cyclopes
Origin: The first cyclopes emerged sometime early in the Second Age. The origins of Cyclops-kind are unknown. The cyclopes themselves don’t agree on which of the Nine created them or why. Each tribe has it's own story for how cyclopes came to be. One thing that every disparate tribe agrees on is the cyclopes turned away from their original divine creator and ultimately chose a new patron to worship.
Second Age History: Cyclopes sometimes peacefully traded with the elven nations and other creatures of the age, but relations between cyclopes and the elves were usually hostile. Relations between cyclopes and other sapient creatures were not much better given that cyclopes are generally ill-tempered and they have few compunctions about eating sapient creatures.
Surviving the Second Unmaking: Some cyclopes tried to survive on their own. Most cyclopes reluctantly made truces with the elves and other races they once fought against. Enclaves of cyclopes survived on every major landmass except for the land that is now called the Island of Khemarok .
During the Second Age, cyclopes were not very unified to begin with. After the Unmaking, all sense of a global cyclopes community was lost. Each surviving enclave of Cyclopes believed that they were the last of their own kind.
Recent History and Distribution: There are three surviving Cyclopes cultures in the Third Age of Scarterra. The Lunatan cyclopes are loyal subjects of the Elven Empire. The West Colassian cyclopes live mostly underground and are a power brokering third wheel among the politics of subterranean creatures. The Penarchian cyclopes are made up of small clans of raiders that are viewed as thorns in the sides of the local human city-states.
The East Colassian cyclopes were driven to extinction relatively recently as they had managed to draw hostile attention from every major power in the region. Umeran cyclopes were driven into extinction centuries ago, but they had a major impact on political events when they were alive and the undead remnants of their people are said to haunt the land.
Life cycle and Society: Cyclopes usually succumb to old age before sixty, a lucky few make it to seventy. Males and females remain fertile until about fifty. Cyclopes mature quickly reaching full adulthood around age fifteen. Cyclops pregnancy lasts about nine months, Cyclopes are usually born as twins.
Males and females are about the same size. Both tend to weigh between six and seven hundred pounds and stand around eight feet tall. In general, males are more likely to focus on developing their combat skills and females are more likely to focus on developing their crafting skills but there are exceptions on both sides. Every cyclops is expected to demonstrate at least basic ability to craft metal weapons and know how to use them.
West Colassian cyclopes tend to be monogamous while Cyclopes elsewhere tend to be polygamous with up to three or four females clustering around the richest males (on Cyclops island) or the strongest males (in Penarchia). Mothers and fathers alike are harsh parents but they believe they are harsh for their children’s own good. Cyclopes parents take pride in having lots of children and in having strong and successful children.
Religious Practices: Each cyclopes tribe has it's own unique take on the the Nine and their relationship to the Nine which is covered in the articles on the individual tribes. In general, most cyclopes are not very pious viewing their patron deity as being good for weddings, funerals, and the like but not a very large part of their daily lives.
Cyclops Character Creation Rules
Stalwart: Cyclopes’ Stamina scores vary between 2 and 6 rather than 1 and 5 like most smaller humanoids. They get a -1 difficult break on endurance tests.
Mighty: Cyclopes’ strength scores vary between 3 and 7 rather than 1 and 5 like most smaller humanoids. Cyclopes get a -1 difficulty break on all non-magical strength rolls and feat of Strength checks.
Tough: Cyclopes get three extra bruised health levels relative to humans.
Skilled Hands: Cyclopes have deceptively nimble fingers, and they are very intuitive for all things regarding construction. They get a -1 difficulty break on crafting things with their hands. They are considered to have an area of expertise with all fields of the Crafts skill and they treat Use Magic Device, Disable Device, and Engineering as simple skills, rather than advanced skills.
Acute Senses: While they have somewhat poor eyesight, Cyclopes have very keen ears and noses. They receive a -1 difficulty bonus on all Alertness rolls primarily involving smell or sound. They are always considered proficient in blind fighting.
Cyclopes can smell nearby magic with a Perception + Alertness roll, difficulty 7, and gauge the relative strength of the magic and whether it’s divine or arcane in nature with more successes.
Churlish: Cyclopes often are cunning, but they rarely are beautiful or personal. Their Appearance and Charisma default at 0 rather than 1 and their maximum is 4 rather than 5. Cyclopes get a +1 difficulty penalty on all non-magical Charisma and Appearance rolls with non-Cyclopes.
Poor Depth Perception: Cyclopes get a +1 difficulty penalty on all ranged attacks that require aiming, be they magical or mundane. If an Alertness roll ever involves eyesight completely and has no auditory or olfactory component at all, they receive a +1 difficulty penalty.
Obligatory Carnivore: A Cyclopes that is forced to subsist on food other than meat suffers a +1 difficult break on all rolls while doing so. They are prone to irritability and short tempers while doing so. Despite their dark reputations, Cyclopes are never required to eat man flesh and they generally prefer cooked meat over raw meat.
Genetic Descendants
Geographic Distribution
Related Ethnicities
Comments