Nethermen

Nethermen are less a race in their own right than a blend of human and goblin. Their small population is kept up by occasional crossbreeding between those two peoples, but the majority trace their descent to hybrids that Atlantean sorcerers bred during the First Age.

In build they resemble humans, though they are usually brawnier and less agile. Their skin comes in goblin hues, tan through yellow-green, brown or black, but the patchy mottling so often seen on goblins seldom appears on them. Their eyes are sunk deep like those of their goblin forebears and share the same reversed coloring, black with white pupils. Some 95% of them have infravision.

Nethermen have rather short lifespans, and since they are no true species, 60% of males and females alike are sterile. Much like the Andaman, they appear to be fading slowly toward extinction. Still, a number of wandering clans continue to range across parts of the known world. Every clan is warlike, yet not every one is hostile to humans, and so most civilized lands put up with Nethermen.

Unfortunately the race has generally received the worst traits of both its parent stocks. Apart from some exceptions, Nethermen lean toward cruelty, violence and cunning, and they care little for other humanoid peoples. That feeling is mostly mutual: plenty of humans dislike them, dwarves are deeply wary of their goblin ancestry, elves resent them as relatives of the sidhe's ancient foes, and even the Andaman complain about their smell.

Magic does not come easily to them as a people; most become warriors, rogues or spies, and a handful turn assassin. Certain tribes maintain shamans of their own, whose power animal is invariably the wolf. In game terms they have infravision (95% chance) and +1 on saves vs STR, and carry 10 lb for each point of STR.