Badgers are known as fierce, independent people with almost legendary courage bordering on lunacy. Having had to literally claw themselves a place in the world, badgers are known for their tenacity and cunning. While the badgers are fond of taking on all comers, and even their own, when their misty highlands are threatened, their true mettle comes to light. Few truly like the badgers, but the wise respect them.

Personality: Most badgers are proud, hot-tempered, and fond of simple pleasures. They are fond of feasting, sparring, sailing, and drinking (often all at the same time). They are highly acquisitive, yet notoriously frugal. Boastful creatures, they are fond of tall tales and one-upsmanship.

Physical Description: Badgers stand about four feet tall and weight just under a hundred pounds. They appear to be essentially bipedal versions of your standard badger, setting them apart from the other humanoid races. Their skin is covered with thick fur which is usually red, brown or black. Their eyes are dark brown or black. Their fingers have small but usable claws, and their teeth are sharp. They like to wear large, comfortable shirts with kilts and berets, which they will adorn with gold or silver brooches whenever possible. They usually leave their feet bare. Badgers reach adulthood in their mid-teens and generally live into their mid-sixties.

Relations: Badgers treat all outsiders with equal suspicion. They will treat with any of the races, but they have long memories for friends and enemies alike. Elves tend to treat badgers with benign bemusement, seeing them as rather cute (if dangerous) children. Dwarves tend to look favorably on badgers, seeing similarities of spirit. Gnomes often see badgers as too tightly wound for their own good, making them a prime target for practical jokes.

Alignment: Badgers balance their duty to their clans with a strong individualistic streak. They favor neither good nor evil, but individual badgers could be of any alignment.

Badger Lands: The badger homelands are hilly, intemperate and misty. They live mainly on herding and mining, and keep to themselves for the most part. They form tight-knit clans with membership in the hundreds. Clans are often rivals to each other, and clan warfare is fairly common. Nonetheless, all badgers swear fealty to a High King, who is chosen by a council of the clan heads. Badgers will trade with their neighbors whenever there is profit to be made.

Religion: The badgers tend to follow the same deities as their human neighbors, but with their own perspective. Badgers will have separate churches, hierarchies, and rituals. This often leads to conflicts with their neighbors, who see the badgers’ religious practices as heretical.

Language: Badgers speak their own language (Nordish), which uses the Common script. Some scholars believe that Nordish is actually Common spoken with a very heavy accent, but badgers dispute this fiercely. Badgers have a fine and ancient bardic tradition, and rely more upon oral history than they do writing.

Names: Each badgers has a given name, a family name and a clan name. The family name is derived simply from the given name of the father by adding "Mc-" to the father’s given name, but is sometimes the same as the clan name. The clan name is usually that of the founder of the clan.

Male Names: Cathal, Cennédig, Comgell, Cormac, Domnall, Feredac, Ghilcrist, Malcolm, Matain, Ruadrí.

Female Names: Aifric (AHF-rick), Beathag (BAY-ahk), Caitrina (kaht-REE-nah), Deirdre, Éva, Forbhlaith (FORV-la), Iosabail (EES-a-bell), Máirghréad (MAR-aid), Muirgheal (MOOR-eel), Seonaid (SHO-nitch),

Clan Names: Campbell, Cockburn, Douglas, Little, MacDonald, MacGillivray, MacLachlan, MacLeod, Stewart, Wallace.

Adventurers: Badger adventurers tend to easily bored, highly greedy, or outcast from their clans. The badger personality lends itself to taking outrageous risks. By taking up the life of an adventurer, the badger hopes to gain wealth and renown which will bring him high standing in his clan. Adventuring also gives badgers ample bragging material.