Races - Part Three

Giants

Reminiscent of humongous humans, two breeds of giant are commonly found in the Underdark. Fomorians are grossly deformed humanoid behemoths. This neutral evil giant subspecies sometimes lurks in the mountainous regions of the surface world, but most fomorians have been driven into the lightless tunnels of the Underdark. Clans of formorian giants are found primarily in the northern upper Underdark beneath the great mountain ranges.

Stone giants are muscular behemoths with smooth, grey, hairless flesh and a great affinity for stone. While most of these neutral giants dwell in the great mountain ranges of Faerun, many tribes now dwell in the upper reaches of the Underdark, particularly in the south and east.

Gaunds

Guands are grey-green reptilian creatures of neutral alignment with three glowing red eyes. Distantly related to troglodytes and lizardmen, they are believed to be descendants of the sauroid creator race. Although sentient, gaunds resemble large lizards, and spend most of their time on all fours. They are omnivores who dwell in small colonies in the dry, fiery caverns. Gaunds are most prevalent near volcanic activity, and are typically found in the upper reaches of the Underdark near active volcanoes. Gaunds are still found in sizeable numbers beneath the Smoking Mountains and Black Ash Plain of southern Unther, but the once populated colonies in the Lake of Steam region have been driven to near extinction by the beholders of the Alimir Hive and the Drow of Guallidurth.

Gibberlings

Gibberlings are small, pale, hunchbacked humanoids of chaotic neutral alignment with canine ears, black manes, black, shining eyes, overly long arms, and hideous grinning faces. Found throughout the upper reaches of the Underdark, these carnivores madly swarm and attack any living creature they encounter. Gibberlings have no discernible social structure, and their numbers fluctuate wildly. Some sages believe that gibberlings are unfortunate humans and demi-humans transformed by Drow sorcerers.

Glouras

Glouras are small faeries of neutral alignment associated with the Unseelie Court, Found throughout the upper reaches of the Underdark, they have huge, moth-like wings, long fingers, sharp claws, and a mass of dark claws. Although some believe the glouras to be messengers of Elistraee the Dark Maiden, that seems unlikely, given their ties to the Queen of Air and Darkness.

Goblins

Although the various races of goblins are most common in the Lands of Light, numerous tribes have been driven into the upper reaches of the Underdark and then been enslaved by the various races that dwell below.

Goblins are small, lawful evil humanoids with flat faces, broad noses, pointed ears, wide mouths, and small, short fangs. Bugbears are giant, hairy, chaotic evil cousins of goblins. Hobgoblins are lawful evil bulky humanoids with hairy hides ranging from dark reddish brown to dark grey. Koalinths are a marine variety of hobgoblins with gills, webbed fingers, and webbed toes. Norkers resemble their hobgoblin cousins but are chaotic evil. They are hairless, have tough, leathery skin, and have two large canines protruding from their upper lips.

While bugbears, goblins, and norkers are relatively common throughout the Realms Below, hobgoblins and koalinths are much rarer for reasons not yet understood.

Gold Dwarves

Lawful good gold dwarves have dusky skin tones, sometimes coloured deep red instead of cinnamon brown, and dark, usually black, hair. They tend to be shorter and more heavyset than shield dwarves.

Gold dwarves are found primarily in the southern and eastern reaches of the upper Underdark. Most gold dwarves gravitated to the tunnels and caverns surrounding the Great Rift, but small enclaves are still found as far afield as the mountains of Halruaa or deep beneath the Thayan plateaus. Gold dwarves are powerful, proud, and xenophobic, shunning even other dwarves, and travelling little in the surface world. Their numbers have not declined as quickly as those of their northern kin, but gold dwarves are still locked in the same self-destructive cycle or warfare against the Underdark races that has led to the collapse of many northern kingdoms.

Grell

Grell are fearsome, neutral evil carnivores resembling giant brains with vicious beaks and ten dangling tentacles. Like beholders, grell are believed to have reach Abeir-Toril on great spelljamming ships before making their way into the upper reaches of the Underdark, particularly in the north-eastern reaches of Faerun. While a few of the grell are solitary rogues, the majority dwell with their fellows in small cavern complexes, hunting the surrounding territories until they are exhausted of prey and then moving on. Grell communities are known as hives, and members of such enclaves are divided into three castes: workers/soldiers, philosophers and patriarchs.

Gremlins

Gremlins are small goblinoids often mistaken for imps. Three varieties of gremlins make their homes in the upper reaches of the Underdark: neutral evil jermlaines, lawful evil mites, and neutral snyads. Most gremlins dwell in small family groups, opportunistically preying on unwary travellers in the upper Underdark. Gremlins typically lair in a maze of tiny chambers and passageways along major trade routes. Whilst most other races exterminate them if given the opportunity, gremlins are amazingly resilient and nigh impossible to eliminate.

Grimlocks

Grimlocks are powerfully built neutral evil humanoids in the northern and central reaches of the upper Underdark near caverns that open to the mountainous regions above. Grimlocks have thick, scaly grey skin and long, black filthy hair. Their teeth are white and extremely sharp, and their eyes are blank white orbs. Takes speak of tribes of primitive humans who have dwelt overlong in the tunnels of the Underdark, and grimlocks are said to be their descendants.

Hook Horror