Campaign guide plight of the tuatha (1) 25

Campaign Guide second chances to those too weak to survive, half orc culture must act the same if they are to survive Full blooded orcs live high upon the peaks of the mountains in one of the harshest landscapes on Aeliode, far past where humans may survive for long Half orcs reside lower down the mountain acting as a barrier between their full blooded kin When directed by their priest’s omens, half orcs will leave their mountain home to raid the surrounding area for pillage But they soon feel the pull of the mountain calling them back to its rocky embrace Even those half orcs born and raised in human communities feel this pull throughout their adult life Arts Compared to many other races, half orc art is relatively simple in design and form Simplicity does not mean poorly crafted, just a departure from the need for overly complex line work found elsewhere Bone and stone make the majority of the materials used by half orc artisans, though other pieces of animals, such as fur or blood (for dyed textiles) can be seen in use Themes most often depict animals, hunts, or strange swirling patterns symbolic of winds Those half orcs raised in human communities often create blends in theme will often try to blend the materials and themes from both their human and orcish culture often resulting in haunting imagery History Half orc’s tend to care as little about the past as they the future; instead they are moved more by instinct As such not much is known about their past One might as well ask a bear the history of its kind as ask the half orc All that is known is that for as long as the Stadji Mountains have risen from the Avitian plains, half orcs have come Halfling The lithe and tone bodies of these nomadic horsemen share much with the magnificant steeds they breed Years of endless travel has made the halflings natural athletes Generations of hiking has toughened their feet while the sun of the endless plains has turned their skin a deep nut brown Their movement is poetry Physiology Short in stature and wiry in build, halflings are well suited to the nomadic lifestyle they embrace Most halflings have cinnamon-colored skin and their hair ranges from dark black to light brown Slightly pointed ears emerge from rounded faces Aside from the thick hair on their heads and upon the tops of their feet, halflings have little other body hair Beards when grown, are light and sparse 24 Society Halflings found in this region of Aeliode travel in tight-knit family groups It is said that in far off lands, halflings reside in great numbers within large kingdoms But in this area of the world communities are mobile and typically number in the hundreds The halflings are well known for their mounts, be they horses, deer, or hounds They take great pride in their animals and have bred them to outperform most other mounts of their kind On the rare occasions when a halfling community is roused to battle they will ride their larger horses three-to-a-mount in special saddles with one halfing guiding the beast while the other two attack their enemies with bows Since most halflings tend to travel in the more southern regions of Aeliode, they typically feel the need to wear minimal clothing Most clothing that they wear tends to be either wool or leather and is well suited for a traveler Arts Because of their nomadic lifestyle, halfling art created to be both portable as well as pratical There are very few examples of artwork created for its own sake Most items that are used on a daily basis, however, have images carved or painted somewhere upon them Not all art has such an obvious pratical use however Halflings have been known to create huge images upon the plains they travel by piling rocks into long lines The patterns often cover acres of land so the images are unrecognizeable from the ground These complex and beautiful patterns, the halflings say, are for the gods above History The halflings have spent most of their lives traveling, hunting and living on the great plains of the Tuatha Throughout their history they have had a relatively neutral relationship with the humans who have controlled the eastern portion of the continent There have been minor skirmishes and wars between individual halfing tribes and human clans, but no more-so than the tribes and clans have fought against themselves It wasn’t until the Avitian Empire arrived that the halflings had to deal with war and combat on a societal scale The newcomers were not taking control of land from individual tribes, but from all tribes indiscriminately The halflings, though having their traditional territory pushed back somewhat, have remained a strong and powerful race Most tribes have an uneasy peace with the Avitian newcomers Several have formed alliances with the Tuathan humans who have suffered the most in regards to lands and life lost to the Empire