Karg

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Carved from the clay deep within the land itself, the hellish **kargen** are the denizens of nightmares. Their glowing tattoos are made of pure, concentrated magic, and are thought to bring life to these imposing creatures. Kargen are swift and vindictive, answering only to their god, the Sculptor, and their own voracious appetites.

## Etymology and Other Names

So named for the constant sensation of starvation that all individuals experience, their name translates  to 'hunger' in Knöch. Kargen are also referred to as demons, devils, hellspawn, and the like by natives of other realms.

## Biology and Anatomy

A brutish race, Kargen tend to be stout and well-muscled, though leaner, more gangly kargen are not unheard of. Kargen are fiendish in appearance. Their shoulders and elbows are covered in spikes, and their tails are long, flexible, and end in a spade. Though they have cloven hooves on their feet, their hands end in sharp claws. Their faces are long, with four large, glowing eyes that lack pupils and twin sets of horns atop their heads that vary in size and shape from individual to individual.

Most interestingly, their mouths are not on their face. Instead, a single giant mouth stretches across their stomach, filled to the brim with huge, sharp teeth. However, instead of attaching to a throat, their mouths seem to simply connect to a spinning, bottomless void that churns in silence. Perhaps because of this mysterious abyss, kargen are always hungry. Their desire to consume is insatiable, and many kargen will eat anything and everything they come across.

Kargen are not born in the traditional sense. The very first generation of kargen, known as the Einlecht, were sculpted from dark clay from deep within the ground. Runes of glowing magic were inscribed onto the clay, giving it life. Because of their unusual method of creation, kargen lack reproductive organs of any kind. Despite this, some of them identify with one or multiple genders, while others do not.

## Sociology and Culture

The very first generation of kargen, the Einlecht, were said to be carved from the dark clay found deep within the ground. Their creator, the Sculptor, inscribed runes of concentrated magic into the clay, bringing them to life. In turn, the Einlecht molded the Zweilecht, branding them with their own runes. The Zweilecht then created the Dreilecht, who created the Vierlecht. Though each generation is thought to be marginally weaker from the last as they grow further from the source, the Sculptor, truthfully, all kargen have the potential for great power.

Each generation of kargen was brought to life with a different kind of rune, and thus a karg's generation can be determined through the color of the patterns on their skin. The Einlecht were inscribed with light blue runes. After them, the Zweilecht with purple; then, the Dreilecht with brown. Finally, the Vierlecht were created with red. Perhaps because of the colored runes on their bodies, kargen tend to have an inclination for magic. However, more martially inclined kargen are not unheard of, and can be just as fearsome as their enchanted kin.

Due to an instinctive drive to consume everything they see, including other living creatures, it takes a great deal of restraint for a karg to be in public without eating their neighbors. Most kargen channel this voracious appetite into their work, resulting in their art, media, buildings, and most everything they produce to be themed around food.

However, not all kargen are successful at suppressing their instincts. Many kargen go around devouring anything they see, including their kin., before they are finally stopped by NAME HERE, the governing force in Hell, and brought to justice. Since the Joining, hungry kargen have proven to be among the most fatal newcomers to those of the Joined realms.

## Behavior

Because of their voracious appetites, most kargen have the tendency to eat constantly. More controlled kargen will simply eat rocks, grass, and twigs picked up off the ground. However, some kargen grow restless with dull foods, and instead opt to devour living creatures, including their own kind. Salivation, especially around other creatures, is also common.

When idle, most kargen will find themselves tracing the patterns of the runes etched into their skin. This act, though a compulsion, is thought to be a respectful gesture to the Sculptor, and in the case of the newer generations, a salute to the generation that created them.

## Naming Conventions

Kargen names, in traditional Knöch, always consist of three words: a noun, a verb, and an adverb, and always in that order. The noun generally has something to do with the ground, paying homage to their roots. The verb relates to their first action upon being molded, and the adverb is generally added to reflect their personality.

Kargen who have attempted to make peace with the races of the other realms generally translate their names to New Voelestis, while those who would prefer to make meals of them do not. Additionally, many kargen go by the noun in their name as a nickname.

**Examples of karg names:** Bog Rises Quickly, Swamp Flows Peacefully, Grund Verliert Langsam

## Notable Kargen

* Swamp Flows Peacefully
* Steel Flows Fluidly

## Racial Traits (3.5e)

Most kargen are **Medium**, incurring no benefits or penalties for their size. However, a bigger karg may instead be **Large**, incurring the benefits and penalties thereof.

All kargen have an (**Un)Healthy Appetite**. They are able to safely digest anything that can fit in their mouths, including living creatures, and are immune to poison effects. However, a karg must consume at least twenty-five pounds of material each day in order to prevent starvation.

Thanks to being **Hewn From Clay**, all kargen gain +2 to two Craft skills of choice.

As a standard action, a karg may activate their **Runic Barrier**, disrupting the spellcasting of those around them. All creatures within 10ft of the karg, including allies, must make a DC 10+level Concentration check in order to cast any spell or spell-like ability. Runic Barrier can be used for up to 1/2 level (minimum 1) rounds per day. These rounds do not need to be consecutive, and deactivating this ability is a free action.

All kargen come from a specific **Generation**. Each Generation was created by the one before it, except for the first Generation, the Einlecht, who were molded by the Sculptor. The four Generations and their benefits are as follows:

*Einlecht:* The Einlecht are the first Generation of kargen, and were inscribed with light blue runes. Once per day as an immediate action, Einlecht kargen may activate the latent power in their runes, forcing any creature within 30ft to reroll its most recent roll. After seeing the results of both rolls, the karg chooses which roll the creature takes. Einlecht kargen may choose either **+2 str -2 dex** *OR* **+2 cha -2 int** on top of their starting statistics.

*Zweilecht:* The Zweilecht are the second Generation of kargen, and were inscribed with purple runes. As a standard action, Zweilecht kargen may make a melee touch attack. If the attack hits, it deals (level)d4 damage and inflicts 1 temporary negative level on the touched creature for 1 minute. Zweilecht kargen may choose either **+2 con -2 str** *OR* **+2 int -2 wis** on top of their starting statistics.

*Dreilecht:* The Dreilecht are the third Generation of kargen, and were inscribed with brown runes. Once per day as a standard action, Dreilecht kargen may tap into the power of their runes to become invisible for 1d4 rounds, as the spell Greater Invisibility. Dreilecht kargen may choose either **+2 dex -2 con** *OR* **+2 cha -2 int** on top of their starting statistics.

*Vierlecht:* The Vierlecht are the fourth and most recent Generation of kargen, and were inscribed with red runes. Once per day as a standard action, Vierlecht kargen may attempt to create the next generation of kargen. Their attempts are never truly successful, but they do create a creature of clay. This creature acts as an appropriately leveled Summon Monster and lasts for 1d4 rounds. Vierlecht kargen may choose either **+2 str -2 con** *OR* **+2 wis -2 cha** on top of their starting statistics.