Broodkeeper

An artificially created Human ethnicity produced by the Svartalfar, an offshoot of Dark Elves. Produced as part of that tribe's long military buildup, Broodkeepers were engineered through the use of eugenics, Runes, and Fleshwarping to serve as breeding stock for their slave armies. Physically attractive, quick to mature, with exceptional libido and fertility, weak minds, and possessed of intoxicating pheromones capable of inciting intense lust in others, Broodkeepers were made to mate and birth legions. They served as the mothers and fathers of the Svartalfar's other slaves, their entire lives devoted to breeding and raising children. Their unique traits made it relatively rare for them to conceive their own kind when paired with another ethnicity or Race, and so they acted as seed beds for Svartalfar slaves and armies. However, it was also they who helped to incite the rebellion which helped bring down the Svartalfar's secret kingdom in the face of the gods' wrath. Their actions, and those of the other rebels, earned them all a place in the larger world.

Broodkeepers are marked by their pale skin and, striking hair, and unusual eye colors. Most have eyes that are pink, red, blue, or purple, or near-white and their hair is usually a similar color, though albinism is bizarrely common among them. They tend to have very healthy-looking physiques oriented more towards stamina and flexibility than raw power. They are almost painfully attractive in appearance, their bodies perfectly formed to incite lust in the opposite sex. This is only augmented by the pheromones that they exude. They are usually of middling height, though this can vary quite a bit, with females universally having wide hips. Their breast size varies, but rapidly swells when pregnant; they were designed to feed multiple children per birth and adapt quickly and effectively. Male Broodkeepers are known for their unusually large genitals and the copious amounts of semen they produce, often rivalling Incubi even without being corrupted. Both genders have a strong parental instinct that lends them to be excellent caretakers of children; Broodkeeper communities generally raise their children communally and share the responsibilities.

Broodkeepers were engineered and modified to face few difficulties from incest; magic scribed into their genetics prevents the manifestation of most severe deformities that would result from such, instead causing it to manifest as albinism. This was not deemed a problem to the subterranean Svartalfar, who tended to house the Broodkeepers in large, underground breeding pens. However, now that they live on the surface, it has proven to be a more severe issue.

Broodkeepers reach sexual maturity at an abnormally young age for Humans, essentially skipping the period of childhood between growth spurts in favor of one long maturation. Most Broodkeepers at age ten appear a decade older than they are and are similarly developed mentally. However, this robs them of a great deal of learning time, tending to result in a lower overall intellect and greater naivete. In many regards, they are an ethnicity of Humans that resemble Monsters.

Broodkeepers have a naturally bonobo-like society based on a strong communalistic outlook. Free-love is the norm in their society, something of an inevitability with the degree to which they arouse one another. Public intercourse is common, nor is exposing it to children seen as a problem due to the way in which the culture handles childbirth and rearing and their own precocious sexual development. Since gaining their freedom, they have come to truly relish it, and so have taken to adapting whatever practices and traditions from other cultures they find interesting. However, they tend to make sure that their clothing allows for easy sexual intercourse; restraint is not something they are known for.

Broodkeepers have little faculty for most forms of magic, and often little interest in most forms of combat. They would rather solve their problems with pleasure than pain. However, Sorcery comes readily to most; the magic used to create them and the breeding that went into their ancestry has mixed a number of different power sources within them. Further, Psionics is actually common in this ethnicity, leading many to pursue it as Wilders, or through Occult Magic. Given time and interactions, they may yet bring back more structured traditions. They also have a great fondness for music and the arts, making

Broodkeeper society tends to be based on subsistence and collective decision-making; their communes often live in the lands of other Races, separated and protected by simple walls and borders, and what magical protections the population establishes. They farm, forage, and raise livestock, and usually don't seek to create large towns or cities or corner trade routes. They rarely pursue significant trade with outsiders, though their crafts are increasingly known for their great beauty. They are especially popular with Monsters, who tend to find the often lewd subject matter of Broodkeeper works endearing. Most of their communes can be found in Eastern and Western Thule, and Meropis, though they can be found further south, and there are even some in the Vinland to the far west.

Broodkeepers are a naturally peaceful lot. They can only be roused to fight normally in self-defense or that of those they care for. Particularly children. However, some occasionally experience a more violent streak that makes them prone to pursuing careers outside of their communities. Others simply want to see the world and enjoy the freedom their ancestors fought hard to achieve for the sake of their descendants.