7 days left! All funded, but if you’re looking to jump in, I’d love it if you did!
These are two more of the races in the world. I will say that this first book focusses on elves (specifically Sophielecent elves and their wards) and bugbears but is peopled by a plethora of rich and fascinating cultures. Below are two more. Tomorrow, I’ll have another pair up!
I wish y’all a fantastic time with everything in life! I’ve been blown away by the support and genuine love expressed and wish, in whatever way I may, to reflect that same affection back into the community. Know y’all go forth with my blessing, in addition to the myriad others you’ve earned.
Trolls
Ogres are typically a cave dwelling, largely solitary race, though they have a history of getting on very well with orcs. They are highly social with one another and have rich cultural provisions for visitors to their ranges. Their communities, if such a term can be applied, are composed of dozens of small territories and a central neutral zone wherein they may come to gather and intermingle.
Ogres require precision and order in their lives. Any deviation in the normal ebb and flow of their territories is seen as a mortal offence and they usually hate the clutter humans create. Nonetheless, if a mutt stumbles onto a range, it is often adopted and trained to properly exist within the culture.
Unlike other races, ogres are raised in an intricate manner, spending a little of their youth with each of the mature adults bordering the central neutral area. There is not so much a culture of dominance as a culture of rigid territorial rights. Banishment is normalized; if an ogre reaches adulthood and no territories are presently available and unclaimed, they are sent away. These individuals either gravitate to the city, find acceptance in another cluster of territories or begin their own cluster, if an area has space for this. It is usually from these new clusters and from the city dwelling ogres that mutts occur. Being highly social, they do not enjoy isolation and will take comfort in interacting with small homesteads and with clearly defined neighbors.
Additionally, ogres are inherently gifted with changing the flow of arcane energies, which makes them masters at crafting the arcane bombs favored by the kalutai. A proficient, older ogre can usually negate all arcana in an area surrounding it with nothing more than a burst of concentrations. Conversely, they can cause arcana to surge in a region, creating wild growth and genetic instability in local flora and fauna at will.
Hobgoblins
Hobgoblin society is fiercely matriarchal, with males performing periphery tasks and usually being lighter and slighter of frame than their female counterparts. They make up for this by generally being a little taller than the women, and the males are usually very easy going with all races, be they Hard or Soft, while the women tend to be hypercritical and slow to trust.
Hobgoblin women, as with most Hard Races, select their mates. Unlike most other races, these pairings, usually made for life, are just as likely to be made between differing genders a they are to be between a male and a female. Genetics are not valued overmuch and a mother often has chldren sired by many different males, though her designated mate will be the father figure -- or secondary mother figure -- to her young. While both parents raise their young, the entire community sees to the wellfare of all hobgoblin children as a matter of course. It is often said that there are no hobgoblin orphans, just children with a new set of parents. The culture also values architecture, mathematical concepts and sculpture.
Hobgoblins usually range in height from a little over six feet to a little under seven, have mottled, two toned skin, like light reflecting off a river, and regularly intermingle with other groups of Hard races. While protective of any area wherein their young roam, they do not maintain rigid territorial barriers and often allow intruders to trespass without incident, provided the interlopers move off without causing undue harm. If they seem inclined to linger, a few males will be sent out to test them for general levels of friendliness and, if they are fairly docile, will often incorporate their settlements or migratory routes into the community’s territorial range.
