Duroc (3.5e Race)

Tales of Vorrelia (3.5e_Sourcebook)

Duroc

Long ago, when the World of Aum was filled with ruthless savagery from the races that roamed amongst the beasts of the wild, Dragons ruled the sky and the realms below with brute force supremacy only matched by the gods themselves. In their arrogance, the Dragons convinced the Hissi and Krawrk that races like the Duroc and humans were so beneath all expectations and progression of a nation's culture, that these lessers rightfully should become domesticated by the reptilian superiors as cattle and slaves. The Dragon Lords led a tyrannical assault on the freelands where humans and Durocs alike and occupied peacefully in a tribal coexistence, butchering thousands in what was called "The Grand Feast", where the human women were dragged away for breeding and the Duroc were heavily culled in population in a bloodbath to fill the oppressor's bellies. A great woe fell upon the Duroc, as their piglet offspring were made into rare delicacies for their lords and ladies before the Duroc's very eyes, before the remainder of the race was put in a large field surrounded by forests and a wooden "fence" like wall to keep the "herd" in.

For many centuries, the Duroc people suffered and endured, being made to graze and breed like animals, carried away when fattened up properly to be slaughtered like livestock. The Duroc people cried out in bitter agony and vengeance to the gods, but none responded, and so it fell upon their Chieftains and Shamans to come up with a plan where inevitably the Duroc could exact the full measure of recompense for the injustices felled upon their people. So it was that the Duroc began to practice preying on traders and travelers on their way to other nations, having created discrete holes in the walls of their prison, sending out small scouts to carry out the deed and bring their prisoners back to camp.

The Duroc interrogated these travelers and traders, gathering information concerning cultures, magic, history, weapons, and politics; the chief and shaman would then select promising members of their race and begin teaching them in the old ways of their culture, a combination of warrior strengths and shamanism while educating them with the knowledge obtained from their captives that were eventually released on the oath of never to reveal what was conspiring. The Duroc children that were selected were taught to speak different languages, made to read scrolls and books left behind by the travelers, and put on grueling training regiments in the forest around the village; learning to fend for themselves for food, wrestling and subduing aggressive creatures, learning the fighting styles of old, and using nature to strengthen their bodies physically and mentally.

When these Duroc children grew up as successful warriors, the chief and shaman would then invoke the spirits of their ancestors to pass on supernatural blessings to them in an ancient ritual, always with the promise that the day would soon come that the great crimes committed to the Duroc people would soon come to an end. These genetically altered Duroc would then carefully breed with gilts who were especially strong and attuned with nature, producing hardier and more intelligent offspring over time. This process lasted several centuries, with the Duroc race having been re-educated by their leaders to always work against their tyrannical lords discretely and with great fervor, for their hatred would fuel the warriors like a fire in their blood to become more aggressive and capable of fighting the reptilian races on equal terms.

The Warriors of the Duroc were always hidden away in the forest, to keep away from the attention from the reptilian races that came to cull the herd once more, so not to raise suspicion at the genetic altering the Duroc had been progressing in. Finally, the day of salvation came to the Duroc on a stormy winter's night when the Duroc were suffering from a particularly bad harvest; deep within the forest around their village, a Duroc gilt was struggling in labor with an enormously swollen belly that was in the presence of the current chieftain and shaman. Doing all they could to help ease the childbirth, the shaman informed the gilt that she was the mother of a prophetic child, that she would be giving birth to a powerful son that would raise their people to freedom and become a wandering nightmare to all other races. The shaman gravely informed the gilt mother that she would not live to see her son's rise to glory, but promised that he along with the chieftain would raise her child to mark their history as a golden age for their people. Before dying, the gilt mother gave her son the name Dhorme, which in their tongue meant "The Bloodreaver of Insurrection".

After the gilt mother's passing, Dhorme as promised was taken under the tutelage of the Chieftain and Shaman of their village, who worked doubly hard to help him master early on all the secrets of Shamanism and their fighting styles such as Sumo Wrestling and Kick Boxing; Dhorme was never allowed to enter the village, but lived amongst the proud warriors who dwelled as barbarians amongst the wilderness of the forest, using the trees, boulders at rivers, and waterfalls to strengthen themselves physically and mentally for the day of retribution. The Duroc Warriors were invigorated by the cunning leadership and skills Dhorme possessed early on, already able to snap the neck of an allosaurus with minimal effort in a wrestling match.

Dhorme practiced shamanism in his spare time to commune with the spirits of his ancestors, seeking guidance and learning small secrets of their past by communicating with them frequently. Dhorme learned that his people were once renowned for having the Berserker curse in their bloodline, but had been weakened due to the Dragon Lords culling all the original warriors of the Duroc race. Dhorme asked the spirits to pass on their knowledge of the Berserker curse, promising that not only would he avenge their people, but he would raise them up as an established nation once more to be respected and feared. Unfortunately, the spirits couldn't give what Dhorme sought as being dead they were limited by the powers of Mara who ruled the Underworld. Dhorme's ancestors did speak to him of finding a witch though, stating that they are powerful beings who knew curses better than anyone else as they created them originally in the Werewolves and Vampires first.

Dhorme at first was against seeking the help of a witch, as he pointed out that witches were nearly extinct for a reason, as they were as uncontrollable and unpredictable as the storms itself, causing great mischief when it suited them, and seldom ever keeping their word in deals as they had a knack of either killing that person or finding a loophole to screw them over. Nevertheless, the ancestors bid Dhorme to seek out a witch, as they would be the only way of helping Dhorme truly master enough power to fight the Dragon Lords. Bitterly, Dhorme agreed, and sent a scout deep into the wilds at night to go in search of anyone by the normal descriptions of a witch, though finding it unlikely in finding one as the Dragons and led a brutal war with them long ago, nearly wiping them out for supremacy.

Two weeks later, the scout returned to Dhorme with an unlikely presence; a woman clad in dark blue robes that tattered at the ends like cobwebs with eyes and long thread-like hair colored like the moon. Her skin was a dark olive black, with small hints of chocolate brown upon her highlighted areas. Her expression was keen, eyes filled with intelligence like a hawk, and her composure calm like the wind before a mighty storm. Dhorme questioned her, if she was truly a witch to show something of value to him, in which the witch created before him a wondrous set of armor made of royal robes that allowed him to become invisible. Dhorme then demanded that the witch tell him the secrets forgotten by his people in the ways of becoming a Berserker; a curse that the witch informed she'd be willing to teach Dhorme in on the condition that through him, she would produce several heirs to carry on witchery.

Dhorme scoffed, stating the only way he would be convinced to lay with a witch would be if she presented him with a suitable dowry; to go to Draconis Kingdom and steal from the Dragon King one of his firstborn eggs and bring it back to him. So sure was Dhorme expecting the witch to refuse and leave, that the Duroc was impressed by the woman's bold bravery when she stated that as a witch she would do so but to not expect her return for another month. Dhorme during the time the witch was away, set about making a magical weapon fitting to slay dragons with. He had sent scouts on a perilous journey to enter the burial crypt of Draconis Kingdom and recover some bones he would use to make such a weapon just to add insult to injury. When the scouts returned, Dhorme set about crafting a powerful greataxe that was as long as a guisarme and as powerful in blows as a maul, a terrifying magnificence to behold.

Dhorme focused all his unforgiving hatred and malice for reptilian kind into the forging of this weapon, using his shamanism to imbue it with his strength and merciless brutality so that the weapon would only obey his will and the will of his heirs that could prove themselves in mastering the aggressive nature created within the weapon. He called the greataxe "Bloodreaver" after his own name, as he foresaw this weapon cleaving the lives and drinking the blood of thousands in a reign of wrath and terror for so great was the retribution at hand. Dhorme had the Duroc warriors create a forge in the forest and gather special ores over the month, with lucking presenting a rare vein of Thinaun that Dhorme quickly instructed the warriors to smelt down into liquid form so he could bathe Bloodreaver into it before cooling. Before completely hardening, Dhorme then masterfully had the Bloodreaver's blade edges dipped in molten Urdrukar which was also found near the same rare vein of Thinuan.

The witch returned, approaching Dhorme with a firstborn egg of the Dragon King with no wounds are scars on her which deeply impressed Dhorme enough that he led the witch to his tent where they became bound by blood, her name being revealed as Zathria, whom pledged to loyally spend the rest of her days by his side to redeem his people. Though human, Dhorme became intimate with Zathria and took her as his wife, and as promised, the witch in turn taught Dhorme and his warriors the Berserker Curse. At the end of the year, Dhorme and his Duroc warriors were a powerful force to be reckoned with, with a formidable witch at their side and legendary artifact weapon made, Dhorme knew now was the time to strike.

There was no slow or discrete method to this campaign of terror, no, Dhorme came to the Dragons, Hissi, and Krawrk like a tide of fury that laid waste to everything in his path; no male, child, or female reptilian was safe against the force Dhorme wrecked upon the Draconis Kingdom, scattering the once united kingdom into three now mortally fractured ones that were hanging on the brink of extinction within months. No matter how much the Dragon Lords tried to parley, Dhorme slew every messenger and sent the body parts back. No matter how far back the three kingdoms retreated, Dhorme and his frenzied warriors advanced, pillaging, plundering, and slaughtered everything in sight. Truly the tales would have taken a far worse turn were it not for the spirit of Dhorme's mother appearing before him as he smote the head of the Dragon King three yards away from his throne, where she beseeched him to not become like them in their cruel and merciless brutality. Dhorme's mother pleaded and begged, stating that the soil was forever stained with the blood of thousands, retribution had been paid in full and now he needed to lead his people to a new land where they could have peace.

Dhorme's senses slowly came back, but his bitterness remained for he had been shown by the spirits long ago all the wrongs the reptilian races had committed to the Duroc and humans who were now so few in number no one knew where the survivors remained. Dhorme then made a deal with the spirit of his mother, stating that he would agree to withhold his righteous hand of fury from fully exterminating them on the condition that the Duroc go to the territory where the "God of Demons" claimed domain, thus forever being under his service. The spirit of Dhorme's mother agreed, stating sadly that he chose a hard path for his people, but she would go and speak on his behalf in the Underworld to let it be so. Dhorme led his race far north of Vorrelia, settling in the wild plains of Orcrist which he named their kingdom after

Under the God of Demons service, the Duroc have genetically altered into becoming very similar to Oni that live in the Underworld as the Demon God's warriors. Dhorme established a mighty and successful kingdom, as Orcrist Kingdom spread in renown for truly having the strongest warriors who were not only proud, but had a code of honor that one would dare not cross. Dhorme and Zathria lived happily together, conceiving many witch-daughters who carried on her legacy in practicing the old arts of the gods many had forgotten. These daughters lived and beget many special children amongst the Duroc, whom the World of Aum would now call them out of fear and respect: "Hagspawn". Orcrist Kingdom has always welcomed humans with open arms, always with the hope that one day their long lost friends would find their way back to the mainland, to them where the could once more coexist in tribal peace.

Personality

Sons and daughters of intelligent, cunning witches mixed with ancestral genes from their fathers, Duroc are a new race entirely from what they once were, being gifted in physical appearance and supernatural abilities by the God of Demons as well so that those born into Orcrist Kingdom are large and aggressive with a wide array of talents. Duroc males carry on the Berserker Curse, having the fatal flaw of running infertile in their middle-ages due to the magical properties taking over moreso as an adult. Duroc males seek out either Duroc females or human females to carry on their legacy, particularly witches as mates with magical genetics is deeply desired to continue the Duroc race's powerful strain. When a Duroc reaches old age, they become consumed by the frenzied bloodlust of the Berserker Curse, and seek to end their legacy in a blaze of glory to appease the God of Demons and the Goddess of the Underworld by going out to battle a worthy foe. All Duroc wish to die the way of a warrior for their people, and consider combat the truest way to test a being's resolve. Duroc still hold a despising grudge against Dragons, Hissi and Krawrk; they have refused to deal in any trade or business with their kingdoms, and take pride in enslaving their people by preying on reptilian travelers. The Duroc have heard of the Tessai, and view them as kindred spirits in honor, but their passive ways make Duroc hesitant in establishing anything other then trade routes, as Duroc take polluting good breeding very seriously for fear of their race being taken advantage of again.

Physical Description

Duroc

The Duroc peak at 16 feet tall, weighing a whopping 2,800 pounds of compact muscle and fat, toned with dark reddish magenta and purple skin colors that ripple with masculinity despite Duroc having a swine's facial features. Unlike orcs, Duroc's tusks on their lower jaw are actually incisor teeth, which grow up to a foot long given time and care. They are similar to human teeth, consisting of a central core of pulp, covered in dentin and encased in bone-like cementum, being particularly strong that Duroc have been known in their rage to dig holes, rip up vegetation, strip bark from trees and lever heavy objects. The Duroc take pride in their tusks, as the males will place caps made of Thinaun to protect their tusk's structural integrity, ensuring it grows strong, while also using their capped tusks for self defense in their combination of martial art styles. Duroc's skin is soft as a baby elephant's, but will harden over time, growing bristled hair like a boar's along their forearms, forelegs, chest, and backside. If given enough time, Duroc can eventually grow long enough fur on their head to where many have styled it to appearing as Mohawks, Faux Hawks, Braided Mohawks, Thick Mohawks with Fade, Buzzcut Mohawks, Curly Mohawks, Afro Mohawks, and Pompadour Mohawks. Unlike orcs, Duroc also have growing on the tailbone, a four foot long boar-like tail with bristled fur at the end. Duroc have medium drooping ears, with very keen hawk-like eyes that range in red, gold, green, and orange colors; on very rare occasions where the magic is strong in a Duroc's blood, their eyes will either be pearl white or obsidian black.

Relations

Duroc are on neutral terms with the Tessai, seeking trade with them while completely abhorring the existence of the reptilian races. The Duroc make no interest in the affairs of the Kyrii, but seek out contact with humans, though somewhat limited with witches outside of Orcrist Kingdom, and have a fascination with Meisters.

Alignment

All Duroc are either raised to being Chaotic Good or Chaotic Neutral, some have veered towards Chaotic Evil in their malice of the reptilian races and their race's past, but never will you hear of a Duroc being lawful in any measure with the pacifistic ideology of neutrality being heavily frowned upon.

Lands

Orcrist Kingdom lies in the Orcrist Plains in the northern region of Vorrelia, consisting of wide open grasslands with many hills and sparse amounts of treelines similar to the savanna ecosystems; the Orcrist Plains has been well cultivated by the Duroc, whose cash crops are Sweet Potatoes, Yams, White Acorn Squash, Buttercup Squash, Jicama, White Eggplant, Rutabaga, Parsnip, Heirloom Tomatoes, White Pumpkins, Celery Root, Okra, Elephant Garlic, Pomegranates, Dates, Grapes, Sunchoke, Wood-Ear Mushrooms, Radicchio, and Serrano Peppers. They have been largely successful as a kingdom for their trades in exotic fruits and vegetables, and also being the creators of a special wine called "Kōshokuna" which is an alcohol of decadent and rich aromas consisting of honey, apricot tart, treacle, caramel and dried white flowers that is heavily desired amongst nobility, particularly with Kyrii who pay enormous sums to obtain some. The side effect that many do not discover until after consumption, is that the wine is aged will special flowers to form an aphrodisiac effect on consumers. The Duroc don't just settle in the Orcrist Plains, as further north is the Barometz Forest filled with all kinds of wild game, and further north of that is the Dragon Teeth Coast which some have settled to establish fisheries for Orcrist Kingdom.

Religion

For the longest time, Duroc were shamanistic believing in the spirits much like Shinto (kami-no-michi) practice when venerating Spirits, but in ceremonies being seen closer to the traditional African religions of old.

Language

Duroc begin with Orc and Giant as they established themselves with the Tessai, other languages preferred being learned amongst Duroc is Sylvan and Common.

Names

Male Duroc Names: Azhar, Baalan, Chidike, Dakarai, Ekene, Faraji, Gurveer, Hamir, Imamu, Jaheem, Kofi, Lekan, Masego, Nuru, Olamilekan, Rutendo, Simba, Talib, Wekesa, and Zaire. Female Duroc Names: Ashanti, Bahati, Chika, Dede, Eshe, Farai, Gilja, Hlengiwe, Ife, Jayde, Kya, Leena, Morowa, Numa, Olma, Pili, Ranma, Sharik, Telma, Uzula, Waseme, Yewande, and Zuri.

Racial Traits

• Strength +4, Dexterity -1, Constitution +4, Intelligence -1, Wisdom +1, Charisma -1
• Outsider (Native): The Duroc bloodlines are tied to the Underworld due to their practices in shamanism with spirits, and their genetics being altered through witchery and demonology.
• Large size. –1 penalty to Armor Class, –1 penalty on attack rolls, –4 penalty on Hide checks, +4 bonus on grapple checks, lifting and carrying limits double those of Medium characters.
• Low-light vision.
• Goring Tusks: The Duroc's tusks count as a natural weapon as follows: Gore 1d8. The tusks grow and shrink with the Duroc, so if the Duroc becomes Enlarged, its gore attack rises one size category along with it.
• Duroc base land speed is 30 feet: +10 (Fast Movement)
• Spell resistance: 11 + character level
• Natural Armor +4: The Duroc have tough hides and can shrug off minor blows easily.
• Berserker Curse(Ex): Whenever a Duroc enters battle, they must take a Will Save (DC 20) in order to resist going into a Battle Rage, although the save is normally intentionally failed. If the Duroc fails this save, they enter a state of barbarian rage. They gain a +4 bonus to Intelligence and Charisma as they are fully cognitive of their state and surroundings. This effect lasts for a number of rounds equal to the Duroc's new constitution modifier. At the end of the rage, the Duroc becomes Exhausted. Furthermore, if the Duroc doesn't have the feat Diehard, upon receiving damage past -10 and ending their rage, the Duroc will immediately die on the field.
• Drunken Strength: A Duroc can drink a tankard of ale or strong alcohol and gain one temporary ki point. The act of drinking is a standard action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. The Duroc can have a maximum number of drunken ki points equal to 1 plus one additional point for every two levels thereafter (5th, 7th, and so on). The Duroc can gain this temporary ki even before he gains a ki pool such as Monks at 4th level. These drunken ki points last for 1 hour or until spent, whichever is shorter. As long as he has at least 1 drunken ki point, the Duroc can spend 1 ki point as a swift action to move 5 feet without provoking attacks of opportunity.
• Enlarge Person 1/week: Any Duroc with a Wisdom score of at least 12 can cast Enlarge Person on herself once per week. Her caster level is equal to her total class levels for this ability.
• Weapon Proficiency: All Duroc are proficient with the Tetsubo.
• Imbue Weapon: A Duroc's magical essence flows into any weapon it wields, empowering it as though greater magic weapon has been cast on it (caster level 6 + twice character level, up to a maximum of 20)
• Automatic Languages: Orc and Giant. Bonus Languages: Common, Sylvan, Spirit Tongue
• Favored Class: Barbarian
• Level Adjustment: +4

Vital Statistics

Table: Tessai Random Starting Ages

Adulthood	Simple	Moderate	Complex
30 years	+1d6	+2d6	+3d6

Table: Aging Effects

Middle Age^1	Old^2	Venerable^3	Maximum Age
60 years	180 years	540 years	+1080 years
At middle age, −1 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha. At old age, −2 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha. At venerable age, −3 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha.

Table: Tessai Random Height and Weight

Gender	Base Height	Height Modifier	Base Weight	Weight Modifier
Male	9' 5"	+1d6	450 lb.	4× (2d6) lb.
Female	9' 0"	+1d4	400 lb.	2× (1d6) lb.

Duroc Half-Breed (Subrace)

This subspecies is the product of Humans and Duroc becoming a mated pair to produce offspring with less monstrous humanoid characteristics to better settle in the urban life of civilized nations.

Strength +2, Dexterity -1, Constitution +1, Wisdom +1

Monstrous Humanoid

Medium

Low-light vision.

Duroc base land speed is 30 feet: +10 Fast Movement

Spell resistance: 6 + character level

Natural Armor +2: The Duroc have tough hides and can shrug off minor blows easily.

Drunken Strength: A Duroc can drink a tankard of ale or strong alcohol and gain one temporary ki point. The act of drinking is a standard action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. The Duroc can have a maximum number of drunken ki points equal to 1 plus one additional point for every two levels thereafter (5th, 7th, and so on). The Duroc can gain this temporary ki even before he gains a ki pool such as Monks at 4th level. These drunken ki points last for 1 hour or until spent, whichever is shorter. As long as he has at least 1 drunken ki point, the Duroc can spend 1 ki point as a swift action to move 5 feet without provoking attacks of opportunity.

Weapon Proficiency: All Duroc are proficient with the Tetsubo.

Imbue Weapon: A Duroc's magical essence flows into any weapon it wields, empowering it as though greater magic weapon has been cast on it (caster level 6 + twice character level, up to a maximum of 20)

Powerful Build: This ability DOES NOT stack with Monkey Grip (3.5e_Tome_Feat), Improved Monkey Grip (3.5e_Feat), or Monkey Grip (3.5e_Feat). Your physical stature lets you function in many ways as if you were one size category larger. Whenever you are subject to a size modifier or special size modifier for an opposed check (such as during grapple checks, bull rush attempts, and trip attempts), you are treated as one size larger if doing so is advantageous to you. You are also considered to be one size larger when determining whether a creature’s special attacks based on size (such as improved grab or swallow whole) can affect you. You can use weapons designed for a creature one size larger without penalty. However, your space and reach remain those of a creature of your actual size.

Automatic Languages: Orc and Common.

Bonus Languages: Giant, Sylvan, Spirit Tongue

Favored Class: Barbarian

Level Adjustment: +3

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