Ondonti

Ondontis are a rare race closely related to orcs, brought up to be pacifists.

The members of the race known as the ondontis are close cousins to orcs. However, the ondontis live as peaceful farmers and gatherers, taking only what they need from the land to survive. In outward appearances, ondontis resemble orcs.

History
The ondontis dwell north of The Ride, in a secluded part of the Tortured Land. These close cousins to the gray orc embraced the worship Eldath centuries ago.

Scattered tribes of ondontis lived peaceful lives until a scouting party from Zhentil Keep stumbled across them in 1340 DR. Because ondontis lived by peaceful and collaborative philosophy, they were not prepared for treachery, and shortly after the initial meeting between Zhents and ondontis, the majority of the ondonti population, with the exception of one isolated tribe out of 15, was betrayed by the Zhents and kidnapped into slavery. The final tribe left was said to have been guarded by a divine servant of Eldath, whom all of the tribes worshiped, and the divine magic of Ondonti clerics. Very few ondontis have since then escaped further raids. Captured ondontis were taken to the Citadel of the Raven for use as slave labor – their strength and nonviolent attitude made them superbly suited to lightly-supervised manual labor – and as breeding stock for an army of superior humanoids.

Young ondontis were then reared in an orcish environment, trained to be skilled warriors (alignment N or NE) and skilled in the use of the greatsword. They dislike metal armor and don studded leather when not using their barkskin ability. These ondontis are still not as violent or abusive as orcs, but a few generations of violently indoctrinated ondontis could bring into being a deadly race of humanoids under the influence of the Zhentarim. The remaining ondonti tribe lives in extreme seclusion, employing the spells of several ondonti clerics to hide its members from further enslavement. It is rumored an extraplanar servant sent by Eldath herself guards over her remaining children, while another seeks to free those who have been wrongfully seized from their homeland.

Society
Ondontis revere Eldath, the goddess of peace and quiet places, and their culture attempts to embody the pacifist teachings of Eldath. Ondonti oral history recounts that “the Founders” brought 30 young ondontis to the lands they still consider theirs long ago, and laid down the teachings that provide the foundations of ondonti society in a cycle of tales called Tarek-Passar (the Way of Peace). One sage has theorized the original ondontis were in fact infant gray orc orphans, brought from their lands and taught by a reclusive group of priests of Eldath. This is quite correct, although the full details lost to history are that they were raised in the faith of the Green Goddess by the people of Myth Ondath and left to their own devices when that city was destroyed by the Ice Queen and the Gatekeeper's Crystal.

Ondontis are nearly the opposite of orcs: peaceful, kind, and dependable. To the ondontis, peace, harmony with one’s environment, and a full family life are what is important in life. Ondonti clerics are revered and their guidance is followed because of their majestic wisdom and close relationship to Eldath. Ondontis reproduce at the same rate as orcs, but have attained a longer lifespan than orcs (60 years) as a result of internal cultural harmony and applied curative divine magic. The mortality rate of infant ondontis is nearly zero, due to close monitoring of pregnant ondontis and infants by the clergy.