Ages of Lingusia: The Death Gods!

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Just in time for Halloween....

Principle Gods of Death:

Akuuris

Profile: dreams, fortune telling, visions, third sight, insects

Alignment: neutrality

   Akuuris the dreaming god is the lord of Ethenur, and master of oineriomancy (divination through dreams). He manifests as an immense humanoid insect, and indeed is followed by insectoid species as well as those who have learned to commune with the god and visit the dream plane through meditate practices and psychotropic extracts.

Akuuris' cults spread secretly throughout the world of Lingusia like a thin but tenacious spider web. His most active and visible cultists are in Karaktu, but Akuuris is a god in every land, worshipped in those sultry, smoke-filled dens of mystery. The priests of Akuuris contend that all men pay homage to Akuuris when they fall in to dream-filled slumber.

   Akuuris is the slumbering lord of night, a god who wandered for more millennia than man has existed, and at last settled down in the Dreamlands of Ethenur, a hazy demiplane of mystery, which exists nowhere and everywhere at once. His first great dreams were said to spawn the races of the insects, and the Inkidii, who see him as their creator god. He was the first god to dream, it is said, and when he discovered the dreamlands, he sought to share is discovery with all beings, and so it is that most sentients can walk through dream in slumber.

   It is said that you can travel physically to the dreaming plane through the Ethereal realms, but the cultists of Akuuris learned long ago how to move their in dreams by harvesting and smoking the leaf of the blue lotus. A plant that is rare, found only in the East of Zued, Al’Jhira, and Karaktu, the blue lotus serves as the medium by which the soul of the dreamer can transcend reality and arrive in a simulated physical form in Ethenur.

Elisin

Profile: ancients, old age, the veneration of elders, wisdom

Alignment: lawful

   Elisin is the goddess of ancient wisdom, old age, and long life. Elisin is usually depicted in sacred murals as an ancient woman of half-elvish and human descent, wise beyond imagining and surrounded by adoring children.

   Elisin is seen in some tales as a harsh old woman who observes or imparts tough life lessons on the young in a “Grimm’s Tales” sort of fashion. Among elvish poets and bards, she is spoken of as an infinitely kind and wise woman who dwells in the depths of the Weirding, and is the keeper of the Spring of Knowledge, from which the essence of learning is drawn. Most suspect that both views are right.

   There is no cult of Elisin, though it is said that there was a strong priesthood before the War of the Gods, but they were all killed in her defense when the demons overran Corti’Zahn and slew her mortal form. Her tomb is unknown, and no temple stands in her honor save the ruins of the one in Corti’Zahn.

   Once in a while, a woman of many years who has lost all she care for or loves, but who perseveres in the face of great opposition, is given a vision by Elisin, and receives a calling to take up the faith and worship of this goddess. These few women, wandering the land and aiding the needy and teaching the ignorant, are the select priestesses of Elisin.

Appearance: An elderly, harsh old woman of wizened age and appearance, sometimes kindly.

Hargameth

Profile: warfare, blood and thunder, glory, combat, killing

Alignment: neutrality

Hargameth is a northern god who spread long ago, his aspects being common to all men. Hargameth is the proverbial lord of blood and thunder, the great warrior of the battlefields, the last of the gods to go down fighting in the War of  the Gods, sealing the rift of the Abyss with his own blood before he collapsed.

   Hargameth is a cult which warriors throughout the world, especially barbarians and more visceral fighters who rely on rages, berserkergang, and bloody frenzies to work themselves in to an appropriate mind-set for combat. He is the antithesis of Vishannu, a god who harkens from the east, and represents the strategic element of war, the art of combat, and the finesse or elegant dueling and intrigue.

Appearance: Hargameth is usually depicted as a furious barbarian warrior in full plate, wielding his immense bastard sword and tower shield, stitched from the skins of the thousand devonin generals he has slain. In the afterlife, it is said that the Celestial Kingdom of Hargameth is the final resting ground of truly powerful warriors who fall valiantly in battle. There, they are ascended to the ranks of the Einheriar, spirits of battle who fight the good fight against the Abyssal devonin and all other enemies of the mortal plane.

Karn

Profile: ancestors, reverence for the dead, ancient secrets

Alignment: neutrality

 The record keeper of the dead, Karn is one of the gods of the Afterlife. His following is scattered and his presence as a god is little known outside of those priests who follow one deity of death or another. His worship occurs only in those lands where a need to provide records of the dead have become necessary. As such, his worship can be found in Hyrkania, where great mausoleums of cremated remains can be found, as well as in Galonia, where his worship continued even after all other gods of the Old Galonian pantheon passed on. In the city state of Karan, the ancient tradition of the magiocracy requires that the priests of Karn preside over and record all royal burials. Last but not least, the only death god given recognition beside the Nameless One in Autrengard is Karn, who is said to bar the northern warriors from the afterworld if they cannot recite the names of their forefathers to him, in honor of all their great deeds.

   Karn is sometimes confused with Esyphas in the Middle Kingdoms, but Esyphas is a demigod that holds the Book of the Dead for Kavishkar, and recites the crimes of those to be judged. Karn, however, performs a different duty for the souls of those who worship him, and is more of a secret master to be approached on matters of the afterlife. He is also considered the true scholar of knowledge and lore in the afterlife.

Appearance: Karn is a striking figure, an oligarchic man with kingly and wizardly aspects. However, his face is a sunken image of deathliness, and his eyes hollow voids.

Karsyllym

Profile: justice, mercy, final fate, reincarnation, destruction, executioners

Alignment: lawful

Mistress of the Land of the Dead, Karsyllym is wife to Kavishkar and keeper of the Book of Names. Karsyllym’s duties come after her husband judges the innocence or guilt of a soul, and it is her duty to record the sentence and decree the fate of the being in question. Some are sent to purgatories for whatever period is necessary to purge the soul of its crimes. Others are sent to the celestial kingdoms as servants, and an occasional soul is granted an opportunity for reincarnation. The fates of the dead are many, and Karsyllym knows all of them.

   Karsyllym has a small but dedicated order of men and women, priests who act as the executioners for dire crimes in Hyrkania. Her priesthood is feared by all, for their duty is to insure that those sentenced for their crimes are brought to justice. Often, this simply means carrying out an execution or insuring the offender is taken to the proper prison, but they are expected to puruse those who seek to evade justice, as well, and are coldly efficient bounty hunters.

Appearance: Karsyllym appears as a tall and gaunt woman, sometimes wearing ebon armor, other times a dress of blackest silk. She is flanked by a squadron of ancient guardians, spirit defenders of the eternal darkness called the Invantyr.

Kavishkar

Profile: Justice and the hand of judgment

Alignment: lawful

Serving as the lord of judgement in the Lands of the Dead, Kavishkar’s duty is to determine the guilt or innocence of any soul who must come before him in the afterlife. He holds court in the most ancient, eternal necropolis of the Stygian Darkness, with his queen Karsyllym at his side.

   Any soul who appears before Kavishkar for judgement will be scrutinized carefully. Esyphas, the Record Keeper, is a dreadful servant of Kavishkar who holds the Book of the Dead with him, in which the tales of all misdeeds of those who come to the court are held. While Esyphas read these deeds, Kavishkar scrutinizes the hapless soul, and at its end, he may interrogate the being for further illumination, after which he utters his sentence of innocence or guilt. His wife then takes over, recording the fate of the soul to whatever purgatory awaits. It is then that the Nameless One takes the soul to its appointed rendezvous with eternity.

   In Hyrkania, the Order of Kasdalan is a dedicated priesthood of civic servants and warriors who hunt down the accused and preside over lawful trials to decide the fate of living men. They revere Kaviskhar for his wisdom on such matters and are especially fond of divinatory magic.

Appearance: Kaviskhar is a tall, sallow-eyed king of darkness, with an immense beard and gaunt, pale features. At times, he seems to take on the aspect of a true skeleton or mummy, at others to be merely an ancient, wisened old man. He wears ebon armor made from the laquered bones of those who have defied his judgement.

The Nameless One

Profile: death, passing on, destroyer of undead, harbinger

Alignment: neutrality

The word for death in the Old Tongue is “Koth,” and the word for That Which Must Not Be Named is “Esiros.” When joined together in the proper manner, these words form the Old Tongue title of Death, He Who must Not Be Named: Koth’os. T’Kothos, in fact, means Lord of the Nameless One, Death.

   Death is a being which pervades all cultures and religions in Lingusia, and his Middle Kingdoms incarnation is by far the most forbidding. Throughout the Middle Kingdoms, his priests are the shunned and mysterious Walkers of Final Night. These Walkers are part time morticians, grave diggers, and hunters of the undead. Indeed, the undead are an anathema to The Nameless One, as they are the dead which will not lie in peace. He is guardian of the gates and boundaries of the afterlife, and caretaker of the netherealms where the souls pass through in their transition. He opposes the devonin of chaos who would foul that barrier to steal souls, as well as any mortal who seeks to reclaim one of the dead by reanimating it as an undead being. It is the solemn Duty of Death and his priesthood to find these undead and put them to rest.

Appearance: Death is a massive, giant-like skeletal being wearing ebony armor and wielding the sacred great sword Rishelka, the Ruby Death.

Nephythis

Profile: keeper of tombs and wealth

Alignment: neutrality

   Nephythis was a goddess of the ancient Old Galonian pantheon, a protector of tombs in the mortal world, who saw to the protection of the dead from tomb robbers and necromancers. She is now barely remembered, venerated only by a handful of Galonian families of wealth who keep her spirit alive. Naphythis has seen a minor resurgence in Jhakn, where it has become fashionable to build a shrine to her at the entrance to a family crypt.

   Nephythis was also associated with wealth and prestige, and her image was popular as a patron goddess among the merchants of Old Galonia, and even today she is still given prayers and offerings at special shrines by Galvonarian merchants.

   Nephythis has very few true priests or followers in the present, perhaps only a handful who have felt the calling of the goddess.

    Nephythis was depicted as a comely young Galonian woman in regal azure robes with gold jewelry. Once, she dwelt in a grand palace of pure gold in the celestial kingdom, but now it is said she walks the dreamlands aimlessly, looking for her lost brethren from the pantheon of Old Galonia, and trying to restore her own power.

Trimelin

Profile: deep waters, aquatic undersea dwellers, drowning

Alignment: neutrality

   The mystery of Trimelin is difficult to unravel. God of the watery deeps longbefore Enki came in to fashion, Trimelin is a god recognized by the intelligent aquatic races as a patron and perhaps even creator. The god has temples in some remote locations on the surface, and seems to have been a priesthood for thousands of years, but little or no written material about this god has ever been recorded. Some scholars worry that Trimelin bears a certain similarity to the mysterious ancient gods, the Kraken, but the similarities are tenuous at best.

   Trimelin is depicted as an immense squid-like being dwelling in an ancient city beneath the sea. Some aquatic beings claim to have actually visited this location, and say the god is a very real being, and that he exists only in the material realm. It is possible that he never even participated in the War of the Gods, and thus was never slain in the corporeal world.

All text copyright 2011 by Nicholas Torbin Bergquist, all rights reserved

Ages of Lingusia: Gods of the Middle Kingdoms II

Neutral Gods:

Set

Profile: evil, lies, ascension of power, corruption of innocent

Alignment: chaos

Set is the eternal prevaricator of evil and corruption, the god who has taken it upon himself to embrace the tenets of ultimate order at any price. He is not a lord of chaos, evne though he is sometimes mistaken for such. His obsessive dedication to deceit is as much an ordered process as truth, and Set’s very existence as a deity depends upon an ordered universe in which his godly powers can work against. The tenets of chaos are in opposition to any truth about which the Keeper of Lies might spin false tales.

   The followers of Set are many, and the largest enclave is in the rigid empire of the Setite serpent men, Hazer’Phennis. Here, the rule of evil is ultimate, and power goes to the most treacherous and conniving. Throughout the world, the setites and other servants of Set seek to further his cause, which might, one day, be to unite the world under his banner of evil and worship.

   Set’s infernal kingdom of evil is known as the Nine Hells, sometimes also called Stygia. Here, Set’s fallen seraphim, the devils of lore, serve him and his dire ends.

   Set is known to take the form of a variety of desert-dwelling beasts, especially that of the snake and the jackal. His mark rests upon the races of his own creation, such as the Jackalmen of the deep deserts in Galvonar, and the Setites of the Hyrkanian Deserts.

Shandrigal

(also called Drolzaros)

Profile: lord of storms and destruction

Alignment: neutrality

   Shandrigal is the enigmatic lord of storms, a weather god with what some would describe as primitive, bestial aspects. He is sometimes worshipped by dragons and their kin, though such worship is seen as heretical among dragonkind.

   In the eastern kingdoms Shandrigal is believed to be a brother of Ravanos and is described as “The Demon of the Winds.” In the north he is called Drolzaros, and is a Wendigo-like banshee in tales.

   Shandrigal is a destructive deity, but is still a nature god, and so does not usually attract the worship of chaos entities.

Vishannu

Profile: art of war and conflict, martial arts, the amazons

Alignment: chaos

   Vishannu began as the god of tactics and warfare in distant Al’jhira of Takkai many thousands of years ago, but migrated to Lingusia, where his temples appeared in early war-torn Zued and eventually were adopted by a truly fanatical cult of women who founded the kingdom of Vyrindia deep within the heart of Amech.

   In this era Vishannu is still expanding, his cult slowly becoming more popular in the Eastern Kingdoms and with the warriors of Amech. Whether he will prove to be the ultimate betrayer god in the distant future as he did in the prior timeline remains to be seen.

   Vishannu wears blood-red armor forged from the heart of the sun. He is tall (9 feet) but moves with alarmingly protean speed. He is startlingly rugged and handsome and very well spoken. He has the army of the Enheriar at his command, as well as a handful of devonin who have defected to his cause. He is courting Wishupar, Ravanos, and certain other gods to serve as his agents and allies in his mysterious schemes.

Plot Hook: In 1,958 Vishannu is assassinated, being the first slain god in almost two thousand years. This coup was distinctive, however, for the perpetrators were two shadowy beings calling themselves Unarak and Phaedra. They used an unknown prehunate device to capture and vampirically siphon away Vishannu’s life force, but the process was interrupted by his greates amazon champion, the avatar Avolakita, who wounds Unarak and drives the two back in to the Shadow Plane. Too late to save her god, Vishannu imparts the last of his divine essence within her, making her a true demigod, and charges her with the task of bringing his killers to justice…

Wishupar

Profile: tricksters,  thieves, deception

Alignment: neutrality

   Wishupar’s temples are still secret, and known only to the acolytes of the cult. It is not a popular cult, but has gained a quiet edge in amongst Hyrkanians, as it has become endorsed as a cult for the purposes of the Hyrkanian Throne. It’s most prominent servants and warriors have dedicated themselves to the service of the Mandragora House, and the restoration of the Empire.

    Wishupar was once seen as a dreadful northern god of thieves and cut throats, but in fact Wishupar was never so hideous....the cult has always wanted to be seen as such, and propogates the rumors to insure it is feared. In fact, the cultists fof Wishupar are civic servants, worshipping a deity who espouses secrecy and deception to support the ruling class. They are mercenaries, and Wishupar is a patron of mercenaries. Worshippers may be thieves and rogues, yes, but more in fashion with a kind of secret service, one which must work conspiratorially  to serve the throne.

   It is suggested by many that  the servants of Wishupar have hidden, secret agendas, and that their dedication to a ruler is not so much for the interests of that ruler as their own. Some claim that this conspiracy goes back many millennia, and that the real purpose of the cult is to gain domination over all lands and people through time, and to damage the worship of other cults, especially the kin of Wishupar’s as described in the Idean Codices (such as Hermes and Haro). Given that the Agents of Wishupar are prone to going out of their way to kill priests and servants of those gods, there seems to be some truth to this.

   On those rare occasions Wishupar appears or is depicted, he manifests as a raven, sometimes as a wereraven. He does take human forms, as as a former demiurge ascended to godhood after the Reckoning, Wishupar has a living form as well as a divine aspect.

Wolfon

Profile: Keeper of the Beast Spirit, lord of the wilds

Alignment: neutrality

   Wolfon is the beast lord, the creator of true beasts and the master of the feral. He is the embodiment of all that is wild. In the dawn of time, the myths of the Idean Codices tell of how Wolfon grew infatuated with the moon goddess, Selene, and would pursue her throughout the night, howling as he did, and as his beasts now do in the present. As always, Selene’s son Zingar and husband Naril would drive him away.

   Beastmen of many sorts, especially the Vyrkasha, and therianthropes of all types favor the worship of Wolfon. Such worship is druidic in nature.

Zingar

Profile: hunters, rangers, justice, survival, instinct

Alignment: neutrality

   Zingar is also a god of the Middle Kingdoms, said to be a brother to Death and Slithotep. His mortal crypt can be found in the Slithotendan Mountains. Throughout Niras and the northern lands he is the god of the hunt and the spirit of the beast. His divine aspect said to materialize on key days of sacred hunting, and suring the solstices. Zingar’s cult is a quiet menagerie of professional hunters, rangers (especially the rangers of Kom’Huandyr) and dedicated priests. The priests of Zingar are chosen only from among those who actually witness the divine aspect of Zingar, the Wild Hunt.

   Zingar manifests as an immense being, horned and centauroid, flanked by a horde of baying wolves. He has appeared as a quiet elvish ranger on occasion, but under the moon light he is always the wild hunt form.

All text copyright 2011 by Nicholas Torbin Bergquist, all rights reserved

Orcs of Lingusia

I thought I'd provide the most recent, updated edition of orcs in the world of Lingusia. This text presumes the orcs date to around the Ages of Lingusia era, which means nothing to anyone other than myself and a handful of other people, but for posterity puts the details in this writeup as relevant more or less to the year 1,950 aw. It is easily used with the later material in the Keepers of Lingusia campaign book, which is set around 2,476 aw. I have an entirely separate Pathfinder-based write-up for the orcs of Lingusia by the time of the Warlords Era (3,500 aw).

For a blog called "Realms of Chirak" I really need to put more....well...Chirak in here. Oh well! Lingusia it is for now.

Orcs of Lingusia (ca. 1,950 aw)

   The orcs are a strong but directionless force at this time. Vast hordes occupy the ever-expanding Mitra’s Forest and fight regularly with the people of Octzel and Hyrkania. Many orcish warriors set out to become mercenaries in the big world, or to make a name for themselves. Among cities of the Middle Kingdoms, only Blackholm allows orcs as regular citizens who intermix with the common human population, although there are orcish barrios in Malas and Hyrendan as well. The grey orcs have a strong enclave in the city of Ocentash as well, and maintain a strong alliance with the humans of the region.

   Orcs come in a variety of “flavors” or “colors” in Lingusia, with the tone of their skin and nature of their character defining their tribal and racial relations; being beasts of chaos, such distinctions are often difficult to distinguish by those outside of the community, and only orcs tend to be able to tell one another apart. Orcs from any given group can intermix with orcs of another group, and such relations can lead to fairly generic orcs of indeterminate nature. Over the centuries this has led to a slow blending of orcish breeds in to more common subtypes.

   Today, most orcs are known to belong to the clans of the blue orcs (blyskanyu), grey orcs (glythanyu), red orcs (thyzakkoni), white orcs (fell manorg) or green orcs (amenanyu). “Anyu” is the orcish word for their own kind, although its literal translation means the pieces, a reference to their mythical belief that the mad idiot god Baragnagor assembled their kin together from the parts of other beasts. The word orc itself is ancient elvish for the betrayers, though none no longer know why this appellation is used by the fey to refer to the orcs, not even the elves; the source of ancient enmity between the two races predates even the ancient memory of elves. Some old myths suggest orcs may once have been as long-lived or nearly immortal as the elves, but somehow lost this trait. None living today can say how or why this came to be.

Personality and Appearance: Orcs are universally bestial, with various beast-like features ranging from pronounced alligator or pig-like snouts, flaring nostrils, jagged teeth, beady black eyes, and smooth, leathery skin. The many different colorations of the orcish sub races reflect the tint or hue of skin, and while most orcs have some stubbly hair growth, only Fell Manorg have full fur coats. Most orcs average around 5 and a half feet to 6 feet in height, but Black Orcs stand at around 7 feet.

Half Orcs: Half orcs are an unfortunate byproduct of orcish raids against humans, and human and elvish women are often secured when they are short of their own females (indeed, there is usually one female orc for every four male orcs born). Because of this shortage, lesser orcs often take slaves of women from other demihuman groups and produce children from them. These children are usually regarded as orcs, albeit with more distinctly humanoid features, but if they look close enough to human or elf (by orc standards) they are usually cast out as being too pure of fair blood. These castoffs are what most people regard as half orcs.

Relations: Orcs are generally reviled in most lands, but are considered acceptable neighbors and citizens in some regions, and tolerated as good mercenary fighters in others (though not during the period of the Dark War, when orcs were almost universally under the banner of Xarion’s army of Chaos).

   The Ashtarth see orcs and goblinoids as useful fodder, while the orcs pride themselves on their mercenary talents. Octzellans see orcs as a threat in and find allies only in the more civilized grey orcs of the south. Fell Manorg orcs in the north are considered the mortal enemies of the Autrengardians. Amenanyu dwell in Amech, and war regularly with the humans of the region.

Religion: Orcs worship many gods and beings. All orcs revere Baragnagor as the creator god.  Baragnagor, the idiot beast god, was said to have tried to mimic the other creator gods by forming his own mortal creation, but all he could do was create formless lumps of inert clay. Instead, Baragnagor took the animals and beings of the world and mashed them together, creating the many chaoskin. Orcs claim to have the heads of aggressive crocodiles and swine, the bodies of powerful apes, and the cunning minds of wolves. This animal totemism is carried to an extreme by the Blyskanyu tribes, for which each clan takes on a specific animal as a spirit guide.

   The Gray Orcs are an exception to the rule of worship, as the self-proclaimed avatar Naradaon has been working to convert the glythanyu tribes to the worship of the benevolent agrarian god Seth. At this time, success has been mixed, but a handful of dedicated orcs have taken up the mantle of Seth and serve as priests and paladins to the god.

   Elsewhere, the Thyzakkoni red orcs are said to have forsaken other gods for Set, the deceiver, who granted them mastery of dark magic in exchange for eternal worship. It is known that the red orcs have many relations with the serpent men of Hazer’Phennis, and there are even rumors of half-orcs crossbreeds that are part orc and part serpent man.

Language: All orcs know their native tongue, and some know others. Orcs have fairly easy access to Deep Speech (the common tongue of the underworld), as well as other racial languages of the Underworld.

 Names: Orcs like names that exemplify their skill and prowess in battle, and terrify their enemies and rivals. The native form of their tongue sounds guttural, beastly, and is hard for humans to pronounce. They will often go for a translated name when among humans to ensure they know what the name means. The native and translated forms are both suggested below. Female orcs, rarely encountered outside of their highly patriarchal and misogynistic tribes, speak a different feminine dialect and prefer to name themselves after their own heritage, and things in nature. Finally, all orcs find their tribal name to be important, and attach it at the end of their title.

Tribal Names: Bloody Hands, Poison Claws, Chaos Spirits, Demon Wolves, Harrowers.

Translated Names: Killer of Halflings, Eater of the Dead, Wolf Runner, Elf Slayer, Smashingskulls, Spinning Spear, Rending Guts.

Gutteral Translation: Okai, Agrabud, Gazkath, Vyghoar, Raghach, Megroath, Gobban.

Female Names: Syba, Trythabin, Shemi, Vryllats, Meerkas, Chem.

Adventurers: There are some orcish professions which allow orcs to interact with men and not find themselves constantly in conflict. Orcish mercenary companies are an unpleasant but accepted norm in the Octzellan lands, and are greatly valued in Souther Hyrkania and Blackholm. Indeed, orcs are considered acceptable citizens in Blackholm, which also recruit from the chaos-kin for cheap shock troops. Orcs move freely amongst the societies of the Underworld, as well, and can always find a safe haven in their controlled territories, which include the Halale Wilderness and Mira’s Forest, the Silver Mountains, some tracks along the northern Iron Mountains, and large expanses in the north.

 

Orcish Characters

   Half-orcs and orcs can be played in 4E using the standard racial rules for both as given; apply the following modifiers by racial subtype if desired.

Glythanyu, Gray Orcs                             

   The surface dwelling gray orcs are the most acculturated with humanity, and are the likeliest source of half orc cross breeds brought about by voluntary relations (yes, amazingly). They are remarkably agreeable being as orcs go, with a culture dominated by a sense of pride and a belief that though they were, indeed born of an idiot god’s confusion that they can aspire to be much more. This racial pride has allowed for a fairly unusual conversion in recent years, as an orc named Naradaon claiming to be an avatar of the agrarian god Seth has set about to converting his people to a different faith, moving them away from the chaos cults. The results have varied, but many tribes in the region of Ocentash have now become friendly to humans and elves and are seeking to pursue the dictates of the pacifistic god Set. Ironically, the first orcish temple in the Hexerei Mountains is militant, staffed by a dedicated handful of orcish warriors who have become paladins in the name of Seth. Naradaor has not scolded them for such antics, seeing instead that it is necessary for the warlike nature of the orcs to find an expression, and doing through so through the adoption of an honor-based military caste form may be the logical means of helping the orcs cast off the yoke of chaos.

   Gray orcs are distinguished by their more humanoid looking features, with the shortest snouts of their kind amongst the men. Female gray orcs rarely have distinct snouts at all, but pronounced tusk-like incisors instead. They have dusky gray skin and patchy hair, usually gray or white. 

Blyskanyu, Blue Orcs                              

   The barbarian tribes of the blue orcs are strongest within Mitra’s Woods, and they have a long, sordid history as rising to the occasion for any chaotic armies that need assembly in the name of evil. Blue orcs are the most tribal and violent of all the orcish tribes, though a few noted individuals in history have outgrown their violent heritage. Blue orcs are mostly barbarians, although they have many shamanic clerics dedicated to various demon gods and Baragnagor especially. There is a surge of worship amongst the tribes of the Cults of the Kraken, the ancient prehistoric order of primal gods that are said to still slumber beneath the earth. Indeed, the ruins of Old Chegga harbor a direct entrance to once of the subterranean prisons of these terrible beings. The orcs do not know what the Kraken is, merely that it is ancient and powerful, and grants their shamans profound power through its terrible dreams.

   Blue orcs are the most bestial in appearance of their kind, often with great guts and massive crocodilian  craws hanging beneath their long pig-like chins. Their women are just as notoriously disgusting, although occasional tales abound of valorous gray orcs “liberating” female blue orcs who are actuall comely (by gray orc standards) from their blue orc clansmen who deserve, according to the gray orcs, only the most porcine and protuberant female kin in their bed skins.

·         Blue orcs receive a +2 racial modifier to Nature skill checks related to or in their native lands of Mitra’s Forest and the greater Halale Wilderness.

Thyzakkoni, Red Orcs                             

   The Red orcs are a distant off-shoot of orcs that are dedicated to Set, the god of evil, and they are the most magically gifted of their kind. The Red orcs have the smallest overall population, being conservative in their breeding efforts, though ironically they are the only orcs who have a proper balance of males to females, as well. These orcs are spread among many tribes, and seek power in the control of their lesser kin, rather than the consolidation of their tribes in to concentrated power groups. Some believe their magical talents have a side effect of making it difficult for red orcs to produce offspring, but others more rightly suspect that the dilution of the blood with their lesser kin is the real result of so few of their kind.

   Red orcs are the least bestial of their kind, with more ape-like faces and bodies than other orcs. They are exceptionally gifted with magic, and few of their kind are unable to perform at least a few simple spells.

·         Red Orcs are treated somewhat differently than normal orcs, and have normal average intelligence.

·         They get a +2 racial modifier to the bluff and intimidation skills.

·         Red orcs are commonly gifted with arcane or divine talent. Regardless of starting class, a red orc character must choose wizard, sorcerer, cleric or some other spell-casting class as his favored class. A red orc may choose a martial class to start, but must then use a feat to multiclass in to an arcane or divine class.

Gul’Hlath, Black Orcs                              

   Amongst the many species of orcs are occasionally born anomalous greater orcs, the Gul’Hlath, called black orcs for their blackish tar-colored skin. These are chaos infused beasts, great in strength, and they are coveted for a military prowess that seems inherent.

   Black orcs are born of other orcish stock, and when this happens, they are almost always seen as a gift from Baragnagor. Only a few orcish chieftains will kill such babies outright, usually in fear, and only if they can get away with it. Usually, the child is immediately taken from the parents and put in to a warrior’s fraternity, such as the Bloody Hands or the Screaming Skulls, and they become powerful warriors in short order, destined to rule the tribe as a warlord in the future.

·         +2 natural armor bonus

·         +2 racial modifier to intimdation and diplomacy

·         Black orcs gain one bonus at-will power in the same manner as humans.

Fell Manorgs, White Orcs                     

   The northern orcs are a plague amongst the Autrengardian northern kingdoms, and are much like the Blyskanyu except for their more primitive tribal societies. Fell Manorgs are best described as being somewhat yeti-like, hairy white-furred beast men with beady black eyes and white-gray leathery skin underneath. They molt in the Summer and travelers in the north look for signs of their shed fur as a warning. Fell manorg are in all respects like normal orcs otherwise.

·         Fell Manorg receive a +2 racial bonus to stealth checks in a snowy environment.

·         Fell Manorg are an isolated and xenophobic lot, and receive a -2 modifier to all diplomacy skill checks when dealing with other demi-humans.

·         Fell Manorg may never start with another language other than orcish, goblin, minotaur, giantish or draconic.

·         All Fell Manorg start off illiterate (which precludes them from starting at 1^st level as a wizard), and must acquire the Linguist feat to buy this off with one language slot per language they desire to read and write.

·         Fell Manorg warriors usually belong to a hunter’s society dedicated to specific prey. The most famous such society are called the Thro’Skaldar, and they revere Wolfon, lord of the hunt. Members of this order tend to be rangers, wardens and avengers, who specifically seek to hunt and slay humans. Needless to say this makes for a better NPC class option, unless your entire adventuring group is full of nonhumans!

·         Fell manorg hate Hettanari, Zuedians and Autrengardians (the northern kingdoms of men) with a passion.

Amenanyu, Green Orcs                         

   The goblinoid green orcs of Amech are savage primitives, dwelling both above and beneath the surface of their remote jungle enclaves, warring unceasingly upon man. They are degenerate throwbacks, but considered by some the closest to the progenitor god Baragnagor. Amenanyu are almost always barbarians and shamans when choosing a class.

   Amenanyu are so crocodilian in their facial features that they are sometimes mistaken for short lizardmen. Their lack of scales and excessive body hair usually gives away their true natures, however.

·         Green Orcs are natural experts at jungle camouflage and survival, and receive a +2 racial modifier to all Nature, Stealth and Perception rolls in a jungle environment.

·         Green Orcs are very disagreeable with other demi-humans, and receive a -2 Diplomacy skill modifier with all normal demihumans and humans (but not other orcs and monsters).



Text of "Orcs of Lingusia" copyright 2011 by Nicholas Bergquist, all rights reserved