Cyfnewid
Creatures born of woodland glens and verdant forests, the Cyfnewid are perhaps the most naturally inclined of all the races of Arhosa, for they live in a realm almost entirely unspoilt by the depredations of civilization. It is, sadly, only "almost", for such was the fury and the spite of the wars that tore apart the Arhosan Empire that a rampant sickness took hold of the giant trees and woodland life that comprise the Whispering Woods the Cyfnewid call their home. Where once there was vibrant life and the constant chirp of birds, there is now a grey musk, the smell of wood rotting and a general pervasive aura of decay. This is by no means to say that all of the Whispering Woods have been affected, for the Cyfnewid, skilled as they are in the caretaking of nature, have managed to prevent much of the spread of the blight. If anything, the arrival of the blight was a blessing in disguise, for it forced the Cyfnewid to renew and reaffirm their connection with nature, and they have become all the more deeply entwined with the natural world in which they make their home as a result.
Personality
Cyfnewid are reserved, gregarious, stealthy, or anything in between, for the personality of an individual Cyfnewid tends to take after the type of animal with whom they find themselves most closely bonded. Being able to take on that animal's form only drives their attitude even closer to that of the creature uppermost in their affections. In general, though, it can be said that they pause and think before they act, and that the diseases sweeping through land has made them more wary of not only strangers, but of everyone.
Physical Description
To a Cyfnewid, their "natural" form is often something to be discarded, and many members of the race spend as much time as possible in the form of their spiritual animal, returning to the physique with which they were born only with the greatest reluctance. Others find that, whatever the personal advantages of being an eagle might be, it is much less suited to the physical labour that can be required to keep a forest healthy. The native form of the race is semi-quadrupedal, in much a way that an ape is, for they have lengthy arms that they use in order to help them navigate about. A deep coat of fur covers their bodies, shifting in hue to match the seasons, partially hiding their overly narrow, angular faces. Cyfnewid are almost skeletally thin, most of the visible mass of their form coming from the coat of fur, and because of this are often viewed with some trepidation, their native forms not being conducive to good images.
Relations
The Cyfnewid, while they are a species occupying a given territorial area, have nothing that could be rightly referred to as a government, and most certainly should not be considered a kingdom. As a result of this utter lack of government, they have no formal relations with any outside party, nor did they even during the height of the Arhosan Empire. It was most likely that lack of relations that spared them the worst of the catastrophes that followed, for how attempting to drag a race into a war one small family group at a time is a worthless endeavour. That said, most outsiders do consider them a single cohesive whole, because trying to map the ever-shifting and unintelligible internal relations of the Cyfnewid is impossible.
Religion
Nature is the highest calling of the Cyfnewid, although there is no defined religion as such. Instead, each Cyfnewid tends to the natural world in his own way, be it fending off the blight, planting seedlings, sheltering wild animals, or any number of other activities. It is through this mass accumulation of activity that the Cyfnewid can be said to worship nature, although an actual religion is quite possibly the furthest thing from their minds. They are in no way organized in a social structure that would make a formal religion possible, in any regard.
Language
Cyfnewid speak their own language, and usually find no need to learn another, although there are those amongst the populace who can converse in Trade Common, as although the Cyfnewid do not have a particularly great regard for the outside world, they sometimes have needs that can only be met by acquiring tools or other services from people beyond their own wooded shores. A Cyfnewid can also converse with animals as a matter of course, although they do so by taking the form of the animal they wish to converse with, rather than any particular language.
Adventurers
It is rare to find a Cyfnewid far from the realm of the Whispering Woods, so focused are they upon the maintenance and protection of their wooded homeland. But the natural curiousity of the Cyfnewid can get the better of an individual, leading them to wander over the Arhosan landscape, for reasons uniquely their own. After all, it could hardly be said to be surprising that a race that finds itself more at home in a body not their own would also have that curiousity and taste for life lead them outward from their place of birth into other aspects of the world not natively their own.
Cyfnewid Racial Traits
Medium: As Medium creatures, Cyfnewid have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Fey: Cyfnewid are Fey. However, they do not gain any racial benefits except those specifically granted here.
Cyfnewid base land speed is 30 feet.
Totem Animal: Cyfnewid find themselves most closely associated with a single animal type, bonded to creatures of that form. They gain either Totem Grapple or Totem Charge as a bonus feat at 1st level.
One with Nature: Animalism is always a class skill for Cyfnewid, and they receive 4 free skill points at first level in Animalism.
Natural Camoflauge: Cyfnewid gain a +8 bonus on Hide checks when in a wooded environment.
Automatic Language: Cyfnewid. Bonus Languages: Trade Common, TBD
Favored Class: Totem Master
