Omugoru 

(Concept Sketch by Joe Shawcross)

Height: 5’5” (male) 5’1” (female)
​Build: Stocky
​Hair: None
​Eyes: Black, brown, gray
​Lifespan: 150-175
​Decoration: Painted scales are quite common, typically in patterns with religious or social importance. Insetting gems and metals into scales is popular amongst the wealthy.
​WeaponPreferences: Staves, maces, flails, spears and crossbows
​Language: Omugor
​Currency: Mogân - gold based currency
​Religion: Tôbôhowu - Pantheon of the Sky Snake
​ReligiousTolerance: Tolerant
​Attribute Bonuses: 

The Omugoru are a friendly outgoing people who always seem reserved and well in control of their emotions, with a zen-like calm about them. Meditation, often referred to as soaring with the Sky Snake, is a common practice amongst everyone in their society. In appearance they could be said to be a bit like an armadillo, with bands of bone-like armor covered by hard scales, but unlike an armadillo, the armor covers their entire body and they do not curl into a ball as a form of self defense. Due to this natural protection, few Omugoru wear armor. Relatively short, they are much broader than humans and more powerful. Their very human-like hands also bear short, strong claws, more similar to a burrowing creature rather than like the Ilu-Sivstro’s deadly feline claws. The Omugoru frown upon the use of their claws as weapons, it being seen as crude, but in a pinch they can be dangerous.

Making their home in central-western Northern Vandunêz the Omugoru remain relatively sheltered from land foes, as they have allied with both the Ûlstrwar and Ilu-Sivstrô against the might of the Tek Nations. Their cities, most of which are nestled on the coasts are heavily fortified and have huge labyrinthine tunnel systems beneath them that serve as the last redoubt in case of invasion. Inland there are no large cities, but there are numerous monasteries dedicated to the worship of Tôbôhowu, the Great Sky Snake and his thousand Winglings. The religion itself is relatively passive and preaches voluntary absorption of others into their ranks, and by 500 F.E. there indeed are a multitude of peoples who have forsaken their own religion to serve at the monasteries, including a few Teks.  Their passive meditative philosophy is only erringly seen as weakness, as this slow moving, slow talking people is very dangerous if brought to anger or forced to defend home and family.

Tôbôhowu and his Thousand Winglings are portrayed as winged serpent beings who are believed to have been a second tier Pantheon during the God Wars. It is said that Tôbôhowu introduced meditation to the Omugoru during the God Wars when he intervened in a great battle by wrapping his body around the surviving 1000 Omugoru (while his head was still in the clouds). The enemy struck at the god but to no avail, and instead of destroying the enemy Tôbôhowu spoke to the Omugoru and told them to be at peace, to meditate and reach into the clouds, to connect with his consciousness. It is said that these Omugoru reached a state of peace so profoundly connected with their god that they transformed into winged snakes, the so-called Winglings, and were able to fly away from the war with Tôbôhowu. Ever since, the Omugoru have had a philosophical connection with meditation and seeking the peace found in the heart of Tôbôhowu.