Knorrig

> "**Bark, blood, bone and bile. Bark, blood, bone and bile. Nothing but hostile bits of bark, blood, bone and bile.**" - *Unknown chant*
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## Biology

Created by Grandfather Oak, they are a wooden mockery of the humaniod races with tough bark for skin and root-like feet. They are what results from whan a Sprössling engorged itself on corpses that litter the floors of the Dark Woods as its body hardens into a cocoon-like birthing pod and metamorphosis occurs. There is no limit to their height, it is only a matter of if they have enough nutrients but most stand at six foot, tall and lithe. Their limbs are long and branch-like, ending in a hand with many twig-like fingers. Beneath the tough exterior is a soft mass of organs and tissue competing for space with vascular tissues.

Some Knorrig chose to mark their dermal tissue with intricate carvings or even cultivate lichens and mosses on it, as the Knorrig have little to distinguish themselves from each other otherwise as their faces only consist of rough bark. Their faces are also lined with cracks, not from damage, but through these openings they hear and see. The Knorrig consume food by either by absorbing it through roots on their feet (thought this renders the individual immobile for up to one day) or through openings such as their mouths or even on their hands. Because of their birth process, many are born with irregularities such as a twisted back or a warped hand.

## Culture

Knorrig culture mainly revolves around the worship and reverence of Grandfather Oak and his Dark Woods. Outsiders are shunned; their passage through the Dark Woods is only tolerated if a blood sacrifice is given to the woods. Many Knorrig work as guides, taking the offering as payment, with higher payments resulting in better service.

Their goverment is a theocracy, ruled by the Versed Elders of the Verdant Creed. The tenants and taboos of the Verdant Creed are rigorously enforced. One being a ban on soul magicks as they believe the Mist present in their forest are clusters of unreincarnated souls, of all species, floating around and that the unreincarnated souls must be returned to the cycle of souls, usually via being absorbed by the trees in the Dark Woods. However, a schism broke out after the discovery of Blood Magic and now the Verdant Creed has two Branches. These two are:

* The Prime Branch: the original, "true" church of the Verdent Creed.
* The Branch of Blood: a cult of Knorrig Blood Mages, a minority that use Octavia's gift with gusto.

The Branch of Blood see Blood Magic as a way of both easing the pain of existance and overcoming Grandfather Oak's "curse" - a Knorrig that uses Blood Magic is marked by it: the *vitae* within the blood causes sprouts to form, giving the Knorrig leaves and in some rare cases, fruit.

Knorrig music is somewhat notable as it is their account of history, entwinned with sullen dirges mostly consisting of atonal cacophonies produced by creaking jaws and dry voices. The full body of music is referred to as the Rhyme-Ring Annals. Other races see Knorrig music as more a bunch of mantras and chants than anything else. Regardless, the twisted race seek to add to their song as without the knowledge of other races' legends and cultures it is incomplete.