Illmathon

Racial Overview
Standing between six and seven feet tall, with long, lanky arms and thick, strong legs, the Illmathon are possessed of many physical qualities that one would find in Goblins or Orcs. A protruding lower jaw with noticeable tusks, a head that sits forward from the shoulders, and high ankles that lead down to feet composed of four toes, two front-facing and two back-facing, the Illmathon was built for climbing.

Illmathon are considered a blight to most other races. Similar to Orcs, the Illmathon live almost exclusively beneath the surface of Natheria, deep in their caverns and tunnels where they have built great cities and fortresses. They stage raids on Dwarven strongholds and mines regularly, preferring to take what they want instead of making their own, and they also have been known to form great warbands and climb up to the surface, ransacking Human villages near the mountains.

The Illmathon seem to many to be extremely chaotic and disorganized, fighting without formation, swinging their blades wildly with little regard for who they strike. In actuality, most Illmathon are trained in fluid styles of combat that find holes in an enemy's defenses, swinging around a parry or behind a shield. Those Illmathon without the patience to go through such training simply swing their maces harder and faster, hoping to leave shields shattered and helms dented in their wake.

Illmathon Caste System
Operating on a strict hierarchy system, the Illmathon have various castes to which they belong. These castes are not formed by monetary wealth, such as most other races. Instead, an Illmathon is placed in a caste based off of its 'calling' in life. At a very early age, generally around three years old, ever Illmathon child is brought to their settlement's Oracle. The Illmathon Oracle, considered a voice for their deity Markush-Maknir, will decide the caste of each child based on the visions it gets when touching the child. The Oracle will send each child to either the Lorefinder caste, the Shieldbreaker caste, or the Cavehunter caste.

 Lorefinders are often settlement leaders. They are the Illmathon who become strategists, shamans and trainers. While still trained to fight alongside their kin, and oftentimes a key part of any raid or war band, the Lorefinders are more concerned with bettering their people through knowledge gained, oftentimes through the direction of their deity. The Lorefinder caste is of the highest social and political standing in Illmathon society.

Shieldbreakers are what most other races encounter most often. Warriors and fighters, the Shieldbreakers are the core of any raid or war band. Trained to be at an Illmathon's physical peak, the Shieldbreakers spend much of their time honing their combat skills and learning new methods of fighting, such as getting through Dwarven defensive lines or around the tower shields of Men. The Shieldbreaker caste is the middle social and political standing in Illmathon society.

And Cavehunters are the light and quick Illmathon, the people who hunt for food, who capture and train wild beasts, who are often tasked with guarding the cities and settlements they belong to. The Cavehunter caste is of the lowest social and political standing in Illmathon society.

Though each caste has its own standing in Illmathon society, each settlement, each tribe or group of Illmathon often has a Chieftain. The Chieftain is chosen by the group's Lorefinder Caste from the Shieldbreaker Caste. The Chieftain is considered to be of the same political power as the Lorefinders, and often the Lorefinders will regard the Chieftain as the sole ruler of the Illmathon settlement, though when push comes to shove, the Chieftain holds no additional power over the Lorefinders.

Biology
Illmathon are extremely short-lived, generally reaching no more than 30 or 40 years of age. They reach adulthood at around 7 years of age, and are all gender-neutral, no males and no females. One in every two Illmathon are capable of producing offspring, which will happen when the Illmathon is between 6 and 10 years old. The Illmathon will generally give birth to a group of three to five children at once, though the Illmathon plays no part in raising the children. Able to walk within a few weeks of birth, the Illmathon children are given to a select group of Lorefinders who are charged with raising and teaching the children until they reach adulthood. The Lorefinders will teach children of all castes, and once the Illmathon is age 7, he or she will be sent to dwell with the rest of his caste, now a full member of society.

It should be noted that Illmathon, in general, harbor no distinct love for their offspring, such as the other races. Illmathon have even been known to devour their young in times of great need.