Skritt
The skritt are small, rat-like creatures who come from deep beneath the surface of Tyria. Their group intelligence and incredibly fast reproductive rate makes them a target of the asura, who view them as a threat to all intelligent races.
Physiology
The skritt are small omnivorous humanoids whose appearance is reminiscent of rats and bats. Male and female skritt are similar in appearance; any difference is only detectable for those particularly familiar with the race. The skritt are capable of rapidly multiplying—female skritt may give birth to litters approximately three to five times in their lives. These litters rapidly become self-sufficient and move out to live on their own.
Skritt communicate mainly using a series of swift, near ultrasonic chirrups and chitters. While this sounds like a buzz to human ears, the skritt have exceptional hearing and so can communicate a great deal of information in a short period of time. This may be the basis of their group intelligence; larger groups of skritt are capable of expressing a greater number of ideas and making a greater number of decisions in a shorter amount of time, so despite the short attention span of an individual skritt, a large group can collectively possess a formidable intellect, and a full-fledged colony can rival even the asura for cunning.
Culture
Skritt are opportunistic hedonists. They take what they can, when they can, and often pay in blood—but their numbers are enough to make up for these losses. They plan little and their tactics rarely extend beyond exploiting an opening when they see one. They are a naturally curious species, and in a large enough group they can eventually discover the nature and operation of any item they obtain—much to the chagrin of inventor races such as the asura.
Skritt value useful items and items they cannot create themselves above others, although in smaller groups they revert to a preoccupation with shinier objects, and will more often than not try to make anything they come across shinier. They understand material worth and will value newer or more technologically advanced items over others.
Skritt living conditions reflect their lazy nature. The only farms they run are those which require an absolute minimum of work to maintain, so they tend to prefer cooked meat and fungi harvested from underground. They prefer to live in large hollows or caverns, known as "scratches," using rocks and underground passageways to build a safe environment. They do have architectural ability, and build huts or structures within the main area of their hollow out of the items they scavenge. The high concentration of skritt in their scratches means they're at their most intelligent and most dangerous to any attacker.
There is no societal distinction between male and female skritt, and they do not follow any particular religion, despite a natural empathy for the world around them. Other species often have difficulty following a skritt in conversation. A skritt will often speak rapidly without specifics assuming the listener would understand them as another skritt would.
Names
Skritt names resemble names used by ancient tribes. Good examples are: Adkhutte, Bretatchek, Chakata, Derketo, Kra'kronk, Rektakk, Sidivver, Skillet, Tristanak, Wenski, Zotturrikk and such.
Traits and Talents:
+2 Dexterity
Thievery: Skritt have really silent hands. They start with 1 graduation on thievery.