Orlans

Orlans

Attribute Bonuses: +2 Perception, +1 Resolve, -1 Might

Orlans are relatively short (50-60% human-size) humanoids. Physically, they are notable for their small stature, hair-covered bodies, two-toned skin, and exceptionally large, hair-covered ears. They are also, by nature, nocturnal, though most orlans living among other races adapt to a diurnal schedule.

Due to their size, orlans have been victimized and marginalized by most of the cultures with whom they have come into contact. As a result, it is rare to find large communities of them and they have progressively retreated into heavily wooded environments over the last few centuries. Many orlan communities have also adopted brutal guerilla tactics including heavy use of traps and poison in the surrounding environment. As a result, even orlans raised in urban cultures often share their rural kin’s nasty reputation. The natural lifespan of an orlan is typically between 50 and 80 years.

Hearth Orlans

Features: Enormous, fur-lined (on the back) ears. Small or narrow, often upturned noses. Round or heart-shaped faces. Narrow or almond eyes. Deep-set eyes and very prominent brows.

Skin: Two-toned, often light tan and a darker tan or brown. The tone division generally follows a “line” around the body and is more-or-less symmetrical outside of the “edge” between the two. Orlan skin often has a green or yellowish undertone to it. Orlan skin that appears to be “bare” always has a surprisingly thick coat of transparent hair on it.

Hair: Strawberry blonde, red, orange, blue-green, green, green-brown, brown, black. Coarse and thick, wavy or curly texture. It covers about 50% of their body and can go through a variety of gradations.

Eyes: Large irises with cat-slit pupils. Almond, round, or upturned eyes. Blue, green, gold, yellow, silver, violet, hazel.

So-called for their relatively sedentary nature, hearth orlans originated from the same place as their “wild” kin: the forested parts of the continent to the north of Readceras. While the wild orlans have stayed deep in the forests and jungles of the continent, hearth orlans progressively moved closer to lands settled by other races and established semi-permanent communities. The differences are not just cultural; hearth orlans are dramatically less hirsute than wild orlans, and generally more accepted by other races because of it.

Hearth orlans are often found as slaves in Readceras and the Vailian Republics, occasionally as slaves in Aedyr. One of the treaty terms between Dyrwood and the orlans and elves of Eír Glanfath was the liberation of orlan slaves. This has been honored, but many hearth orlans who continue to live in Dyrwood are indentured servants, slaves in most practical ways.

While wild orlans are feared for their tenacity and explosive violence, hearth orlans are feared for their ability to conceal hostility.

Racial Ability

Minor Threat

Effects: Self: +10% of Hits converted to Crits when attacking the same target as an ally

When hearth orlans attack a target that is also being targeted by a teammate, they convert some of their Hits to Crits.

Wild Orlans

Features: Enormous, fur-lined (all over) ears. Small or narrow, often upturned noses. Round or heart-shaped faces. Narrow or almond eyes. Deep-set eyes and very prominent brows.

Skin: Two-toned, colors often vary widely, with the darkest tones being a dark chocolate brown. The tone division generally follows a “line” around the body and is more-or-less symmetrical outside of the “edge” between the two. Orlan skin often has a green or yellowish undertone to it. Wild orlans have very little visible skin, but even “bare” skin has a surprisingly thick coat of transparent hair on it.

Hair: Yellow, yellow-green, red, orange, blue-green, green, green-brown, brown, black. Coarse and thick, straight or wavy texture. It covers about 90% of their body and can go through a variety of gradations.

Eyes: Large irises with cat-slit pupils. Almond, round, or upturned eyes. Blue, green, gold, yellow, silver, violet, hazel.

Wild orlans are only rarely found in established communities. They are the “original” orlans who lived (and continue to live) in the deepest forests and jungles between the tropics. Wild orlans have only been significantly separated from hearth orlans for a thousand years, but due to the short lifecycles of orlans, the few genetic differences between them have appeared rapidly.

The most obvious difference between hearth and wild orlans is that the latter are almost entirely covered with hair (or fur, depending on how you look at it). The face and neck of a wild orlan are covered with hair as thick as any other part of their body. This (and their cultures’ general xenophobia) has caused other races to classify them as “wild.”

Wild orlans are common in the deep reaches of Eír Glanfath, alongside many Sceltrfolc. They are also less commonly encountered in the Dyrwood or enslaved in Readceras and the Vailian Republics. Most people consider wild orlans to be poor slaves due to their lack of language skills and their extremely violent nature.

Racial Ability

Defiant Resolve

Effects: Self: +10 Deflection for +10 sec when targeted by a Will attack, +10 Fortitude for +10 sec when targeted by a Will attack, +10 Reflex for +10 sec when targeted by a Will attack, +10 Will for +10 sec when targeted by a Will attack

After being subjected to a Will attack, wild orlans temporarily gain a bonus to all defenses.