Shaqaalan Orcs
Shaqaalan Orcs: Grounded Roots and Fine Blood
The orcs of the Setlaar continent, who only a few centuries ago began calling themselves 'Shaqaale', are a great example of how the peoples of that land can diverge from their kin elsewhere, both in culture and physical makeup. Rather than brutish thugs, the Shaqaale fulfill many of the cultural niches filled by the dwarves elsewhere, including craftiness, a preference for the forge, high respect for their traditions, and an extreme relationship with elves. They are the forgers and makers of the Setlaar, and though their creativity might be blunted, Setlaar orcs are responsible for manufacturing many of the technological wonders the confederacy distinguishes itself with.
Physical Description
Shaqaalan orcs are more easily distinguished by their behavior than their looks, but those with a sharp eye can still pick up on their more unique features. With thinner faces, smaller tusks, brighter eyes and a more upward tilt to their ears, even pure-blooded orcs possess slight elvish qualities, and indeed such similarities are considered more attractive than stockier, hulking bodies. Their skin tone is of somewhat brighter hue than foreign counterparts, with more verdant greens than earthy browns, and intense gazes in blue or green that seem to pick apart those they look upon, as if trying to figure out how they're put together. Their style of dress is often influenced by their Mahn-Eun patrons, with startling colors and long sleeves or hems, but on the job tend to stick with practical clothing that won't be endangered by a constant presence in the forge.
History
Savage Origins
Long ago, the orcs of the Setlaar could be barely distinguished from other greenskin peoples, in both body and mind. Not only were they more akin to the usual barbaric raiders, terrorizing the southlands of the elvish land of Usuhan, but even their bodies were more muscled, with more pronounced tusks and wild countenances. Barely kept in check by elvish rangers, the orcs eventually gave rise to a messianic figure known only as 'Waymaker', who brought several tribes to heel and curbed their bloodlust with charismatic displays that were said to enrapture all those who gazed upon him. With bright eyes that shone in a rainbow of colors, Waymaker seemed to entrance the orcish horde en masse, and eventually led them on a mass exodus to deep caverns far below the surface. There the tribes stayed for exactly twelve months, out of sight and mind, before emerging and born anew.
Enlightenment
When the tribes emerged, they did so with a new language and title for their people, "Shaqaale", and moved in one enormous herd towards Usuhan. As alarms rang and militias were summoned, the orcs were found to be unarmed, save for dozens of weapons of mastercrafted quality. Keen in edge and light in weight, though plain in form, these creations amazed the Mahn-Eun, to see those that once raided them now thoughtful and placid, bearing gifts and offering service. As further proof of their abilities, the Shaqaale studied the infamously dense blueprints of elvish technology derived from Eatash's Alrimal tribes, not only comprehending them with ease, but also improving upon them.
With this, the Shaqaale made a proposition. Embrace them into elvish culture and genealogy, and the Mahn-Eun would ascend from an isolationist race keeping to their corner of the land, to a renowned people with riches and influence over the entire continent. With the orcs' sudden civilization and cognizance, the elves accepted, and soon their people began to interbreed in careful marriages that sought to combine the best qualities of both races. Elvish ingenuity and intelligence interlaced with orcish strength and practicality, and true to the word of the Shaqaale, both them and the Mahn-Eun became dominant powers and technological frontiersmen in the Setlaar.
Culture
As a consequence of their entering into Mahn-Eun blood, the Shaqaale take genealogy and proper breeding with great seriousness, and family history is a foundation of orcish culture in the Setlaar. Every one of them, from lowly factory workers to high nobles, take pride in their ancestry and can trace their bloodline all the way to 'The Great Intertwining' when they united with the elves. Even those of pure orc blood, whose ancestors were not chosen to mingle with the Mahn-Eun, take their marriages to other orcs with sober calculation, seeking to either reinforce desirable traits or fill out 'gaps' in their genetics. Actual affection is a secondary concern, with the general assumption that those with compatible blood will naturally be attracted to each other. Surprisingly enough, either through the truth of their assumptions or the pressure of their societies, Shaqaalan relationships tend to be highly successful, with the lowest divorce rates in the confederacy.
In the higher societal stratus of the Shaqaale, among nobles and the like, this consideration for blood is taken to an extreme. Despite their closeness, Mahn-Eun elves and Shaqaalan orcs rarely interbreed, almost entirely due to the fact that doing so casually is regarded as highly offensive and shameful. When they do produce offspring, it is only after calculations involving both scientific study of genetics and deep blood magic to consider the mystical qualities of their family lines, to such a convoluted extent as to put elvish technology to shame. Shaqaale with great education in and understanding of genealogy are known as 'damu fikra', or, 'genius of blood', and given great respect by their fellows.
Other than the great importance placed in bloodline, another major facet of Shaqaalan culture is manufacturing and forging. While one could call the Mahn-Eun natural architects, with ingenious and beautiful designs, the Shaqaale are engineers, taking those lofty goals and putting them into practice. The relationship between the Setlaar States is defined by their trading, each one providing different needs and desires to the others, and without the Shaqaale, the Mahn-Eun would be known for delicate, sophisticated technology that is of absolutely no use to anybody but other elves, and thus their position in the confederacy would be greatly diminished. It is the orcs who translate elven designs into reality, who prepare them for mass production and shipment, and it is in the enormous forge-cities of the orcish state of Sameeyay Asha that the future of the Setlaar is manufactured and sent to all corners of the land.
Religion
If there's one quality the orcs of the Setlaar haven't mimicked the elves, it's in their religious practices. A very pious people, though somewhat unorthodox in exactly what they worship. The Shaqaale don't often worship the gods, save for a great respect for the likes of Torag, but themselves, or rather their ancestors. They pray that the wisdom of their founding families, the original tribes who created The Great Intertwining with the Mahn-Eun, keeps with them from the afterlife, and most of all venerate Waybringer, who through methods still unknown transformed the orcs into a civilized people in the confines of the underground centuries ago. To call into question the relationship between the two races, which to outsiders can appear servile, is akin to blasphemy, and all 'liberation' movements that sought to sever the links between them and give greater independence to the Shaqaale have only ever been created by well-meaning but ignorant outsiders.
Racial Traits
Shaqaalan orcs possess the same Size, Type, Base Speed, and Languages as other orcs, but possess different Ability Score Modifiers, and in addition to 'global' Common speak the Orcish dialectic Shaqaalan. Having abandoned their raiding past, they do not possess any of the usual Offensive Racial Traits of other orcs.
Racial Ability Score Modifiers: Shaqaalan orcs have largely cast aside their brutish ways, and along with elvish influence in culture, also have gained greater intellect and sense. However, despite their social role being to translate elvish creations to the outside, still get along better with them than other peoples. They gain +2 Strength and -1 Charisma. However, when interacting with Mahn-Eun elves (rolling Charisma-based skill checks), they gain +1 Charisma to cancel out their penalty.
Defense Racial Traits: Bond To The Land (Urban[2 RP]). With such an affiliation towards their forge-cities, Shaqaalan orcs regard cityscapes as blessed places of industry, and can move about them with ease.
Feat and Skill Traits: Craftsman (1 RP). With their relationship with artifice, Shaqaale orcs are natural crafters, and have an instinctive talent for fashioning useful tools from base resources.
Senses Racial Trait: Blindsense 30ft (4 RP). Working in massive forges filled with fumes and heat-haze, the darkvision of Shaqaalan orcs has been altered to see in conditions that regular sight cannot aid.
Weakness Racial Trait: Despite improving on their barbaric ways, the Shaqaalan orc preference for ashy furnaces and industrial plants has resulted in the persistence of their Light Sensitivity.
Alternate Racial Traits
Some Shaqaalan orcs, raised not in the forge-cities dominated by the usual culture, but in the rural Wildlands or elsewhere, tend to regress into their warlike condition. They can regain Ferocity, Weapon Familiarity, and Darkvision, but these replace Bond To The Land, Craftsman, and Blindsense respectively. They can also raise their Strength bonus back to 3 or 4, but lose -1 Intelligence and Wisdom matching their increase (raise 2, lose 2).