Ashlung Orcs

^{Mistveil → Races → Aasimar}
Ashlung Orcs stand just over 6 feet tall, are muscular in nature and have dark grey skin, similar to the ash they live in. The most interesting thing about this race physically is where they got their name. When they breathe heavily, even when they are outside of the Ashlands, a small cloud of ash comes from their mouth, looking similar to a breath on a cold day.

Ashlung Orcs in the Ashlands

The Orcs of the Ashlands have had a troubled history. Their culture was originally no more advanced than any other goblinoid race on Mortend but they differentiated themselves when the Lord of Rot begun his conquest of the continent. While the Goblins and Giants hid in their caves, the Orcs rose up and joined the Dwarves from the neighboring country in fighting back against the Lich and his necromancers. However, after the war was finally over and the Lord of Rot's kingdom had fallen, the Orc race was devastated and the remnants of the Lord of Rot's forces in the area took advantage of their weakened state to take control of the Orcs. They enslaved the Orcs and brought them to the volcanic mountain, Razuth’s Maw. The necromancers forced the enslaved Orcs to live in the shadow of the fiery mountain and build a great monument, the Ash Tower. The Orcs sought the help of their allies, the Dwarves, but they were ignored. The Dwarves moved into their mountains to lick their own wounds and build their empire back to its former strength, even going as far as denying the assistance of the Orcs all together in the war. The necromancers performed experiments on the Orcs to make them a better work force by expanding their intelligence but forcing them to be reliant on consuming ash to survive so that they could never leave the Ashlands. After being slaves to the necromancers and their descendants for centuries the Orcs (now called the Ashlung Orcs) picked up many aspects of their culture and added them to their own. Probably the most influential thing the Ashlung Orcs took from the experience though, is the mentality that to be free is to restrict the freedom of others. The mistake the slavers made after ruling over the Ashlung Orcs for so long was getting comfortable in their rule. The Ashlung Orcs took advantage of this comfort and rebelled, defeating their slavers. But victory wasn’t enough, the Ashlung Orcs hunted down and slaughtered every last creature who claimed or could claim lordship over their race in the area. Almost immediately after taking over the Ashlands, the Ashlung Orcs started to gather up the other goblinoid races in the surrounding area and push them into slavery. Unlike their original captors or their Dwarven neighbors, the Ashlung Orcs do not treat their slaves with disdain, seeing them as the instrument of their freedom. Although their reign as an independent nation has just begun and their reliance on the ash from Razuth's Maw makes expansion near impossible, their ambition and military might should not be underestimated.

Ashlung Orc Racial Traits

• Ability Score Racial Traits: Ashlung Orcs are very strong and durable but they have trouble understanding other races. They gain +2 Strength, +2 Constitution, and -2 Wisdom.
• Size: Ashlungs are medium creatures.
• Type: Ashlungs are Humanoids with the Orc subtype.
• Base Speed: Ashlungs have a base speed of 30 feet.
• Languages: Ashlung Orc's native languages are Orc and Goblinoid.
• Ash Reliant: The curse put upon the Ashlung Orcs causes them to be reliant on ashes in order to survive. If an Ashlung Orc goes 24 hours without consuming a handful of hot ash they are considered fatigued until they do so. If another 24 hours pass without this consumption, they are exhausted and must consume twice as much to regain their strength. Finally if an Ashlung Orc does not consume ash within 72 hours they fall unconscious, unable to awaken until brought back into the Ashlands where they can be in the presence of ash directly from Razuth’s Maw.
• Heat Resistant: Ashlungs act as if always under the effect of the Endure Elements spell, but only pertaining to heat.
• Ferocity: Ashlungs possess the ferocity ability which allows them to remain conscious and continue fighting even if their hit point totals fall below 0. Ashlung Orcs are still staggered at 0 hit points or lower and lose 1 hit point each round as normal. Ashlungs count has having the Diehard feat for the purposes of other prerequisites.
• Weapon Familiarity: Ashlungs treat any weapon with the word “orc” in its name as a martial weapon.
• Darkvision: Ashlungs can see in the dark up to 60 feet.
• Age:
  • Adulthood: 15 years
  • Middle Age: 30 years
  • Old: 50 years
  • Venerable: 60 years
  • Maximum Age: 80 years
    
    

Ashlung Orc Alternate Racial Traits

• Heart of Fire: Most Ashlungs dislike their homeland and origins but some are born with an even closer affinity to the volcanic mountain they are tied to. Ashlung Orc sorcerers with the elemental (fire) bloodline treat their Charisma score as 2 points higher for all sorcerer spells and class abilities. Ashlung spellcasters with the Fire domain use their domain powers and spells at +1 caster level. This racial trait replaces Ferocity.
• Weaned Off Ash: Although no way to completely remove the dependency on ash has been found, some Ashlung Orcs that have spent most of their lives away from the Ashlands have managed to lessen their reliance on the substance. Ashlungs with this trait need only ingest a small amount of ash, usually just a pinch that can be mixed into their regular food and drink, once each 24 hours before suffering the regular penalties. Alternatively they may consume the usual fistful of hot ash, but only need to do so once each week rather than once per 24 hours. In the latter case, if seven days pass without consuming any ash, the penalties increase each additional day as per normal. This racial trait modifies Ash Reliant and replaces Weapon Familiarity.
  
  

Ashlung Orc Favored Class Bonuses

• Barbarian: Add 1 to the half-orc’s total number of rage rounds per day.
• Bloodrager: Increase the bloodrager’s total number of bloodrage rounds per day by 1.
• Brawler: Add 1/4 to the brawler’s effective level to determine her unarmed strike damage.
• Fighter: Add +2 on rolls to stabilize when dying.
• Ranger: Add +1 hit point to the ranger’s animal companion. If the half-orc ever replaces his animal companion, the new animal companion gains these bonus hit points.
• Shaman: Add one spell from the cleric spell list that isn’t on the shaman spell list to the list of spells the shaman knows. This spell must be at least 1 level below the highest spell level the shaman can cast.
• Skald: Increase the skald’s total number of raging song rounds per day by 1.
• Witch: Add one spell from the witch spell list to the witch’s familiar. This spell must be at least one level below the highest spell level the witch can cast. If the witch ever replaces this familiar, the new familiar knows these bonus spells.