Bugbears
Basic Information
Anatomy
Humanoid
Biological Traits
Bugbears are perhaps the strongest and best example of the goblinoid races, while still being unique in its own way. Bugbears are tall, hairy humanoids vaugely resembaling goblins. They take their namesake from how their noses and claws are similar to a bear. Said claws in fact are sharp enough to be used as deadly weapons, meaning a bugbear is never truly disarmed. Their hands and feet are covered in a soft pad, which gives them their signature skill of moving remarkably quietly. This is believed to be a blessing from their shadow goddess, and they have become some of the best ambush hunters in the wild lands of the forests. They also have a remarkably good sense of smell, making them excellent at tracking and also at discerning the taste of food.
Genetics and Reproduction
Bugbears reproduce sexually, with a gestation period of 7 months.
Growth Rate & Stages
Bugbears reach maturity at about 14
Additional Information
Facial characteristics
Typically have square, brutish looking faces. Many also have tusks similar to an orc, but much smaller of course.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Being goblinoids, they are spread across the world. However, unlike their kin, they are perhaps the least numerous of the goblinoid races, prefering to stay in small, isolated communities for the most part. However alot of bugbears have found it enjoyable to live in the cities to ply their trade as sellswords and theives.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Due to being extremly well adapted hunters, bugbears possess excellent low-light vision.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
Bugbear names favor long, rolling vowls. They favor names that are easy to whisper but also easy to draw out into something resembling the call of an animal.
Major Language Groups and Dialects
Bugbears speak a dialect of Goblin that is described as softer, with less clipped vowles and harsh consonants. Apparently other goblin speakers describe and view it as "languid and lazy" and this is a point some goblins will make fun of bugbears for.
Culture and Cultural Heritage
Bugbears are a people of contradictions. They are excellent hunters, but are also known for being somewhat lazy in nature. This laziness seems to be learned from their tendancy to want to get work done with the least amount of effort and risk. This does, however, become very useful in terms of hunting, as minimizing risk (obviouslly) raises the lifespan of the race and result in more successful hunts.
Bugbears love to bully and dominate their smaller kin. Hobgoblins are less fun to bully however, and are seen as real sticks in the mud. However bugbears still are willing to work for others, typically favoring being mercenary scouts and ambushers. Some lone bugbears have been known to take control of small goblin bands, which is made easy thaks to their cunning and brute strength. However even the bugbear neneds to be careful for how crafty said small goblins can be.
Bugbears are a people of superstition and ritual, they see auguries in all things, and this greatly determines their actions going forward. When bugbears are born, tribes will give them a totem animal, typically a animal that was seen close to the time of the birth. This leads the bugbear to try and aspire to the best, most useful attributes of their totem animal, a fact that means many bugbears become totem barbarians. However this goes even further as bugbears will refuse to kill the animal that is apart of their totem, the only exception to this is if a bugbear dedicates their life to a cause such as war or vengeance. However, owls seem to be revered by all bugbears, so much so that any seen hunting or killing them are typically killed rather violnetly. Bugbears love to carve small amulets of stone or wood of their totems. These are crucial to their culture, and taking someones totem is the gravest insult. However, a bugbear gifting their totem to another is a sign of a lifelong bond, and is seen as even stronger than a blood oath.
Regarding their faith, it might surprise some that bugbears are highly laid back in the worship of their gods. They love superstition and and ritual, but outside of these they rarely talk or invoke their gods, and rarely worry about their affairs unless its time to hunt. Even when hunting they simply offer a few whispered prayers and then go about their day. Some find this bizzare, as many other goblinoids and even orcs seem almost fanatically ruled by the gods and their whims every moment of the day, but perhaps the gods of the bugbears are simply used to such casual faith.
Finally, bugbears have great importance on collecting the heads of enemies they have slain. They believe that the spirits of the dead are held within their heads, and that they can make them their slaves in the afterlife. The more heads someone has, the easier and more comfortable their afterlife gets. However some bugbears just love and enjoy the fear and respect that comes with wearing the heads of enemies. Many bugbears will wear these smoke-dried heads bound and worked into their fur and armor, producing a freightening image to be sure. It is also highly celebrated if a bugbear can sneak into a rival goblinoid or orcish tribe and return with a head without raising any alarm. THanks to their two gods, they move like silent shadows in the night.
History
Like the goblin, the history of the bugbears is complicated. We can learn much from what little written records they have, but dates and times are impossible to follow. The bugbears believe that while the goblins were made by the goblin gods, one goddess in particular grew tired of the loud screeching and laughing of the goblins. So she grabbed some goblin souls and chewed them in her mouth along with a large amount of other wild animals. She spat them all out after chewing and out popped the first bugbears. The bugbears at first simply lived with other goblins, but saw the wisdom in the goddesses teachings of the annoying laughter of goblins. So they dedicated themselves to their goddess "Murgakki the Shadow". However many bugbears realized the best way to get goblins to shut up was to bully and behead the ones that wouldn't stop. This gave birth to Falagru the Score God, and head count became vital to the bugbear way of life. Since then many bugbears lived in their own isolated tribes, but many still do work with other goblins for loot and spoils. Regardless of where they are though, wandering into bugbear territory is extremly dangerous, for death typically strikes before their victims have any idea whats happening.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
Bugbears are perhaps the more accepted of the goblinoid races, shocking as that may be. Bugbears live in small, tighly packed tribes, and so city life is not entirely unkown to them, as they are comfortable living close by others. It seems perhaps the lack of the hyper paranoia in goblins leads them to be more easily to intergrate into wider civilized society. However bugbears are still intimidating figures, and some of their ways are still unsettling. Bugbears talk plainly and to the point, hating flowery language, and while this is abrasive for sure some people can surely move past that and understand them better. Regardless if liked or not, bugbears dont care, as they prefer to let their prowess take on any who dare get in their way.
Genetic Ancestor(s)
Lifespan
About 80 years
Average Height
7ft tall
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
Shaggy hair and fur ranging from black to reddish-blonde. This fur covers their body save their palms, flats of the feet, and their face. It should be noted that in some more colder enviorments, there are some talks of sightings of bugbears with white fur.
