Seven Savage Races

The Seven Savage Races are a grouping of creatures that seem to be descended from one ancestor race, and tend towards brutal, uncivilized demeanours.

Origins of the Savage Races
According to Halvarth’s Beastiarum, the seven Savage Races descend from a common ancestor. He theorized that this progenitor race was somewhat beastial, but not outright violent or malicious. However, members of this race supposedly came into contact with demons, and were affected by them. Specifically, the demons in question were the seven Lords of Sin, as specified in the teachings of the Church of Ia. Each Demon Lord was said to have made deals with members of the race, and through those deals the race was changed, separated into seven distinct species, each displaying traits corresponding to the Sin of a particular Lord.

This theory is widely accepted in the Church of Ia, but many scholars outside have doubts. They ask where the rest of the progenitor race went, or did every member become transformed though shady dealings. Also, the seven Savage races have existed since long before the First Demon War, which was the first confirmed contact with the plane of Outlands. There are other methods of connecting with the abyssal planes, as evidenced by Warlocks who wield fiendish magic, but it is doubted that those methods were ever practiced before first contact.

In any case, Halvarth’s theory is a useful method of categorization, and the traits of each Savage Race certainly match the sins described. For this reason, even though the most educated and critical of scholars may dispute Halvarth’s claims, most people use his classifications as a matter of convenience.

Bugbears
Large and lazy, bugbears act as the overseers and slavemasters amongst the Savage hordes. They dislike doing work themselves, and will readily take credit for someone else’s accomplishments.

Bugbears are associated with the Sin of Sloth

Draconum
Humanoids with draconic ancestry, draconum (also known as dragonborn, or dragonkin) tend to establish themselves as the leaders of the Savage hordes and clans. With the many traits that their dragon ancestors gave them, they see themselves as being superior to the other Savage Races. They think of themselves as civilized and refined, and sometimes the humans, elves and other non-Savage folk even agree.

Draconum are associated with the Sin of Pride.

Gnolls
Ravenous hyena-like humanoids, gnolls destroy anything in their path. They are omniverous in the worst possible way, eating anything they can find, including other gnolls. They act as shock troops for the hordes, and are generally disliked even by their Savage kin, as their insatiable appetite and vicious nature make them a danger to anything that breathes.

Gnolls are associated with the Sin of Gluttony.

Goblins
Small and nimble, goblins are amongst the most numerous of the Savage Races. They are not as strong or powerful as the other races, and tend to be pushed around and mistreated by other races of the hordes, even being used as fodder in combat. Though they possess skills of their own, goblins almost never occupy positions of status, except around other goblins.

Goblins are associated with the Sin of Envy.

Hobgoblins
Hobgoblins are a strange race, thought to be a crossbreed of Goblins and Orcs. While in battle they are the most disciplined soldiers of the hordes, when not in combat they tend to let loose in the worst ways. Occupied towns rarely survive, as the hobgoblins will pillage and rape until nothing is left. While not as strong or ferocious as orcs, they enjoy combat with a glee that frightens even the most hardened of opponents.

Hobgoblins are associated with the Sin of Lust.

Kobolds
These tiny reptilian creatures are not strong or even numerous, but they are clever and scheming. They are attracted to anything shiny, and if they cannot steal these objects with stealth, they will devise vicious traps that kill or capture. They are frequently overlooked by other members of the Savage hordes, but that’s just the way they like it.

Kobolds are associated with the Sin of Greed.

Orcs
Tall and powerful, orcs are the face of the tribes. They are powerful warriors, not as disciplined as Hobgoblins, but capable of fighting with incredible fury. Orcs tend to be leaders of mixed groups, answering only to any draconum that have assumed command. While they can sometimes interact peacefully with members of civilization, their notoriously short tempers make such meetings dangerous.

Orcs are associated with the Sin of Wrath.