Gorgons

Gorgons rarely leave the comforts of Iron Teeth. Because of this, while they are always welcome, they are often viewed as unapproachable. They are well known for their iron-working skills and stonecutting, as well as their lore, stories, and record keeping. Gorgons favor things of natural and simple beauty, preferring to keep materials in construction or other works as close to their natural colors and textures. When danger threatens their mountain homes Gorgons reveal their serpentine nature, demonstrating swift, close movements with daggers or striking from afar with tricks, traps, and ranged weaponry.

**PERSONALITY**

Gorgons are more often amused than excited, preservationists rather than greedy, and generally more logical than jovial. With such long lifespans, they tend to keep a broad perspective on events, and form acquaintances rather than friends with less long-lived races. They view short-term impact events such as a skirmish or even minor natural disaster as petty happenstance rather than impactful if it has no long-term consequences. When pursuing a goal, however, they are focused and relentless. While they are slow to make true friends or enemies, because of their longevity they are even slower to forget or forgive. They reply to gifts and generosity with great respect and thanks, and transversely to serious insult or threats with swift vengeance. When one lives for so long, keeping friends close and enemies crushed makes for a happy life.

Gorgons are a matriarchal society, with the mother of a household tending to have the final say, and a village looking to a sole female leader called a High Mother.

**PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION**

Gorgons are tall and lithe, standing between 5 and 6-1/2 feet tall and weighing 140 to 190 pounds with gorgon men and women being roughly the same size. Though their skin is scaled and the texture of the stones they call home they tend to be frailer than their counterparts such as Humans, Lotus, and Pengembara. Their stony scales tend to be textured and colored much like natural stone an minerals ranging from pale quartz and gold to deep obsidian or crimson. Gorgons have no facial or body hair. They prefer loose fitting and flowing clothes that allow them to move and sway with ease, and they enjoy simple jewelry.

There are two sub-species of Gorgon: The more common and snakelike Stone-borne, and the bipedal Rooted. While both being Gorgons and having almost identical features in most regards, there are some key differences.

* Stone-borne - All male Gorgons and most female are Stone-borne. They have all of the same features listed above and have more angular, serpentine faces and traverse the world on a large tail rather than legs.
* Rooted - Some female Gorgons are known as Rooted. They are not in a caste or class above the Stone-borne, and the reasoning as to why they are physically different is unknown. It is thought, by some Gorgon scholars, to be a mark of their ancestors, or a sign of the Gorgon future. The Rooted are bipedal, like many other races, and stand on two legs with feet and toes. Their faces are more human in their features but unlike the Stone-born they have a feature than can resemble hair in that upon their heads they have sentient but not sapient snakes. Some will have a large single serpent and others will have dozens or hundreds of smaller vipers. These symbiotic extensions cannot communicate with the Gorgon and do not require their own sustenance but can be commanded to do simple things like hold a "style" or grasp simple objects, Rooted with larger extensions can have them eat on behalf of the Gorgon and some are even named by their host. The Rooted make up roughly 15% of all females born to the Gorgons.

**RELATIONS**

Gorgons consider humans and most of the other races of Kastacal as rather unrefined. The shorter-lived races such as Frog-folk and Kin they show a modicum of pity for and tend to be suspicious of the Triune. While haughty, the Grogons do not tend to be particular in any of their interactions with other races or societies, doing well to respect and blend in with their surroundings to the best of their ability without compromising a sense of self. Regardless of their individual views of others, Gorgons as a whole are generally pleasant and gracious to others even if they "fall short" of Gorgon standards.

**ALIGNMENT**

Because of their desire to preserve that sense of self, Gorgons tend to lean to a more neutral or chaotic tendency, not favoring the laws of lands outside of Iron Teeth or Nadhir Samit. Generally, they value and protect others' freedoms along with their own, and they end to remain neutral in times of conflict.

**LANDS**

Most Gorgons live in clans in the mountains around Nadhir Samit in Iron Teeth. Their villages are carved from the stone of the cliffs, hills, and gorges and most have a clear view of the temple summit of Nadhir Samit. They hunt game, gather food, and grow hearty vegetables that are native to the mountain regions, and most work the countless mines throughout the Teeth to support their villages with trade or offer to Nadhir Samit. Their contact with outsiders is usually limited to traders and those seeking passage through the Teeth, though some Gorgons make a good living trading finely worked stone goods or metals from the Teeth in return for foreign foods, clothes, and materials that are not available in their homelands.

Gorgons encountered in the other lands of Kastacal are commonly traders or performers to some degree. Foreign nobles have been known to compete for the services of Gorgon instructors or advisors who can tend to a house for generations for appropriate compensation.

**RELIGION**

Gorgons vary in their religious tendencies, ranging from atheistic and agnostic to zealous in their following of the edicts of Nadhir Samit. While they see Nadhir Samit as the holy site that it is, there is not a tangible god that is praised, but rather The Peak. The Peak is an ideal, peak wisdom, peak physical condition, and or peak understanding of themselves. The Peak is a nearly unattainable position that is pursued in a singular focus by the religious among the Gorgons. You may come across a Gorgon on your travels who views their own Peak as gathering as much knowledge about Kastacal as they can, while another would have a Peak to be undefeated in single combat across countless duels.

**LANGUAGE**

Gorgons speak a harsh language that is nearly devoid of soft sounds such as "s", "th", etc. This language is simply known as Gorgon and has very intricate grammar and annunciation with vastly different words and phrases sounding nearly identical to untrained ears. Traders and linguists fluent in Gorgon are highly sought after, especially in Bellavode, to facilitate transit through the teeth, or arrange trade with the Gorgon villages. Bards fluent in Gorgon will perform quickly spoken poetry or songs because of the annunciation separating the words is always distinguishable regardless of speed. The Gorgon script is harsh, angular, and compact with no recognizable curve but rather straight lines and complex angles. The origin of this is likely the ease of which it is to carve even the most complex Gorgon script into a stone face.

**NAMES**

The mother of a birthed Gorgon clutch will chose the name of each child as they are hatched and embraced for the first time. Each name is a unique creation, though it may reflect inspiration of some form from the mother's life. A Gorgon will also usually bear a family name, these names are reflective of the diversity in the families of Gorgons and tend to break the "normal" rules of the Gorgon language, they are usually a variation on Gorgon words with softer sounds replacing the standard harsh sounds. "S"s replacing Ts or Cs, and "th" replacing Ts and Zs. They are reflective the early Gorgon's trade specializations or contributions to their villages.