Welcome to Curious Quill, an original content resource for d20 roleplaying.
This season, we are focusing on the orcs, recent additions to what are considered the ‘civilized’ people of Taluma. We will be detailing their culture and traditions. You will find entries on things like their communities, festivals, attire, and provisions.
Follow the orc tag to read all the entries about them.
Orc Eidol-Stones
Though orcs of Taluma honor Gwyven above all god’s, they do worship all of them. In addition to the primary gods, they also honor other spirits, eidolons, immortals with transcendental power. The different people of Taluma have different eidolons: such as the exemplars of Luministic humans. They do not build temples or even smaller shrines, instead they worship their eidolons at monoliths called eidol-stones.
Read More about eidol-stones.
New Feat: Hunters’ Edge
Orc hunters travel across the land in pursuit of beasts and monsters alike. Some of the greatest hunters learn to take advantage of the qualities of piercing weapons which are uniquely suited for hunting over bludgeoning and slashing ones.
Read More about how the edge orc hunters have over their prey.
Orc Fall Migration
As the days, and especially nights, start to cool in advance of winter, many creatures - mostly birds and flying beasts - start an annual migration from the northern reaches to the southern lands where the snow and chill of winter won’t reach. While some orcs remain and endure the harsh winters, many migrate along with the beasts.
Read More about the urchin locust harvesting.
Orc Beverages: Yogg
Orcs seldom have had the time and space to brew alcoholic beverages like ale or distill harder alcohol. They do make single vessel beverages that just need yeast like wine or mead with honey easier to gather than finding grapes when on the move. The most common, and most cultural thing they drink is fermented milk which they call yogg.
Read More about the orcisch yogg.
Orc Throngs
While orcs travel in groups called storms, when they make camp for a period of time it is called a throng. A throng can be one or more storms gathered together for various reasons. They may camp simply to rest, but there can be specific reasons such as finding a plentiful source of resources, to spend time prepping or crafting, or even to celebrate an important or momentous day including marriages, births, deaths,or sacred events.
Orc Storms
Orcs are nomadic people, leading an itinerant lifestyle across the land, following or seeking prey to hunt and moving with the seasons to forage. They travel in large groups called storms because they travel the land in a cacophony of ruination, but move on as quickly as they came. Storms do not usually have a name, but rarely can be named for a leader, or even the herd they migrate with.
Read More about orc storms
Urchin Pigeoneering
Urchins are know to have a connection with small animals, especially those that live and gather in groups like packs, swarms, and flocks. This includes birds, such as the pigeons that flock in cities as well as the homing pigeons used to send messages.
Read More about the character creation options as a pigeoneer.
New Feat: Bewilderer
Urchins who become known as vexers may become so good at flustering other people that they can bewilder spellcasters. Urchin vexers are so clever they are able to jeer and fluster spellcasters while performing other actions, using only a bonus action to attempt to interrupt their concentration.
Read More about how urchins can interrupt concentration.
Background: Urchin Vexer
Urchins are known for being fast-talkers and annoyances to the big folk with their chittering, bird-like speech. While this is a natural effect of both their physique and culture, some urchins train and hone their vocal abilities to be consistently and overtly frustrating to others, being able to influence others’ ability to resist and complete actions through skill. Through taunting or just sheer speed and volume of sound an urchin can break down people’s composure and cause them to give in or give up.
Read More about the Vexer Background.