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Ardashir
Senior Scribe
USA
544 Posts |
 Posted - 08 Jan 2007 : 19:00:01
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Was just wondering -- if I wanted to use something akin to classic horror writer Arthur Machen's 'Little People' (a devolved, pygmy-like race that was incredibly savage and stealthy, living by cannibalism and murder and engaging in endless violence against the 'tall people' who had driven them underground), what race would be the best for this and where in the Realms should they be set? Machen used his on the foggy moors of England, usually, but he did suggest that maybe a few had moved to London and other large cities and were hiding amid the crowds and abandoned buildings, where they engaged in their usual nasty behavior.
Myself, the best nominee for a race would be Chaotic Evil ghostwise halflings (give them some skill with poisons and a few levels of berserker w' Hide and Move Silently, and there you go), maybe worshippers of Malar with werebat leadership. There are other choices, I know. But there aren't very many races of hidden savages within the Realms that I can remember right now.
Thanks for any help on this topic.
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Gray Richardson
Master of Realmslore
USA
1291 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jan 2007 : 02:07:11
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| I would think Derro would be perfect. Also Morlocks. |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jan 2007 : 02:35:19
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| There is a species of evil little halflings detailed in the Book of Vile Darkness, the Jerren, and they fit the bill in a lot of ways to what you are talking about. They have never, to my knowledge, had an official place in the Forgotten Realms, but it may be something to look into. |
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Gray Richardson
Master of Realmslore
USA
1291 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jan 2007 : 04:09:43
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You know, I was thinking, I saw the movie "The Descent" the other day. It is a scary movie about a small group of women friends who are into extreme sports. They are exploring deep within some unexplored caverns when a cave-in cuts them off from the surface. They are forced to go ever deeper to look for another way out. And then they encounter a hive of sighltess, cave-adapted humanoids and have to run a gauntlet through their warrens in order to seek the exit. Sort of a cross between the movie "Deliverance" and extreme spelunking.
It occurs to me, the cave people were exactly like D&D morlocks. There were hints from their cave paintings that they were once ancient indians or even cro-magnons that had adapted to life in the underdark. They were savage and cannibalistic. They were sightless but had some sort of blindsense that might have been echolocation. Although, for people that used sound to navigate, you would think their hearing would be better. Perhaps, though, their sense was attuned more to certain frequencies as they seemed to utter clicks in order to navigate, which is more like active sonar, so maybe they were not so good at picking up on passive, ambient sounds.
Then again it may not have been sound based. It could have been some sort of electromagnetic sense like the lateral lines that certain fish have.
Anyway, all this is to say that "The Descent" was the best example of D&D morlocks that I have ever seen portrayed, even though they were not called that in the movie. It was really very scary, but very well done.
Edited in order to fix pesky "lateral line" URL link |
Edited by - Gray Richardson on 09 Jan 2007 04:12:49 |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jan 2007 : 08:20:34
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If you can get your hands on a copy of the Mystara Monstrous Compendium from 2e, there is the perfect race in there called the 'Topi'. They are about 2' tall - picture shrunken heads, with a body attached, all shriveled and leathery looking. They're cannibals and their claws have venom, I plan on using them myself.
PS - If you have ever played the Diablo2 video game they are very similar to the ugly little pygmy people that lived in the jungle section. |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Machen's 'Little People' in the Realms
