The Species of Mankind

Elves

Elves are a long lived and powerful species, tied closely to nature and the environment.  They are so connected to the world around them that they feel damage to the environment almost as if it were damage to themselves. Long lived and magical, they often pursue arcane study, and their mage colleges are known to be the best in the world.  Their cities are vast and beautiful, but blend almost seamlessly into the environment around them, requiring one to be almost inside one to realize they have found and elven city.

Elves come in primarily three varieties. The first, the Singei, have skin tones, eye colors, and hair colors that follow the human spectrum of natural colors.  The second, the Minga have skin, eye, or hair colors in a wide spectrum, usually mimicking some sort of flowering plant or natural color scheme that is uncommon to humans.  The third variety, the Hanwin, have animal-like properties, like fur on their ears, a tail, horns, or non-round pupils. Elves come in any mixture of these three varieties; usually they mostly resemble Singei but may have some Minga coloring or minor Hanwin traits.

Orrin

Orrin are tall, muscular creatures, with bright, almost iridescent coloration.  They have a mixed reputation, known for a rashness, recklessness, and straightforwardness that often gets them into trouble, but also famous for monasteries scattered all over the regions they control where anyone can go to learn in a disciplined environment.  Orrin lack the dwarven obsession for craftsmanship that grants dwarven creations with an elegance and beauty unrivaled by any other species, but orrin are master engineers in their own right, building towers, cities, and roads of sturdy and utilitarian construction.  Their society is very loose, with few formal hierarchies by default; Orrin are more tribal than nationalistic, holding loyalties to the individual leaders they personally follow more than a national or even species identity.

Dwarves

Dwarves are a squat, thickset folk tied to the stone and the earth.  They are builders and makers, each and every one, and believe it is their purpose to create new things and craft the world as they see fit.  They have a somewhat bad reputation, having taken this believe in the past to extend to other species, enslaving their peoples to fit within dwarven society wherever they wished.  Now, however, dwarves have worked hard to integrate into the society that rebuilt itself after the Zmenerach, many are lawful and good souls who strive to build up their communities and their fellow members of mankind.  Only a few small kingdoms of dwarves still hold to their old ways and traditions.

Humans

Humans are a short lived species common almost everywhere on Vesturvi.  They have been known to exist since the times of the Gnoll Empire and have held various levels of social status throughout the changing hands of power in Vesturvi, but mostly are fairly low-level farmers, laborers, and tradesmen.  Humans are a diverse and colorful people who adapt to most climates and situations with ease. They are imaginative and bright, but generally seen as childish despite their age because of how short they live. Few can attain positions of real political power because of this view.

Humans are closely tied to the ethereal plane, particularly the four courts of dreams.  They have a natural ability to draw on that connection to bring sleep to those around them, and many can learn to communicate through the realm of dreams even if they are not spellcasters.

Humans – The Planar Folk

Some humans are born with a strong connection to one of the elemental planes.  Their births are often heralded as omens, good or bad, though no one truly knows why they are born as they are – it does not seem to correlate to possessing a sorcerous bloodline (Though they can typically become powerful sorcerers as if they have that bloodline) or any particular ancestry.  These planar folk gain a slightly altered appearance than their human parents and some powers that indicate their connection to that other plane. Their life expediencies also change; many of these folk find they fit in better with Orrin, Elven, or Dwarven peoples after a while because of this, and for their part the other species often consider them equals due to their longer worldview.  Planar Folk gain all the species abilities of humans, and then special abilities based on the elemental plane they are tied to.  The variations of Planar Folk that exist are the Flameborn (Infused with energy from the plane of fire), the Skyborn (the plane of air), the Seaborn (The plane of water), the Stoneborn (the plane of earth) the Etherborn (The ethereal plane), the Shadeborn (The shadow plane), the Heavenborn (The positive energy plane), the Hellborn (the negative energy plane)

Gnomes

Gnomes are an intensely magical folk.  Small and clever, they have suffered greatly at the hands of Dwarves and Gnolls and Dragons, enduring generations of slavery.  They lost much of their cultural identity, but have managed to rebuild much since their liberation.  They are short creatures with wide, pointed ears and hair in exotic colors.  Their hair comes in almost every shade of color imaginable, and changes color as it grows, in bands of about 6 inches per color.  It will change all their life, usually cycling through 7 colors. Some gnomes have bands of color that are all different shades of one color, while others have drastically different colors in every band.

Their primary skill is magic.  Most are some level of sorcerer or wizard, all have a little innate magic, and most find a way to use magic to fulfill their basic tasks during their day to save them time or energy.  They are socially very interested in the practical applications of magic and trade knowledge in such skills like some species trade recipes.

Halflings

Halflings are a small and pleasant people. They are known as the Banton in their own tongue, but most call them halflings and they get along fine with that.  They travel the world, living a mostly nomadic lifestyle, and working primarily in trade. Gregarious and pleasant, halflings are often mistaken for being harmless – they are not, but the nature of their species encourages them to form bonds and friendships with people.  Halflings are, almost without fail, extroverted, and often get restless or irritable when they cannot socialize.

Halflings are the smallest species amongst all the members of mankind, but they have the power to increase their physical strength to be greater than any of the medium species of similar build, so you might often see them carrying large crates and chests which appear comically larger than they should be able to lift.  They also have a good association with horses, and some of the best horses in the world come from wandering herds managed by a halfling caravan.

Tengu

Tengu are a noble people dedicated to scholarship and political peace. They believe that war is the worst outcome in any situation, and are generally dedicated to a political peace and negotiation over conflict.  That is not to say they are pacifists as that is not generally the case – in fact, swordplay and fencing are common sports and duels are common ways to resolve conflicts between individuals that cannot be resolved through negotiation. A tengu will often back up their arguments and honor with their life.  But war, where those less invested in the conflict are sacrificed, is morally abhorrent to them.

Tengu have raven-like beaks and hawk-like eyes, with colorful plumage like tropical birds.  Their arms have hands which have three fingers and a thumb, and the rest of the arm is shaped into a wing. Their skin ranges from dark blackish-brown to yellow.  Their wings are too small to allow them flight, but they do allow them to glide, and tengu make ready use of this ability constantly.

Bastin

Bastin are bipedal digitigrade creatures with cat-like features.  Their biology is diverse and can mimic many kinds of cats found in the world as well as mixtures of cat traits not common or possible in felines.  They have fur growing all over their bodies and most have long, thick hair which they traditionally either keep closely shaven or long and kept in neat braids or locks.

Fierce and combative, bastin believe it is each person’s responsibility, as descendants of the numerous Gods of Light that they believe in, to fight darkness, evil, and wickedness in the world.  Evil is inherently violent and can only be overcome by strength and unity.

Murin

Murin are small creatures with rat-like features.  They have long hairless tails that are very dexterous, claws on their hands and feet, and prominent rodent-like teeth.  Once a well-traveled, respected, and prosperous people, the murin now face extinction and exile.  It was often said they were fearless, diving into danger without delay, unafraid to assault unknown regions of the map.  A disease wiped out much of their species and gave them an unfavorable and untrue reputation as filthy, disease-ridden creatures.  The murin are now scattered in small groups or alone, and have spent the days since the disease trying to get back together and become a people again.  Many larger cities bar murin outright, or restrict their access to certain areas of the city.  Halflings are some of the few people who accept the murin wholeheartedly and many murin travel now with halfling caravans.

Gnolls

The tall and bestial gnolls are often feared and ostracized from normal society.  They tend to live in small groups or tribes and have a nomadic lifestyle. Once they ruled an empire that covered all of the Continent of the Holy Mountain, and their temples and structures can often be found in remote, wild locations, as they built cities with a different outlook than the dwarves, elves, or orrin who followed after.  They have a strong cultural connection to the practice of necromancy, though how strong varies from tribe to tribe. It’s rare that a whole tribe integrates with the more stationary societies of the other species, but individuals find themselves fairly successful at doing so, if they can make themselves less intimidating…or use their intimidation to fill a niche.

Kobolds

Kobolds claim descent from dragons, and indeed share many traits similar to dragons, including mild variations on color in accordance with the dragon Flights, and some energy resistance.  They have been enslaved for almost all of recorded history, first to the gnolls, then the dwarves, then dragons during the Zmenerach. They fiercely hold on to their dragon heritage, believing it empowers them and makes them special.  They suffer from a severe economic disparity in most of the world, having had generations of uneducated and oppressed forebears grant little in the way of economic power to their descendents. They have a reputation of being dumb and foolish, and are used for most manual labor jobs across the nations, including mucking out stalls, digging trenches, and mostly mining, all jobs usually done under strict supervision of a member of another species.  They are generally distrusted and viewed as lazy, simple-minded folks, despite the fact that they can be very clever, loyal and honest.

The Shapeshifters

Changelings

Changelings look something like a half-elf in their natural form but with grey skin, even on their sclera, and ears that are abnormally small and round by comparison to a human’s.  They have blue-white hair, and yellow-white eyes. While changelings do have individual features, it’s often very difficult for non-changelings to tell the difference between two changelings in their natural form, as there is not a lot of racial variance.  It’s even difficult to tell females and males apart.

Changelings typically live in small family groups, hiding in the general populace of their nation.  As shapeshifting is generally easy even from a young age, most assume some identity and live as a member of that species, rarely revealing that they are changelings.  Even those changelings that live openly as changelings usually do so while assuming another shape, simply taking pleasure in changing minor aspects of their chosen form such as coloration and hairstyles at will; most people find the natural shape of a changeling to be slightly unnerving.

Kitsune

Kitsune are an intelligent species of fox-like creatures capable of shape-shifting into a member of a species of Mankind.  Their true form is that of a large fox, a creature about as big as wolf, with very resplendant tails.  They are intensely magical beings particularly tied to the element of fire.  Few other species know they actually exist, instead believing them to be figures of myth and legend. Most kitsune in fact only know of their own family members, and perhaps the leader of their clan, and live most of their lives in their non-fox form.  Kitsune integrate into the society in which they live, hiding amongst the people around them and rarely if ever revealing their true nature.  They can have an increasing number of tails, and with each tail they possess they are granted an extended lifespan and greater innate magical powers.  The greatest of their number are nine-tailed, and un-aging.

Selkies

Selkies are seals, commonly leopard seals but they can be any species of seal.  They are shapeshifters who can take the shape of men or women of various species of mankind, and are rumored to appear as barbarians stalking the glaciers and tundra wearing bikinis and loincloths, even in the worst of blizzards.  Their alterforms tend to display a lot of body fat, just like their natural seal forms, and fat is an attractive quality among selkies.  They enjoy and thrive in cold environments, though can tolerate warm ones.  They are rumored to be vicious hunters who lure sailors to their death with entrancing beauty and song. They are feared and respected. Most people write them off as sailor exaggerations, never knowing that these typically seafaring predators might be hiding in another shape in the crowd around them.

Vilde

The vilde are a shapeshifting people of the untamed, uncivilized natural environment.  They live in small social groups outside of much of the civilized world, and practice a druidic lifestyle.  On the surface their social philosophy may mimic that of the elves, but vilde rarely actually build, even to build something with little to no environmental impact, nor do they guide nature to produce what they want.  They live as one with nature, considered by many to be spiritual guardians of the forest, field, or desert. No one is quite certain exactly of their origins, even the vilde themselves, who claimed to be born straight from the land they inhabit.  They have some tie to either positive or negative energy, leading many familiar with them to speculate that they may actually be restless spirits, manifested as some other creature (instead of a ghost) through the magic and power of nature.

A vilde’s natural form is that of a Medium, Small, or Tiny animal, but unlike others of their kind the Vilde manifest horns or antlers that the creature they resemble normally would not have.  The vilde can shed this form to take the shape of a creature of Mankind. Their horns or antlers remain in the form they take, so a common alterform for Vilde are Hanwin elves or half-elves, who might have horns and pass without notice.

Skrytezmey Dragons

Dragons are a multifaceted species which come in any number of varieties.  They are typically split into two shapes (Gordezmey, who grow slowly with age but have influence over the environment of their lair and strong physical capabilities, and skrytezmey, who grow only with experience and practice and possess innate shapeshifting abilities), three categories (the 4 legged and 2 winged Wyrd, the 4 legged and unwinged Wyrm, and the 2 legged and 2 winged Wyrv)  and 10 Flights (Red, Green, Blue, Black, White, Gold, Bronze, Brass, Copper, Silver).  Hatchlings can be members of any shape, category, and flight, regardless of what shape/category/and flight their parents were.

Dragons are generally hated and feared, and hunted ruthlessly by almost anyone who sees them.  Their body parts are extremely valuable as well so there’s some profit in the hunt.  Some say skrytezmey dragons came about as a response to this hunting – gaining the shapeshifting powers of the other shapeshifting races like the selkies and the kitsune, but losing the strong bond to and power over their lair and territory that a gordezmey is capable of developing.  Skrytezmey can grow as large and powerful as even the oldest and most ancient of their gordezmey kin, and in a shorter period of time, but it requires experience and training to do so – many may stay the size of a small wyrmling their whole life.

Dragons tend to believe that their species is the epitome of creation, a perfect species designed to survive in any clime and conquer any foe.  Due to the resource needs of larger dragons and the attractive bounty multiple dragons might present to dragon-hunters, most dragons tend to self-isolate at an early age and be very territorial and possessive of particular regions, including the inhabitants within them.

“Other”

Dhampir

When a vampire bites a female of any species who is pregnant, should the expecting mother and her unborn child survive the encounter, the child will be born a dhampir.  Tied to their undead parent and sustained by negative energy even while alive, dhampir are unique and long-lived hybrid creatures. They are often viewed with revulsion and fear by those who do not understand their nature.  Dhampir appear as greyish or greenish-skinned versions of the person they would have been if their mother had not had a fateful encounter with an undead monster. They are often ostracized from the people of their birth, and live on the fringes of society as hunters, criminals, or other professions that don’t often require positive interactions with others in order to survive or do business.  Many make a living as rangers. Many also are driven to adventuring, hunting monsters and undead.

Half-Elves

Most species cannot reproduce outside of their own species, and in the few cases that do the offspring is usually a member of only one parent species, and their birth is only possible through shapeshifting magic in the first place.  Elves are the only species capable birthing truly hybrid children with other species.  Half-elves of any variety tend to be a perfect mixture of the traits of both species (excepting half-selkie, half-kitsune, half-vilde,  and half-changelings, which are full members of the non-elf parent species, or half-dragons, which are always hanwin elves whose hanwin traits resemble draconic features).  They stand at a height roughly between that of their mother and father, their possible lifespan falls about halfway between their mother and father’s average species lifespans, and they have a mix of traits of both parents.

Because of the natural subspecies of elves (Singei, Minga, Hanwin) who are all commonly viewed as just elves by one another despite their differences, half-elves are usually considered equal to full-blooded elves, and particularly those whose non-elven parent is an orrin, a dragon, a flameborn, a seaborn, a skyborn, or a stoneborn, as their possible lifespans are not shortened at all from the union.

Steelsouls

Steelsouls were crafted by the dwarves in their pursuit to constantly make and create new things.  They are constructs similar to a golem, but sapient and possessing a free will. They were first made as marvels, the current pinnacle of a craftsman’s achievement.  Eventually, they were mass-produced for war, to be soldiers fighting for the interests of the dwarven empire. Then the heads of clans who knew the secret of their manufacture were assassinated, and their original creator disappeared, taking her workshop with her.  No new steelsouls are made, though the ones that exist can be repaired and rebuilt.  

Steelsouls stand about 8 feet tall, covered in metal plates, molded in the shape of of a bipedal androgynous person. Broad-chested and wide of hip, they have somewhat dwarf-like proportions.  Their bones are metal and their armor is metal, and within they have fibers of animal hair and plant matter, woven to provide tension and elasticity in a manner much like muscles.  Their eyes are crystals and glass, which glow with a soft light as if lit from within, which can be any color.

Though they have free will, there was enchantment magic built into them to obey certain commands with various severity. Different command words had different effects, similar to spells like Suggestion, Charm Person, Geas, and Dominate Person.  Many steelsouls remain under these enchantments, and thus remain in service to those who still know their command words. Most have negotiated their own freedom.  Free steelsouls live and work in whatever society will accept them.