| The World of Teréth End - People & Races |
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People Anbur (Wiz6)  |
Book of Ortor [earth]
The Ortor is the second most populace race on the Teréth End. A mountain people, the Ortor stay separate from the other races for most of the year. During the winter months however, the Ortor are notorious for assembling large raiding armies that sweep from the high valleys into the more fertile lowlands in search of food. These seasonal raids has fostered the Ortor the reputation of a blood-thirsty marauding barbaric race. This reputation is not unsupported. The Ortor skull has a passing similiarity to the Uren skull though is much more heavily constructed. The forehead is sloped back from a heavy brow ridge that sits atop a high and wide cheekbone. A large mandible juts forward at the skull's base, with all lower-jaw teeth angled backward except for large bi-cuspids, which on males cannot be hidden (and appear externally as two separate teeth). Ortor skin varies from mottled grey to dark brown, and is not specific to sub-species. Ortor hair is usually dark and greasy, and grows in Uren-like patches and from the elbows. Other than eyebrows, Common Ortor have no facial hair, though the smaller Black Ortor may grow long chin-beards.
Bu-Ortor (Half Ortor) are not uncommon in regions where Ortor and other races overlap. A large percentage of Bu-Ortor are products of rape. Regardless of the "contributing" race's feature or attributes, Ortor half-breeds rarely bear much resemblance to the mother. In fact, half-siblings of Halver and Uren mothers often look very similar with only slight feature differences. Some scholars classify the Bu-Ortor as partial or incomplete Ortor rather than being half of something else. If the line is not diluted further, the grandchildren of Bu-Ortor will be full Ortor. Ortor of different sub-races that breed create Bu-Ortor as well. The Bu-Ortor from such a union most often inherits the characteristics of the father. Psychology: Ortor intelligence is low to average, though exceptional Ortor do appear ocassionally that rival Uren intellect. Language: Ortori Religion: Most Terèthori Ortor worship one of the four low-gods. Most worshipped of the eastern ranges is Toedus. Each centennial moon each ort sends a tribal wizard to a high place to commune with the gods of their people. Whatever message the wizards return with from their ordeal determine the tribe's direction for next one hundred moons. Culture: Ortor divide themselves into clans called ort, which are families joined within five generations, centered on the founding clanhead. When a clan grows beyond this, there are separations based on the current clanhead. Due to the short average lifespan of the Ortor, 15-23 years, each family produces around 3-7 offspring within a generation. Averaging 5 children per family, an average clan may consist of over 620 members. Clans traditionally do not relate well with other clans, and mark wide boundaries wherein to grow food and collect resources. In more fertile areas, clans are sometimes more amenable to neighboring groups. Within eastern Terèthor, the combined ranges of the ort are named Urtorum. Within this wide mountainous region, the Ortor are the unquestioned rulers. Urtorum extends from the Snaking Pass to the Kur Evalshat. Within the mid-7th century DR, there are four major ort that control Urtorum; the Retugnar Ort, Sorbur Ort, Bragnar Bar Ort, and the Pantargor Ort. The crafts of the Ortor are more crude than their Uren equivalents, but they are skilled at sturdy construction, and are good at mimicking the works of more skilled artisans, given the chance to observe. Ortor metalsmiths fashion bronze and iron goods. Ortor armor is simple. Though there are plentiful examples of found chainmail being incorporated into Ortor armor, the Ortor are not known to craft chainmail on their own. Ortor weapons are predominantly axes, hammers, swords, knives, spears, and bows. Magic: Ortori magic is mostly elemental and combat-oriented. Interestingly, much (not all) of Ortori magic has been unresponsive in non-Ortori "hands". Discovery of this new twist of Chaos has fostered research into the possibilities of racial magic, magic that can only be performed by a member of a specific race.
Physiology: The Ergzru are the smallest physically of the Terèthori Ortor, and may be mistaken for large Uren (though the mistake would be a bad one). Other than a smaller frame than their Murdru and Bludru cousins, the Ergzru are identifiable by their flat porcine noses, a trait not found in other Ortor. Living primarily in the northern mountains of Terèthor, the Black Ortor are primitive people subsisting on forageables and ocassional raids into Uren lands. Culture: One of the four Urtorum Ort (see Sorbur Ort) are Ergzru. The Sorbur Ort (clan of the black-snake) is a clan of nearly 500 Ortor. The Sorbur are not only physically smaller than their Murdru cousins, but are sickly. The Sorbur Ort reside in the Kur Evalshat, south and west of Oth. Their leader is an old white Ortor named Murgur II whose sister Anbur is one of the four wizards of Urtorum. D&D: The Black Ortor may make interesting characters for a more primitive hack-and-slash style game.
1 Base Speed. Ergzru, like other Ortor subraces do not walk completely upright. The hips of the Ortor splay their legs in bow-legged fashion while the shoulders (though muscular) slope steeply down from the head and neck. This bent posture limits Ergzru running and walking to an awkward lope. 2 Listen Skill Bonus. Ergzru gain a +1 racial bonus to Listen checks. The hearing of Ortor is renown among both their hunters and their prey. It is not easy to sneak into a camp of Ortor without someone hearing your footsteps. This bonus is lost if an Ergzru's large ears are trimmed or removed. 3 Martial Weapon Proficiency. One attribute common to all the Ortor subraces is the penchant for war. During childhood all Ortor children play and train with the weapons that will be their livelihood when they become adults. Each Ortor may choose one martial weapon that is common to their ort.
Physiology: More massive than the Black Ortor, the Murdru are significantly larger and more powerful than most Uren. Adult Murdru cannot be mistaken for Uren. Culture: Three of the four Urtorum ort are Murdru. The most fierce Murdru of Urtorum are the Retugnar Ort (clan of the rotted-eye); a large ort of over 700 Ortor. The Retugnar Ort live in the ranges surrounding Ummon. The warlord leader of the ort is Callab. Callab is a skilled warrior, and feared in the valleys surrounding Wyrthyr Tor. Callab's advisor, Yardor the Blind, is a powerful wizard (among the Ortor). There are reasons to believe that Yardor studied his arts under a Uren master. Of the four high wizards of Urtorum, Yardor is the leader. The Bragnar Bar Ort (clan of the woman-eaters) is a medium-sized clan of about 600 Ortor from the eastern mountain slopes of the Candalan coastline. A strong clan, the Bragnar Bar Ort are well-fed and do not walk stooped like other Ortor. Their leader is Cruss the Fat. Cruss's wizard is Grazzad, a particularly uncouth magic-user who relishes sacrifice, even for spells and ceremonies that do not require it. The Pantagnor Ort (clan of the lost-king) is a medium-sized clan of about 600 Ortor. The Pantagnor are an ancient clan who claim to have produced the only known (remembered) king to have united the Ortor (835 HK), King Ragred I. Following the ort's final defeat along the Snaking Pass, he retreated with a few trusted companions into the mountains and was never seen again. The leader of the Pantagnor Ort is Ragred Orkor (Orkor being the number for 1,000, the highest number known to the Ortor). The number of descendants from Ragred I is forgotten. Ragred's wizard is Slurd. D&D: The Black Ortor may make interesting characters for a more primitive hack-and-slash style game.
1 Base Speed. Murdru, like other Ortor subraces do not walk completely upright. The hips of the Ortor splay their legs in bow-legged fashion while the shoulders (though muscular) slope steeply down from the head and neck. This bent posture limits Murdru running and walking to an awkward lope. 2 Listen Skill Bonus. Murdru gain a +1 racial bonus to Listen checks. The hearing of Ortor is renown among both their hunters and their prey. It is not easy to sneak into a camp of Ortor without someone hearing your footsteps. This bonus is lost if an Murdru's large ears are trimmed or removed. 3 Martial Weapon Proficiency. One attribute common to all the Ortor subraces is the penchant for war. During childhood all Ortor children play and train with the weapons that will be their livelihood when they become adults. Each Ortor may choose one martial weapon that is common to their ort. A subrace common to Tasserus which are closely related to the Bludzru and Murdru.
Physiology: The Agâru appear similar to the Bludzru and Murdru with the exception of their skin's greenish cast and their improved posture. Agâru hair is coarse and invariably black (or gray with age) and worn in long beaded ponytails or dreads. Like their Bludzru cousins, alpha adult Agâru have been known to grow two rows of teeth. Despite their name, the Agâru are not horned, but named for their tendency to wear horned helmets and armor (see Agârkrauk). Although they are not as massive as their Murdru cousins, Agâru are the quickest among the Ortor subraces. Culture: Although large populations of Agâru are found in jungle orts throughout the Dreamlands and the Vast Untamed, some numbers of this subrace may be found alongside civilized folk in most teeming cities of southern Tasserus. The largest and most notorious concentration of the Agâru are in the kingdom of Aghkgzar, on the eastern war-torn border of Sha'ala. Of all the races of Tasserus, only the Sha'al do not allow the Agâru within their borders. The animosity between these two people and races is ancient. D&D: Agâru make reasonable characters since there are plenty of cosmopolitan locations (on Tasserus) where they are not openly despised and treated like monsters.
1 Listen Skill Bonus. Agâru gain a +1 racial bonus to Listen checks. The hearing of Ortor is renown among both their hunters and their prey. It is not easy to sneak into a camp of Ortor without someone hearing your footsteps. This bonus is lost if an Agâru's large ears are trimmed or removed. 2 Martial Weapon Proficiency. One attribute common to all the Ortor subraces is the penchant for war. During childhood all Ortor children play and train with the weapons that will be their livelihood when they become adults. Each Ortor may choose one martial weapon that is common to their ort. 3 Thug. The Thug feat is described on p31 of the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting. Unlike other Ortor, the Agâru are not uncommonly found in civilized areas of Tasserus. They are often hired for brute labor or as mercenaries. Even when found in civilized cities, the local ort remains the center of their social life. Tolerance of the Agâru on the southern continent is due in part to the relative regional threat of the Bru.
1 Ortor Blood. Bu-Agâru benefit from any special ability or allowance usually restricted to Ortor. This includes the use of Ortori weapons, magic items, racial magics and powers. Bu-Agâru may also be Shamans of an ort. 2 Martial Weapon Proficiency. Bu-Agâru may select one martial weapon proficiency of an available type if they were raised by Ortor. Bu-Agâru that were born outside of an ort do not benefit from this. A subrace rare to eastern Terèthor, the Bludzru may be found along Terèthor's western coast and in great numbers throughout northeastern Lyrast.
Physiology: Bludzru are physiologically similar to the Murdru except for two important differences, a) the skin of the Bludzru has a yellow cast, and b) adult Bludzru have two rows of teeth. Some claim that the Bludzru also have long finger claws, but these are not so much specific to the subrace as they are a cultural trait where the fingernails are grown, filed to points, and hardened by a traditional process. Culture: As with other Ortor subraces, Bludzru communities revolve around the ort. The Bludzru however are much more nomadic than their cousins. Bludzru homes and communities are often constructed from timbers and hides which can be dismantled and moved as need arises. D&D:
1 Base Speed. Bludzru, like other Ortor subraces do not walk completely upright. The hips of the Ortor splay their legs in bow-legged fashion while the shoulders (though muscular) slope steeply down from the head and neck. This bent posture limits Bludzru running and walking to an awkward lope. 2 Listen Skill Bonus. Bludzru gain a +1 racial bonus to Listen checks. The hearing of Ortor is renown among both their hunters and their prey. It is not easy to sneak into a camp of Ortor without someone hearing your footsteps. This bonus is lost if an Bludzru's large ears are trimmed or removed. 3 Martial Weapon Proficiency. One attribute common to all the Ortor subraces is the penchant for war. During childhood all Ortor children play and train with the weapons that will be their livelihood when they become adults. Each Ortor may choose one martial weapon that is common to their ort.
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Races The main races of Teréth End are: Uren (Humans) |
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| Ref. PHB (Player's Handbook), FR (Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting) © Wizards of the Coast  |
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Physiology:
Appearance of the Ortor varies by geographical region and
sub-species. The Ortor of