Orcrest | Half-Darklings

Half-Darkling

Overview

Half-Darklings live a life of tragedy. Often considered too savage for civilized life and too weak to truly live amongst the darklings, each of them must find a way to navigate these tricky waters. The most common of solutions is for a half-darkling to devote themselves wholeheartedly to one side of their heritage, either going out of their way to be the most erudite, polite, and measured version of themselves, or else twisting themselves into their most ruthless, ambitious, and vicious form. It's said that each half-darkling has something to prove, it is only a matter of them deciding what, exactly, that should be.

"Everyone agrees that we have tainted souls - but jury's still out on which half does the tainting."

Lore

Half-Drow exist as anomalies in both the Underdark and the surface world, often regarded as failures of bloodline purity or abominations by the societies they are born into. Unlike half-elves, who can sometimes integrate into either human or elven cultures, half-drow are rarely accepted anywhere. They carry the mark of the drow, ensuring fear and suspicion from surface dwellers, yet within the Underdark, they are seen as inferior, drow superiority diluted by human weakness.

To the drow, strength determines worth, and so the half-drow are considered worthless from birth. They are frequently kept as slaves, servants, entertainment, fodder for the perpetual wars, expendable spies, or even sacrificed to perform great rituals. Some manage to prove their worth despite this setback, carving out a place amongst their full-blooded peers by beating them at their own game.

To surface dwellers, they become a constant reminder of the threat lurking beneath the stone. Still, the mistrust and sidelong glances are undoubtedly better treatment than they receive amongst the drow, and so it is often a goal to escape the Underdark to join the surface world, even if they face judgement, fear, and mistrust in spades.

Often born in cruelty and raised in struggle, half-drow tend to learn from an early age that no one will fight for them but themselves. They will often develop cold, reserved exteriors to masking deep-seated anger or pain. Many can become vengeful, calculating, and fiercely independent, refusing to be controlled. Despite their hardships, some prove themselves through sheer brutality, cunning, or raw determination, earning a place in the society they chose.

Quirks

Half-Drow characters usually go unreliably senile before 150 years of age, their mortal minds unable to handle the length of their lives, though if taken care of, usually die of age-related illness well before their second century. Typically, in the Underdark however, this does not happen.
Every half-drow is born sterile.
Half-Drow do not inherit the ability to see in the dark from the drow. This is frequently used to torment them in the Underdark.
Half-Drow lucky enough to survive the Underdark often have reserved and cold dispositions, and a vengeful nature taught to them by decades of slavery, war, strife, and politics with significant traumatic conditioning behind seemingly emotionless masks.
Half-Drow who escape the clutches of drow society to the surface are rarely willing to travel back to the Underdark for any reward - having already experienced nightmarish horrors among their former keepers that few surface tortures could hold a candle to.
Half-Drow raised in the Underdark often have difficulty smiling because it is not culturally acceptable among the drow. Often, while learning surface mannerisms, this manifests as peeling one's lips back from their teeth into a kind of uncomfortable-looking sneer.
Half-Drow raised among drow are frequently taught a form of sign-language that they often use the communicate in silence, or to carry on side-conversations while others are talking. Half-Drow may frequently fall back to it in times of stress.
Half-Drow age slower than humans but much faster than drow. As a general rule, multiplying a human age by one and a half will get you the equivalent age for a half-drow.
Half-Drow younger than 30 years of age are children and may not be played on Orcrest.

Core Characteristics

Size: Medium

Average Lifespan: 200 years (Senile by 150)

Physical Characteristics:

Pointed ears that are not elongated
Greyish or pallid skin
Low saturation natural hair colours
Vivid variants of natural or red eye colours

Common Religions: Those of their parent races

"If we are to be treated as savages regardless, why should we act any different?"

Lore

Half-Orcs are the result of coupling between orcs and humans or elves. In the lands of their human or elven ancestors, half-orcs are commonly seen as savage thugs and looked down upon, and as a result most half-orcs are forced into menial labour or violence for a career. Some choose to take on the life of an adventurer, perhaps merely as another acceptable means to wealth and power or sometimes as a way to throw off the shackles of other people’s perceptions. On the other hand, within orc society they are treated as equals, with their worth entirely dependent on the strength and savagery they display, though of course that does mean existing in orc society.

While an uncomfortably large number of half-orcs are the result of conquest, slavery, selective breeding or outright rape, many others are the result of humans or elves intentionally striking off into orcish society, or else from those orcs who become disillusioned and leave their society for greener pastures. Regardless of methodology, half-orcs tend to take after their orcish parents, with only minor differences between those of human stock and those of elvish - human stock tends to be taller and stronger, while elvish tends to be more agile and longer lived. These differences are slight, however, and half-orcs are regularly confused for full-blooded orcs or hobgoblins.

Mostly, orc-blooded children take after their orcish parents and are also considered 'half-orcs' for purposes of this article. Half-Orcs born of humans tend to be taller, and stronger than half-orcs born of elves which are typically more agile and longer-lived than even humans. Still, both maintain relatively 'Orcish' appearances. Indeed; Many 'Half-Orcs' are often confused for full-blooded orcs or exceptionally large goblins.

Quirks

Half-Orcs, while not sterile, are not a race unto themselves. They are only compatible with the races that make up their two halves, and the resulting offspring is of their partner's race.
Half-Orcs born of elves or drow often have pointed ears like half-elves, which often causes them to be confused for large goblinoids. They can live for over a hundred years.
Half-Orcs of human stock typically have rounded ears, and live as long as fifty years, maturing physically by age 16, though your character must be at least 18 years of age.
Depending on the society a half-orc grew up in, a given half-orc may possess an orcish, human, or elvish name.

Core Characteristics

Size: Medium to Large

Average Lifespan: 50-100 years

Physical Characteristics:

Any natural hair and eye colouration
Pointed ears that are not elongated, or rounded ears, depending on non-orc parent.
Half-Orcs have tusks jutting from their lower jaw
Half-Orcs often have grey-green, grey, brown, or charcoal skin with some pigment based on their non-orc parent
Half-Orcs can be any height between orc and human norms

Common Religions: Those of their parent races