[Written] CARPS Racial Background

This information was gathered from the CARPS rulebook.

Accesses: Major Air, Major Water
Primary skills: Search, Trade
Secondary skills: Read/Write, Traps
Best at: Storytelling, socializing, wheeling and dealing, roguishness, eating
Size: Small sized

Costuming for a Guthrie:

• Give yourself bushy eyebrows (use fake hair or draw them in with eyebrow pencil)
  
• Give yourself sideburns (if male, use fake hair or draw them in with eyebrow pencil)
  
• Wear earth tones such as green, brown, burgundy, or mustard (if possible)

“Anyone will tell you, I get along with just about everybody. Friends is a lot better than enemies, yessiree.”
—Curly Toejam, Guthrie

Guthries are nomads, seldom staying in one place for very long. In their travels, they do not make a lot of close connections with anyone, but are very friendly. They believe that having no enemies means you have a long, enjoyable life. They have an annual storytelling celebration which draws Guthries from all over Phantara. It is held in a different place each year. During this time, the Guthries share a tremendous amount of food and drink, listen and/or dance to some of the finest music in the world, and participate in a story telling contest that is truly spectacular. Very few Guthries choose not to participate and all hope that they can be that year's winner. There is a small monetary prize for the winner, but the real reward is the pure enjoyment of telling stories, the thrill of putting words together in such a way that it will awe their audiences. It is certainly the most exciting event of the year.

Guthries are happiest when they are in the company of friends sharing a rather large meal. Food is very important to Guthries. Gluttony is almost expected of them, but they would never steal another's food nor would they ignore a hungry person. They would never want to go hungry themselves so they are very kind to those in need, a kindness not limited to food. If they can give something to make a life easier, then they usually will. They try to treat everyone equally, although they are a little more wary around Ga‘Vin and Orcs.

"It's not that I don't like Guthries, necessarily. It's just that they can be a little annoying. They are always cheerful, which is kind of refreshing, but their jokes may not be funny to everybody. I assume that they have to know this, which is why I always seem to be a little more careful when a Guthrie is around."
—Trellis, Valken'Vi

Guthries are very good natured, but their keen wit and clever minds often worry the other races. It's as if they have to have something planned and that that plan has to be something evil. Even if that were true, Guthrie are rarely aggressive. They rely on their wits to get them by. Few can compare to them when it comes to snapping out the witty response. They are also very cunning and have a knack for lock picking and things of the like. Generally speaking, Guthries tend to dabble in magic and make excellent sages, much like the Elf, but they also enjoy more stealthy endeavors.

Guthries try to be friends with everyone, which could be their biggest problem. Not everybody wants to be friends with them, at least not close friends. This is actually fine by Guthries because they usually prefer to keep their space. If they are going to be close friends to another person, they will invade the other person‘s space but they don't like their own space to be invaded. In their attempt to be friendly, however, they actually annoy a lot of people, perhaps by design, perhaps not. They just assume that what they find appropriate amongst themselves will continue to be appropriate when mingling with other races.

"I'm not exactly sure that I like them, but I can't help but smile when I'm around them. Their bright faces rub off, I suppose."
—Seerach, Elf

A Guthrie will probably never miss a good party if he or she can help it at all. They love to have a good time. In fact, they care about little else. Few races stay up longer than the Guthries, eating and taking in the atmosphere. Because of this, they often out-stay their welcome in another's home or company, or leave earlier than they had planned to and become somewhat offended in the process. After years of this, Guthries have become more distanced. They always know when it's time to move on to another town. This usually comes when there is no more fun to be found.

“They like food. They like drink. They like good times. It all seems good. Too bad they don't know when enough's enough.”
—Gorek, Dwarf

It is easy for other races to speak down to Guthries because no one knows what they're thinking. Maybe they actually know more than they appear to.