Character 85 - Roo’k Treetickle

Illustration by Luis Perez

Sometimes when doing these random rolls there is very little to build on. For the orang-pendak society I had but a paragraph in the Bestiary 5 to work from. In preparation I wrote my own piece on the entire race, using elements of the random rolls to influence the write-up. Here we are with one of the blankest slates I could start with; and now to see what he has become.

Although the high strength and high con really geared the character toward being a straight up fighter of some kind, I have done at least three fighters in the past two months. The decent wisdom score meant I could go with a divine caster. In my write up for the orang-pendak I mentioned that mostly nature based casters as being part of their tradition and so I went with shaman. In particular I choose the shaman of lore because some of the abilities like brain drain and confusion meshed with the aspect of madness belonging to this character’s patron deity, The Lantern King.

Roo’k Treetickle

Life in the Bandu Hills for the Treeburr tribe was as peaceful as the orang-pendak could manage. The Treburrs were one of only a handful tribes to wander the hills. Like many tribes of the ape-men their numbers were small and each birth was considered a sign from the spirits. When Roo’k was born his parents thought him their own little miracle. When he died for those few moments, so soon after coming into the world, they were distraught. But death was apparently only temporary and the boy’s spirit found its way back into his body.

The eldest medicine woman who was on the tribal council took an early interest in Roo’k. She was convinced that his death had somehow allowed him to touch the spirit world on a level deeper than any living orang-pendak had. She felt that he was destined for something and took the boy under her wing when he was old enough to learn.

The medicine woman was proven correct. Roo’k took to her teachings faster than any had before. He was the first to find his spirit animal, a mischievous monkey with a wizened look in his eyes. He was the earliest ever to manifest a spell from the spirits. His connection to the spirits brought him knowledge beyond his years and a light behind his eyes.

As Roo’k connection to the spirits grew stronger he began to question everything. The orang-pendak had to test every boundary. If he saw something was wrong he felt compelled to teach the correct way. His lessons, though, were often misunderstood by others. Except for his teacher. She knew what he was becoming.  She realized that he didn’t just have a connection to the spirit world but to the trickster himself, the Wisp Lord.

Illustration by Luis Perez

The role of trickster is a sacred trust. They are supposed to teach lessons and not just cause mischief. But even if he is connected to the spirit of the Wisp Lord, a child is still a child. Roo’k took a dislike to one of the training storysingers. The two were rivals and he took any chance to teach the other boy a lesson. One such lesson brought into question the boy’s worthiness of being a storysinger, the thing he had worked his whole life for. Roo’k’s ‘trick’ showed the boy unworthy and he was sent back home to his parents.

As the young orang-pendak came of age he felt a pull. The Wisp Lord was calling him away from his people. Very few of the ape-men left the tribe to but Roo’k knew in his heart that he was meant to go. He traveled down from the Bandu Hills and into the Chelish held lands of Sargava. His travels led him to the colonial city of Kalabuto.

Roo’k spent months in hiding watching the people. There were the colonials who were so few but controlled so much. There was also Mwangi tribesmen who split between those who served the colonials and those who wished to overthrow the yoke of oppression. Lastly there were the strange creatures that moved through the ruins that both the Chelish and the Mwangi avoided.

Roo’k knew he couldn’t reveal his true nature, his people must remain protected. The people of the ruins gave him an idea, however. One day he step forth from the broken husk of a building and presented himself as one of the monkey men who were occasionally seen among the crumbling old city at night. He said his people wished to learn more about the ways of those who inhabited the city with them and he was to be an emissary. No one had interacted with any of these beings and none risked angering them, so Roo’k was accepted as one of the peoples of Kalabuto.

The trickster sees the people of Kalabuto as lost. He realizes that his path is to teach them how to find themselves, whether they want him too or not. Being an utter mystery to both the colonials and the tribesmen allows Roo’k to push the boundaries of their society easier than any of them could themselves. One way or another they will learn to see the world as he does.

With little to go on how did you create orang-pendak society? What class did the ape-man choose to become? Why did he die? What spellcaster did he humiliate? Who was the seer that influenced him?

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The character illustration was created by the fine artist Luis Perez. You can find him on Twitter, Tumblr, and on Instagram at luisperezart. 

No More Monkeying Around

The Orang-Pendak

This week’s random roll gave me the opportunity to explore a new race. The orang-pendak were introduced in the Bestiary 5 and were given stats to build as a playable race. When I went looking, however, I realized that the only information that was available for these sasquatch cousins was in said bestiary. So to properly write up this week’s background it falls upon me to expand upon the lore of these gentle and reclusive ape-men.

History

The history of the orang-pendak is little more than tales passed down from storyteller to storyteller. The jungle dwelling ape-men keep no written histories of their travels. Because they are also reclusive creatures there is little known about them outside of their people. Even those orang-pendak that leave the tribe to adventure speak little of their past.

Some common themes of their history told by their song makers is that there was a great exodus from the north. Although an accurate calendar isn’t kept by the ape men, the tales told of the time of the exodus correlate with events that happened during earthfall. Many tribe of sasquatch – of whom the orang-pendak are most likely related – fled from their homes when the skies turned black and the spirits began to scream.

The orang-pendak crossed over what would become Thuvia and traversed the barrier wall, ending their flight on the Mwangi jungle side of the mountain range. This is where many of the tribes would remain, although others would eventually range farther, making homes in wooded areas of both the Shattered Range and the Bandu Hills. There was more than enough land that wasn’t seeing use for the tribes to live solitary lives for millennia.

When the Shory Empire arose the orang-pendak found it harder to keep their existence a secret. The flying cities brought the humans everywhere and the civilizations lust for knowledge meant they left few stones unturned when trying to catalog the world. The Shory scholars learned of the orang-pendak, although most of their knowledge died with the crumbling of the flying cities. Those who have found bits of information on the ape-men often confuse them with the beginnings to the monkey creatures that would serve the Gorilla King of Usaro.

After the fall of the Shory empire the orang-pendak returned to their reclusive ways, hoping that the humans had forgotten about them completely. Although rare, occasionally a young tribe member seeks to set out on his own path. This has become less and less common as the orang-pendak are often mistaken for the Gorilla King’s minions and killed before any questions can be asked. The usually docile orang-pendakhave grown to hate the Gorilla King and some of the more aggressive tribe members wish to seek him out and destroy him.

Physiology

Like the sasquatch, orang-pendak look like a cross between humans and simians. In the case of the orang-pendak they resemble orangutans and gibbons more than they do gorillas. They are bipedal, although they walk hunched over which often gets them mistake for actual apes. Their skin is somewhat leathery, but not enough to provide any real armor, and most of their body is covered in hair that ranges from light brown to red.

As they adapted to their new home, the orang-pendak have become smaller than their ancestors and now stand on average at about four feet tall. Their smaller stature belies the fact that they have retained much of the strength of those that came before. The orang-pendakare generally gentle creatures but when one is angered it could theoretically rip leather armor asunder with its bare hands.

One of the reasons they remain mainly undetected in their homes is that orang-pendak are mostly nocturnal creatures. Being active at night has acclimated their eyes to seeing clearly in the starlight. As such they have low-light vision allowing them to see the hazards of the forest under the night sky.

Society

Orang-pendaklive in a nomadic tribal society. They wander from location to location usually, in a set seasonal path so as not to use up all the resources in one place. Occasionally events will occur that force the ape-men to adjust their migration pattern, but this only happens rarely.

Each tribe has a different structure although most are led by a council of elders and not one leader. The council generally consists of a spiritual speaker, a lore singer, a wanderer, and a spearman. A council may have more or less members but these four are traditionally the core elders. Each elder is considered the authority on their area of expertise and his or her word is considered with greater weight when dealing with matters of that variety. However the council must come to a consensus before a decision is made.

The ape-men are more gatherers than hunters but they will occasionally eat meat. Their impressive strength sees them able to take down animals even larger than they are purely on the force of one of their thrown spears. Meat is reserved for special occasions only and part of any event that sees meat eaten is a ceremony to thank the spirit of the beast for giving of itself to the tribe.

In the tribe family is very important. A familial unit will usually consist of a mother, father, a child, and perhaps grandparents. Orang-Pendak numbers are small because bearing children doesn’t happen often. An orang-pendak mother rarely gives birth to more than one child her lifetime.

Orang-Pendak society often integrates actual apes into itself. These creatures are sometimes companions and familiars to those with a deeper connection to the creatures of the land. Often the ape-men will take in young orangutans and baboons who have lost their own troops or have been left for dead. Outsiders may think that the orang-pendak keep these creatures as pets, but in truth they are considered valued members of the tribe.

Alignment and Faith

The orang-pendak tend toward neutrality. Not so much wishy-washy or indecisive as they are “go-with-the-flow” types. They believe that the spirits will help provide for them, so they don’t often get to worked up one way or another about good and evil or chaos and order. Those that stray from this middle-of-the-road path are often the types that become adventurers.

Spirit and ancestor worship are the most common forms of religion among the orang-pendak. Their religious figures include shaman, witch doctors, medicine men, and spirit speakers. Every event is overseen by a spiritual leader; from a hunt, to a birth, to meeting with another tribe. The spirits must be consulted on almost every decisions and milestone in life.

Oddly, although they are not fey, many of the orang-pendak worship the fey Eldest. The priests of these divine beings worship these creatures as aspects of the spirit world and the Eldest to nothing to correct this misconception. The only member of the Eldest that isn’t worshiped is Ragadahn, seeing as there are no oceans or linnorm where the orang-pendak dwell. Tricksters who worship the Lantern King – called the Wisp Lord by the ape-men – are especially revered teachers.

Relations

The orang-pendak have few if any relations at all. They remain as always reclusive and steer well clear of the human lands. Those few that do trade with others never speak their homes or tribes, but their general laid back manner often sees them accepted by races that aren’t on their own xenophobic.

The one group that the orang-pendak actively hate is the Gorilla King and his minions. Although they also remain hidden from the despotic follower of the Demon Lord Anghazhan, shadow scuffles often go on for the hearts of the simian species that inhabit the jungles of Mwangi. If anything could drive the ape-men to a full-fledged war it would be the predations of the Gorilla King.

Adventurers

Few if any orang-pendak set out into the world as adventurers. Those that do adventure often have vocations of a natural or spiritual bent. Rangers, druids, shaman, and hunters are probably the most common classes taken up by the ape-men.

Most magic users among the orang-pendak are divine casters. The aforementioned druid and shaman appear with the most frequency but oracles and the occasional cleric have been known to happen. The only arcane caster that is common among the orang-pendak is the bard. The ape-men keep all of their lore in the form of stories and oral histories. No orang-pendak who has remained among his tribe has ever become a wizard, but rarely witch or an unlettered arcanist my spring up among them.

Of the rest of the classes, rogue and brawler are the only other ones that pop up with some frequency. Fighting tends not to be a lifestyle many orang-pendak strive for and they aren’t often emotional enough to build up a barbarian’s rage.

What kind of cultures for other races would you like to see? Would you use this outline of the orang-pendak in your Golarion campaign? Would you adapt them to your home brew world? This is just a short write-up, but what other information would you like to see about the orang-pendak?

The orang-pendak maybe be reclusive but the CRB aims to bring them into the light. If you’ve enjoyed this write-up please consider becoming a contributor. Monthly donations of as little as one dollar can be made to my Patreon. A one-time donation can easily be made to my Paypal. Every bit helps me keep the lights on so I can concentrate on bringing you the content you deserve.

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Random Roll 85 - The Randomness

There have been some new races added to the playable ones from the past few bestiaries. Until now I hadn’t gotten around to adding them to my list of possible random rolls but this week we see the first of them. The Orang-Pendak were introduced in Bestiary 5 and as of this roll is the first time I’m actually looking into them. There is little to nothing written about them and there isn’t even a pathfinderwiki entry, so I’ll be making most of this up as I go along.

Gender:Male

Race:Orang-Pendak

Nationality:Sargava

Age:  22

Height: 4’ 8”

Weight: 132lbs

Alignment:Chaotic Neutral

Str: 15

Dex: 14

Con:  16

Int: 8

Wis: 14

Cha: 10

Homeland: Non-Orang-Pendak City or Metropolis

Parents: Both of your parents are alive.

Siblings: You have no siblings.

Circumstance of Birth:[Lower-Class Birth] You were born among peasants or slum denizens. You grew up working the land around a village or manor, practicing a rudimentary trade, or begging in a settlement.

Parent's Profession: Serfs/Peasants

Major Childhood Event: [Died] You died, or came so close to death that you walked the boundary between the realms of the living and the dead. Having passed from life's domain once, you have a unique perspective on life, perhaps even a greater appreciation for it—or maybe your experience caused you to reject all trivial things, focusing only on matters of true import.

Influential Associate: [The Seer] You were close to a person who claimed to see the future—perhaps an oracle, seer, prophet, or merely some festival charlatan. Whether they're true or a trick, you've seen visions of distant places and of times that may come to pass. The seer's influence either made you into an optimist with a drive to change the future or a fatalist resigned to accept it.

Conflict: [Destroyed a Reputation] You deliberately ruined the honor, reputation, or fortunes of another individual or group.

Conflict Subject:Spellcaster.

Conflict Motivation: Hatred or Malice.

Conflict Resolution: [No Guilt] Either guilt is for the weak, or you know you made the right decision. You might not openly brag about your part in the conflict, but you don’t deny it when confronted either.

Deity/Religious Philosophy:The Lantern King

Romantic Relationship(s): [A Few Significant Relationships] You’ve tried to make deep connections with individuals on several occasions, but it’s never worked out.

Drawback: [Worldview] In your eyes, your moral philosophy—your alignment—is the only correct and true way of the world. Perhaps you gently pity, argue with, or brawl with those misguided souls who don’t see the world your way or by your light of reason.

(Trait) Child of the Streets

(Trait) Fearless Defiance

(Trait) Poverty-Stricken

(Trait) Scholar of the Great Beyond

(Trait) Shaper of Reality

(Trait) Well-Informed

(Story Feat) Arisen

(Drawback) Provincial

In the comments give us your ideas for how to make this into a playable character? What class would this character lean toward? How did he die? What made him follow the Lantern King? Why does he live in a city away from his people? And don’t forget to stay tuned Friday when my background hits the CRB.

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