Marp

While many creatures hunger after gold, the blue-furred marp literally eats this precious metal as a vital part of their diet. Although a few marp families live near natural gold deposits, most sources of gold are already under some other creature's control. Therefore, marps generally survive by ingratiating themselves to those creatures. Once they have inured themselves with such a group, they will gather all the gold they can get.

Even hungry marps ask first, a display that varies by region but is rarely more complex than gripping their hands in the air and asking "gold?" in a plaintive voice. Marp cultures consider this process of asking first to be virtuous, but they fundamentally think of gold as a food, not a trade good. As such, they will steal gold if refused, considering it justified the same way one might steal bread if starving. That being said, marps generally attempt to earn their keep by assisting in roles like prospectors or counterfeit detectors, for which their acute sense for gold makes them well suited.

Marps rarely engage in direct combat, preferring to run away if attacked. On the rare occasions they meet other creatures that also eat minerals, they're generally willing to reach an equitable trade agreement.

The scent and feel of lead disgust marps. If a marp is given lead, they no longer approach that creature and leave them alone. Even a single lead coin in a bag of gold is enough to protect the bag from theft, making such coins an effective deterrent in regions frequented by marps.