Goblin/Orc Rewrite:(the) Harkkan

[Sanjin Koukyu]

**Additions/Revisions List:
2/11/2021:
Added Priest/ess to Advanced Class list, gave reasoning.
Added Society and Taboos

2/12/2021:
Added Sex
Added Political Structures
Disclaimer/Mechanics added to Swarm

3/12/2021
Added Proposal to include Harkkan as a Primary race for Crossbreed potential (at bottom of post).

Goblin/Orc rewrite

Name: (the) Harkkan
Reason for Rename: This is to make them unique/special to Belariath, like the Moriel are to Dark Elves. I'm writing this to give greater life to the site I enjoy roleplaying at and, as a disclaimer, have no intention of claiming any of this once/if it is chosen. It will belong to Belariath for as long as the site is maintained.

Starter Classes: Bard, Cleric, Warrior, Ranger, Knight, Thief, Shaman, Artisan, Entertainer, Layman

Advanced Classes: Warlord, Mist Raider, Paladin, Necromancer, Earth Mage, Fire Mage, Priest/ess*

Reasoning for adding Knight/Paladin
Looking at the atypical movie/game/book version of an orc/goblin, those that ride the wolves/worgs can be seen as knights/paladins. Since there is no moral guideline that dictates who or what can follow these paths, I felt it made sense to add them, because of how I've rewritten/modified the race, especially in the religious aspect. They follow the path of violence and strength, they worship their gods, so there would naturally be those who ride the steed (will be writing up a proper bestiary thing involving this, since a horse doesnt really make much sense for a Harkkan).

Reasoning for removing Monk
Even before their changes, Goblins/Orcs were never really followers of a 'balanced' path. This new iteration, as Harkkan, they're even less so. Certainly, one could make an NPC that follows the path, but they should be the outlier, not the common.

Reasoning for adding Earth/Fire Mage
Both Earth and Fire mages are incredibly destruction and it lines up with their Forgesoul/Surprisingly Crafty advantage, plus with the changes to their lore (removing the created through necromancer via high elves), it broadens their magical prowess and removes that limitation.

*Reasoning for adding Cleric/Priest(ess)
After thinking about it, while writing about their society, the Harkkan would certainly have Priests and Priestesses. They are wholly devoted to their gods of carnage and destruction and those able to call upon/channel the will of their gods to strike down their enemies with crippling maledictions and veritable plagues, as well as renewing the bodies of the wounded and fallen so they might continue to spread the bloody word of their deities, makes absolute sense. What could be more malevolent than a Harkkan Priest casting World of One on another living being?

Basic Stats: No change


Short Description for race.html:
Since they first appeared in the land of Belariath, the Harkkan have been a deep thorn in the side of 'civilized' society almost the world over. Finding little lasting welcome in any one place, they spread rapidly, mostly living in migratory packs, settling only in the fringes; the kinds of places where no one wants the land enough to bother to run them off.

The Harkkan are warlike in every essence of the word. They breed quickly and are usually content to slaughter one another in an effort to make their own clan the greatest among their kind, but no one clan ever makes enough headway before another, greater than the last, strikes them down with the same vigor as they did. They are destruction incarnate, with large enough migratory clans razing the earth and effectively salting it as they pass – which is precisely why the Harkkan clans do not receive outside aid.

Efforts have been made in the past to exterminate their kind outright, but no civilization that made the attempt still stands to tell of its failure. Thus, though hardly viewed as equals by modern society, the current Empire and those communities surrounding it accept Harkkan as citizens, even if of a lower caste. While many races view the Harkkan as ignorant, dim-witted, or downright stupid, they cannot take the threat that Harkkan pose lightly. To do so would be a grievous, grave error.

Harkkan:
To the human races, they’re called Orcs. To the Elf races, they’re called Goblins. They have many names, almost as many as the other races might call them. They call themselves the Harkkan and they have been a destructive, malignant source of pain for all the civilized societies upon Belariath. Like locusts, when they gather in large groups, they’re unwelcome anywhere, as they rape, pillage, and destroy like none other. But like the grasshoppers that locusts are derived from, by themselves or in small groups, they tend to harmless, though annoying.

It is not only the Harkkan warlords that make the best use of their kin – any leader of sufficient enough clout (I.E. personal strength) that can rally the greenskins will find themselves an indomitable army, willing to give life and limb in whatever effort they feel is worth their strength. The drawback, though, is that Harkkans en masse will turn upon any and everyone who fails to meet their expectations of strength.

Throughout the years, there have been efforts made to wipe out the Harkkan threat, believing that they will be the end of all things within the world of Belariath, however, no such civilization that has made such an attempt still stands to tell of their victory. Worse yet, many such civilizations disappeared entirely within antiquity. Brutish and destructive, they are almost never viewed as equals within the modern societies, though some effort has been made within the Empire after it had been noted that there are none greater than Stormbringer for any such clans to rally under. While many races view the Harkkan as ignorant, dim-witted, or downright stupid, they cannot take the threat that Harkkan pose lightly. To do so would be a grievous, grave error.

Appearance:
The Harkkan’s appearance varies and no one is sure why. Some claim the race was forged on the bones of another, that no such god or goddess would ever create something so horrible to dance upon the face of Belariath. A Harkkan’s height usually ranges from 5’2” to 6’5”, though there are rumors of some even shorter or even taller than those averages. They all have various shades of green skin, though some can have a shade closer to brown, while others lean towards a stony gray hue – they are all thoroughly earthy colors, which some have attributed to Gaea and the Harkkan having been created as her rage made manifest in a world where Might makes Right.

Those with more ‘orcish’ appearance are brutish, with a square-shaped head and thickly muscled limbs that come naturally to them. Their tusks are more pronounced, and their ears are a little more diamond. Those with a more ‘goblin’ appearance is sinewy, lithe, and gangly, having a rounder head and somewhat larger ears, but Harkkan can look anywhere all in between. Harkkan’s eyes, though, are unique in that they can be almost any color, from the usual earthy browns and greens, to a lightning shock yellow, bright sky blue, to an almost incandescent purple, there’s no real limit to what color their eyes can be. Harkkan hair, though, is almost always naturally black or brown, but that doesn’t stop a particularly creative Harkkan from dying their hair or using Change Self to temporarily try something new.

All Harkkan have tusks. They can range from miniscule, as little jutting protrusions one barely notices to almost feral, hog-like looking tusks, however, they cannot be used in combat beyond what a bite attack might do; their decidedly not-animalistic heads make it difficult to use them effectively.

Advantages:

Swarm:
(Explain removal of Survival Instincts): Given that Orcs and Goblins both benefited from this, it didn't seem like it made too much sense for a big, bulky orc to pull off sneaky-stuffs, while Goblins did make more sense. I chose to remove survival instincts in favor of Swarm, as it felt like it fit the race better given their lore/mentality, plus it gives those Harkkan benefit for creating warbands and rapesquads (and it makes the NPC Harkkan raids that much more dangerous).

Harkkan are like locusts. The greater in number they are, the better they become at warfare. A single Harkkan isn’t capable of much on this scale, it isn’t until there’s at least 5 Harkkan for a +5 attack/defense modifier, up to a maximum of 20 (for a +20 atk/def modifier) as an organized group that they gain an advantage. This benefit cannot be used with other races, who tend to look at the Harkkan as stupid/ignorant (most civilized races), weak/pathetic (Ogres, Trolls, and other large races), or just downright silly (Gaeans). The sole exception is a Harkkan Necromancer, who’s undead hordes count towards the Swarm Bonus, up to +20 but only for themselves (they are the swarm and cannot benefit any other Harkkan involved).

*How it works: For every 5 Harkkan (If they're halfblood, it needs to be indicated in their description somewhere) in a warband, they receive +5 to atk/def, up to a maximum of +20. These characters must be combat oriented characters (a Harkkan cannot have 4 Harkkan slaves/entertainers/artisans and expect to get benefit from Swarm). This bonus is on top of everything else they receive, so it benefits a Harkkan Warlord to have Harkkan Followers and Harkkan Player Characters to derive greatest benefit.

If a Harkkan character is knocked out or killed, they stop being of benefit for Swarm. If a group goes from 20 strong to 19 Strong, they only get +15 atk/def. This doesn't change from 15 to 19. Anything less than 5 derives no benefit whatso ever.

Disclaimer: I don't want to make this too complicated, so if anyone has a better way of wording it, or another probable submission, I'm all ears(eyes?)!

Forgesoul:
(Renamed) I just renamed it because it shouldn't really be a surprise that a race so warlike would be crafty.

Harkkan have an affinity towards metalworking and are capable of building functional forges from the barest of materials. Some rumors say that the Emperor employs the most skilled of Harkkan smithies to forge the greatest and most legendary of weapons and armor, but this is a rumor none can confirm, since smiths are typically only known by their work, not their appearance. None are really sure why Harkkan are so adept at metalsmithing, but some believe it’s because of their intrinsic, warlike culture has honed the skill and made it instinctual.

Disadvantages:

Trial of Strength:
(explain why Suspicious Characters was removed): With the removal of survival instincts, it felt good n' proper to remove Suspicious Characters. In lieu of that, Trial of Strength directly correlates to Swarm -- if they can make a good and proper warband, they get benefit, but the drawback is that it's really hard to *keep* a warband together.

While Harkkan are at their greatest amongst a warband in greater numbers, it is incredibly difficult for them to even start up such a warband. The entirety of a Harkkan warband’s backbone is a single, incredibly strong leader able to keep them all in check – gender doesn’t matter. However, should a warband lose a battle, or if the leader in question loses a fight, the warband will break up almost instantly overnight, as the weaker ones no longer see their leader in the same light. Beyond fucking, it is very hard for Harkkan to prove themselves properly enough to gather the strength needed to create a proper warband. Difficult, but not impossible.

Lascivious:
(explain why Troublemakers was removed) All greenskins can be troublemakers, but we don't necessarily want to pigeonhole them into being useless for the Empire because they can't be relied upon in the long run. This leaves it open that if a Harkkan *wants* to be a troublemaker, they can, but Lascivious fits in particularly well in this setting (IMO) and explains the group mentality of Harkkan rape-squads.

Harkkan are a notoriously driven people. When they’re in their warbands, they seek war. When they’re not in their warbands, they seek… anything and everything that catches their interest. Some are natural born thieves; others love getting in fights just to fight. But all Harkkan, due to whatever inexplicable reason, thrive in sex. They rape, they fuck, they try their hardest to breed and they don’t necessarily care who it’s with. This taint carries through to the halfbreeds, who can lose themselves entirely to the throes of lust and passion in short order.

Behavior:
Harkkan vary vastly in behavior and tradition throughout the world of Belariath. Most congregated groups form war bands that hunt each other down for fun, profit, and to prove their band is the greatest, strongest thing in those lands. Other, smaller groups might take up a more migratory lifestyle, staying only long enough in an area to strip it of its resources or to annoy the locals enough to have them try and drive them off, before moving on.

Each and every Harkkan is a survivalist. They’re trained hard and forced through a rite of passage early in their lives. Those who fail, die, too weak to survive in a world that doesn’t give a single care of their passing. Those that survive, though, are forever changed. They’re stronger, they fear less and certainly do not fear death. Not every Harkkan goes through a rite of passage though, it depends on the circumstances surrounding each individual.

In addition to being fearless, Harkkan are also supremely shameless in their activities; having loose to no real moral codes and social graces, they tend to have locals look down on them until those willing enough to do so, learn how to properly ‘live’ in a proper society.

*Society and Taboos:

Harkkan society is very simple – strength is the only thing that matters. It is the strongest of the Harkkan that rule their warbands, it is the strongest that rule their migratory camps, and even those that dwell within the civilized cities of the Empire and beyond, it is ultimately strength that keeps them in check. One might call their society a tribal one, with a Warlord or Necromancer as its lead, or its warchief during times of strife (I.E. almost all the time) and either a Necromancer or Priest, depending on the totem of that tribe’s particular worship during times of peace. Theirs is a simple culture – hunt, kill, steal, and rape.
While a single Harkkan may be taught finer things, such as how to cultivate fruit and vegetables, how to farm the land, raise beasts of burden and the like, they only truly do so when taught by the other races.

Harkkan among their own kind are absolutely religious, always to the point of excess and zealotry. Whipped into a frenzy by the priests, shamen, and necromancers that make up ‘the faithful’, they ‘preach’ by way of fighting and destruction. Running counter to rational, civilized people, the Harkkan religion preach that kindness, peace, cultivation and civilization are taboo. Slaves are absolutely kept as property, tools that easily get worn out and tossed away, friendships don’t exist, and one should always look out for self, over the community.

They are but a relatively simple people. Their homes are made from barely hewn stone, wood and tanned leather, stretched out into easily torn down and rebuilt tents when left to their own devices, but they will quite easily make use of whatever is available in their rampages, though such homes, villages and towns are almost always beyond repair.

Yet despite their nomadic lifestyle, almost all Harkkan are capable of maintaining and repairing their own armor and weapons, though sometimes such maintenance comes as a result of using equipment that they pick up off the battlefield, so their favored armaments aren’t further damaged. In places were massive warbands settle in and a proper ‘town’ springs up, their center of worship is always front and center, a massive pillar of fire, stone, smoke, and steel. They dig deep into the earth, stripping away everything in their never-ending hunt for raw ores, while precious stones are ‘sacrificed’ to the forge gods.

*Sex:

(explain reason for change in title and writeup): (removed Children and Death aspect) I feel any mention of children really doesn't have a place in these writeups, while Death can be, and is going to be it's own mention.

Harkkan do not do anything halfhearted. To fuel their war camps and the perpetual grind that such a machine creates with the death of the weak, Harkkan have developed into extremely sexual beings. While most of their parings are between man and woman, so that the next generation can quickly be put to use, it is common for any combination of genders to be found rutting and relieving the stresses that come with constant, ineffable war and destruction. It doesn’t take much for a Harkkan to become aroused – the sight of full breasts and hips, the thickly chorded muscle of a powerful, broad chest… blood, violence… you name it.

It is yet another reason why the other races try as hard as they can not to fight the Harkkan in a proper, earnest way – even when the greenskins lose, they’re so whipped up into a sexual frenzy that nothing, and no one, is safe. And Harkkan halfbloods are just as bad as their green-skinned progenitors. Deep down, it doesn’t matter how well trained, how prim and proper a half-blooded Harkkan is raised to be, they simply cannot deny their heritage and will rut as powerfully, ruthlessly, and as much virility as a full blooded Harkkan does.

That being said, Half-blooded Harkkan are not discriminated against within their cultures, so long as the half-breed is able to function in similar fashion – strength doesn’t give two wits about your bloodline.

*Political Structures:

The Harkkan’s political structure is based almost entirely off the simple premise of Strength. There is no back and forth, no vying for position with flowery words or backhanded bribes. If you’re strong enough, you’re the leader. During times of War, which is almost constantly, there is a Harkkan Warlord in charge, with his or her immediate underlings/entourage acting as intermediaries. It’s a pyramid scheme, but wholly focused on the capacity to be strong and cause as much rampant destruction as possible. Those under the Warlord need to also be strong, because if they’re not, they’re quite easily replaced.

When a proper village or town is built, things change a little. More power shifts to the Harkkan clergy; the clerics, priests, paladins, and necromancers. They see to the day-to-day activities that keep the great machine running. The forge citadels are erected, which serve as equal parts manufacturing and centers of religious zealotry and propaganda and it is to the ‘Screamers’, the religious fanatics that spout the great glories of whatever Harkkan deity they follow, that the Warlord and their entourage follow.

There is a very clear hierarchy – The Screamers, followed by other members of the faithful (Clerics/Priests/Paladins/Necromancers), then the Warlord and those that serve immediately underneath them, followed by everyone else. The exception to this is the Flame-kissed; the craftsmen and women who take the ‘bones of the earth’, or metal, and fashion it into weapons and armor. This is a blanket title to encompass tailors, leathercrafters, bowyers, smiths of all sorts, and the like. Anyone who can craft something worthy of the war machine.

-------------------------


Proposal to add Harkkan to Primary Race listing for Crossbreeds

Reasoning: In most genres that orcs/goblins are present, they're able to crossbreed with nearly any race. By making them a Primary Race, we would be able to see the divergence of 'proper' Goblins (Halfling/Dwarf and Harkkan crossbreeds), Hobgoblins (Human/Elf and Harkkan Crossbreeds), Belariath Bugbears (Wolven/Vulpine and Harkkan Crossbreeds) with possibly the unique qualifier of being able to crossbreed with Ogres & Trolls for truly disturbing characters. There'd be no change in their stats, what classes they take, or anything else, as this is merely to add flavor and potential to the race in an effort to flesh it out.

[miyuka]

Really well done write up. Looking forward to seeing more.

[Amara]

I agree with Yuka.
Nicely done.

IF Priest/ess is approved, Cleric needs to be added as a starter class since they are the only way to evolve into Priest/ess.

[Sanjin Koukyu]

I agree with Yuka.
Nicely done.

IF Priest/ess is approved, Cleric needs to be added as a starter class since they are the only way to evolve into Priest/ess.

Oh, added! I knew I missed something. Clerics have the same reasoning as Priest(ess)/Paladin.

[Sanjin Koukyu]

Harkkan History:

The story of the Harkkan is as old as Belariath.

The problem is, the Harkkan do not keep such records. They do not share stories of old, they do not keep history, so such is lost to the annals of time, unless one finds some ancient library buried deep in the earth that just might have such records.

One might start a tale with ‘Once upon a Time’, as it might be considered a fairy tale. Harkkan? Intelligent? Having a vast empire spanning the lands? Never. They’re ignorant, they’re hateful, they only wish to see the destruction of all things. Don’t they?

This story starts in a magnificent city, one that rivaled any human born fortress, any dwarven citadel etched from the heart of a mountain. It was easily ten-thousand souls strong, with great redstone towers lined with mithril spikes and thunder wrought gates. The streets were alive, the city was breathing… and while one could find humans, elves, dwarves… even minotaurs, ogres, and the like called this city home, it was a city founded, built and ruled by a people that called themselves the Hja-krark`anin, or, in their native tongue, ‘Blessed by the Gods’.

They worshipped gods of their own craft – ‘Yussul the Endowed’, ‘Sorda the All-Mother’, ‘Laekeh the Sky Painter’, all was well. All was peaceful.

Until it was not.

Hubris is an insidious disease. Among the ruling class, they acted out in depravity. In the darkness, they served creatures that brought them great material wealth, that brought them power. Sacrifices made in their name did not require lives to be lost or souls to be given, but… smaller things, subtle things. Arguments started to spring up more and more; emotions had started to run hotter than they ever had before. It wasn’t over the course of a day that the city fell, or even a week. Slowly, but surely, the powers that be began to see that their faith in their self-made gods was false worship.

“They do nothing!”, they started to cry, lamenting the imaginary sky-folk’s inability to fix the creeping, willful ignorance that was crawling throughout the population of ‘lower folk’.

“They can’t protect us!”, they screamed, tearing at their hair and clothing, as their lesser kin warred in the shadows of their empire, growing stronger, growing bolder.

The rift grew between those that had and those that had not. Those that had, the most intelligent, the most beautiful, they felt that those who had not were looking to destroy their way of life, that whatever corruption that was seeping through their ranks and through their minds, would ultimately destroy everything they had created and maintained. They pointed at the had-nots and claimed superiority by virtue of their self-made gods, they claimed they only did what was best for not only the had-nots, but the entirety of their people.

But the had-nots only saw corruption in those that claimed to be their betters. It was a seductive whisper, ‘do they have the strength to protect us?’ It spread like wild-fire among the had-nots of the Hja-krark`anin, who saw their children die from disease and violence, yet saw the Had’s children thrive.

‘Why should we be the only ones to suffer?’

The city fell in blazing fire, civil war tore through the lives of everyone involved. First to fall were the outsiders; the humans, the dwarves, the wolven… many of them fled, they saw the unbridled rage that coursed through the Had-Nots who had started calling themselves the Harkkan. They felt firsthand the fury of those that started to entreat the disease that killed their own, as corpses of the fallen were torn from their resting death to march upon the upper and ruling classes. Those who had adorned themselves in thickly crafted metal forged in the molten slag that had claimed untold numbers simply so those living on high might live comfortably and those who twisted earth and fire to an absolute destructive force to bring everything crashing down.

If is from these survivors that many of the stories involving Harkkan were created – of misshapen beasts screaming and howling into the night, bloodthirsty and unstoppable, for those who had nothing, or those who had lost anything, had no reason to fear.

The descendants of the first Harkkan were forged in strength of their progenitors. No longer would they let the weak rule them. After the city fell, the Hja-krark`anin were but a memory, their bones left to line the streets and become dust in the wind, while the Harkkan, they continued to fight. With their central foe struck down, they had no where else but to turn the rage that had built over what might have been hundreds of generations.

Like a plague of locusts, they spread from the once-city of their forebears, destroying and devouring everything in their paths and threatening those that lived beyond the boundaries of their once great empire. Old allies tried to entreat them, but the Harkkan would not hear anything of their sweet whispers, recalling hearing similar things through spoken record of their former ‘masters’. Unfortunately for the Harkkan, with their now smaller numbers, spread thin throughout the lands, the other races were able to rally against this threat and beat them back, time and time again.

But the threat forever remained – the Harkkan persist. They grow. They rage.

[Sanjin Koukyu]

Harkkan Tribes:

While these tribes are the predominant and largest of the known Harkkan tribes, there are an untold amount of smaller tribes out throughout the world of Belariath with entirely different morals, standards, and ethos.

Blackmire Tribe:

These are the Harkkan that have taken to the swamps. Likely considered to be one of the most docile of the known Harkkan tribes, that is simply because those that would find feud with the Blackmire normally find themselves interred within the bog, feeding the swamps flora and fauna without trace. They could easily be considered one of the viler of the Harkkan, allying themselves with swamp trolls and, considering the difficulty of finding metal ore to smith within such an environment, garb themselves with gator-hide and other improperly tanned leathers, while wielding weapons made of bone and tooth.

While they never grow to the size that enable them to create a forge citadel, they frequently create bonfires as they practice their rites of worship. Peat makes for a wonderful fuel, as do the rotting corpses of their foes. Capable farmers and hunters, the Blackmire supplement their food stores by raiding merchant caravans that make the mistake of taking the ‘shortcuts’ that often appear throughout the swamps they call home – this is a trap laid by the Blackmire of course, something the greedy merchants don’t realize until it’s too late, when the curiously dry and raised up from the swamp road leads into a dead end.

Even the most capable and well outfitted guard find that the swamp is too eager and hungry for the heft of their metal armor and weapons, making them a suitable sacrifice to the usual god the Blackmire serve: Ghul`Yalip the Ravenous.

Rotscreamer Tribe:

Wildly regarded as the most primal, vile of the Harkkan tribes, the Rotscreamers have thrown their entire lot in with the spirits and the dead. One of the truly nomadic tribes, they march from war to war, following no banner but their own. They aid the warring parties without payment, because their tithe comes after the war. Those sent to war are the young, the virile, and the bloodthirsty, using those who’d war against one another as a rite of passage to cull their weak, resulting in the stronger continuing their bloodlines while the weak are forged into something far more useful to the tribe.

Risen dead for their necromancers to wield and spirits for their shamen to call upon.

The Rotscreamers wear the corpses of their dead, with the masks of death resting upon their faces, a perpetual scream of pain and anguish that serves as a trophy. Whether they are xenophobic by choice or by virtue of the other races and clans avoiding them like the plague they oft call upon, very little is known about this Harkkan tribe so steeped in death and spiritualism. While it’s not fully known which of the Harkkan pantheon they serve, it’s said that the totems and flags left in the earth are bound to Ma’Nagesh the Corpseater.

Chokesmoke Tribe

Fire starters. That’s the simplest, kindest way to describe the Harkkan of the Chokesmoke tribe. Wherever they go, great plumes of smoke mark their forward march, as well as the ruin they left behind. These are the greenskins who have given themselves fully to the primordial flames, branding their flesh until it is almost as black as the coal they consume to fuel their forges. While not as militantly minded as the Ironbloods or Skyroar tribes, they boast some of the greatest pyromancers among the Harkkan and, as a result of their ties to the flame, revere the Empress as the second coming of their goddess, Fenig’oxa, She Who Burns the World. This makes them indirect allies of the Skyroar tribe.

The Chokesmoke tribe are home to the Igniters, the priesthood that sees to the vast forgecitadels that the Harkkan erect when they set down roots and create their towns. It doesn’t matter which of the tribes erect the forge, they always call upon a Chokesmoke Igniter to set the first spark and set smoke into the sky. Because of their affinity to the smoke and, subsequently, the shadows and darkness it creates, the Chokesmoke are home to some of the Harkkan’s greatest thieves and mist raiders.

Priests and Paladins within the Chokesmoke tribe favor fiery motifs, with the latter often incorporating cages of burning embers, wood, and coal into their thick armor while they march into battle, while the former carry with them thuribles and censers to spread the blessing of smoke and flame.

Ironblood Tribe:

The Ironbloods are the rank and file. They’re the most populous, well known of the Harkkan tribes, leaving them the most well rounded of the tribes. In truth, they’re also the most dangerous given that they can be nearly anything to anyone. Fully kitted warlords with pyromancers, priests, and shaman in their rank and file, with necromancers and bards (or their warscreamers, as they prefer to be called) marching in behind to provide support. There is a very good chance if you stumble upon a Harkkan city, it will be by Ironblood design.

While most of the other tribes are fixated on a single, powerful aspect of their heritage, Ironbloods are the jacks of all trades and, as a result, tend to work the more mundane aspects that fuel the war machine. Almost always, their cities are built over a massive network of caverns that the Ironbloods mine out for the precious metals that craft their weapons and armor. Occasionally, when they need to trade with other races, they hoard the precious stones they dig up, but normally, such is sacrificed to the great forge at the city’s center to their usual god, Huruppa the Slagborne.

Skyroar Tribe:

Often considered to be a myth and legend even among the Harkkan, the Skyroar tribe are, by definition, the most civilized of the greenskin tribes. They’re also one of the newest tribes to come into existence, compared to the decades or even centuries that some have maintained their linages. It is said that they derived their tribe’s name due to their service to the Empire and, through extension, to the one that claims the greatest of strength in Belariath to date: Stormbringer.

And this makes them one of the most dangerous tribes. Their warriors and warlords are bedecked in the best armor and weapons that mehrial can buy, their clergy sing the greatest songs to their idols of worship, the Emperor himself and the nameless Inferno. They rain down destruction and death on any that the Empire calls enemy, serving the Nobility with the same fervor and ferocity that any other tribe does their gods – these are strength made manifest flesh, proof of their ancient heritage and birthright.

Like all things within the Empire, the veil of civility does not diminish their bloodlust, nor their destructiveness. Might makes Right in all things, but the Skyroar tribe follow these tenets and laws as if they were gospel written in blood.

[Sanjin Koukyu]

Harkkan Religion

The Harkkan, first and foremost, are creatures of Chaos, Destruction, and Fire. They long cast off the shackles by their brethren, struck down their gods and erected new ones from the corpses of the old. It is said that for every tribe, there is a single god or goddess that they serve and revere, offering up blood, ashes, and precious stones in sacrifice to them. This means that there could be countless gods or goddesses to be worshipped, yet it is with worship that these gods are given life, breath, and most importantly, voice.

Harkkan religion is curious and unusual in this regard, for unlike Morpheous and her Magi, the Elder Dragons and the Drak Sen, and other such deities that directly created their followers, it is the exact opposite for the Harkkan. The Greenskins create that which they serve, and it is through them that they grow in strength. Given the Skyroar’s worship of the Emperor Stormbringer, many have wondered if his vast, indisputable strength is a direct result of this Harkkan tribe’s worship or if his strength came first and their worship merely added to it.


Ghul’Yalip the Ravenous:

Among the Blackmire Tribe, Ghul’Yalip the Ravenous is worshipped. She is considered to be forever hungry, consuming anything that she can fit into her massive maw. The totems the tribe carves from the deadwood of the swamp, display a creature that seems equal parts Jhore and Harkkan; a black, bloated beast who’s mouth, filled not only with both jagged and needle-like teeth, but also unhinges like a snake to swallow larger prey whole.

She is the swamp, they say, and those who go missing within the mire are considered to have been eaten, or sacrificed, to the great mother’s appetite. She is the epitome of destruction through overconsumption – she cares not about the opinions of others, wallowing in her disgusting filth, destroying anything and everything in her path. She is of the here and now, since that is all that matters. The past is a memory, and the future doesn’t exist, so why worry?

Ma’Nagesh the Corpse-eater:

Patron goddess of the Rotscreamers, Ma’Nagesh is reviled even among the other tribes – they consider Ghul’Yalip to pale in comparison with the depravity that is the Corpse Eater. Nothing is sacred – spirits and corpses alike are toys to be played with before being burned up like so much fuel for Ma’Nagesh’s schemes. There is not one stable depiction of the Corpse-eater, as she reveals herself in whatever decay presents itself; to one, she may be a shambling, half-eaten zombie. To another, a tumbleweed of bones. Her influence is a powerful one in Belariath, as death comes easily to the weak and inexperienced.

The Rotscreamers claim that Ma’Nagesh is the end of all things, that which awaits those who find none to give lip service to. Those souls that fall between the cracks in the afterlife, that fail to be ferried off by their gods or goddesses, are claimed by her. She is the finality of death through disease and blight and it is said that many of the plagues that fall upon the face of Belariath have had their birth from her bowels, before being vomited forth through the cursed words of her Rotscreamers.

Fenig’oxa, She Who Burns the World:

Fire is a fundamental part of nature. Even the Harkkan know, despite not being interested or savvy enough to understand the elemental laws, that the primordial flame is tantamount to the breath of life itself. They use fire to cook their food and warm their homes. They also use it to burn down the cities of their enemies, to create funeral pyres in service to Fenig’oxa, and to smelt their ore so it may be turned into weapons and armor. In this, the Chokesmoke consider Fenig’oxa to be the All Mother, greater than any other.

For it was the fires of creation that forged the world, and it will be her flames that wash over land and sea, to choke the sky in smoke, ash, and steam. She is not only considered the physical, tangible fire that is created through the world, but the one who stoked the flames of war in the early Harkkan people, who tended the fiery emotions of rage and lust within each green skin, until it finally burst and enabled those who were strong, to finally take their proper place in the world. Any flame is the avatar of her being to the Harkkan, and the Chokesmoke in particular take personal offence to such flames being quashed by mere mortals.

Huruppa the Slagborne:

For every ingot of iron they smelt, there’s residual slag at the bottom of the pit. The imperfections forced out by the fire, an amalgamation of everything imperfect. Just like the Harkkan are. Huruppa was created, forged by the very fires that created the Harkkan and is regarded as one of their chief deities and the primary god that the Ironblood tribe worship, he is often depicted as a misshapen monstrosity, pieced together and given life from a myriad of sources. Sometimes his legs are too small and his arms too large, sometimes he has three, four, or even five arms, sticking out of various places, or upwards to ten legs; he’s made to look vaguely like the thick slab of slag found at the bottom of the furnace citadels when they’re cooled down enough to clean them out.

Some of his most devoted claim they can hear his voice beyond the roar of the furnace. Each crackle, each hiss, each thump of hammer and anvil, they are the chorus that sings his songs. The blood that coats the blades and armor of the Harkkan are his sacrifice, as are the precious stones fed to the forge. He is often regarded as the calmest of the Harkkan gods, though that’s not saying much when compared to the deities of the other races; even the dullest chunks of slag are capable of caving heads in with piqued rage.

[Sanjin Koukyu]

And that finishes my submission! Finally. Real life caught me unawares these last few weeks. I do have more to submit, but they rely on this being accepted, so I won't jump the gun and post more than is necessary. Thank you for reading!

[miyuka]

I'll let HC know about this

[Voknali]

Sanjin, I don't think swarm fits... like I get what was the intent behind it but I don't think any other racial bonus is designed around having multiples of the same race playing together. Which considering the limited number of players we have seems highly unlikely. *thinks* I know this is my warhammer ork love coming in but i'd almost suggest an individual 'toughness' racial instead. Making them harder to kill or something, dunno. *shrugs* just my rambling thoughts ^_^;

My overall point is that racial bonuses have always been towards the benefit of the individual character and should remain mechanically that way.

[Sanjin Koukyu]

A very valid point, so let me explain my reasoning:

I considered something of a singular design when considering racial traits for them and while a Toughness styled trait would certainly fit (which would be a +def modifier on top of whatever armor they're wearing I imagine), I tried to make something that made more sense roleplay and flavor wise.

I'm pretty new to the game of Belariath, so I missed out on the heyday that I hear about on occasion. I was inspired by one orc player's attempt at creating a warband, for looting and pillaging and raping, initially gathering whatever other greenskin players were interested before broadening horizons (I believe). So the swarm ability's purpose was/is two-fold.

1st: It's a means to draw the Harkkan characters together and give them a greater reason to band together, creating roleplay for those involved and, to a degree, protecting them when they reach particular number totals. This also allows storytellers/GMs to create swarms of Harkkan NPCs for raids/etc and with the added values from Swarm, might keep them from getting snowballed (fireballed?) by a particularly powerful spellcaster.

2nd: I wanted to try and come up with something that was different compared to many other races, while still fitting in with the general theme of not only the race, but what Belariath's environment is. Thinking back to Tolkien's era of Orcs and all that, which weren't necessarily any tougher by themselves, but as a moving carpet of death and destruction across the environment.

I appreciate the response though! If the HC/Boss-folk don't think Swarm could fit properly within the boundaries of Belariath, a Toughness sort of trait would fit right in.

[miyuka]

Good response from HC, this will be sent to dev to be worked upon to make sure its in line with the other races. I may come to you occasionally with questions if anything comes up

[Sanjin Koukyu]

Yay! Ok! Always available :}

[Eucep]

This concept looks really good, thumbs up from me.