Tuesday, July 16, 2024

Minor race updates

As soon as I have access to my source files, I'm going to make a few minor updates to the race descriptions:

  • Kemlings do not obligatorily have weird features like the crown of horns. Mutated features like that, or scales, or a forked tongue, or cloven hooves instead of feet, etc. are not unknown among them, but are rare.
  • I've struggled for years with what to call the people of Lomar. Cursed, Hyperboreans, graymen, etc. I haven't been super happy with any of them. Looking at some Old English and even Proto-Germanic roots I've found two options, and I'll almost certainly pick one: Grislings or Hoarlings. I kind of like the latter best, since I like the old fashioned words hoar and hoary, but since it sounds like whore, it might be a no-go at the table. Sadly. Grislings is based on the same root word as grizzled or grizzly, but spelling it with an [s] just looks better written and is equally authentic.
  • Neanderthals never really worked because it sounded too scientific. Atlantean kind of does, but I don't love it. Wendak is a good endonym, but I kind of want a Hillmen-themed exonym too. Grendling, as in Grendel + ing (an old fashioned English term meaning, "people of". Or at least close enough for my purposes.) 
  • On the other hand, although I experimented with using the same formula to create swertings or even surtings or surtlings (the first being a word Tolkien himself used at least once) it didn't sound a good as surturs.
Anyway, here's some "Grendlings" assuming I go with that. Keep in mind that they're not all equally devolved, so some look like regular humans still, if of a unique ethnic group. The worst look almost like man-apes. 











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