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| Art @WotC |
The Rask are a race of huge, beefy
lizardmen. They stand at about 7 feet tall, are thickly built, and
well suited to the badlands and tundras of their homeland. They have
a culture based around families and victory in battle. Many Rask
become raiders or warriors- they lack the dexterity and patience for
most other lines of work.
Of course, the Rasks' culture is quite
unique. They value the immortal over the mortal, and venerate them
whenever possible. This means that they view things like demons,
lovecraftian horrors, and ancient wizards as akin to godly beings and
are worthy of respect. Even Orcs do not tolerate demonic forces or
commonly use their magic, due to the dangers, but the Rask will give
a demon the offer to lodge in their home with a respectful bow.
This feature of their culture extends
to other aspects of life as well, and is one of the reason why Rasks
willingly sell themselves into slavery. Either through direct choice
or through their family request; a Rask will allow themselves to be
stripped of all titles and consider it an honor to become enslaved.
While this is often a willing transaction, once enslaved they are
treated as all other slaves. To the Rask, the chance to sell
something temporary (their bodies) for something permanent (gold) is
a great opportunity, and to wipe away their family's debt or end
their negative relations is a great honor. The Rask for the same
reason have a cultural disdain for slave owners, who they consider
foolish. You can buy a Rask slave from a market for their muscle, own
them totally, and they will just sneer at their masters. After all,
you are trading flesh, which will one day rot in the ground, for gold
and jewels that never will. You are a fool in their eyes.
Also- I know the image that inspired
this post is an orc from a MtG plane, I just really like the art.
Rask
Base AC- 7
This
race is known as warriors and raiders. They are scaly, being about 7
ft tall with blue or gray scales with cream to white under skin. They
have long, stringy black hair that is patchy for almost all members
of their kind. Living in the hard parts of the world, they must be
strong and brutal to survive. They are skilled in edged weapons and
outdoorsmanship.
- Generate Strength + Constitution with 2d8+1d6
- Generate Intelligence as 2d6+1
- Add +2 Hit Points at character creation. Your minimum hit points are also boosted by +2. Rasks of any class gain +2 max Hit Points at 5th and 10th level.
- You're big and therefor get -2 to stealth rolls.
- You need 2 rations a day instead of just 1.
- Gain +1 to hit with any weapon with an edge longer then 1 ft.
- Gain +2 to any morale checks or saves vs unnatural fear. The Rask cannot be tortured to extract any information, unless the Rask choses to.
I love that orc as well! I still don't quite understand but there's something special about that piece. It doesn't quite look like an orc as I usually think of it but still does a little, and there's nothing singularly that stands out about it but it just looks good.
ReplyDeleteI feel like a better way to describe their contempt toward slave holders would be that the Rask value honor over freedom. After all, gold and jewels can be stolen or destroyed by disaster. Just like flesh, they are finite. But honor is eternal and even when you are shamed, your honor can be restored.
ReplyDeleteSo perhaps the Rask view debts or financial entanglements to be shameful, as a proud warrior should be not be lowered to the same level as a commoner or a merchant. So when a Rask sells himself into slavery, he knows that he is helping to do his duty and erase his or his family's debt, while you, his master, care only about money.