Nightswoops

Nightswoops are a clan of Orcs who have called the city of Amaroth home for the last 150 years. Their totem animal is the Dire Bat, a huge variety of fruit bat that is native to the Selva jungles. They are specialised nocturnal warriors who excel at guerrilla warfare, and in their down time they enjoy brewing strong liquors within the recesses of the cave complex they live in.

Brethren of the Bat
Like many Orc tribes, the Nightswoops adopted an animal as their spiritual centre some 800 years ago. They call their god Yinptero, the supreme spirit of what it is to be a bat in the jungle. They also pray to the individual spirits of Yinptero, which represent different aspects of the nature of their totem animal.

The bats are a part of every part of life for the Nightswoops, and orc children are introduced to their spirit-bonded partner when they are 3 years old. They will spend the rest of their lives with their partner, rarely leaving their side for more than a few hours at a time. Caring for the bat is not only an act of bonding, it is an act of prayer that strengthens the Orc's connection to Yinptero. Orcs who lose their partner for whatever reason usually follow them into death soon after.

The close connection the Nightswoops have built with Yinptero has also granted them physical boons, altering their bodies to give them larger eyes and ears better suited for night hunting. It has also reduced the size of their tusks and lengthened their upper incisors. Finally, while most Orcs are omnivorous and prefer meat, Nightswoops can no longer tolerate it and are obligate vegetarians.

Reluctantly Civilised
Before 150 years ago, the Nightswoops were an elusive but feared force in the jungle. Rarely staying in one place for long, they would attack travellers and villagers by night, carrying off supplies to their temporary roosts in the tops of the trees. Guided by their chieftain and the wisdom of the shamans, they found no-one who could withstand their rapid assault tactics.

This changed when they attacked Amaroth, and found its walls strong enough to repel them. Incensed by an enemy they could not raid, the Nightswoops waged bloody warfare with the city for several years, until eventually their losses led to them conceding to the stronger opponent and asking to become a part of the 'civilisation' that had defeated them.

Today the Nightswoops occupy the empty quarries that supplied the stone for the original outer wall of Amaroth. They live on the roof of the cave systems in a confusing series of wooden platforms and rooms carved from the rock. Given that all but the youngest Orcs can fly, ladders and bridges between the platforms are in short supply. Even after 150 years of peace, their home is built to repel invasion.

The modern Nightswoop tribe ultimately obeys The Smiling Prince, as he was the one to subdue them 150 years ago. They are fairly dismissive of the other power structures of Amaroth, instead electing their own chieftains who deal with most day-to-day matters of the tribe. Shamans who can speak directly to Yinptero are also highly respected, and in most matters it is a council of chieftains and shamans who ultimately make the decisions for the tribe.

Creature Comforts
Most Nightswoops choose to work in the army of Amaroth, working to protect allied villages or clear off dangerous monsters. But the Orcs are adaptable, and with a stable home at last they have also expanded into agriculture. The floor of their quarry home is covered in a foot-high layer of guano that the Nightswoops use to cultivate lichen to eat. Rumour says that within the acres of maze-like tunnels they have other caverns that they use for growing fruit, for they seem to always have a healthy supply for their bats.

Their main export from these labours are a number of incredibly strong spirits which have proved remarkably popular among the Dwarves of the Cadogan Mountains. This does more than any treaty to bring the Orcs and Dwarves closer together, and it's not unheard of to see Dwarves visiting with the Nightswoops. Their other creation is a drink called Baacht, which as far as outsiders can discern is a mix of distilled fruit liquor, lichen, and bat milk. A foul smelling drink with the consistency of porridge, Baacht is a staple drink of the Nightswoops and is commonly used as a test to haze new potential friends of the tribe.

Nightswoops as Player Characters
Ability Score: Str +1, Dex +1, Con +1

Speed: 30' walking

Size: Medium, usually over 6'

Weight: 230-280 pounds

Blindsight: Nightswoops' use their connection with their Dire Bat companions to 'see' using a form of echolocation. While within 60' of their spirit-bonded companion they can perceive their surroundings up to a 60 feet range without relying on sight.

Diet: Nightswoops are vegetarian and cannot digest meat.

Languages: Tribal Orcish, Roth