While the Akrasi and Skirr value innovation, experimentation and change, the Kalatur are above all a people of tradition and loyalty.
Sculpted from clay or carved in stone, each Kalatur is carefully wrought by up to six parents. Parental groups can be based in love, friendship or necessity, but creation is never done lightly. When the body is complete, a Heart is placed inside. If the work is good enough, a new Kalatur awakens.
Hearts are priceless treasures in Kalatur culture. Each Heart carries a grain of Earth from one of the ancient enlightened: they are not just a lineage but a tangible connection to the past. Every Kalatur’s Heart has beaten in the chest of a hundred before them, and their deeds and sometimes memories live on.
While Kalatur are crafted of earth, they are flesh and blood when alive. Their features are strong and defined, and they tend to be broad-shouldered. The colour of their skin and blood is determined by the earth, stone and minerals used in their creation.
Because of their crafted nature, Kalatur are biologically and often culturally genderless, although individuals can express a range of gender identities and sexual and romantic preferences. Family bonds are very strong, in a way that can only occur when you literally carries your ancestors in your heart.
Kalatur settlements and cities are built to be long-lasting, and they preference function over decoration. Buildings and even cities as a whole often include underground sections as deep as they are tall. The largest Kalatur city in Crucible’s central continent is Prock, a labyrinth of tunnels, halls, markets, mines and houses carved from a mountain range.
In developing the Kalatur, we were inspired by stories of beings created of earth or stone: the Golem of Prague, Enkidu and Galatea are just a few. The Kalatur’s name is a reference to the beings made by the god Enki to rescue Inanna from the underworld.
If you want to play a character with strong links to family and community, and a practical and stalwart nature, the Kalatur might be just your thing.