Kerak Goblins
Keraks (Goblins) are a stranded race, they seem to be found in all the cities of the world, but they have no kingdom to call their own. They made passable metalsmith and tinkerer, scrounge for materials anywhere they can, enough to get a living in most marketplaces.
Short and skinny (less the 40kg of weight), with a green skin, they rarely stand over 150cm of height, this gives the false ideas of the kerak being feeble and undernourished. Nothing is falser, a kerak can lift two times his weight without problems and can eat more than a full grown human. They use this appearance to their advantage.
The Keraks are divided into three main ethnic groups, the nomads called Scraphunters, the Citizens who live in cities with other races, and the savages called Lathomil or Feral Goblin who live outside the cities.
As can be expected a lot of Citizens are outlaw, they go from pickpocket to kidnapping. With their close family group (clan-group is the best translation possible), these Keraks can quickly create a criminal underground, from thief to fencer all inside the local clan, and if things get too hot (like the local militia going after them), they are ready to leave a city with less than half a day of notice.
Citizens Kerak mercenary are cheap and easily replaceable, a mainstay of bandits and wannabe warlords. The Keraks are a very industrious race, do any kind of work and seem to have a fearless disposition. Crewing a windship with Keraks is the cheapest option on the market, but they usually are very willing to do anything, but not skilled enough to do it.
Left to themselves, the Scraphunters are restless, they do not flaunt wealth even if in their wagons they accumulate whatever they can get their hands on and which they believe to have some value. They are always on the move, often moving in long caravans from city to city, always looking for metals and other useful objects, buying and selling whatever object they have on hand.
Often rummaging through the junk that the Scraphunters collect on their travels, one can find unusual, sometimes magical, objects that they have not given importance. The Scraphunters have chosen haggling as a ritual, no items are sold or traded without negotiation.
When two Lathomil clan-group meet, often hostility issues. Fighting other Keraks seems the standard for the race; they distrust everyone, but especially Keraks of other clans. If one of the two group win, all the survivors of the other group are absorbed, whatever they possess becomes property of the winners, females and small ones are taken into new family as slaves, brides, child or whatever else the winner clan decides. They start anew in the new clan, quickly becoming one entity.
Citizens consider the Scraphunters poor cousins too tied to ancient traditions, who have not understood how much better it is to live permanently in the city.
The Scraphunters regard the Citizens as lazy servants and slaves of other races, but between them there are no tensions but close commercial relations.
Both ethnic groups consider the Lathomil to be mad, thirsty for blood and to be kept at a distance as much as possible.
One notable difference appeared with the discovery of gunpowder. A typical Kerak that see himself as weak and fearful discover that using firearms he can stand up to creature more powerful than himself.
This psychological mechanism created a new powerful cult in the Kerak society: The Firepowder Cult. Adept of the Firepowder Cult see themselves as great and powerful warrior, leaders and heroes. Until they have a firearm on their hand they become fearless, bold and prone to react using violence (shooting).
Keraks
A Kerak stands 100 to 150cm tall and weigh 30 to 50 Kilograms. Its eyes are usually dull and glazed, varying in color from red to yellow. A Kerak’s skin color ranges from yellow through any shade of green to a deep red; usually all members of a single tribe are about the same color. Keraks wear clothing of dark leather, tending toward drab, soiled-looking colors.
- Ability Score Increase (Citizen Kerak). +2 Dexterity, +1 Intelligence, +1 Charisma, –1 Strength, –1 Wisdom.
- Ability Score Increase (Scraphunters). +2 Dexterity, +1 Constitution, +1 Intelligence, –1 Strength, –1 Wisdom.
- Ability Score Increase (Lathomil). +2 Dexterity, +1 Constitution, +1 Wisdom, –1 Strength, –1 Intelligence.
- Humanoid (Goblinoid).
- Small size: +1 bonus to Armor Class, +1 bonus on attack rolls, +4 bonus on Hide checks, –4 penalty on grapple checks, lifting and carrying limits 3/4 of those of Medium characters.
- Speed. A Kerak’s base land speed is 5 Hx.
- Darkvision. Accustomed to twilit forests and the night sky, a Kerak have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. It can see in dim light within 12 Hx as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light, but can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
- Naturally Stealthy: +4 racial bonus on Move Silently checks and Ride checks.
- Natural Tinkerer (Scraphunters) Scraphunters' natural ability to scavenge metals and repair and reconstruct objects is reflected in a +2 racial bonus in the Crafting: Tinkerer skill.[/there]
- On the fringes of Society (Citizens): Due to prejudice against them, many Kerak find menial or illegal jobs, this results in a +2 bonus to the Knowledge skill: Underworld.
- Living in the Outdoors (Lathomil): The feral Lathomil goblins live outside of society, divided into tribes that survive the dangers of the Outdoors. This is reflected in a +2 racial bonus to Survival.
- Languages: Common, Slave Pidgin, Valerian. Many Feral Kerak do not know how to read anything, so each new language must be learned 2 times, the first for speaking and the second for reading and writing.
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
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