Kender

Kender
The Kender are a race of short humanoids that are known for being very brave, fearless, taunting and cute.

Physical Description

Kender are described as "small boned" and rarely growing over more than 4 feet tall. Their skin tone ranges from pale to deep brown, often depending on how much time they spend in the sun. They have pointed ears similar to elves, and eyes that range from brown, to blue, to green, to anything in-between. They often talk very fast when excited, making them difficult to understand to a non-Kender. They often wear a topknot that is very important to their culture, and is a source of pride. The Kender have a wide vocal range and are amazing at imitations. As Kender grow older they obtain a wizened appearance, as a fine network of lines appears on their faces around age forty, and are seen as attractive by many Kender.

The Kender are natural thieves due to their innate curiosity, often "accidentally" ending up with random objects in their pouches, a proficiency for lock picking and a "tendency to listen in on peoples conversations. They don’t pickpocket things of monetary value really, and they consider thievery to be a grave crime. Kender are oddly good at reading people, and can use that to their advantage to taunt them easily. Kender rarely feel fear themselves, but it has been said that they can feel fear for those that they are extremely close to.

Society

As children, Kender constantly ask questions and come to rely on family and friends for needs, and they begin to take part in community activities. As they age, Kender children gain education by hearing stories, desiring to acquire new skills, and playing games. They also begin handling and wandering. As Kender reach the adolescent and teen-aged years, they become more active participants in Kender Moots, social gatherings where the youth can show off their newly found skills in games and demonstrations. As they near adulthood, Kender experience intense wanderlust and leave home.

A Kender's natural lifespan is about 100 years. They age slowly, remaining childlike in comparison to other races even when their bodies slow down. Kender view death as the next great adventure, and do not linger long in sadness after the passing of a loved one.

Relations

Most kender spend their entire adult lives wandering around the world. Most of the population of - has been exposed to the adult variety of kender, and as such have adapted the word kender to mean thief, rogue, or cutpurse. Kender take great offense to these epithets, especially the last. Otherwise, Kender are generally liked (and tolerated) by most of the other sentient races. Gnomes and Kender get along the best, but Kender find the Gnome's lack of wanderlust frustrating, and the Gnomes find the Kender's lack of scientific intrigue annoying.

The Kender make wonderful travelling merchants, as they care not for things of monetary value, instead opting to trade for things of emotional value, or things with a story.