View source for Ondonti

{{Creature
| image        = Ondonti RoZK.jpg 
| caption      = An ondonti man with his [[hoe]], and an ondonti woman.
| name         = Ondonti
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| size2e       = Medium
| alignment2e  = [[Lawful good]]
| refs2e       = <ref name="RoZK.MC-p11">{{Cite book/Ruins of Zhentil Keep/Monstrous Compendium|11}}</ref><ref name="MCAV3-p84">{{Cite book/Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume Three|84}}</ref>
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| activecycle  = Any
| diet         = Omnivore
| lifespan     = 
| location     = [[Tortured Lands]]
| intelligence = Average
| language     = [[Common]]<ref name="MCAV3-p84"/>
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| climate      = Any
| terrain      = Any land
| genrefs      = <ref name="RoZK.MC-p11" /><ref name="MCAV3-p84"/>
| height       = {{SI|6|ft}}
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The '''ondontis''' were a rare race of [[orc]]s living in an isolated part of the [[Tortured Lands]] of [[north Faerûn]]. They were brought up to be pacifists in the faith of [[Eldath]], the Goddess of Peace and Quiet Places.<ref name="RoZK.MC-p11" /><ref name="MCAV3-p84"/><ref name="F&A-p58">{{Cite book/Faiths and Avatars|58}}</ref>

==Description==
Ondontis looked like typical orcs in all external respects. Both males and females were just as strong and hardy.<ref name="RoZK.MC-p11" /><ref name="MCAV3-p84"/>

==Activities==
The ondonti tribes lived peaceful lives as farmers and foragers, who took from the land no more than they needed to survive.<ref name="RoZK.MC-p11" /><ref name="MCAV3-p84"/>

==Abilities==
Every ondonti had the ability to cast some [[divine]] [[spell]]s, with ''[[sanctuary]]'' upon themselves thrice a day, ''[[purify food and drink]]'' thrice a day, ''[[barkskin]]'' once a day, and ''[[tree shape|tree]]'' once a week. They were immune to [[charm person|''charm'']] spells and were slightly resistant to [[poison]]s.<ref name="RoZK.MC-p11" /><ref name="MCAV3-p84"/>

==Combat==
The first Zhentilar-trained ondontis were taught to use a [[bastard sword]] or a [[two-handed sword]], as well as a [[shield]]. They preferred [[leather armor|leather]] or [[studded leather]] armors or their own ''barkskin'' power over metal armors. Their combat ability was still limited.<ref name="RoZK.MC-p11" /><ref name="MCAV3-p84"/>

==Society==
Ondontis had the same rate of reproduction as orcs, but with almost zero mortality among infants, thanks to the Eldathyn priests' care and watchfulness of pregnant mothers and children. With their peaceful habits and healing magic, the ondontis lived a good twenty years longer than orcs, up to 60 years.<ref name="RoZK.MC-p11" /><ref name="MCAV3-p84"/>

The wisest ondonti became [[cleric]]s of Eldath who prayed for defensive and curative spells. [[Magic]] that caused harm was taboo among them.<ref name="RoZK.MC-p11" /><ref name="MCAV3-p84"/>

==Culture==
[[File:Ondonti 2.jpg|thumb|right|''An ondonti farmer with a scythe.'']]
Ondonti culture was almost a polar opposite of traditional orcish culture. What they valued most in life were peace, family life, and living in harmony with their environment, in accordance with the pacifist philosophy of Eldath and cleaving toward [[lawful good]] behavior. They were generally peaceful, reliable, kind, contemplative, and cooperative, and hence they did not think to expect treachery in others such as the Zhents.<ref name="RoZK.MC-p11" /><ref name="MCAV3-p84"/>

They were devoted to the goddess Eldath and tried to embody her teachings in their culture. Eldathyn priests were admired for their great wisdom and closeness to Eldath, and the ondonti followed their guidance.<ref name="RoZK.MC-p11" /><ref name="MCAV3-p84"/>

The only time killing occurred in ondonti society was slaughtering an animal for food or as a mercy if it was incurably insane or diseased. The majority would rather die themselves than kill another sentient being.<ref name="RoZK.MC-p11" /><ref name="MCAV3-p84"/> Naturally, they opposed warfare.<ref name="F&A-p58"/> But, in a brutal indoctrination, the Zhentarim raised some young ondontis among the [[mountain orc]] soldiers of the Citadel and trained them in battle; while the shift away from good toward [[evil]] was mostly successful by [[1369 DR]], they were not as abusive or violent as their peers, but it was expected that a few generations of this might yet make them lethal warriors dedicated to the Zhentarim.<ref name="RoZK.MC-p11" /><ref name="MCAV3-p84"/>

They spoke [[Common]], and not many knew the [[Orc language]].<ref name="MCAV3-p84"/>

==Lands==
They lived in fifteen tribes scattered across a secluded area of the Tortured Lands north of [[the Ride]] in the [[Moonsea]] lands.<ref name="RoZK.MC-p11" /><ref name="MCAV3-p84"/>

==History==
The ondontis had an oral history that comprised a cycle of stories called ''Tarek-Passar'' (the ''Way of Peace''). They told that thirty of their kind were brought as children to their ancestral homeland by a group known as "the Founders" and were taught the tenets of Eldath's faith. A sage speculated that they were orphaned infant orcs brought from their homelands and taught by a reclusive Eldathyn order.<ref name="RoZK.MC-p11" /><ref name="MCAV3-p84"/> This was quite correct, although the full details seem lost to history. A group of orphaned orc children were adopted by people of [[Myth Ondath]], a city dedicated to Eldath lying in the Tortured Lands (founded [[351 DR]]), and raised in the faith of the Green Goddess. Their ancestors were among the few survivors when that city was destroyed by the [[Iyraclea|Ice Queen]] and the ''[[Gatekeeper's Crystal]]'' in the {{YearlinkName|633}}.<ref name="VGtATM-p107">{{cite book/Volo's Guide to All Things Magical|107}}</ref><ref name="tGHotR-p71">{{Cite book/The Grand History of the Realms|71}}</ref> They lived on in peace in the Tortured Lands.<ref name="RoZK.MC-p11" /><ref name="MCAV3-p84"/>

They were discovered unexpectedly by a scouting party out of [[Zhentil Keep]] in the {{YearlinkName|1340}}. The rapacious Zhentish lords thought their orcish strength and Eldathyn pacifism would make superior manual-labor slaves who wouldn't need close watching. Owing to their pacifist nature, the ondontis did not expect treachery and, shortly after first meeting, fourteen of the fifteen tribes were captured by [[Zhentilar]] raiders and taken to the [[Citadel of the Raven]] to be used as slaves and breeding stock for a new army.<ref name="RoZK.MC-p11" /><ref name="MCAV3-p84"/>

The final tribe left, isolated at the time, escaped into deep seclusion and avoided later raids. They employed the divine magic of their clerics to conceal themselves from the slavers. Rumor even held that Eldath herself had sent one of her planar servants to protect the free ondonti and another to liberate those enslaved by the Zhents.<ref name="RoZK.MC-p11" /><ref name="MCAV3-p84"/>

By a curious coincidence, in the {{YearlinkName|1360}}, a troop of almost a thousand Zhentish orc soldiers who'd been sent to fight the [[Tuigan Horde]] as part of the [[Army of the Alliance]], remained behind in [[Thesk]]<ref name="Crusade-p304">{{Cite book/Crusade|304-305|17}}</ref> and eventually settled peacefully in [[Phsant]], [[Phent]], and [[Tammar]].<ref name="FRCS3e-p209">{{Cite book/Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition|209}}</ref><ref name="UE-p181">{{Cite book/Unapproachable East|181-183}}</ref><ref group="note">While an outcome for the ondonti story is unknown, and a connection between them and this troop can only be hypothesized, the coincidence of Zhentish orc soldiers choosing peaceful settlement is hard to ignore, so this is included to give context to that possibility.</ref>
==Appendix==
===Notes===
{{notes}}
===References===
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===Connections===
{{Orcs}}
[[Category:Humanoids]]
[[Category:Orcs]]