Sere Gharkin
Avg. Height: 6'10"
Avg. Weight: 260 lb
Avg. Lifespan: 320
Physical Characteristics:
Eyes: | White or sickly yellow. | Spines: | Spines are white or sickly yellow. | Skin: | Tan or light brown. | Tusks: | Average. | Body Type: | Tend to be smaller and thinner than other gharkin. | Clothing: | Tan or off-white colored robes; they disdain piercings or the wearing of anything metal. |
Region: Ziguran
Languages: Common, Gharish
Stat Adjustments:
Strength: | 14 |
Reflexes: | -2 |
Endurance: | 14 |
Dexterity: | -2 |
Reasoning: | -2 |
Wisdom: | 6 |
Will: | 7 |
Intelligence: | -4 |
Special: Racial martial arts.
Bonus to Tactics, Stealth, Foraging and Outdoorsman learn rates.
Penalty to Armor learn rate.
The fierce Sere wander the endless wastelands of Thrael's various deserts in a way no other race can, totally adapted to the harsh lifestyle of life in a wasteland. They are the most secretive and dangerous of their kin, preferring total anonymity and only wish to be left alone. Few others can claim the wastelands as their own, fewer still can claim they prefer it. The Sere have average sized tusks and tend to all have tan or light brown hides. Their thick hides do not pigment and turn darker, much less burn, in the intense heat and so they keep a skin color that matches the sand they walk on. Their thick hide also deflects much of the suns heat, keeping them better hydrated for longer periods of time than any other humanoid race on Thrael. Their spines are either a strange shade of white or a sickly yellow; their eyes share the same pigmentation. This strange alikeness in spine color, eyes, and skin give the Sere an almost alien appearance which is unmistakable. The Sere are also the most portable of the Gharkin, keeping their camps so simple that they can take down and vacate a large campsite in under twenty minutes. Smaller bands can dismantle their position in minutes. Both males and females share all roles within the tribe — warrior and caretaker alike. Their hard lifestyle makes it impossible for the females to stay at home, unless they are with child. Those foolish or unlucky enough to wandering into or too close to a tribe's place of rest will find their lives at a quick end. The Sere only very rarely ever tolerate visitors, and almost never tolerate unwelcome guests. Though, they have a deep respect for the small bands of Frendor and Gnomes who live in small communities together and call the desert their home.
The Sere wear tan or off-white colored robes, which doubles as portable shade and camouflage against the bright backdrop. They disdain piercings or the wearing of anything metal, believing that a piercing housed with a metal stud will expand and heat up, burning and tearing a larger hole in whoever wears it. Sand in a newly made piercing can also prove dangerous, not to mention that in battle the yanking out of a piercing is sometimes more effective than a kick to the face. The Sere tattoo their forearms and upper cheeks as signs of accomplishments, great feats, and social standing. Many of the more prestigious warriors have groupings of tiny horizontal waves that flow down their face like tears, representing the number of enemies that have fallen to their blade. Beyond a weapon, the Sere refuse to wear any large pieces of metal. This accounts for their distaste of wearing any armor, unless light and ventilated. There are stories of Sere tribes clashing swords with armies in full plate and various other metal armors only to retreat into the desert and act as though they were running for their lives. Most armies are trained to pursue a routed foe and so would run into the desert after them. Within a day, the pursuers would fall over dead from heat exhaustion, exposure, or dehydration, making them easy pickings for the native Gharkins who would strip the dying men of all their valuables. If night was approaching, they'd pitch camp around the exhausted men and taunt them before leaving them to the desert sun the following morning. Unless of course they took the men as slaves and sold them. The Sere also have a disturbing habit of never leaving behind the corpses of their fallen, even resorting to sneaking back under the cloak of night to whisk them away. This keeps the number of their fallen questionable and has led to the demoralization of more than one opposing force. The Sere are also the most religious and superstitious of the Gharkin race, often going to gnomish elders for spiritual advice. Religious discussions among the Sere, especially with outsiders, often lead to all out war.
The Sere often give their Gharkin kin a bad name. The harshness of desert life has turned them into a battle hardened cadre of raiders, slavers, and warriors. The Sere are known to wipe out entire caravans near oases to raid supplies and spend a few hours near fresh water. With so little to hunt, the Sere make the majority of their living trading supplies, taking slaves, or raiding whatever they can. Their tan cloaks make it easy to hide against a sand dune before bursting forth to attack. Some tribes have even devised a new way of ambushing that involves burying themselves beneath canvas tarps and a light covering of sand along known trade routes. After shadowing a caravan for a few days, they would lay the trap and wait for them to rumble by, erupting from the dunes to slaughter and pillage the caravan. Some believe the Sere to be made from sand themselves, disappearing without a trace with what they need only leaving behind the bodies of their enemies. They are so rarely encountered in the deserts (since most killed by the Sere are never found) that they have risen to the status of legends in most areas, only solidifying their strangle hold of many of Thrael's wastelands.