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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11696 Posts |
 Posted - 03 Jun 2022 : 20:22:35
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Within the jungles to the south of the Wakanari Highlands of Katashaka lies an unusual group which has become more dominant over the last two centuries. These bugbears are much more organized than others of their kind, perhaps driven by their need to depend on one another in the underdark trek that led them to this continent. Others believe its the influence of the hobgoblins that also permeate their society
Several centuries ago, these goblinoids arrived in the wasteland region known as Sky Strike pass via underdark tunnels that opened into the side of a great gaping chasm known as Star Crystal Cleft. These bugbears were led by Ma'ok Grahnklaw, a huntshaman of Grankhul, who led them to the devastated lands above the chasm. There they met strange, mutated creatures, including savage cyclopean beastmen, giant scorpions, lizards, and serpents, and strange earthen elementalkin.
Travelling along the edge of Star Crystal Cleft, they eventually came to a cliffside fortress inhabited by a civilization of stone giants who controlled a great stone expanse that crossed the immense chasm to an even greater city on the other side. The stone giants periodically sent expeditions into Sky Strike Pass to seek out stones which displayed interesting magical properties, and it was during one such expedition that Ma'ok Grahnklaw led his people to ambush and kill the remaining inhabitants of the stone giant fortress in the middle of the night. When the stone giant expedition returned, bloodied by a recent attack and seeking healing from their compatriots, they were caught unawares by the bugbears. The stone giants were captured and given the option of betraying their fellows in the city across the way, or be eaten alive, literally.
The giants quickly agreed to betray their fellows. The Ma'ok of the bugbears distributed boots taken from a dark elven temple which they had despoiled several months earlier to his greatest warriors. Using these boots, they would follow the stone giants from the underside of the bridge like spiders. Using the element of surprise, Grahnklaw and his warriors once again ambushed and slaughtered the giants protecting the gates into their cliffside city. With the gates held open, the remaining goblinoids surged across the impossible bridge under the cover of night, and once again murdered the unprepared and outnumbered giants.
This act is known as the founding of the Ma'ok Majorat, and in the centuries following there have been numerous Ma'ok leaders, each the eldest surviving son of the current Ma'ok. Each such son must survive a year leading a contingent of his fellows against the dangers of Skystrike Pass, with those who die being considered unfit to lead. The daughters and sisters of the current Ma'ok are treated as prized wives to be bestowed by their father upon those warriors who prove most capable in supporting him, but also serve as spies for their family amongst those who might seek to overthrow him.
With each passing generation, this group of goblinoids have grown in population and slowly seized more and more of the surrounding jungle. They have slowly seized lands from the grippli, tabaxi, and tortle inhabitants. Even the lavender skinned jungle giants of the region have gained great respect for the wily goblinoids, though the bugbears have made no inroads in encroaching their territory.
Ooklaw, the current Ma'ok, a wise huntshaman of Grankhul like all Ma'oks before him, is well respected and beloved by his fellow goblinoids. This is due to his many great victories over their enemies, but also his practice of punishing those who overhunt young animals. It is his belief that his people must live in balance with nature, and when his population grows too large to sustain itself properly, he sees it as his responsibility to send the unproven to hunt and kill the enemies of the Ma'ok Majorat so that his people might survive.
Unfortunately, the Ma'ok Majorat has finally caught the eye of the Council of the Reborn Phoenix, the rulers on high of the Wakanari Highlands. One of the sphinx courtiers of the council, Helioros ScarletPlumes, has been tasked to lead a small contingent of cat and bird folk, as well as several hundred tiny mouselike muisling servants and scouts, to research how powerful these bugbears have grown. Its rumored that this foray includes the peakocra wizardess, Keekakryn, and the tucati priestess, Tocoree, have been dispatched alongside sunfire knight, Inooki the Flamefurred, and the muisling druid, Frido Firepaws. What exactly this group of intrepid adventurers will run across is unknown, but it is to be noted that communications with this group has dropped off in the last few days. Some worry that the group may have fallen afoul of some trap set by the wily bugbears.
* peakocra - peacock bird folk
* Tucati - toucan bird folk
* muisling - tiny mouse like "humanoid"
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Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
Edited by - sleyvas on 03 Jun 2022 22:27:17
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Baltas
Senior Scribe
Poland
955 Posts |
Posted - 05 Jun 2022 : 20:42:10
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Very interesting Bugbear group.
Seeing their more organized nature, I guess they Neutral or lawful (though they could be also more high functioning Chaotic Evil aligned).
With the Hobgoblins, I guess they overtime got absorbed into the Bugbear population?
The kinda patriarchal nature makes sense, seeing what we know of Bugbears, them even not having a goddess among their pantheon (the wider Goblinoid pantheon has Kikanuti but she is opposed to the other malicious goblinoid deities). |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11696 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jun 2022 : 22:50:36
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quote:
Originally posted by Baltas
Very interesting Bugbear group.
Seeing their more organized nature, I guess they Neutral or lawful (though they could be also more high functioning Chaotic Evil aligned).
With the Hobgoblins, I guess they overtime got absorbed into the Bugbear population?
The kinda patriarchal nature makes sense, seeing what we know of Bugbears, them even not having a goddess among their pantheon (the wider Goblinoid pantheon has Kikanuti but she is opposed to the other malicious goblinoid deities).
I was just feeling the need to write and this is still a concept in development. I guess I'd see their society as more of a neutral evil society. They aren't driven by the concept of honorable combat, but they do believe in a society that works together. Ambushing and guerrilla warfare are seen as not only valid, but also respectable activities used by the most wise.
The initial idea came to me when I was thinking of Ookla the Mok from Thundarr the Barbarian, and I thought he could be a bugbear (or an Alaghi). Then I thought about a tribe of bugbears known as the "Mok" that turned into the Ma'ok. |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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Baltas
Senior Scribe
Poland
955 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jun 2022 : 11:58:47
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quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
The initial idea came to me when I was thinking of Ookla the Mok from Thundarr the Barbarian, and I thought he could be a bugbear (or an Alaghi). Then I thought about a tribe of bugbears known as the "Mok" that turned into the Ma'ok.
I wondered from why this name sounded familiar - indeed I also thought Moks do resemble more benevolent Bugbears, though the Ma'ok aren't really more benevolent per see.
On a similar note, the Mook from the Dark Savant Wizardry trilogy (6-8) are also based on Thundarr's Mok, who did remind me also of more civilized, benevolent Bugbears even more so than Thundarr's Mok from looks at least. (if many mistaking Mooks were based on Wookies, or even Ultima's Fuzzies tough).
And curiously Oookla along with Thundarr and Ariel did have a cameo in the first Wizardry game. |
Edited by - Baltas on 11 Jun 2022 12:10:46 |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11696 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jun 2022 : 00:51:05
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quote:
Originally posted by Baltas
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
The initial idea came to me when I was thinking of Ookla the Mok from Thundarr the Barbarian, and I thought he could be a bugbear (or an Alaghi). Then I thought about a tribe of bugbears known as the "Mok" that turned into the Ma'ok.
I wondered from why this name sounded familiar - indeed I also thought Moks do resemble more benevolent Bugbears, though the Ma'ok aren't really more benevolent per see.
On a similar note, the Mook from the Dark Savant Wizardry trilogy (6-8) are also based on Thundarr's Mok, who did remind me also of more civilized, benevolent Bugbears even more so than Thundarr's Mok from looks at least. (if many mistaking Mooks were based on Wookies, or even Ultima's Fuzzies tough).
And curiously Oookla along with Thundarr and Ariel did have a cameo in the first Wizardry game.
That's interesting. There's so many easter eggs in all these things we do.
On the part about these not being benevolent.... yeah, I started to try and make them like the ones from Thundarr and then I realized that Seethyr kind of did that with some alaghi and umpleby up in Anchorome (granted, I don't think his intent was to make them variations of mok). But the idea had already taken root and I needed to write. |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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The Ma'ok Majorat
