“BLOOD OF THE MOTHER, BONES OF THE EARTH.” Chanted the wizened old shaman as she lifted her hand up high over the newborn, sprinkling bloody earth over their head and shoulders. She then took a cord of woven rothé hair and draped it around the child’s neck. From it dangled a small crystal of pale, glowing quartz- the same sort of quartz which warriors defended with their lives, and which mates exchanged during marriage vows. At that moment the other orcs assembled before the shaman gave a great shout, echoing her words through the cavernous halls. In this way they welcomed the newest member of their tribe into the deep, dark world.
— Merhoon Hresh, Planar Peculiarities Vol. IX
There are a people who live between a literal rock and a hard place. Down, deep down below the earth, below the warrens of kobolds and the holds of dwarves, below the clamorous warcamps of even the deepest orogs, lies a place of transience. In that long-forgotten corner of the Underdark, the barrier between the Prime Material Plane and the Elemental Plane of Earth has grown thin in some places, and broken down completely in others.
Here, the Children of Blood and Stone dwell. They are orcs, or at least akin to them. But they have been radically altered by a genesis of betrayal and passion, and an existence of seclusion and solitude. Divine accidents, they had been content to hide away for generations. Now, they venture beyond their cavernous homes, steady and cautious in a world that has never known them, and knows not what to do with them.
Blood of the Mother
The Stoneblood are orcs born of exposure to the Plane of Earth. They remain superficially similar to orcs, being broad and muscular with tusked jaws and flat, wide features that more prejudiced humans might regard as primitive or even simian.
The similarities peter out from there. Stoneblood orcs possess tough hides and stony protrusions not unlike a goliath’s lithoderms, but on a more extreme scale. Pieces of crystal are known to grow from their heads and shoulders, and their tusks are angular and faceted like pieces of quartz. Their unique biology is divinely inspired, but maintained through more mundane means. When a Stoneblood is born, they are soft and almost smooth-skinned. As they mature and eat the mineral-rich food available in their earthen vaults, their bodies process the minerals into stone and crystal formations. One effect of sickness or old age is for these structures to grow weak and brittle.
Stonebloods are not as tall as orcs closer to the surface, but no less powerfully built. Skin tones range from dark green, to grey-blue, to a foggy amethyst color. Eye color can be as varied as the gemstones found in their vaulted homes. Hair tends to be dark, black, or silvery. They dress conservatively, in drab and muted tones unlike the lurid colors and garish pelts of near-surface orcs. The only spots of color most wear are a necklace of white or yellow quartz, and the occasional tattoo of blue-black or red pigment etched and dyed into their stony skin.
Bones of the Earth
Stoneblood orcs live in cavernous vaults adjacent to the Plane of Earth. They organize themselves into small tribes linked by blood or constructed lineage. These tribes can be highly regimented, and are generally oriented around a mildly matriarchal council of notables advised by a senior shaman.
Stonebloods survive by hunting the earthy beasts of their home, and by farming a few hardy plants and fungi imported from the Underdark. They also harvest the abundant mineral wealth of their vaults to make tools, as well as works of art. Their skill in stonework is not as technically impressive or as lavish as dwarf engineering, but it possesses its own subtle sophistication and beauty. Where a natural earth vault ends and where Stoneblood artifice begins can be hard for even trained eyes to see- not that many outsiders have ever seen them.
For long, slow centuries the orcs kept to themselves, only periodically interacting with other tribes to trade, socialize, or settle disputes. Tribes typically cooperate through representatives who are sent to a “great council” hosted on neutral ground, often under the auspices of an elder shaman. Warfare of any scale is startlingly uncommon among the Stoneblood orcs, and it is quickly quashed. When differences get out of hand, warchiefs are selected to lead bands of warriors in small-scale ritual battles, or act as champions for their tribe in one-on-one trials by combat. Stoneblood orcs simply don't have the numbers, reproductive ability, or wild abandon that their upper cousins rely upon to lead them to victory in battle. Stonebloods believe that glory means little when so many are left dead, maimed, or starving.
Spawn of the Great Indiscretion
The divine parents of the Stoneblood orcs are Luthic, orcish goddess of caves and motherhood, and Grumbar, the Primordial of Earth. The gods conceived them by accident during one of their many trysts in the depths of the earth, but decided against destroying the misbegotten, soulless facsimiles on the spot.
Luthic still feared that their existence would alert her mate Gruumsh to her dalliances, so she hid them away underground, and Grumbar gave them a place at the far edge of his realm. Luthic later stole a magic orb of quartz from her mate and gifted it to Grumbar. He shattered the orb in his fist, and the shards rained down upon the Stonebloods, piercing them and imbuing them with souls and wills. Together the deities have protected the Stoneblood orcs ever since, through a combination of misdirection and tactical negligence.
Free of the bloodlust that Gruumsh has instilled in most other orcs, the Stonebloods have developed in a way that is far removed from their kin. They are temperate, thoughtful, and patient on an almost geological scale. Where exactly Gruumsh’s lack of influence ends and Grumbar’s influence begins is a matter of debate, but it is a question of huge import to the future of the orcish peoples.
Despite the absence of significant intervention in their lives, the Children of Blood and Stone still venerate their divine parents through quartz and prayer. For even if they do not directly speak to or intercede on behalf of their children, the presence of Luthic and Grumbar is evident in the land itself, and how it challenges yet provides for their children.
Most unusual about the distant-yet-present faith of the Stoneblood orcs is that it still appears to afford them spiritual power. While many shamans are druids of some kind, enough of them claim to be clerics of Luthic to bring into question just how much attention the Cave Mother really is affording her sheltered children, and by what means.
Isolated and Concealed
The Stoneblood orcs have been separated from most other sapient species for centuries. Any
relationships or grudges they have tend to be directed at each other, rather than at the people of the World Beyond. Nevertheless, they have had enough dealings with outsiders for some trends to develop.
Orcs. The “favored” children of Gruumsh see their sheltered kin as weak and misbegotten. If given the opportunity, their more warlike cousins would either destroy the Stonebloods, or subjugate them in the name of the One-Eyed God.
Genasi. The planetouched are a mixed bag for Stonebloods: they are ambivalent toward fire and water, standoffish and distrusting of the capricious air, and distantly friendly toward their earthy fellows.
Dwarves, Elves, Humans, etc. The Stonebloods have never meant any of these peoples any ill will, but those who have been raided by orcs for ages are reluctant to trust the word of another orc, no matter how crystalline and craggy they may be.
Stoneblood Orc Names
Stoneblood orcs tend to have unisex names drawn from a mixture of orc names and auspicious Terran words. Stoneblood orcs lack family names. They refer to other members of the same tribe by their given name plus the name of their mother with the prefix ken-, i.e., Doaarun the son of Makha would be Doaarun ken-Makha. Tribe names are derived from ancient totems, shared female ancestors (real or legendary), and famous landmarks.
Names: Arong, Bheldez, Guldre, Kulro, Mish’kha, Narhosh, Toron, Uurtch, Wa’marag, Zamaa.
Tribe Names: Beryl Fist, Krenka’s Tor, Rust River, Tsaagat’s Hollow, Xorn-Claw.
Stoneblood Orc Traits
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Wisdom score increases by 1.
Age. Stoneblood orcs mature and age slower than surface orcs. They reach adulthood at 15 and live up to 80 years.
Alignment. Stoneblood orcs inherited clannish rigidity from their mother, and dispassionate steadiness from their father. They tend toward lawful and neutral alignments. A few are lawful evil, preaching xenophobia against all outsiders, including other orcs.
Size. Stoneblood orcs are stockier than their softer kin, averaging less than 6 feet in height while remaining just as heavy. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Powerful Build. Your back is broad, and your bones are dense. You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.
Blood of Stone. Your dark blood runs like tar, clotting quickly and affording you some limited protection. You have advantage on saving throws against conditions that cause bleeding, and you have resistance to damage related to blood loss.
Skin of Shale. Your body is covered in stony plates and protrusions that can turn away a blow. When you aren't wearing armor, your AC is 13 + your Dexterity modifier. You also have advantage on Dexterity (stealth) checks to hide in rocky terrain.
Cave Born. Your kind are born of the cavernous womb of the earth. You know the Mold Earth cantrip. Wisdom is your spellcasting modifier for it. You also never get lost underground.
Endurant. Expanding and surviving in the vaults of your treacherous and elemental home plane has made your people resourceful. You are proficient in Survival.
Tool Proficiency. You gain proficiency with the artisan’s tool of your choice: mason’s tools, or jeweler’s tools.
Languages. You can speak, read and write Common, Orc, and Primordial (Terran). The Stoneblood orc dialect contains many loanwords from Primordial. It features heavy agglutination and slight vowel harmony, and is said to have the cadence of a stone tumbling down a steep hill.
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