simple materials, high quality tools and weapons.
Splinter Race Feats: Slieve Pelt (Toghán Sidhe), Lough Pelt (Dobhar-chú), Barrow Pelt (Broc Sidhe), otherwise you’re ‘Fog Pelt’ (Easóg Sidhe).
Type: Medium biped fey with a Reach of 1. Your maximum wounds equal your Constitution score.
The togháin sidhe (pronounced: toe-ghain shee; singular: toghán sidhe, pronounced; toe-gahn shee) have a wider diversity of appearance than their other cousins, ranging from stoats to ferrets to minks.
Prerequisites: Easóga an-Mhór, Level 1 Only
Benefits: The DC of Athletics checks made to grapple you are increased by +10. You also gain a +2 bonus on prestidigitation checks and a +4 insight bonus to treasure rolls.
The dobhar-choin (pronounced doh-ghar chin; singular: dobhar-chú, pronounced: doh-ghar choo) resemble five foot tall, humanoid otters. The elite of the dobhar-chú scouts and rangers are known as the Water Hounds for their skill at the hunt.
Prerequisites: Easóga an-Mhór, Level 1 Only
Benefits: You ignore speed penalties to Track checks. You also gain the Aquatic I quality and a Bite I natural attack (see FC, page 235).
The bruic sidhe (pronounced: brew-ick shee; singular: broc sidhe, pronounced: brock shee) resemble something like a cross between an extremely large badger and a dwarf. A skilled broc sidhe warrior is easily the match for any that might try to invade their land.
Prerequisites: Easóga an-Mhór, Level 1 Only
Benefits: Your maximum wounds are calculated as if you are one size category larger. You also gain a Claw I natural attack (see FC, page 235) with the Bleed quality.
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Open Game License v1.0a Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc. System Rules Document Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.
Spycraft Espionage Handbook, Copyright 2002, Alderac Entertainment Group, Inc.; Authors Patrick Kapera and Kevin Wilson.
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Easóga an-Mhór, Denizens of Underhill Copyright 2019-2020, Malachite Idol; Author Patrick Johnson.
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