The Trunked were once humans, originating in the city of Hornfallow, in Sheershire. In 1010, After Liege Lord Harrowdragon declared skeletons illegal, he gave all citizens of Hornfallow the option to renounce their citizenship, or have their skeletons replaced with wood. Decades later, the tradition of "Trunking" is alive and well, and is performed on any children born within the city limits, as well as on any willing volunteers who desire citizenship in Hornfallow.
Social Status
The material used to create the artificial bones is always wood of some kind. By default the Emancipator's Guild will provide a finely lacquered pine skeleton. This is not, however, the only option. Wealthier citizens have been known to use maple, ash, alder, darkwood, or even more exotic woods from the elven lands to the south. Since the type of material selected can clearly be seen when smiling it has become common for the Hornfallow nobility to compete with one another to have the most exotic and rare woods in their skeletons. Likewise, many bards and rogues have been known to carry false teeth when posing as upper class citizens.
Offspring
When two people who have been Trunked from childhood procreate and have a baby, that baby is born as a Carved; the carved are an entirely new race on The Disk. They are halfway between man and tree, rather than simply wood-boned.
The Untrunked
The Untrunked (sometimes called "The Old"), have much poorer status in the city of Hornfallow. They are not legally citizens, and therefore are not allowed to enter many parts of the city, vote in elections, or attend the city's fine educational facilities. Additionally, Untrunked are not entitled to a trial when accused of a crime, although they are given the option when arrested, to be preemptively Trunked in order to gain this right.
Trunking
Trunking is a simple surgery, performed by a specially designed Calcium Golem, purpose built for the surgery. Before beginning, the patient is typically anesthetized. During the process, several clerics continuously heal and restore the body of the patient as the golem makes repeated incisions, removing bones and immediately placing new wooden bones in those spots. The mortality rate for this surgery is extremely low.
Trunked as Characters
Trunked characters are almost always human, and therefore usually start with a human base (although the other main races are also capable of being Trunked). In addition, they gain the following traits.
- Trunked characters, because of their lighter skeletons, become more dexterous, although their bodies are physically weakened by the intensive surgery. +2 dexterity, and -2 constitution.
- Trunked characters add 10 feet to their move speed, and gain a +4 bonus to all swim checks due to their lighter bone structure. A trunked character's weight is also reduced by 25%.
- Trunked characters gain a vulnerability to fire.
- Trunked characters may be subject to certain spells that affect wood, although the degree to which this is true may vary.