Culture
The Chimai have always lived at odds with the Hothai, sharing a long history of oppression at the hands of and warfare with their Issaran neighbors. During the reign of the Hothai Empire the inquisitive and perceptive Chimai, were used as servants, gladiators, scouts, spies and woodsmen. Until recently the powerful Hothai kept the Chimai scattered or enslaved, unable to mount a force of any merit against the Hothai Empire. Through the years of oppression there emerged two types of Chimai: the wild Chimai who still live in tribes across Issara, and the merchant Chimai, who have adopted the trappings of the Hothai and integrate more freely with the other civilizations throughout the worlds.
With the removal of the Hothai yoke around the neck of merchant Chimai, this class has adopted a culture of excess, a pinnacle of which is seen at the large trading bazaar at the center of the Chimai Confederacy. Known simply as "the Bazaar" this has become what is believed to be the largest single trading post across all the worlds. At the Bazaar you can find anything, at any price. The wild Chimai look at their merchant cousins with no concern, however. They are content to let those Chimai get rich and stupid on firewater, while the wild Chimai live safely in the jungles, assuming that some day the Hothai may come back; and when they do, they will kill the merchant Chimai first.
Chimai make excellent sailors and are sought throughout the worlds for this skill. While they are not shipbuilders, they are eager to explore or join the crew of other ships.Some of the more enterprising Chimai have even acquired their own rag-tag ships, which are usually any available hull, cast-offs or rebuilt ships others would have not considered worth repairing.
Chimai scouts are sought after to lead foreign adventuring parties on raids to steal Hothai relics. The Chimai also operate a number of trading posts from which they do a brisk trade with the rest of the worlds in exotic flora and fauna.
Chimai tend to avoid the Arcane disciplines as it requires too much planning. Instead, they have a variety of Priestly disciplines, one of which even focuses simply on collecting shiny objects.
Species
The Chimai [chimm-eye] are a furry, good-natured, simian-like people with an agile and athletic build, hailing from the jungles of Issara. With specialized feet and a prehensile tail the Chimai excel at climbing and other athletic pursuits. As a people the Chimai tend to live for the moment. While some would brand them as a little deficient in the attention area, they consider this just being pragmatic. Their ability to deal with long-term strategy is less keen than their ability to make lightning quick decisions that may often result in a positive way, but sometimes may end disastrously. Chimai are not prone to contemplate a decision for a long period of time, in fact those who do spend more than a moment agonizing over a decision are considered less capable, to a Chimai this is a sign of incompetence.
The Chimai Species Feat is available, in the Mechanics Apochrypha.
