Vagun-Gad

## Description:

The Vagun-Gad, also known as Wild Orcs or Savage Orcs, are the Goblinoid ancestral race to the modern Orcs of the K2 Universe. The Vagun-Gad are considered devolved in relation to normal Orcs, and maintain hostile relations with most other groups, Goblins included. The Vagun-Gad are known to live in all climates and survive with ease in even the world's most hostile environments; they are centralized primary on the Continent of Pilbo, the Froderlands, and [REDACTED]. The Vagun-Gad tend to stand at around six (6) to eight (8) feet in height, and weigh between four hundred (400) and seven hundred and fifty (750) pounds, although larger Vagun-Gad are known to exist. Being creatures bred for war, the Vagun-Gad are naturally very muscular.

The Vagun-Gad eyes range in color between black, brown, orange, green, and yellow. Their hair is most often black, although brown is not entirely uncommon and blonde is incredibly rare. Their skin is most often some shade of green, usually a darker or more yellowish hue than modern Orcs. Vagun-Gad also have far more prominent brow ridges, deeper-set eyes, larger noses and ears, and harsher underbites with much larger and sharper teeth and pronounced tusks.

Understandably, the Vagun-Gad are considered to be hideous by most other races, including normal Orcs. The Vagun-Gad are treated as handsome by only Wild Goblins, Beastmen, Ogres, Trolls, and some lesser Giants. Most intelligent races consider the Vagun-Gad to either be outright monstrous and dangerous, or misunderstood and simple-minded.

Due to their earlier stage of adaptation, the Vagun-Gad are noticeably dumber than modern Orcs and even dumber than the average human. While still sentient, the Vagun-Gad's minds are limited in potential to that of human Neanderthals. Similarly, the Vagun-Gad are lacking in wisdom as well; their simple society, savage tribalism, and rule of the strong over the weak indicate a distinct lack of introspection, self-understanding, or social development. The Vagun-Gad are tribal by nature, and their simpler, varied mental structure actively prevents them from understanding complex pieces of technology that are not weapon-related. However, the Savage Orcs are known to have a bit more experience with Magic, and employ spellcasters of various kinds in their hordes.

The Vagun-Gad reproduce sexually and do so very often, driven to mate with exclusively other Vagun-Gad and/or Orcs by a primal instinct. This ensures that the numbers of even a dying Vagun-Gad tribe can be replenished in a few years, and provides a large fighting force for established tribes. The Vagun-Gad are also willing to enlist their own children as soldiers to defend their tribes if necessary, and may purposely use child soldiers in order to create "**Vagun-Vars**," members of the tribe bred from birth to be killing machines, kept separate from the rest of the tribe and prohibited from marrying or mating.

The Vagun-Gad have an average lifespan of thirty (30) years, but have a maximum lifespan of around eighty (80); this can be extended through Magical means, but any Vagun-Gad that dies of old age or extends their lifespan that is not a shaman or powerful leader is considered cowardly and fearful of death.

### Personality:

Due to their undeveloped brains, the Vagun-Gad are considered a simpler, less-intelligent race by the other, more advanced races of the world. This deficiency also prevents them from developing more complex goals and sets of priorities. The goal of all Vagun-Gad is to fight and be successful in their fighting, no matter who or what the foe may be, and to always strive to be the strongest. As such, Vagun-Gad tribes are led by the strongest member, who harshly commands his underlings. As creatures of war, the Vagun-Gad are also incredibly well-disciplined, with an ingrained need for hierarchy which their tribal societies reflect.

The Vagun-Gad are incredibly temperamental by design, the aggression centers of their brains being disproportionately large and overactive. As a result, even the slightest perceived insult is likely to send a Vagun-Gad into a violent rage; similarly, even Vagun-Gad children seem not to possess any empathy, even for members of their own race. While the Vagun-Gad are capable of developing attachments with one another and even loving one another, they do not weep for their dead nor feel the pain of their comrades who are suffering or in need.

The Vagun-Gad are head-hunting barbarians who pride themselves on the number of people they've slain in combat, and derive their egos from their combat prowess; the more skilled an individual is in some form of combat, the more prideful and confident they are likely to be and the likelier they are to challenge others. This is contrasted by the runts of the Vagun-Gad, called the **Vagun-Tin**, who specialize in assassination and deception by hiding their combat skill behind meek physiques and cowardly sniveling; this is further contrasted by the **Vagun-Garg**, the name given to the largest members among a Vagun-Gad tribe, who are naturally more egotistical but noticeably lacking in intelligence. To keep track of their personal honor and skill, the Vagun-Gad collect the heads, teeth, scalps, limbs, or equipment of slain enemies as trophies; unlike some warrior cultures, these trophies are not sold, and only equipment is passed down to the next generation of a Vagun-Gad's family. Similarly, should an individual accrue so many trophies that they become a burden on the individual, the individual can opt to ritually destroy the trophies in a sacrifice to one of the gods, gift the trophies to someone else and thereby shift the honor of that kill onto the other person, or convert the trophy into a piece of equipment or a tool. The theft of someone's trophy is one of the greatest insults a person can impart on a Vagun-Gad, second only to the destruction of a trophy; such a grievous offense is met with a "Zudag'Gog," a type of ceremonial battle to the death between individuals, or a "Zudag'Kag," a fight between entire families or factions within a tribe. The chief of a tribe or horde may choose that such a duel is not suitable punishment, and can instead opt to mete out any punishment they see fit.

The Vagun-Gad are known to take slaves, but only when necessary and only to do specific jobs within a tribe; slaves are taken only from the civilian population of conquered or raided peoples, and never from fellow combatants, as the Vagun-Gad almost never take prisoners of war. This is because they see imprisonment and slavery as the highest form of shame, that an individual or group would submit themselves to the will of someone else not out of genuine weakness, but out of cowardice; to them, it is a kindness and a sign of respect to slay every soldier on a battlefield rather than accept their surrender. Similarly, the capture of an enemy for purposes of intelligence-gathering is done only as a last resort; should the Vagun-Gad take a soldier captive for interrogation, their enemies should know that the Vagun-Gad mean to erase them all, no matter the cost. This cultural perspective causes major miscommunication with other races, especially when members of other races take the Vagun-Gad prisoner, unaware that they've just created that many more sworn enemies, all of whom now feel obligated to fight back even harder in order to reclaim their honor and sense of strength. Slaves taken by the Vagun-Gad are reserved for all of the non-combat roles within a tribe that no other members want to do, a set of tasks which involves cleaning of clothes (*Note: Slaves are forbidden from cleaning armor, weapons, and trophies of war*), feeding of pets, moving and transportation of supplies, construction, farming and agriculture, preparing of scavenged food, etc. The Vagun-Gad treat slaves moderately compared to races like the Drow or Sun Elves, beating slaves for mistakes or perceived attempts at resistance; the Vagun-Gad consider slaves to be beneath them in terms of value, courage, strength, and even intellect, an underestimation that often creates opportunities for slaves to escape; escape is risky for the prisoners of the Vagun-Gad, however, as a failed break-out will inevitably be seen as an act of combat and end with the execution of all members involved. While the Vagun-Gad possess incredible respect for slaves that rise against their masters, this respect is demonstrated only through the execution of all rebelling slaves, to give the slaves honorable deaths suitable for their warriors' hearts. Slaves are also sacrificed to the Vagun-Gad's gods, although this only occurs before and after battles. Should a Vagun-Gad tribe find themselves with a surplus of slaves, they will likely sell or trade their slaves with willing customers in exchange for supplies or information.

The Vagun-Gad's limits on their technological understanding, and staunch dedication to the will of the tribe, prevent them from being conventionally hedonistic. While the warriors (*Note: An estimated 90% of Vagun-Gad tribes are considered "warriors" in their culture; the word "Vagun-Gad" in Old Orcish means "fighting person"*) are known to indulge in massive feasts, parties, and orgies before a battle, most warriors do not live lives long enough to allow them to develop hedonistic habits; these large orgies before battles are intended to impregnate female tribe members, as replacements for casualties should the warriors lose and new recruits should the warriors win. It should also be known that the Vagun-Gad do not discriminate by sex; females are allowed to fight as much as males, although pregnant females are prohibited from combat unless absolutely necessary. The shamans and leaders of a Vagun-Gad tribe are allowed the greatest portion of the spoils of war, and as such can accrue impressive treasuries of both trophies and coins, jewels, expensive luxury goods, furniture, armor, weapons, even mounts.

The Vagun-Gad are generally quite trusting of one another despite their highly-competitive natures; since trophies are proudly displayed, the strength of each person is clearly visible, which discourages open fighting between strong members and encourages honesty. A Vagun-Gad who carries large numbers of Orcish or Greenskin trophies is referred to as an "Orcrin-Gad," which roughly translates to "Greenskin-Killer," and denotes someone who is not to be lied to or otherwise messed with. The fabrication of trophies is almost as grievous a crime as the theft or destruction of trophies, and is almost always punished by death, exile, or a ritual known as the "Shab'Guk," in which the guilty individual's trophies are stripped from them and either given to other members of the tribe (*Note: Common recipients include the criminal's enemies or the tribe's leader*) or outright destroyed; this is a fate akin to the practice of "shunning" in other cultures, turning the criminal into an outcast separated from the rest of their society. One of the few ways to regain part of one's honor in the case of undergoing the Shab'Guk is to commit suicide-by-combat and pick a fight with a creature or individual significantly stronger than the shamed member; this pride is only regained if the guilty person dies, of course. In contrast, the Vagun-Gad are highly distrusting of all other races, including other Orcs, and are prone to forego any attempt at parley and begin an interaction with immediate hostilities.

### Abilities:

As one would expect from a race of Greenskins created for the sole purpose of living as weapons of war, the Vagun-Gad are exceptionally capable in combat; their strength overshadows even that of modern Orcs by a significant margin, allowing Vagun-Gad to tear people limb from limb with their bare hands or punch through shields with their bare hands. This strength and immense size does slow the Vagun-Gad down, albeit not nearly as much as early calculations predicted; these Greenskins are faster than they may appear, and their extreme proficiency in combat ensures that their technique makes up for what little disadvantage their slowness may create. The Vagun-Gad also have excellent eyesight, can see in the dark, and have acute senses of smell that aid in hunting and serve as triggers for their berserk rage. Their sense of taste is diminished compared to humans, as is their sense of touch; the Vagun-Gad also possess naturally tough hides resistant to flimsy weapons and feel very little pain. Another significant feature of Vagun-Gad physiology is their potent regenerative ability, which is strong enough to heal even grievous wounds and prevent Vagun-Gad from bleeding to death; while not strong enough to regrow entire limbs, their regenerative ability contributes to their reputation as tough, durable, and enduring combatants. Furthermore, this regenerative ability makes Vagun-Gad notably resistant to mundane poisons, but this regeneration can be halted via the application of acid; fire only slows regeneration for as long as it burns.

Vagun-Gad possess no innate abilities or resistances to any form of Magic. They do, however, possess naturally adaptive genetics that make them very durable, survivable, and hard to kill; their bodies will adapt to even the harshest of climates within a matter of months, and their bodies can undergo total restructuring of muscle and bone density in order to compensate for environmental factors like famine or war. While mentally stunted, those neural barriers can be overcome in a matter of decades instead of millennia, allowing the Vagun-Gad to quickly advance, especially in matters of strategy and military organization; as needs or circumstances may demand better logistical thinking to field a massive horde, the Vagun-Gad will develop the skills required in a few years. Despite their adaptability, their minds will quickly undo any progress made in any field that is not related to warfare, a feature instilled by their Goblin creators to keep the Vagun-Gad stupid and easily-manipulated. Vagun-Gad also have access to forms of genetic memory; members of tribes will innately possess talents in certain skills that are key to surviving in their tribe's area of habitation, like hunting or ambush tactics, and the families of legendary warriors will birth children with access to the memories and skills of their famous predecessor.

Vagun-Gad are also incredibly susceptible to Lycanthropy in *almost* all of its forms; interestingly, Vagun-Gad are immune to forms of Lycanthropy related to birds and fish, but susceptible to all other forms of the curse. This susceptibility is so pronounced that [REDACTED], one of the Vagun-Gad's gods, is a Lycanthrope; as a result, shamans and even entire tribes will purposely curse themselves with Lycanthropy in order to become superior fighters. This also means that the Vagun-Gad are exceptionally skilled at coping with the side effects and mental effects of Lycanthropy, and many find that they can learn to control themselves in their hybrid forms after their first transformation without much additional training.

### Culture:

The goal of Vagun-Gad culture is to survive and prosper through organized raids, wars, and combat against other groups of creatures, intelligent and otherwise. Vagun-Gad culture is organized according to a rule by the strongest; the most martially capable member usurps leadership from the previous leader, and the cycle continues forever. Religion is critical to Vagun-Gad culture, and is intrinsically connected to their way of life and manner of conducting war.

The Vagun-Gad are most adapted for authoritarian forms of government. Most commonly, the most basic unit of a Vagun-Gad society is the clan, which includes all members of a family and its connected families by marriage; the family with the strongest members becomes the clan's namesake, and the leader of the clan. A tribe is made up of several clans, but can grow in size dramatically before growing to the size of a horde; tribes are known to incorporate Wild Goblins into their groups as well. Hordes can grow to include tens or even hundreds of thousands of members, and are prone to incorporating Trolls, Ogres, Hobgoblins, Bugbears, etc. into their ranks. In all of these groupings of different Goblinoid races, all are considered subordinate to the Vagun-Gad. Collections of tribes or hordes can develop into massive swathes of territory controlled solely by the Vagun-Gad, as is the case with the Hordes of Charnazin in the Froderlands. Despite the size of these unified hordes and collected tribes, the Vagun-Gad are known to fight with each other as much as they are the enemies beyond their borders; hordes controlling various parts of the region will fight with one another over even the pettiest of things, which allows clever strategists outside and inside of the Vagun-Gad to take advantage of certain situations.

The Vagun-Gad speak a language known as Old Orcish, a distant ancestor to modern Orcish spoken around the Material Realm. The language is harsh and full of heavy consonants, with hyphenated words to denote compound terms and plenty of terms which cannot be properly translated into human languages. Old Orcish has one hundred and seventy-eight (178) words for "fight," forty two (42) words for "war," one (1) word for "surrender," a term which is synonymous with "shame," and no words for "peace."

#### Cuisine:

As the Vagun-Gad have diminished senses of taste, a feature added by the Goblins as a means of discouraging gluttony and allowing the Vagun-Gad to consume gross or makeshift foods without complaint, their cultural foods are considered tasteless, disgusting, or overloaded with flavor by other races. The Vagun-Gad have to eat large quantities of food, meat in particular, in order to sustain their muscles, metabolisms, and regenerative properties; they consume approximately three times (3x) the amount of calories per day as a normal human, and as such tend not to care how the food tastes as long as it is dense and edible. Their food is hunted or scavenged most of the time, with few villages or settlements remaining in one (1) place long enough to warrant farming, and as such is usually fresher than the food of other races. The feasts held by the Vagun-Gad in order to prepare for battle often feature foods so well-prepared and loaded with spices and salts that it is actively disgusting or even toxic to humans and distasteful to Elves and Dwarves.

Like all cultures, the Vagun-Gad also make their own form of alcohol, known as **Gode'Gad**, a form of fermented berries; other races often misunderstand the drink's name and call it "The Go-to-God," in reference to its potency and lethality. The fermenting process concentrates so much alcohol into the drinks that it will kill a human if consumed too quickly or even if only in moderate amounts; Dwarves claim that the drink is exceptionally tart but effective at getting even them black-out drunk.

#### Hierarchy:

1. Warlord
2. Shaman
3. Tribal Chieftain
4. Clan Leader
5. Family Leader
6. Adults
7. Children
8. Slaves

## Religion:

The Vagun-Gad subscribe to a polytheistic, totemic religion with an inwards focus, a disinterest in converting outsiders, and a heavy emphasis on the importance of war and death. Divine interaction for the Vagun-Gad comes in the form of rituals, celebrations, feasts, and battle. The Vagun-Gad Afterlife is two-fold; the Afterlife reserved for warriors is known as "Shamar," where they can train and party until [REMOVED], when their gods will [REDACTED], while the Afterlife reserved for cowards and those who died out of combat is known as "Turgan," which roughly translates to "Forest of Shame." The supernatural exists in the form of combat, shamans, and Magic. Forms of worship include group celebration, celebratory feasts, prayer at shrines and sacrifices both public and private. Holidays celebrate the rise of a new leader, inauguration of a new shaman, important battles, and dedicated holidays to certain gods.

#### List of Gods:

1. Drogroc, The Strong Lord of Gates: Supreme God associated with war, victory, and earned pride; considered the guardian of the living and decider of fates for dead Vagun-Gad, also in charge of liminal spaces like doorways, gates, and bridges worshipped by the Trolls.
2. Grat, The Beastfather: God of nature, animals, animal domestication, hunting, ambushes, and the Moon; considered the patron of Vagun-Gad shamans and the source of their Magic.
3. Hugholm, The Tempest: God of weather, storms, the Four Elements, agriculture, nomads and migration; a common source of Magic for some Vagun-Gad shamans, considered a powerful but fickle god who requires frequent sacrifices to appease.
4. Vakmu: God of war, strategy, discipline, opportunity, skill and technique, training, and dueling; considered an important god to appease before a tough battle appeased through the construction of large statues and shrines.
5. Dura, The Long-Mind: Goddess of memory, genetic memory, adaptation and evolution, ancestors, knowledge, language, and music; considered the primary source of knowledge and intelligence for the Vagun-Gad.
6. Yadba, The Great Anger: God of rage, anger, destruction, berserkers, and Ogres; considered the most sacrifice-demanding deity in the pantheon that is never properly sated, constantly requiring additional bloodshed and death to remain temporarily appeased.
7. Bat'Uul, Leader of Rewards: Goddess of the hero's death and ferryman for the honored dead to Shamar; considered the patron goddess of alcohol, feasts, and courage.
8. Guagh, The First Shame: God of the coward's death and ruler of Turgan; considered the first Vagun-Gad to have died out of combat, and a god whose name is considered an insult if spoken at someone else.
9. Zodagh, [NECROMANCY?]:
10. Hig, The Cunning: God of trickery, cunning, schemes and pranks, stealth, and dishonorable victory worshipped by Wild Goblins; considered to be a Wild Goblin so ancient and old and that he tricked the Fae into making him a god.