The Orodrim consider themselves the most powerful of all races. They are not only the greatest fighters but also the greatest generals. For they were made not in the mold of physical perfection that defines most people’s expectations of a warrior but were rather given the intelligence to out-think their brawnier brothers and live to fight another day.
Personality: Orodrim are intelligent and know it. They believe in making cunning plans and masterful assaults rather than out and out bashing. They realize every fight could be their last and they don’t intend to waste any time in between. They look down upon all other races and especially upon non-fighters. They believe in living well in the time they have on earth, and prefer opulent surroundings, expensive jewelry (even for men), and fine clothing. For an Orodrim the richness of their surroundings is a reflection of how good a fighter they are.
Physical Description: The Orodrim are medium-size humanoids with hair that never grows more than an inch in length no matter where it is on the body. They tend to have tough weathered skin.
Alignment: Orodrim do not care for ethics or morals. Many of them adopt the mercenary lifestyle and will fight for any master so long as the pay is good and the fighting is heavy. However they do love the heavily regimented nature of military life. Thus Orodrim tend towards the lawful and neutral.
Effects of War: The Orodrim used to inhabit the rocky hills of Dagat and from there they would send their famed mercenary troops all across the world. The Kaelra could not fail to be worried about the legions of crack troops that could potentially pour out of these hills and smash against their armies.
They took over the nearby kingdom of Tsaniarra, using a Kaelra polymorphed to look like a Selevani. Using the treasure from a “dragon’s horde” he had looted this false king bought the Orodrim mercenaries and sent them to attack the surrounding kingdoms. The king used the troops to sow confusion and after the Kaelra had invaded he used them to weaken resistance to the advancing armies. After the Orodrim found that they had been used to deliver their lands into the hands of the Kaelra most of them revolted and joined resistance forces during the War of the Oaken Sword. I say most because it is a sad and sorry fact that many Orodrim saw no problem with growing wealthy off of the rich coffers of the invaders and continued to work for them until well into the War of Daggers. However in the end the Kaelra overlords decided that they remained a threat, even tamed as they were, and had the remaining Orodrim troops either sent into fruitless grinding assaults or simply ambushed and killed. By this time most of the mercenary troops remaining in the resistance had either voluntarily disbanded, as large numbers could not be easily hidden, or had been destroyed in the War of the Oaken Sword. With their main troops and fighting men all gone the Orodrim cities had no choice but to accede to the wishes of the Kaelra occupiers. Only three troops managed to survive until the end of the war. The Red Bows, an archery/skirmisher company, hid themselves in their home hills and worked in small bands towards the freedom of their homeland. Golden Flame, a company of spearmen, had been in the employ of the Sorvanni at the time of the invasion (they were quelling an uprising in the New World), and worked to defend the Sorvanni until late in the war. Finally the Company of the Black Rain, a light infantry troop, hid themselves in Wessmark for much of the War of Daggers and finally arose during the war of Lighting Flames to become Jhundarth’s honor guard and finally accompanying him across the sea to the New World.
Known Orodrim Lands: The Orodrim have a strong presence around New Wessmark, where descendents of the Company of the Black Rain are plentiful. The Red Bows, after freeing their lands, led their people to settle in the Northern Isles where a majority of the Orodrim now dwell in the kingdom of Journey’s End. The Golden Flame still, by all accounts, reside in the Sorvan to this day. With the resumption of international commerce the Orodrim have reverted to their old ways. Nowadays most troops operate out of Journey’s End or nearby kingdoms while there are not a few around from New Wessmark. There are also, as with all races, individual Orodrim everywhere depending on where their ancestors ended up after the war.
Religion: Orodrim worship Allende Swordstopper, a goddess of battles and war. They believe that conflict is at the heart of all issues and that battle is the purest possible reflection of this conflict. Orodrim pray only and always before fighting, even if it is just for practice.
Language: The Orodrim language, Kerenya sounds much like Spanish and contains advanced vocabularies for all facets of warfare. Many mercenaries speak good Kerenya.
Names:
Accent: Spanish / Latin
Adventurers: One might think that there would be far more Orodrim adventurers than there actually are. However the Orodrim channel most of their aggressive adventurous youth into the mercenary life. Thus most Orodrim adventurers tend to be the chaotic sort who couldn’t stand being ordered around or the more wizardly types who wanted to learn something other than the magic of war. Many Orodrim adventurers also come from the underclass, called Seliores, who cannot join the mercenary troops because of a past family member’s dishonor. These Selifores form from up to 60% of the Orodrim population and they tend to perform all the manual laboring and trades for the rest.
Notable Rituals: Tour of Duty – The foremost Orodrim ritual is the mercenary troop itself. Every Orodrim of good family is expected to spend a tour of duty (2 years) in a mercenary troop. Other Orodrim will typically ostracize those who refuse to join. Those who do not join for reasons of disability are allowed to live amongst other Orodrim but are looked down upon. Orodrim who go for their tour of duty and survive will often come back with enough money to buy a freeholding or establish themselves in a trade.
Orodrim Racial Traits