Homebrew Darklander Species Details

“When I spoke to Durvan Hawkeater of the Last Hands tribe I would describe him as a painfully honest man, he had no reason to lie. For lying held no value to him, he had no reason to grandstand because there was no gain in it. I asked he answers, he speaks his mind to a full fault. No subject is off limits because he doesn't get the social ques. Simply put he had no reason to develop past his savagery, and yet this same man would rip the eye out of a cyclops as easily as breathing. Not because he is without fear ... in fact he has it in great amounts. But simply because he has learned that fear is swift death for him, for his people. While us of civilization may scholar and speak of fancy ideals, this man and his tribe live in the utmost basic of savagery and survived. They survived where any of the greatest adventures of our civilized lands would perish like a weak newborn child."

—Tyfon Keeves - High scholar

 

A darklander refers to a group of humans that have devolved into savage brutal tribesmen, not due to anything malicious but just to survive. Darklanders come from lands that are only refered to as wasteland, such as inhospitable tundra or blasted deserts. These lands are considered a lost cause for any other to live in yet they somehow edge out their survival here. Naturally this produces a people known for their toughness, grit and grim view of the world. To them life is harsh and short, to linger on subjects that require more than a moments thought is a waste.

Of old believes and dark gods

Life in these lands also lends itself to a different kind of devotion, older gods are worshipped in these lands. Gods that many would consider dark or evil, but not so much because they live to kill or slaughter. But simply because the simpler worship is all they can manage, put simply most of their gods require blood and bone and lean heavily into the shamanistic side of things. The bones hold the truth for them, the blood the way to the soul and thus it is always valued. Seeing them carve into bones runes and old texts, and seeing one drink blood of the slain is not uncommon. If a Darklander believes the gods have told him to do something they will do anything they can to do so, because to go against the gods is like inviting a quick end.

Darklander Personality

The best way to describe a Darklander is to use the word grim, they lack many of the social ques one expects in modern day society only seeing the world as a simple eat or be eaten place. Often just snarling or growling in reply much more like an animal and favoring simplicity to most anything they come across, their not dumb though far from it. Some have even grasped the concept of social civilization very easily and can rather cunningly manipulate it, but most just find it a tiresome bore. Table manners included ....

Typically Darklanders are considered very rough to anyone viewing them, rough ... but build incredibly strong. You'd be hard pressed to find a Darklander who at the very least can't bench one and a half times their own weight. This leads to both males and females have a hint of the exotic to them, but still in a rough way. Sure their build well, their tall and mostly healthy and with proper work can look handsome. But for most they are almost always to savage looking.

Life in the tribes

From when they can first walk the children of the tribe are tasked with work, this is to ensure they understand. Nothing is free here, sure they play but they can't do much. Danger is always near so leaving the camp is always forbidden, but more importantly children are trained for adulthood awaits them with nothing but strife and burden. When the child is old enough (around 6 to 8) they go with one of the more experienced hunters in small packs. Learning the value of picking off the land what they can, which small amounts of vegetation can sustain them.

They learn how to set traps and track for small prey but also are exposed to the dangers of the land, this prepares them further for the many trails awaiting them. For at the age of 12 they must hunt, for now they hunt with the adults and use but simple bow. But as they grow older more weapons are taught, the might of a spear or the bite of an axe. They train with more tools in the tribe learning the value of metal and how to make leather before finally comes the rite of passage.

By now several of the younglings would have died and those that survived have but one task ahead to find a predator and slay it. This is the rite into adult hood and is undertaken on the dawn of the child's 18th birthday, they choose a weapon and set out all alone. Apply all they have learned and track down a predator of their choice, to an outsider it seems like a waste of a good youth but to the tribe it shows something of greater meaning. It displays you will not burden the tribe, that you will kill even that which hunts you. And so they seek their prey for days and weeks on end, surviving on but what little scraps they might find.

When the youth returns they are hailed as an adult, the tribe cheers their name as they bring their kill before the shaman of the tribe. They pick a bone of the animal often a tooth or claw and carefully clean it before inscribing runes of protection on it, then they proclaim that the youth is gone. For here now stands an adult whom has slain a predator, with that they often receive names like Bearkin or Wolfclaw to hint at the beast they killed. Now an adult they are free to hunt alone or with the adults, free to find a wife and own their own tent.

Odd companions

The tribe means much to a Darklander as it is their family, extended and otherwise. But still every now and then one finds themselves outside of their savage lands or in the company of a party of bold adventures, one might wonder what may make these people leave and a variety of reasons exist. The simplest of all is that the adults have the choice to stay in the tribe or wonder off, it is very rare extremely even but sometimes some adults choose a life outside of the harsh lands. The need to see what else may lay beyond the horizon is a powerful thing.

However more common is the fact that they are the last of their tribe, while they are great survivalist and fighters it will still happen that a tribe dies out. Perhaps during a raid from rivals or an attack of a feral horde eliminated the tribe while one of their number was out hunting. Or disease and famine ravaged the tribe till nothing was left, it is hard to say and often a thing only the Darklander himself knows.

The worst are those whom have been exiled or so most assume at the least, exile happens very rarely within the tribes for losing one of their own is always difficult. Thus the crime has to be on exceptional degree to exile them. And many would choose the path of wanderer before giving into the path of exile. For exile means that even their gods have shunned them and they may never return to their lands.

Darklander Traits

Your Darklander character has the following traits. A few of the traits give you a choice; consider how your choice reflects the lands from which your Darklander came.

Ability score increase

Your strength score is increased by 2 and your constitution is increased by 1

Age

Darklanders rarely go past the age of 30 and 40 is considered venerable, for them to survive so long means you have achieved greatness and cheated the hard reality of their lives. A darklander is mature around the age of 18.

Alignment

Most Darklanders lean towards neutral or chaotic neutral but some fall into good or even evil alignments.

Size

Your size is Medium. Commonly the folk of the darklands range between 6 to 7 feet tall, a weight between 170 to 250 pounds or more is often expected for their muscular frames.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Toughened by the land

Living in lands of both great barren heat or destructive frost has given the Darklanders unique resistances, depending on where they are from they are more resilient to fire or frost and aren't affected by hot lands or frozen lands. Depending on your choice your Darklander will have a unique resistance and wont be affected by such effects like freezing when in cold lands and not having proper clothing.

Survival expert

Growing up in unrelenting hardship has its benefits, the Darklanders are exceptionally apt at gathering supplies even in lands that are to the untrained eye void of life.

You gain advantage and proficiency to survival, you can also gather up to 2 rations everyday in terrain that is described as extremely hostile (IE frozen wasteland, tundra, desert, blasted wasteland etc.) You can also gather up to a quarter of a liter of water in these same environments.

While gathering rations in more rich/lush/healthy environments you can gather up to 6 rations and a full liter and a half of water.

When establishing a proper camp the gathering of supplies in hostile and comfortable environments will double.

Natural born caution

Living in the harsh lands of your tribe has given you unnaturally strong perception of your surroundings, rarely anything ever manages to sneak up on you.

Your passive perception is increased by 2

Tools of survival

The lands of where you come are harsh, and the ability to be useful is always required in the tribe. You may pick a tool set to be proficient in.

Languages

Within the savage tribes speaking ancient tongues is simple if not the first thing they learn, while a broken form of common is spoken the tongue of dark things is far more prevalent. Thus speaking of abyssal is strangely common to them.