Ordren

An ancient race of stone-shapers living beneath the mountains.

Of all the Second Peoples, none are so uniquely odd as the ordren. Ponderous, stomping slabs of living rock who dig cities under mountains and require no food or water to survive. Hulking, languid beings, at once as capable of delicate metalwork as they are hewing a mountainside apart, or facing down an oradji army. Gentle-tempered yet powerful, they command fear as much as they do compassion. Envy as much as they do admiration. From their humble beginnings as servants of the forgotten Baha'ral, the ordren have come into their own as a skilled, knowledgeable, and enduring people—the true inheritors of the world beneath the surface.

HISTORY OF THE ORDREN

It is told that during the First Age, some time after the creation of the Seven Stones, the Baha’ral gathered the nine finest boulders in the world and rolled them into a circle surrounding their legendary forge, Morzakahl. There they sat for nine hundred and ninety-nine years, bathing in the warmth of fires. In the thousandth year, the boulders “woke,” and the first ordren entered the world.

From that time to the last days of the First Age, the ordren were allies and faithful servants to the Baha’ral, swearing fealty to their king, Mizel. In exchange, the Baha’ral taught them the ways of stone-speaking, and how to refine ores from the deep earth and craft mighty works from them. When the Betrayer’s armies marched upon the world, the ordren joined the fight alongside the Einar and their allies. Many died during those wars, and even more perished with the Baha’ral when the Mounds of Mudail crumbled during the Wrath.

Those who survived began their civilization anew, searching the world over for the remaining globen caverns with which to start new holds. With the Baha’ral now gone, ordren inherited control of the world below the world. They became powerful allies of the burgeoning cacuar civilization, helping them to rebuild across the broken world. They used stone-speaking to create wonders above and below the earth, including such landmarks as Eängdair, the city carved from a mountain, and the immense fortress of Odin Nast, where the finals days of the Second Age would be decided.

The greatest ordren alliance to rise during this period were the Dwelbvaril. For a time, they ruled unquestioned from the Black Mountains, carving halls from caverns and nurturing deep veins of ore. They grew globen forests as the Baha’ral had, and even rebuilt some of the old manors of the Baram-Huathis. Their wealth in precious metals was untold.

Then came the Fall of the Daryn and return of war to the world. The ordren did not know it then, but their control of the deep places in the world was to be forever challenged from that day forth. For what the cacuar banished from the light, they let fester in the dark, and a thousand years after the defeat of Medrosv, a new threat arose—the oradji.

Since then, battle for control of the Black Mountains has raged between the ordren and the various clans of oradji vying for supremacy. The cacuar and myrrym of Anderlannon offered what aid they could to their allies and, for a time, it seemed the ordren might prevail in the Underwar, as it became known.

But the First raised the Ri’ahar to lead the oradji, and the tide turned once more against the ordren. Many were killed, and many more fled to seek other mountains to call home.

After hundreds of years of bitter warfare, a large contingent of the Dwelbvaril wished to abandon the Black Mountains altogether and settle somewhere else. Others resisted this notion, and a rare division amongst the ordren formed. The Hasikan interceded and negotiated an agreement that allowed for the peaceful division of the Dwelbvaril. Those who departed followed a new leader, Goran, and became known as the Goranmith. They settled in the Krell Mountains of the far north and started a new hold there.

There were other holds scattered about during the Second Age, most notably the Relgraff of the Silver Mountain, who mined domeran from the Rift and carried with them many of the secrets of the Baha’ral metalworking. The small but prosperous Arshtac operated in the highlands of Medwofven, and were great friends to the myrrym. The Thrulstorv, a greedy and isolated hold, claimed the northernmost ranges of the Black Mountains—at least until the oradji drove them out. And the Rundrin lived peacefully among the Mizel Mountains for thousands of years, until the Undoing claimed them.

But none were so mighty or prosperous as the Dwelbvaril. They forged armors and weapons with the skill the Baha’ral had passed on, and built fortresses to withstand the onslaught of their enemies. In them was the memory of a thousand battles fought against the Betrayer’s minions, and they kept a force of warriors strong enough even the Ri’ahar feared to attack. Because of this, it fell to the Dwelbvaril to defend what was left of Anderlannon when the Undoing occurred. At their chief fortress, Odin Nast, they held off Sa’bith and his armies for almost nine years, giving the Hasikan time to gather his allies and mount a final counter-offensive against the hordes of mangled and men.

By the Third Age, only four holds remained. The Dwelbvaril, or “Dwelbvar,” as they became known, remained in the Black Mountains following the Undoing, but they were never again the great hold they’d once been. Much of their population had been lost in the war, and many who survived left the Black Mountains afterward to join the hold of the Areth Ulthar. Like the Goranmith, the Areth Ulthar sought to establish a new colony and escape the Underwar. From their new home, they formed trade relations with the Relgraff and with the newly formed empire of men, Jenzir. The Relgraff continued to operate out of the Silver Mountain, while the Arshtac faded into obscurity, their last remnants joining with the Goranmith. As for the Goranmith themselves, they lended important aid during the Siege of Odin Nast, and later guided the Hopefallen to a new home near the Krell Mountains.

ORDREN PHYSIOLOGY

Ordren resemble large boulders with arms, legs, and a smaller boulder for a head. Their legs are short but very wide, giving them superb balance. Elongated arms end in massive, three-fingered hands that nearly brush the ground. Their heads are round and hairless, resting atop the “torso boulder” without any neck. They have a mouth and can speak, but possess no ears or nose, relying instead on an acute sense of touch that translates vibrations in the world into information akin to sound, sight, and even language. They have eyes, which resemble small black coals and are double-lidded to protect them from the brightness of the Arc when traveling above ground. Ordren can see with them, but usually rely on their “tremor sense” to perceive the world around, especially in the lightless depths.

All of an ordren’s body is covered in a leathery, crusty skin that ranges from grey to brown in color, depending upon sex and age. Though this skin has the texture and feel of any other animal skin, it is merely a protective covering for the rock below. Ordren have no blood or internal organs like stomachs and hearts. Their insides are made of crystalline structures which, when exposed by injury, resemble a smashed geode. Like their outward appearance, the nature of the crystalline structure within an ordren is determined by sex.

A small, round boulder materialized through the churn, ferried by the large, round boulder it was resting atop. And the large boulder had arms, it became apparent, and also legs. Thick, rock-like legs that lumbered up onto the ledge, cracking ice and stone.  — Chapter 4, “The Sons of the Traveler”

Ordren are large relative to men and cacuar. The tallest stand twelve steps high and can get nearly as wide, though most range nine to ten steps in height. During the First Age, ordren were said to stand as tall as fifteen steps. This was likely due to the wondrous “globen gardens” the Baha’ral had grown for them, the likes of which no longer exist.

Sexual dimorphism is subtle in ordren, who don’t identify as “male” or “female.” Instead there are three sexes, determined not by reproductive organs (which they do not possess) but by their crystalline make-up, which in turn affects their external coloration.

“Heats” are generally the strongest and most aggressive of the three, tending toward roles as warriors, workers, or miners. Their skin color is always grey, darkening with age, while their crystalline interior favors green structures that are coarse and hardy. Heats are also the largest of the three sexes.

“Layers” are the most thoughtful of the ordren sexes. They are excellent at nurturing both veins of ore and new globen growth. They are often the leaders and decision makers, often directing the expansion of a hold. Many also serve as “spore tenders” to infant ordren. Their skin color is the lightest, almost a sandy brown, and their crystalline interior ranges from bright amber to red. Layers tend to be the smallest of the three sexes.

The last of the sexes are “morphs.” Morphs make up most of the builders, as they have the highest tendency to produce stone-speakers. Morphs are also the most integral in the coning process, where they must give up their own lives to create new ones. Their skin color ranges from gray to brown, gaining a silvery sheen as they move into old age. On the inside, morphs may possess a variety of hues from sapphire blue to emerald green and yellow topaz.

GLOBEN

Ordren are a hardy species. Requiring neither food nor water, they can outlast their enemies in long sieges, and march without stopping for a week straight if needed. But sooner or later, every ordren must rest and recover in a special cavern called a “hold.” And what separates a “hold” from a regular cave are the presence of globen.

Globen are crystal formations grown by the ordren themselves using secrets passed down by the Baha’ral. Globen can only grow in certain subterranean environments, the requirements of which are known only to the ordren themselves.

In their normal state, globen appear as murky grey quartz formations sprouting from the rock walls like crystalline bushes. However, when in the presence of ordren, the globen come to life with bright, amber and gold light. It is this light that preserves and rejuvenates ordren.

Absence of globen is one of the greatest dangers ordren can face. Without access to the special crystals, no amount of sleep will sustain them, and they will die from exhaustion as assuredly as a human in a desert would die of thirst.

Inside holds, ordren keep globen in their personal caves as well as community “gardens.” Protection of the globen gardens is of the utmost importance, as destruction of the crystals will lead to the demise of all the ordren living in the hold. Knowing this, the oradji seek out and destroy every globen crystal they can find. They did so successfully against the last hold of the Thrulstorv in the Black Mountains, eliminating them forever.

CONING

Since they don’t possess sexual organs like other species, ordren must reproduce through a lengthy ritual called “coning.” During this process, three ordren, one being of each sex, sequester themselves to a chamber where globen are present. They then sit in a resting position beside one another for several months, gradually “fusing” together into a single, temporary entity that resembles a small, cone-shaped mountain. This is a sacred process that the three parties will not enter upon lightly, especially the morph involved. It must be done in total seclusion in order for the union to result in a child. Other members sharing the hold will find another place to live until the ritual is completed, a process that can last for several months or even more than a year. If successful, the heat and layer will separate from the morph, leaving behind a small piece of their bodies called “spores.” The morph then fuses the two spores with its own body before “dividing” into three perfectly rounded boulders, roughly a third its size. As a result of this “birthing” process, the morph dies.

The remnants of the morph’s personality, as well as the personalities of the heat and layer, are passed on to the new ordren. For the next few years, the infant boulders slowly take the shape and coloration of one of the three sexes while they are watched over by special ordren called “spore tenders.” During this time, a special moss called “stonewort” is rubbed onto the skin of the young ordren. This pale-green moss provides both moisture and nourishment during the formative stage—the only time in an ordren’s life when either is beneficial.

Though ordren are born of a fusion of the three sexes, that doesn’t mean that new ordren will be equally divided as such. Sometimes, a coning results in one of each kind. Other times, there may be two of one kind, one of another, and none of the third. Or, there could be three of one type and nothing else. All that is constant is that from three, come three.

All told, it takes between eighty to one hundred years for a child to reach adulthood. The average lifespan of an ordren is eight hundred years, though some of their elders have lived as long as two-thousand years.

LIFE & DEATH

Given the time it takes for ordren to be born and mature, the loss of a single member in their society is deeply felt and affects the entire population. Ordren are extraordinarily hardy beings, but their war with the oradji has slowly depleted their numbers. It is understood that the Dwelbvar will inevitably lose the Underwar due to this loss in population, and be forced to retreat further into the recesses of the world, as their other kin already have.

When a death does occur, the ordren try their best to recover the remains so that they might be rejoined with the earth in a ceremony called “Ik’k’nak,” which in the Stone Tongue means “final dig.” During Ik’k’nak, the trace elements inside the dead ordren are smelted and then rejoined with the rock surrounding the hold, creating a myriad of colorful patterns. Each pattern tells the story of a different ordren, and holds their memory for all to see.

Chambers that have been decorated with the remains of ordren will cause globen to glow, as if the crystals still sense their presence. In this way, an abandoned ordren hold can stay lit by globen forever, or at least until the globen are destroyed.

ORDREN CULTURE

Unlike other cultures, ordren do not possess emperors, zerjas, or kings. Decisions are made by hold leaders, who are chosen by the population as a whole. While elders do exist and are looked up to, the truth is that no ordren is subservient to another.

Societal roles are mostly determined by sex. Heats tend toward physical tasks such as mining or warfare. Layers perform nurturing roles such as globen growing or raising infant ordren. Morphs are excellent at refining ore, building, and “coring”—a term for strengthening the defense of a hold. But these are merely generalizations. There are heat leaders and layer warriors and morphs growing globen as well.

Politics, in its traditional sense, does not exist. Ordren within the same hold are usually of one mind and working toward a shared goal. Political strain between separate holds can occur, especially between the four differing ordren peoples. These strains, however, seldom move beyond disagreement. Ordren will trade with anyone who deals fairly, even those they do not like, and it is not unheard of Areth Ulthar caravans to visit the Black Mountains, or Dwelbvar the Running Valley.

As for trade, it is normally handled by the leadership. They decide the price and what is fair barter, either accompanying or advising the caravan traders. Whenever a caravan from a different hold visits, the leadership personally handles all negotiations with the visitors. Most importantly, haggling with the ordren in their own hold is strictly forbidden, and visitors must accept or reject the terms of the deal that is offered, without negotiation. This is usually not a problem, as ordren know the value of their goods and always trade fairly. But a few Jenzis have learned the hard way that when it comes to prices, the ordren are set in stone.

LANGUAGE

Within their own community, ordren possess no real need for a spoken language. They are capable of emitting vibrations as well as interpreting them, which in turn serves as their form of communication. They are, however, capable of speech, when it suits them—which is almost exclusively for purposes of communicating with other species like men, cacuar, or myrrym. “Stone Tongue,” as it is called, is a consonant-heavy speech, reminiscent of the sound two rocks make when clacked together. It is a difficult language, understood by very few and spoken by even less. In the most learned institutions (the schools of Soulcraft), there might be one or two masters who can translate, usually those who have studied deeply along the Path of Bryl.

When it comes to understanding others, ordren do so quite well. They have keen minds and sharp memories, and are capable of learning many languages in short time.

RELIGION

Religion plays only a minor role in ordren society. Like all of the Second Peoples, they align themselves with the Mother. However, prayer and service do not enter into their daily lives. Instead, their relationship with the Mother is one of tradition—they accept her as the creator of the world and the underworld, from whom all stones were made. They are sworn enemies of the Betrayer, and all who serve him. But what matters most is the sanctity of the hold, and the threat of the oradji.

You will not find statues or semblances of the Mother among the ordren. Instead, “Rings of Nine” are constructed within portions of the hold. These circles, which are always comprised of nine, evenly spaced boulders, represent the creation of the ordren by the Mother, and symbolize her presence in the world.

However, the rings also reflect the significance of the number “three.”

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THREE

The number “three” plays an important role in every aspect of ordren society, as do its multiples, like nine and twenty-seven. The significance of the number dates back to their creation myth, in which the first nine boulders gathered by the Baha’ral contained three of each sex. The “power of three” is in many ways as holy as the Mother herself, and for many ordren the two ideas are intertwined.

Because of this, you will see the number reflected in every aspect of ordren life. In work, for instance, ordren believe that all important tasks should be handled by three working together. To attempt something important by oneself is considered arrogant and sacrilege. In choosing leaders, there must always be three or nine—no more or less than those numbers are allowed. Except in times of war, there are always three entrances to a hold, and three roads leading away. Reproduction, obviously, is not possible without the joining if the three sexes.

The examples go on and are scattered about all ordren customs, beliefs, and traditions. Unsurprisingly, there are three types of stone-speakers.

STONE-SPEAKERS

While all ordren are born with some ability to shape stone, only a few gain the title of “stone-speaker” and possess the right (and the talent) to perform the vast and awe-inspiring excavations that the ordren are known for. Kalodar, Odin Nast, Eängdair, and many other architectural wonders of the world could never have been created without this unique ability. It is said that Tal Nor Tarok even commissioned them to help shape the Mount in the Oasis of Mardu, ensuring that his palace could be constructed upon stable ground.

To the outside world, the term “stone-speakers” is used generally for all ordren who possess the ability to manipulate rock. Within their society, however, stone-speakers are divided by their specialty: menders, breakers, and bloomers.

Menders, as the name implies, mend stone. They can heal cracks and close fissures. They possess average shaping abilities, capable of “pulling” columns and carving dips, but they are most useful in honing the natural strength of a structure. As such, menders will often be the last of the stone-speakers to finish any work, setting a final “strength” into the rock after it has been shaped. The longevity of ordren masonry is owed to menders.

Breakers are used for opening new passages underground, delving to find hidden ore veins or uncover new sites for holds. They have a strong sense for space within stone, and can sense caverns many runs away. Their shaping ability is strong, as they must be able to “push” open new ways and force rock where they will it.

Rarest of all stone-speakers are bloomers. Rather than shape existing stone, they cause it to “grow,” expanding in impossible ways that account for the famous bridges, curtain walls, and spiraling towers found in stone-speaker architecture. Due to their rarity, bloomers are important members of the hold, and fiercely protected by the other ordren.

A stone-speaker may be any sex, but morphs are the most common.

STONESEERS

During the First Age, a small number of ordren possessed the ability to hear the ku’vak’ka’var—the “tremors from the deep.” The Baha’ral called these ordren brylshuta, or “stoneseers,” believing they heard whispers of the future in these shivers. For a great while, they were prized and revered for this ability, until one day, they foretold the fall of the Baha’ral themselves. Furious, Mizel banned all brylshuta from his halls and they were sent out into the world where they lived alone, or else among the Baram-Huthais.

It is perhaps for this reason that a few stoneseers still exist. For the stoneline that carried this rare ability would surely have been lost when the Mounds of Mudail were upended. Today, there are few stoneseers left, and almost all exist among the Relgraff. It is still believed that they can see the future through the earth, or a version of it, at least.

RELATIONS WITH OUTSIDERS

Ordren, by nature, are a cooperative, patient, and reasonable species, able to get along with most all. Their natural size and strength, coupled with their defensive capabilities, render them immune to intimidation. Throw in the fact that they possess rare and precious ores, and you see why most outsiders prefer to maintain a peaceful, healthy relationship with them. Men, in particular, value the ordren friendship. Be it the Tholnar of the Silverwood or the Jenzis to the south, they stay on their best behavior when dealing with them.

The ordren’s alliance with the cacuar and myrrym, of course, dates back ages. As the Second Peoples, they all share the bond of being born into a different age, a time before men, and before the sorrow that followed the Seven Stones. Once there was great trade between the three, but now the myrrym are mostly self-sufficient and the cacuar have all but withdrawn from the world. Their friendship, however, remains strong.

They do have enemies, of course. The oradji have fought them for control of the Black Mountains for thousands of years, and the Dwelbvar have dwindled because of it. Pulra, the twisted reflections of the Baha’ral, sometimes join the oradji in their raids. In the Rift, the Relgraff are beset by hordes of mangled seeking a way inside the Silver Mountain. And on rare occasion, wyrdlings have come into conflict with Areth Ulthar who prospected too far into the north. Because of these threats, ordren have learned to defend themselves.

WARFARE & TACTICS

Ordren are a peaceful people, forgiving of transgressions and slow to anger. Once roused, however, they transform into a terrifying foe.

In combat, they use size to their advantage against smaller foes, crushing them with their own bodies. They seldom possess weaponry, preferring the brute strength of their elongated arms, which they swing like giant hammers. While slow on their feet, these arms can also be used as additional legs when mobility is needed. One tactic employed by warriors is to gain momentum and “tuck,” becoming a rolling boulder aimed at an enemy. An ordren can indeed sprint—as many a dead oradji learned, too late.

The size and physicality of the ordren make them fearsome defenders. Their leathery skin is tough and repels most sharpened weapons. Even when pierced, they do not bleed. Poisons are worthless against them, and they possess natural resistances to most of the elements.

To enhance these natural defenses, ordren forge armors made from the precious metals they unearth. Barvirem mined from the Black Mountains is used most often, prized both for its strength and light weight. Renowned warriors may wear armor made from domeran.

Certain forms of Soulcraft, particularly those from the Path of Bryl, are devastating to ordren. Such attacks are used to great effect by samars, the oradji priests capable of linking, forcing the ordren to retreat in many cases.

In battle, ordren favor conservative, low-risk tactics, and focus heavily on defensive measures. Because their birthrate is so low, the population can quickly be depleted by risky skirmishes. As such, any conflict ordren are involved in tends to stretch over time since they’ll seldom make a counter-offensive. To outlast and survive is as important, if not more important, than defeating the enemy.

To this end, they focus a great deal of effort on making their holds as impregnable as possible. This task, called “coring,” involves a lot of digging and building. Each team of “corers” is led by a stone-speaker, who designs the defensive strategy. In underground environments, this might mean reshaping the earth to create natural chokepoints or sheared-off cliffs to prevent attack. The ordren’s ability to change the terrain to their own advantage is one of their greatest strengths, and the reason they are so good at making strongholds.

The crowning example of an above-ground ordren-cored fortress is Odin Nast.

THE FOUR ORDREN HOLDS

Ordren are divided into four “holds,” which is not to be confused with the cavern-villages they live in, for which the term is also used. In this sense, “hold” means “people,” and someone referring to the “four ordren holds” always means the four types of ordren.

This article does not go into depth on the individual holds themselves, but gives a broad overview of their characteristics and how they differ from one another.

ARETH ULTHAR

The Areth Ulthar, meaning “Those of Ulthar” in the Hruan language, are the second-most populous of the holds after the Dwelbvar. They share much of the same stoneline as their brethren in the Black Mountains, having been part of the same hold up until the Undoing. Following the Siege of Odin Nast, they traveled east to the Mines of Ultharok in Hasnel Shabisab, the Running Valley, where they remain to this day.

Their parting with the Dwelbvar was a bitter one, and the two groups did not interact for a long time after. But their common foe, the oradji, has bound them together, and they often trade and support one another, though most of the fighting is left to the Dwelbvar.

The Areth Ulthar have remained prosperous in the Running Valley through trade with Jenzir and the Tholnar of the Silverwood, who they are more capable of reaching than the Dwelbvar. They have limited interactions with men in the Wildlands, including rare trips to the remote tower of Kalodar. Occasionally, a Relgraff caravan from the Silver Mountain will make its way up from the Rift for trading, but this grows rarer as the threat of mangled spreads throughout the Rift.

DWELBVAR

The Dwelbvar of the Black Mountains remain the largest and mightiest of all the holds, despite their tremendous losses in the Underwar. They are proud, as far as ordren go, tracing their stoneline back to the earliest days of the Second Age, when they were named “Dwelbvaril” by the cacuar, which meant “Mountain Kind.” They ruled undisputed in the Black Mountains until the oradji came, and have been in a war with them since. Their strength was divided twice—first when Goran took his people north to avoid the Underwar, and then again after the Undoing, when the Areth Ulthar broke off and moved to the west.

In the Third Age they became known as Dwelbvar. They are still mining the ore-rich depths of the Black Mountains and trading heavily with Jenzir. And they are still warring with the oradji, who have now seized most of the northern ranges.

They interact little with the Relgraff or Goranmith, but have some trade with the Areth Ulthar of the Running Valley.

GORANMITH

The Goranmith of the Krell Mountains were the first to abandon the Black Mountains, a fact that the Dwelbvar have never forgotten. They’ve had little to do with the other ordren holds since then, though they did aid their kin during the Siege of Odin Nast. Mostly, they remain isolated in their caverns, seeking to replenish the globen forests of old and ensure that the ordren race is not extinguished from the world.

They enjoy a close relationship with the Einthra’ihl of the Anlar Wood, who they assisted following the Undoing. They also have occasional trade with the myrrym who live in the forests south of them, and on very rare occasion, the Tholnar to the west.

RELGRAFF

Unlike the other three holds, the Relgraff were never a part of the Dwelbvaril. Their stoneline is unique and different from the others, tracing to a hold of ordren that lived with the Einar rather than the Baha’ral. Because of this, the Relgraff are the most unlike from the other three holds in terms of customs and behaviors.

For one, they exist within the Rift, in a cluster of low mountains collectively called the “Silver Mountain.” Here, they mine the rarest and most sought after ore in the world—domeran. Though there are a few veins scattered throughout the Black Mountains, the greatest concentration of the Soulcraft-repelling metal remains deep inside the Rift.

But their location is not the only peculiarity. The Relgraff also possess the highest number of “stoneseers” (though admittedly, that number is very low). This phenomenon traces back to their separation from the Baha’ral during the First Age, after their ancestors predicted the fall of that civilization. They were banished from the Mounds of Mudail by Mizel himself, thereby sparing them from the cataclysmic destruction that followed.

Lastly, the Relgraff are unlike the other holds in that they concern themselves with the forgotten struggles of ages long past. They share the goal of the Genji, to heal the wound that the Betrayer left upon the world, and restore the Seven Stones to what they once were. Because of this, they were admired and trusted by the Hasikans of Anderlannon.