Humans assume that all orcs are the same — ugly, brutish, violent and determined to kill anyone who stands in their path. These suppositions rarely prove false. But even orcs display variation within the species, and one group in particular stands apart from all others.
The sharakim (the name means “the tainted” or “those with taint” in an old human dialect) were once human. At least, their forebears were. Legends claim that, long ago, all humans resided in the village of Desh. They lived peacefully until a hunter named Sharak killed a sacred stag, and all those who ate of the stag’s flesh became ill. Many died, but others were transformed, twisted into hideous caricatures of humanity by the evil they had committed. The humans who escaped the curse scattered, leaving Desh to be lost forever. Those creatures who had once been human gathered together and fled as well, making their own way in the world but forever after hated by humans because they stood as a reminder of that sin. These became the sharakim.
Sharakim live in small villages and towns. They are comfortable in hills and mountains, especially places that feature long shadows and high cliffs on every side. They are eager for outside contact, and thus settle close to other races. They make frequent forays to nearby towns and encourage their neighbours to visit them, whereupon they take the part of lavish hosts. Sharakim spend their waking hours fighting the impression people assume based on their appearance; only in the privacy of their own homes do they relax and gather their thoughts.
Personality: Sharakim learn from early childhood that they were created from sin, and that others believe their existence is a curse upon the world. This knowledge makes them sullen when they are alone, and eager to please when they are with other races. Humans compare them to puppies, which hate to be alone and accept any treatment because it means attention. Sharakim despise other orcs, seeing them as examples of what they could have become, and they make every effort to distinguish themselves from those monsters. They bathe frequently and are fastidious about their clothing and manners. They learn to speak Common and strive to pronounce the words without an accent, which is difficult because of their tusks. Sharakim villages are models of tidiness and order, each house carefully placed in relation to its neighbours, and each one kept spotlessly clean. Sharakim strive to better themselves individually, constantly improving their knowledge and skills to make themselves worthy of social interaction.
Physical Description: Sharakim stand between 5 feet and 6 feet tall and weigh 140 to 275 pounds. Their skin ranges from light grey to coal black; their hair is thick but not coarse, and such a deep black it seems almost blue, though some sharakim sport silver or white streaks. They usually have either jet-black or slate-grey eyes, and more rarely eyes of dark blue or dark green. Small, curved horns protrude from both temples, and their lower canines are sharp tusks that jut up past their upper lips. Sharakim noses are usually short and snubbed, with wide nostrils.
Sharakim dress as well as their circumstances allow, to distinguish themselves from orcs. They prefer finely made shirts and pants, with soft leather boots and gloves. Many wear hats with broad brims, pulled low to cover their horns, while others prefer cloaks with deep hoods. Sharakim keep their thick fingernails trimmed, and their tusks and horns polished. They decorate their horns and tusks, carving them like ivory, capping them with precious metals, or even imbedding gems in them. Their hair is braided or pulled back and held by a fine metal clip. Sharakim hate to expose their feet and hands, because both are oversized and feature thick, talon-like nails.
Relations: Sharakim go out of their way to ingratiate themselves with other races. They greet anyone they meet openly and cheerfully, often in the stranger’s native language. Gnomes have the easiest time adjusting to sharakim, being able to look past their appearance and admire their drive and education, and the two races often live near one another, visiting to trade information and goods. Halflings admire the determination of sharakim but still feel uncomfortable around them, and become shy in their presence. Elves and dwarves do not trust the sharakim, proclaiming that an orc in fancy clothes is still an orc. They cannot deny the race’s intelligence and refinement, but they still suspect a sinister motive behind the civilized behaviour. Humans find themselves torn in their reactions — the sharakim look like orcs, but they act completely human. Human merchants happily do business with sharakim, but priests suspect darker intentions behind their eagerness, and fighters prefer not to trust them as comrades in battle.
Alignment: Sharakim love rules, because they like to show that they can understand and obey such strictures. They strive to be generous and helpful, making lawful good their most common alignment. Some sharakim lean toward neutrality, and a few are actively chaotic, preferring an individual approach to a mandated path.
Sharakim Lands: Sharakim live in villages nestled among high hills or low mountains. They prefer the protection of cliffs around them, but they also like to be close to other races, so their homes are usually no more than a few days’ travel from a human or gnome village. Sharakim do not like open water, preferring to avoid settlements located next to rivers or lakes.
Sharakim can be found in large human cities, where they delight in the number of people present and in the chance to mingle with everyone openly. They purchase homes and redecorate them, creating elaborate carvings on door frames and columns and hanging intricate tapestries on the walls. Sharakim are known as excellent hosts no matter where they live, because their homes are always luxurious and well maintained, and because they go out of their way to make guests comfortable.
Religion: The sharakim have no deity of their own. They abhor Gruumsh, the god of the orcs, and most do not feel themselves worthy to pray to any human god. Those who dare approach a human deity pray to Heironeous, asking him to look past their twisted exteriors and see the honour and lawfulness within.
Language: All sharakim speak Common, and most speak at least one other language, usually Dwarven, Elven or Gnome. Though a few sharakim learn Orc — the better to understand their enemies — they will not speak Orc under any circumstances, and nothing written in that language is allowed in their homes.
Sharakim love to read. They collect books in a variety of languages, and many who live in cities become booksellers.
Names: Sharakim prefer to take either human names or names that fit with the society around them. They love long names, since short names seem brutish — sharakim never use an abbreviation of anyone’s name, and they insist that friends and business partners use their full names as well. A sharakim’s last name is his clan name, and his given name is of human derivation. A sharakim is named at birth, but when he reaches adulthood his elders select a new name for him, one that fits his personality and talents. Sharakim keep their birth name as a middle name. Sometimes a sharakim adds a third name once he is older and settled in a particular business; then his adult name becomes his first middle name, and the birth name remains as a second middle name.
Male Names: Alastair, Benjamin, Carrington, Daniel, Malcolm, Nathaniel, Reginald, Winchester.
Female Names: Aurora, Bedelia, Christina, Clarissa, Elizabeth, Margaret, Winnifred.
Clan Names: Andromar, Barechian, Helefern, Lochlaman, Malendik, Norferat, Sarekar.
Adventurers: Every sharakim feels he has to prove his worth, both to himself and to others. He strives to show that he is as smart, as noble, as honourable, and as skilled as any human or dwarf or elf, because he believes this effort will win their respect. Most sharakim, upon reaching adulthood, leave their villages to go adventuring. This allows them to encounter strangers, make new friends, and hone their skills. Earning riches is less important than winning renown, and a sharakim who is immortalized in song is the pride of his clan.
Source: Races of Destiny (Page 100)
Your character can be either male or female.
Every player character starts as an adult. You can choose or randomly generate your character’s age. If you choose it, it must be at least the minimum age for the character’s race and class (see Table: Starting Ages). Your character’s minimum starting age is the adulthood age of his or her race plus the number of dice indicated in the entry corresponding to the character’s race and class on Table: Starting Ages.
Alternatively, refer to Table: Starting Ages and roll dice to determine how old your character is.
| Adulthood | Intuitive1 | Self-Taught2 | Trained3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 years | +1d4 (17—20) years | +1d6 (17—22) years | +2d6 (18—28) years |
1 This category includes barbarians, rogues and sorcerers.
2 This category includes bards, fighters, paladins and rangers.
3 This category includes clerics, druids, monks and wizards.
With age, a character’s physical ability scores decrease and his or her mental ability scores increase (see Table: Aging Effects). The effects of each aging step are cumulative. However, none of a character’s ability scores can be reduced below 1 in this way.
| Middle Age1 | Old Age2 | Venerable3 | Maximum Age |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 years | 45 years | 60 years | +2d10 years |
1 -1 to Strength, Dexterity and Constitution; +1 to Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma.
2 -2 to Strength, Dexterity and Constitution; +1 to Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma.
3 -3 to Strength, Dexterity and Constitution; +1 to Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma.
When a character reaches venerable age, the DM secretly rolls his or her maximum age, which is the number from the Venerable column on Table: Aging Effects plus the result of the dice roll indicated on the Maximum Age column on that table, and records the result, which the player does not know. A character who reaches his or her maximum age dies of old age at some time during the following year, as determined by the DM.
The maximum ages are for player characters. Most people in the world at large die from pestilence, accidents, infections or violence before getting to venerable age.
Choose your character’s height and weight from the ranges mentioned in the appropriate race description or from the ranges found on Table: Height and Weight. Think about what your character’s abilities might say about his or her height and weight. A weak but agile character may be thin. A strong and tough character may be tall or just heavy.
Alternatively, roll randomly for your character’s height and weight on Table: Height and Weight. The dice roll given in the Height Modifier column determines the character’s extra height beyond the base height. That same number multiplied by the dice roll or quantity given in the Weight Modifier column determines the character’s extra weight beyond the base weight.
| Gender | Base Height | Height Modifier | Base Weight | Weight Modifier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | 4’ 10" | +2d10 (5’ 0"—6’ 6") | 150 lbs. | ×2d6 (154—390 lbs.) |
| Female | 4’ 5" | +2d10 (4’ 7"—6’ 1") | 110 lbs. | ×2d6 (114—350 lbs.) |
Source: Races of Destiny (Page 110)