Since the rise of civilization, one race has stood out in being uncompromisingly ferocious as well as voluntarily primitive. Originally 5 different races, common bonds of breeding now unite them. Orcs, Goblins, Kobolds, Trolls, Ogres. While once these were names of true races, now these names form the social castes within the strange and barbaric race known collectively as the Mongrels. Living in primitive tribes on the edge of civilization, the Mongrels are a race of warring monsters, more brutal than the dark elves but just as deadly. While Dark Elves represent a sinister force looking in the shadows, to see a Mongrel rip their opponents to shreds, sometimes with their bare hands, is not the horror of the unknown, but the known horror, fierce and uncompromising. Favored by Rend, this barbaric race constantly fights an expansionist war against any and all other races, taking prisoners only for the purpose of sacrifice or other slaughter.

History

The elves document the first appearance of the Mongrels as being in the form of a major raid done by the race called the Ogres. This race had the uncanny ability to ignore blows as they came at them, dismissing all but the strongest of shots. The Ogres launched a massive strike against the forests of the elves, not hesitating to burn entire sections of the woodlands merely to catch a few elves who would escape their attacks by weaponry. The Ogres had apparently known about the elves for some time, and destroyed hundreds of acres of woodland and 4 major cities before being sent back to their lands. After this war, the elves sent their best scouts across the mountains and into the wastelands that the Ogres called home, and discovered that there were four other races within these lands. The Ogres, that the elves had fought with, were being pushed back on one front by the Orcs, who possessed devastating skill with weapons as well as incredible strength. The Trolls were not very widespread, but had the ability to rise from the dead after having fallen in battle, and often used ‘suicide’ tactics to their advantage. The Goblins were mainly under the subjegation of the Trolls, but were experts at sneak attacks and night maneuvers. The Kobolds possessed scales, and existed in separate tribes, being mages of great ability. While devious, the Kobold tribes were more peaceful, and actually were willing to talk to the elven scouts, before attempting to assassinate them as they slept.

Within a few years, odd reports were coming in from scouts about these races. The Orcs stopped pushing for dominance against the Ogres, and were allying with them. The Trolls and Goblins had joined with the Kobolds, and formed an empire. Reports from those who could disguise themselves as these folk, who began to call themselves “The Chosen of Rend” revealed that many of the Shamans, High Clerics of the primitive races, had visions from the god Rend that the races were to unite and conquer “the lands of the east.” The elves could barely prepare for the massive assault that began when Orc, Troll, Goblin, Kobold, and Ogre came over the mountains to attack. Over the next thousand years, the Empire of the Chosen of Rend would send wave after wave of Orc, Ogre, and Troll. Goblins would sneak into cities and kill anyone, adult or babe, and the Kobolds would use magic not only to attack the elves, but to attack the forests in which they lived. The elves ended the war, managing to complete an arcane ritual that completely eradicated all Orcs, Ogres, Kobolds, Trolls, and Goblins. They thought the day won, and after no trace of the Empire of the Chosen of Rend could be found, they departed the wastelands, which resisted all attempts at forestry.

Over millenium later, in the early days of the Torodan monarchy, ships were sent out to the cause of expanding the nautical abilities, and possibly territories, of the empire. began to be lost at sea with no real explanation. At first, it was thought that pirates might be to blame. However, a few shipwrecks were found near the island of Alooshin. It appeared that some of the crew of the three ships lost on that island, the Seagull Feather, the Whale’s Fin, and the Mermaid’s Cry, attempted to escape their pursuers by fleeing into the jungles. The goods that the ship bore were found in the burned hull of the ship, damaged but untaken. None of the races known would be so bold or blunt, and the elves had assured them that the lands to the north, across the Gray Sea, were completely uninhabitable, and the elves were rarely wrong in such matters. Still, King Herrard sent men across the sea to find out what happened, while the Elves used divinations, to ask the gods themselves if the old threat had somehow reemerged. The Elven divinations came back hopeful, confirming that not a single Orc, Ogre, Troll, Kobold, or Goblin was left in existence. The human investigations revealed more accurate results. During the thousand years that the 5 races were united, it was discovered that they could interbreed. These crossbreeds possessed some of the strengths of each race, however in such low quantity that they were used for little more than slaves, and had never been in large numbers. However, they had one, unknown advantage. The elven ritual had been specifically targeted to five races, and the hybrids didn’t count as any of them. Over the next millenium, the hybrids had continued to interbreed, and had formed a barbaric race of strong individuals, the old races merely being titles among the new race, deemed ‘Mongrels’ for their savage natures and mixed heritage. For the next hundred years, Elven and human armies clashed with the Mongrels, who increased their attacks on the sea against the humans and on the land against the elves. Despite being one race, the Mongrels were not as organized, and each attack had an effect on an entirely different tribe. However, human attempts dwindled as the number of seafaring tribes diminished. To this day, Mongrels and Elves still clash in what are now known as the Mountains of Despair, the fight sometimes going to the elven forests, sometimes going deep into the wastelands of Mongrel territory, neither side gaining more ground than the other.

Society and Culture

Mongrels live in tribal warbands, constantly attacking each other, the elves, and occasionally humans via the waters. Within each Mongrel tribe, the titles of Orc, Ogre, Troll, Goblin, and Kobold are used, although the bloodlines are so diluted that these rarely are a representation of more of one kind of blood than another. Most Mongrels are Orcs, the title given to the foot soldiers of the tribe. Ogres are distinguished more by tactics than by strengths, tending to prefer defensive skills and shields to the two-handed weapons most Orcs prefer. Any Mage or Bard within a Mongrel tribe probably has the title of Kobold, while Rogues and Tinkers are Goblins. Goblins and Kobolds tend to be viewed as weak, those who choose the path of the Goblin (or have it chosen for them, as some tribes force their members into certain positions) typically become slaves while Kobolds are often slightly respected for their abilities in war. Powerful Kobolds go off on their own, seeking lost arts and ancient secrets, often becoming hermits. Troll is a title rarely used, but typically if one has the ability to heal themselves or the ability to do damage merely by hitting the equipment and not the person, they are given this title. Mongrel society is lead by Shamans, Clerics who worship mostly Rend, although a few tribes also pay homage to Fiera and Eraen. (though it should be noted that these shamans rarely gain powers, unless the tribe is truly radical in it’s beliefs)

Mongrel tribes tend to have poor weaponry, little to no armor, not much in the way of gold and other treasures, and little in the way of traps and poisons. While they know the value of such things, they put so much energy into fighting that there is little room for trade, mining, or gathering of resources. The Goblins of the tribes are often working feverishly in attempts to maintain the weapons currently owned, and so have no time to be spent on making new weapons, nor any resources for it. Combined with the abuse that those who work on building gain within Mongrel tribes, it is a wonder that the Mongrels have the huts that they live in!

The tribes have no cohesive social structure between them, however, certain patterns in leadership tend to emerge. Clerics and Fighters tend to lead the tribes, as Shamans and Warlords, and Fighters tend to dominate the social structure. Even then, the person must be a Orc, Troll, or Ogre, as Goblins and Kobolds are rarely allowed to rise as leaders. After Orc Fighters, Goblin Rogues and Tinkers tend to be the next most common, creating the bulk of the weapons that the Mongrels use. Social mobility tends not to occur often, as once your are labeled within a tribe they do not change your status. Moving between tribes is nigh impossible due to social circumstances, and the outside world doesn’t favor Mongrels. Combined with the skills learned in the various sectors of Mongrel society, this leads many members, even Goblins and Kobolds, to accept their social roles and live with them.

Those who venture into outside society often meet with fear, oppression, and attempted elimination. Seeing a weapon on a Mongrel is often considered reason enough to assume it hostile, and if it doesn’t have one it could be a Shaman, making it an equal if not greater danger. As there is no way to distinguish Orcs, Ogres, Trolls, Kobolds, and Goblins offhand, there is very little legal difference between them. Each one is considered dangerous, and most often are to be captured on sight. Resistance of any kind is met by lethal retaliation. That is, if the Mongrel is alone. A group of five or more Mongrels could be the precursor to a warband, and so any group of that size or larger is simply to be killed on sight. Many Mongrels, coming from a warlike culture, meet these attempts with resistance and hostility, not understanding that this is simply the signing of their death warrant.

All in all, life is poor for your average Mongrel. Those who see their society, especially if they are worshipers of Silveen, tend to feel pity for them, and attempt to help the race, or at least individual tribes, up from it’s poor state. Unfortunately, helping a Mongrel is often the equivalent of calling it too weak to take care of itself, so aid attempts are futile and often deadly, even among old friends. Combined with limited social mobility, most Mongrels have learned to live with their society, with only a bit of rage that the let loose in battle.

Physiology

Mongrels have within them the makeup of five different races, mixed through centuries to have certain traits and become one. Although it is possible that two mongrels could have a cross-breed child (a mixture of only two races) or a pure breed child, (one of the initial five races) these are so rare as to be non-playable. As three of their races were noted for high strength, and the current mongrel race is highly focused into it’s martial ability, most mongrels are exceedingly strong. Those with a high ancestry of orcs and trolls have muscles that actually form a cross-stitch of layers, making them stronger when it comes to martial abilities, but are not as bulky as those with ogre blood.

Government:

Mongrels government is based around one concept: The most powerful person is in charge. Usually, but not always, this is a person of martial ability, such as a Warlord or Chieftan. Shamans usually exist outside of the tribal structure, living as hermits in the vast wastelands of mongrel territory. Those on the path of the Shaman often find themselves dragged into leadership roles before they go into seclusion, however, and in major raids a shaman may be enlisted to assist in the assault, which they are often willing to do. Wizard-type shamans often go on raids to gain items that they cannot get in the wastelands, and Cleric-shamans are often of Rend, and so thrive on battle. As the mongrels hold shamans in high regard, many think of them as leaders in mongrel society, but this is not true outside of situations in which the Shaman is actually working with the tribe.

In order to become Warlord, one usually simply has to kill the current Warlord. The tribes often have other qualifications, ranging from that the person must be a mongrel to that they must pass through a gauntlet. Gauntlets and duels are often the only legal force in mongrel society, and are used frequently. Duels are set whenever two people disagree on something that is a personal matter, from stealing a chunk of meat to killing a loved one. The winner, and frequently the survivor, is the right one. Gauntlets are normally reserved for crimes against the tribe, such as consorting with non-mongrels or running in battle. In a gauntlet, the mongrel must go from point a to point b, frequently an area with enough room that each mongrel in the tribe is on one side or another of the path, and survive. If they do, they are free to go. For obvious reasons, it is often wiser to betray a smaller tribe as opposed to a larger one. Generally, if a dispute ends with only one survivor, mongrels accept that the winner is in the right, and the loser is dead.

Role Play, Costuming, and Make Up

When playing an Mongrel, one should speak with a grunting voice. Though some Mongrels have been able to overcome (with surgery and time) the condition that causes them to speak with this, most don’t care enough or don’t have the money. To speak with this grunt, there are a few techniques that work well. I recommend moving your lower lip out slightly and speaking slightly lower. Another thing to remember is that most Mongrels have a fairly small vocabulary, any specialized or technical words are probably beyond them, as is good sentence structure.

All Mongrel have green skin, and green skin make-up is probably the way to go with this. I have seen a few good masks that would work for Mongrels, but you are probably better off with just applying green make-up to your face. Masks tend to be too hot and may not have a good fit, which are real concerns when you are wearing them for any length of time. (Particularly in situations where you will be sleeping/eating in character) With make-up, try to buy it from a costuming store, as most other stores not only sell lower-quality make-up, but it is also often a seasonal item. I recommend getting a person at a costuming store help you find the right shade of green, and not to buy anything that comes in a tube. Some tube make-up can’t stand up well vs. weather conditions and it may be the wrong color. No one wants to play the neon green warrior. When applying the make-up, be careful about making the face look good. I wouldn’t worry too much about non-face areas in general, as most people care more about seeing the Mongrel’s face as green than his arms being a little pasty in that area. Don’t worry about any parts of your body that won’t show at all. Lastly, but most importantly, look at the directions for applying the make-up before you use it for the best and safest effect.