A Gark
The Garks (or "Garku") were a low race of primitive ape-like beings native to the jungles of Tanara.
Only about four to four and one-half feet tall, Garks had long arms, short legs, round heads, and prehensile tails. Mottled grey, grey-brown, or brownish fur covered every part of their slender bodies, save their palms and the soles of their clawed feet. Like Men, they were omnivores who possessed rudimentary intelligence and the ability to master complex speech. Garks could not, however, write or fashion finely crafted works. They were capable of smithing stout tools and building rude structures, but they made poor artisans. Garks were asocial hunters. Savoring red meat (especially that of Men), they stalked large game on a year-round basis. Garks moved frequently and typically lived in small groups, as families or bands. Some of the more advanced Garku, though, formed larger clans and, in at least a few cases, tribes.
In Rolemaster[]
The Garks and their close kin the Krals are considered two distinct subraces of the Karku, a race believed to be related to both Men and Trolls. The Krals resemble the Garks but they are taller and more intelligent. There are three different kinds of Garks, the River or Jungle Garks, Snow Garks, and the more intelligent Green or Cliff Garks.
In other media[]
In some other roleplaying systems Garks are described as crossbreeds of Goblins and Giants. These Garks are also much taller, more similar to Ogres.
Notes[]
Similar to the Krai or Krals of Vog Mur, the Garks are described as an ape-like people. They could be interpreted as either primates or perhaps creatures of Orc-kind or Half-Trolls, though they also could be a sub-group of man which had escaped Morgoth's experiments, similar to the Drúedain, or they could be degenerate men, warped by the Shadow.