Obrec

## **The Obrec**

The Story of the Obrec began in what they called the Infinite Forest, where they lived in small tribes of 10-20 individuals. Their life consisted of hunting the game of the forest and foraging for nuts and berries. What time they did not spend on these activities was spent telling stories. Some attribute the invention of several more eccentric musical instruments to the Obrec, but no one knows for certain, since the Obrec of the time had no writing and saw no need for such. The great stories that survive talking about such, are considered to be unreliable sources.

The rise of The Dragon Empire saw an end to the peaceful subsistence in the forests the Obrec enjoyed. Elven kind needed space for their expanding empire, and wood for houses and ships, cutting into the Infinite Forest and forcing the Obrec further into the wilds and foothills of the great mountains of [REDACTED].

While the valleys and low paths of the mountains were still heavily forested, similar to their earlier home, the great peaks and the accompanying slopes were not, and this posed a problem to the forest folk, as their numbers were much too high for the new cramped environment, their old way of life could simply not sustain them there.

Fighting erupted over the scarce hunting grounds, starting small, tribe against tribe, and as tribes began to stake their claims, the necessity for larger tribes to defend these new forests from each other and from the Elves gave rise to the Clans. Each clan was formed out of an alliance between many tribes, usually to protect and rule a valley or contiguous stretch of forest. The tribes themselves grew in number, as the old way; individuals moving off to join an under-populated tribe or start their own when a tribe became too large, was no longer viable.

Raiding became more intense and frequent over the generations, as new Obrec were born into an environment already struggling under the weight of the current population. Even the Empire saw the repercussions of this in small ways as the Obrec periodically raided the outlying settlements in the same way they did each other. On such raids into Elven territory the Obrec observed the many arts of Civilisation, and soon the Obrec themselves were building towns and villages, cultivating farmland and mining their mountains for ores.

The Obrec were loath to cut too deeply into their treasured forests, as they still had the old stories about the rise of elfen civilisation and what it did to their ancestors, and so they took to the higher more sparsely wooded slopes of the mountains. Cutting into the rock of the highest slopes they carved their cities instead, farming the lower ones with hardy crops while also maintaining their old hunting and foraging grounds in the forests below them.

Relative peace spread through the Obrec of the mountains with the onset of their city dwelling lives as each clan founded city states within their domains. Very quickly the Obrec also realised their previously hidden metallic wealth, and began to dig into their mountains for the ores to make tools and weapons, driving their progress further into what they call the Age of Carved Cities.

Trade between the clans became much more frequent due to the many different resources that civilisation demands, roads were carved, both between the Carved Cities and down to Elven populated areas to the southwest. War was still fought between the Clans however, be it due to personal slight between them, trade disagreement or any of the usual culprits.

Thus we find ourselves here today, the hardy Carved Obrec from their old wild ways.

## **Obrec Appearance**

Obrec are on average 4 feet 8 inches tall, ranging all the way up to 6 feet at the absolute extreme ranges. Obrec resemble humanoid deer, with swept back antlers and small feet comprised of 3 toes, 2 in front and 1 in back, similar to a birds foot, but with short does and no talon.

Obrec have very soft, short, thick fur over most of their body, with various patterns on it. Their front has very little hair, similar to human skin, starting on the inside of their upper thighs and going up the front of their body, neck and face. Their head hair is similar to human head hair. The colours Obrec come in are many and varied, ranging through the spectrum from blond through the browns and reds to purple.

Obrec have antlers originating from high on their forehead, and the length and size of these depends on genetics and how long since they have shed them.

## **The Obrec Personality**

The Obrec are an emotional people, be it one of the Wild Obrec who still haunt the low forests, or the Carved Obrec in their mountain cities. Happiness and anger are felt both in great intensity, love and hate are long emotions to the Obrec. As such, Obrec hold a grudge, and sometimes if the grudge is deep enough, it will span generations. Several of the Obrec City States and the Clans who rule them are locked in bitter and long wars. The race as a whole holds a general feeling of dislike for elf kind, a holdover from when they were driven from the Low Forests.

Equal to their wrath is their love, making a friend of an Obrec is making a loyal friend for life, and they will always help their friends to the best they can, while also forgiving much. Obrec will usually mate for life, with the two individuals devoting themselves to each other. This is so ingrained that often a couple will share physical traits between each other in a manner many consider to be a low form of natural magic. A couple will often have matching spot patterns, eye colour or hair colour, although fur colour is never transferred for reasons unknown.

Due to the almost permanent nature of love between two Obrec, they are slow to give in to the emotion, and courting between the young is often a matter of short term whirlwind romance, starting and ending rather quickly. The frequent and fast nature of Obrec courting is to allow them to find a true mate, and when they find one they mash with on a deeper level, this whirlwind romance will morph into the intense and long lasting union described earlier. However, this behaviour has led many other races to see the Obrec as somewhat promiscuous, with stories cropping up of dashing Obrec bards taking other races circles by storm, often leaving after several of the romanced individuals become jealous of each other.

Many Obrec take their deep emotions in a different direction, and will plunge themselves into a cause, often becoming the most fervent believers in a faith.

## **Obrec Clans and Kingdoms**

### Mossbed Clan

An old clan founded in the early days after they were forced into the mountains. The Mossbed clan boasts one of the denser populations for an independant clan, with many large cities within it's borders. Recent times has seem a decline in their internal and external power.

### Cherrinbrook Clan

400 years ago, the Cherrinbrook clan was two separate clans, the Cherrinbrook clan and the Ferrjul clan. The Cherrinbrook clan occupied a high valley and were known for their prowess in battle, while the Ferrjul clan was a well respected druidic clan. The Cherrinbrook clan invaded and integrated them in a swift and brutal campaign. Many of the Ferrjul clan nobility were slain, and what remained was absorbed as lower houses. Recently the Ferrjul have regained some influence within the clan. Cherrinbrook lands are divided between the old Ferrjul valley, a lush and fertile area that produces a significant portion of the greater regions' food, and the ancestral Cherrinbrook lands, a high and rocky valley rich in metals.

### Timberwild Clan

The Timberwild clan was founded by a small contingent of Obrec rangers who were cut off from the main force at the end of the war with the elves. Finding their way through the formidable mountain range. They went undiscovered by main obrec civilisation for almost 100 years, and as such developed slightly differently from the norm. Rather than building their cities into the mountainsides, they built theirs within the treetops of the enormous redwood forest that is a major part of their valley and the wilderness to the northeast. Fanatically independent and isolationist, the Timberwild clan goes mostly ignored and unmolested.

### Stonechaser Clan

The Stonechaser clan was founded by a large and militant sect of the goddess Kerrinlao. During the war this army was taught how to work metal by the goddess, and they would charge into battle encased in heavy armour and whirling enormous weapons in devotion to their patron. Finding themselves in this valley during their migration, they came upon a dwarven surface colony, bitter from their defeat at the hands of the elves, the Stonechasers took their frustration out on the unsuspecting dwarves, driving them back into their underground kingdom. Since this time, the Stonechasers have spread out into their valley, cultivating it and keeping it in the normal Obrec manner, however, underneath the surface, the war with the dwarves rages on, the clan seeking to push ever deeper into the dwarven kingdom, eagerly seeking it's riches.

## **Obrec Religion**

The most prominent and oldest faith of the Obrec is known as the Way of the Old Forest. This faith is a mess of gods, spirits and many other nonspecific mythical beings, with no clear definition between any of them. There can be gods dedicated individual streams, and spirits dedicated to vast stretches of forest. The deities of the Obrec are locked into constant celestial battle with one another over territory in much the same way as the Obrec of old were, perhaps explaining the inconsistent domains of each, relative to their apparent labelling.

The general rule of thumb for the beings described is thus; A God will almost always take the form of an Obrec, while a spirit will usually take the form of some part of nature, such as an animal or tree. Another group is less specific, sometimes having no visually physical form at all, or otherwise appearance with no analogue seen anywhere else.

The more prominent players are thus:

**Jarrig, God of the Old Forest.** Jerrig’s realm is that of all old woods. Forests that have stood largely untouched by sentient life and development. He is frequently takes the form of an Obrec-like centaur with the head of an owl, carrying a great hunting spear. He is considered a very wise and thoughtful god, and is often invoked before an important decision is made. Custom is also to call on him before the meeting of a clan council.

**Kerrinlao, Goddess of the Peaks.** She is the deity responsible for the mountain home of the Obrec. She is usually seen as an Obrec of middling age in decorative heavy plate armour weilding an enormous two handed maul. She is warlike, stubborn and noble, taking great pleasure from honourable combat (1v1 me bro). She has a great hatred of those who kill others in a non-honourable way, and believes all good folk should die with a weapon in hand. Kerrinlao is usually invoked when stability and predictability are needed.

**Ollinfer, Spirit of the New Forest.** Ollinfer is in charge of all forest newly grown, although the definition of “newly grown” is a little vague and can mean just the edge of a forest or any forest that has ever been inhabited. Her realm often overlaps with Jarrig, and they are usually considered equal allies. Ollinfer takes the appearance of whatever vegetation is at hand at the time, woven and spiralled together into the form of a female elf. Ollinfer is despite her appearance, a protector of the forests and their Obrec inhabitants. Preferring indirect methods for her protection of the forests methodically regrowing and advancing the boundaries of the forest. She is also considered the deity of subterfuge and trickery for the way she will kill those who displease her through seeming accidents. As such, she is constantly in conflict with Kerrinlao, who sends rock slides and slips down the mountains to beat back the forest, while Ollinfer will continuously regrow over those attacks. Ollinfer is usually invoked before a defence, such as when one clan is defending against the attack of another.

**Ullen, Being of Anger.** Ullen rules over the concept and emotion of anger. They are never seen in a distinct physical form, instead preferring to manifest by taking control of an Obrec’s body, causing them to grow in height and increasing the size and number of points on their horns, while also causing them to smoke and glow with a dark red light, similar to the colour of hearts blood. Ullen is much as his realm, quick to anger and brashness, striking out at those who wrong them with no regard for nuance in a situation. Ullen is usually invoked when vengeance is called for.

**Bellandul, Being of the Long Love.** Bellandul is the deity of the long and unending love that Obrec feel. Unlike many of the other beings, Bellandul has a visible form. They appear as all those who died simultaneously with their Long Love as they were viewed in their mindof their lover, swapping from one long dead romantic to the next, eyeblink to eyeblink, and this transformation and the forms seen by mortals is inconsistent from individual to individual. Bellandul is rarely seen and usually does not meddle in the mortal affairs, usually only interfering when two individuals who are a good match would otherwise never have met in their lives. Bellandul is invoked during weddings.

**Inah, Spirit of Lust.** Inah is the spirit of the initial romance, and of sex and lust. They take the form of a very very beautiful Obrec, sometimes male and sometimes female. Inah is playful and has a voracious libido, constantly seeking to seduce those he/she meets, often changing her form to suit the preferences of the target. Inah has even been known to take the form of other races in order to seduce them. Inah will very often wander the land seeking short and passionate romances with mortals, and is probably the diety who meddles most in mortal affairs.

**Gosbari, Goddess of the Deep Mountain.** Gosbari is the goddess associated with the caves and the deeps below the mountains. She is usually seen appearing as a matronly Obrec woman of older years, but with features constructed of stone and mineral. Gosbari is also often associated with material wealth, and many pray to her for good fortunes or to seal a trade deal. Gosbari sees little need to interfere in the affairs of mortals, although some tell stories of her plucking and weaving the strands of gold and goods that connect the land.