Blooded one

The blooded ones were humanoids, predominantly orcs, that were magically enhanced to be "perfect" warriors in the service of the notoriously evil Thayan Red Wizards.

"Blooded Ones... We have much here in Thay you never knew existed, don't we?"

- Naglatha the Black Flame

Description
The blooded ones resembled regular orcs if created from an orc. One noticeable difference was darker skin mottled with maroon red. The creatures' eyes were of deep yellow color noticeable from a great distance.

Personality
The orcs that emerged from the bloodying process retained their personalities, but had decreased intelligence, more pliable, and much more obedient.

Abilities
Blooded ones had slightly tougher hide than normal for their species, and were also stronger and hardier, but at the price of decreased intelligence. The only noted special ability shared by all blooded ones was that, once per day, a blooded one could scream a special war cry that stirred all other blooded ones within to greater aggression and, consequently, made them a greater danger in combat.

Perhaps the biggest weakness of the blooded orcs was their sensitivity to light. They found it hard to hit the targets or concentrate while exposed to daylight, making them more effective in underground locations and at night.

Combat
In combat, blooded ones were a fierce sight. They showed little regard for their own well-being and laser-focused on the fight or the assigned goal. When surrounded by their kin, blooded ones could emit a mighty war cry once a day that had the reach of. The war cry boosted morale and increased the attack strength of the blooded ones who heard it and it affecter they crier themselves.

Society
The blooded ones were not natural beings, rather than a group of humanoids, enhanced by a grueling ritual. By the time Red Wizards perfected the process, creating a blooded one was achieved via baptism in a vat or a pool of magically and alchemically altered blood. The ritual was performed on infants, usually orcs. The child was submerged in the pool of sinister magical blood and was altered into a tougher, stronger creature.

This ritual could be performed on any humanoid, but Red Wizards used it exclusively on creatures of evil alignment to better serve their goals.

Creation
The blood pool required for the creation of a blooded one could be created by a proficient potion brewer. The mixture enough for one creature was worth 500 gp, and whatever was the worth of fresh blood used. Usually, the amount of blood needed was roughly equal to two fully bled out medium-sized humanoids or for small-sized. The creature undergoing the bloody baptism was required to stay in the pool for at least 24 hours. Unwilling creatures had a chance of rejecting the magical transformation. This process could be used only on the creatures that had not reached adulthood. This arcane alchemical blood mixture was severely harmful and poisonous to adult creatures.

History
The blooded ones were born out of the Red Wizards' desire to breed perfect warriors to serve them. Eventually, after many failures, they realized that creating the perfect race was much more challenging than taking an existing one and enhancing it. The idea of taking orcish youngs and putting them through a dangerous magical process led to the creation of the blooded ones.

By the period between 1371 and 1373 DR, the process of creating the blooded ones was established and successful. Due to its exorbitant price, only a few in Thay could afford to create armies of these creatures. Of course, the Zulkir of Necromancy Szass Tam had barracks full of the creatures and planned on expanding experiments to other humanoids. Most of the blooded ones' barracks were located in Thaymount adjacent to orange orchards where the creatures were trained in the art of war.

Later in 1373 DR, on Kythorn 3, a tanar'ri lord Eltab was freed from under Thaymount and led an army of fiendish darkenbeasts, troglodytes, and slug-like lamia nobles. Thazienne Uskevren led Szass Tam's army of blooded ones agains the demon lord, eventually, defeating Eltab and sealing him once again.

Notable Blooded Ones

 * Thazienne Uskevren, a noblewoman rogue was forced to undergo the bloodying in order to lead Szass Tam's army of blooded ones against Eltab. She survived the dangerous and painful process. Thankfully, she was submerged only briefly, making the effects only temporary.

Appearances

 * Novels
 * The Crimson Gold