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Races of the setting

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Races of the setting Empty Races of the setting

Post  Berserker Mon Nov 05, 2012 7:25 am

Different humanoid races and their subraces go here.

HUMANS

Humans upon Kayre
For countless generations, humankind has lived in the world. They are not the strongest, the most cunning or the hardiest of species (although the Bear Tribesmen are nearly inhuman in their physique), but they make up for their lack of vicious qualities with solid craftsmanship, clever strategies and good adaptability. Anywhere in the world where water can be found is a potential home to humans, and they are as diverse as the world they live in, from the wild tribesmen of the Bear Tribes to the wise scholars of Elthern.

Humans live for anywhere between sixty and a hundred years. This varies depending on their affinity for magic, and an Adrilan would tend to live longer than an Ivellean - if it weren't for their habit of getting into fights all the time. Some wizards can of course extend their lifespans through magic, and this is a common pursuit as a wizard grows old, but none have yet managed to extend their lifespan past 130 years. A curious note is that even those who have seemed very healthy, appearing no older than 60, have suddenly had their health deteriorate rapidly, and die not long after their 130th birthday. It has caused several myths regarding those seeking eternal life, and most wizards grudgingly accept that their lives will have to end.

Humans start out with quite weak grasp of magic in their childhood, but their growth is exceptional in their teen years. Magic bonds with the human, giving the human a limitless source of magical energy and a magical ability that will remain with the person for the rest of their life. This ability is based upon the person's current skills, but as the person grows more adept at other skills, it will change and grow, taking on attributes from the other skills as well. A human who plays with fire as a child and teenager, and later is taught swordsmanship, will be able to manipulate fire as their basic ability, and gain great aptitude at adding flames into his swordsmanship. It is possible for humans to gain greater control of their naturally inherited magical abilities, but this comes at the cost of magic not manifesting like it normally does. Some examples of this includes those of the Federation, as well as the Holy Knights of the Church of Magic, who both employ magics specifically trained for.

Religion is a curious topic among humans. The Church of Magic has a wide following in Elthern and Ivellea, with people daily giving reverence to the magic that has allowed them to prosper as they have. By contrast, in more martial countries like Adrila and Tyrica, the most common religion is the Church of Guardians, having the people rather see the five gods as benefactors and overseers of their daily activities, blessing those who excel at something.  Other religions exist, though they are more considered cults and simplistic tribal magic.  Not all humans believe in anything beside their own selves and what they can see, hear and feel, which is considered a very practical attitude. There have been surprisingly few religious conflicts in history; the Church of Magic generally consider those believing in the Guardians unenlightened and occasionally try to convert them, while those of the Church of Guardians rarely bother with those who worship magic. Tribesmen do get in conflict with other religious folk, but this is more due to the tribesmen's wild and primitive nature rather than anything else.

Humans on Elne
Just as on Kayre, humans are among the most widespread races - again thanks to their adaptability. This, of course, has been furthered over centuries - as humans have been more numerous than most other races, it is human technology that has become most widespread, which in turn has further improved human advantages to other races, making them more widespread again. As a result of this, humans are almost completely dominating the Elnean overworld, and those of other races have been forced to adapt to roles in a human society.

Humans are more vulnerable to magics on Elne, due to the higher concentration of magical energies upon that continent. Many children born onto Elne already have a certain affinity for magic at birth, often a strange twist upon a combination of its parents' abilities. Oftentimes, though not always, newborns' abilities are influenced more by the parent of the same gender. With talent and practice, this magical affinity can become a terrific power, and human wizards upon Elne do, in much greater degree than their Kayrean colleagues, base their repertoire of spells upon the magical affinity they possess from birth.


HUMAN BLOODLINES
Although humans are widespread on both continents, they do not all share the same ancestry. There are different heritages, so-called bloodlines, that separate the different kinds of humans. Each bloodline is named from the region where it originated. Interestingly, despite the great differences between each bloodline and especially their origins, they are fully compatible biologically, and any offspring of two humans from different bloodlines will result in a child of mixed blood.

ADRILAN BLOODLINE
The bloodline currently known as the Adrilan bloodline traces all the way back into obscurity, almost unchanged, mostly concentrated in and around the Adrilan basin. This is the naturally strongest of the three human bloodlines; the descendants of this bloodline generally have excellent physique, are hardier, and live longer than most other humans. However, their potential for magic tends to be lower than that of the Chandeum and Federation bloodlines. Other common traits in this bloodline are having hair in blonde, brown and blue shades, pale skin and eyes mostly in blues, greens and greys.

There are two variations of this bloodline, separated into the knightblood and the wildblood variations.

Main variation - knightblood
So called because of the ancient traditions of Adrilans for knightly orders and arms mastery, the knightblood variation is the most common variation of the Adrilan bloodline. Knightblood is found in the Adrilan citizens themselves, as well as those humans found in the Grey Marshes. This usually gives a lean, just above average build, but with strong muscles. It is well suited to agile, quick motions out of armour, as well as allowing heavy armour to be worn with little effort, and fits well on horseback. Another trait of this bloodline variation is increased stamina.

Knightblood stats
StrDexMPConSpd
3-73-73-83-73-7


Secondary variation - wildblood
Wildblood is the bloodline of the Bear Tribesmen; these hulking brutes are much stronger and tougher than their distant, more civilised kin. Their bodies are immense compared to knightbloods, making even Tyricans small by comparison. This great difference between wildblood and knightblood is not attributed to their actual bloodlines; they share the same origins, but have evolved in different ways. The tribesmen simply have had more need for sheer strength than the knights, as they live in harsher conditions. However, large as their bodies are, the wildbloods’ stamina just isn’t the same as that of a knightblood.

Wildblood stats
StrDexMPConSpd
5-92-63-75-93-7

CHANDEUM BLOODLINE
In contrast to the Adrilan bloodline, the Chandeum bloodline is one that appeared only a few centuries before Chandeum itself rose up. It is easily the most widespread human bloodline on Kayre. Its single most defining trait is its considerably higher magic potential; while still not as high as that of a Varannian or a Sylvian, a Chandeum wizard can cast very powerful spells. Common traits of this bloodline are hair in red, black or brown shades, darker skin tones, and a wide variety of eye colours.


Unlike the Adrilan bloodline, the Chandeum bloodline is a single one, known as imperial blood, after the Chandeum empire’s vast influence. Most whose blood is of this heritage are quite small, nimble people with an excellent capacity for both moving swiftly and quietly, as well as casting powerful spells. However, this comes at the expense of their martial strength and endurance. As a result, it is extremely rare to find imperial blood that can match even an average knightblood in melee combat.

Imperial blood stats
StrDexMPConSpd
2-64-84-102-64-8

FEDERATION BLOODLINE
—information coming—

MIXED BLOOD
Among the human variants, there is one that stands out more than most when compared to the others. That is the mixed blood of Tyricans; after their migration to Tyrica around 500 years ago, they have only grown larger and stronger with each passing generation. Initially, the Tyricans were a mix of knightbloods and imperial bloods who did eventually start mating, but the result has turned out quite different than expected. Indeed, it is speculated by Elthern scholars that Tyricans are not only the result of knightblood and imperial blood mixing, but also more unusual blood added into the mix.


As the mix of several bloodlines, Tyrican blood has not gotten a designation of its own - they are called mixed blood in formal conversation, while many simply refer to them as bastards. It is unusual, as it seems to be a combination of wildblood and knightblood in terms of strength, size and endurance, but no wildblood is added into the mix in the first place, and there are no traces of the imperial blood that supposedly is part of the mix - Tyricans are even worse wizards than knightbloods and wildbloods. There are those who think Tyricans have ogre blood in them, and this might not be a bad guess. Yet, without any proof to this claim, most consider Tyricans pure-blooded humans.

Tyrican mixed blood stats:
StrDexMPConSpd
4-83-72-64-83-7

YLDEAN BLOODLINE
Similar to the Adrilan bloodline, and quite possibly distantly related, the Yldean bloodline is highly suited to life on open plains together with horses, as well as the deadly thrill of close combat. However, where Adrilans make for poor magicians, the Yldeans have been exposed to magic of a much stronger kind. This has had a negative impact on their bodies, making them grow pale and light compared to their Adrilan kin, while increasing their bodies’ capability to conduct magic. Their increased weakness has forced the unfortunate Yldeans to rely on speed and swiftness in combat, something their entire warrior culture struggles to accept, but those pragmatic enough to do so have adopted magic as a means of enhancing their combat abilities.

It is a common theme in Elnean myths that those of Yldean blood are destined for greatness, and that their people may well end up saving the world. Whether these myths are true or not matters little for the average Yldean, but they are known to the other humans of Elne to be fearless and unrelenting in battle. Traditionally, they have been more apathetic in peaceful times, as many Yldeans have spent time on finer culture and the knightly traditions inherited from their forefathers, and even now, many Yldeans spend much time together with those they cherish. Others seek to find a way to slay the foe called magic, which no sword may harm. A great many Yldean fighters feel deeply offended at what magic has done to them, and with their romantic ideals behind them, they will gladly give their own lives to put an end to magic.

Common traits of this bloodline are: Pale skin, hair in shades of blue, black or silver, and pale blue or green eyes.

Statboard:
StrDexMPConSpd
3-63-75-103-63-7

FALCREST BLOODLINE
Different from the Yldean bloodline, the Falcrest bloodline has always been gracious and artistic in nature. While not particularly strong or tough, they are extremely nimble and dextrous. Due to Falcrest culture, however, they are not particularly inclined to do battle, and Falcrest folk of any skill with a weapon are rare. Their small stature further weakens their potential as warriors, and they are on average two heads shorter than Yldeans, making them about the same size as the dwarfs. It is natural for folk of Falcrest to be lazy and laid-back about things, and many of them look at their impending doom with a cool, calm outlook, willing to accept what comes rather than fight it.

Common traits of this bloodline include a bronze-like skin tone, blonde or even golden hair, paired with eyes of a dark colour, be it brown, dark blue or dark green. Amber eyes or red hair is slightly less common.

Statboard:
StrDexMPConSpd
2-65-94-92-66-8

LOCRIAN BLOODLINE
Locrians are shorter and less warlike than Yldeans, but taller and more hardy than the folk of Falcrest, as well as far more industrious and crafty than either. It is in no small part thanks to Locria that Elne is still stable, and it is the Locrian people who keeps the country running; in an unprecedented display of solidarity and unity in the face of desperation, most of Locria’s population, from the hard-working farmhands out in the provinces to the soot-covered industry workers in the cities, are putting in the effort of their lives to protect their homeland from the ever-growing force of magic. They possess an inherent strength and tenacity that make them excellent for both manual labour and enduring tough times.

This bloodline normally include such elements as hair in all shades from black to light blonde, paired with brown, orange or yellow eyes, but magic has made their hair take on all sorts of abnormal hair colours.

Statboard:
StrDexMPConSpd
3-73-64-93-72-7


Last edited by Berserker on Thu Jan 04, 2018 2:07 pm; edited 10 times in total
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Races of the setting Empty Re: Races of the setting

Post  Octie♥ Mon Nov 05, 2012 11:00 am

THIS POST IS OBSOLETE. SEE XILLIDI GUIDE FOR UPDATED INFO.

Xillidi


A name given to the hybrid race of insectoids that inhabits the Old World. Racial mentality differs between castes; most Xillidi have general distaste for other races (some even detest each other within their own ranks), but it remains very mild in the lower castes. The higher the caste goes, the more racist the mentality tends to become. For more information on castes, see the Nations section.
Note: Until I do it in the Nations section, I'll detail it here:

Dsnia - Workers
Respcis - Civilians
Thesha - Merchants
Iru'Kinin - Human Slaves
Krztello - Military
Roda'Craan - Church
Cryxilla - Royalty
Zephss - Ascetics

In terms of appearances, this also differs depending on the sub-race that they are. There are countless sub-races in the Xillidi (each usually a given insect in humanoid form, but the most common are:

Coleoptus - Beetle-type Xillidi that make up a majority of the Dsnia Caste. Race traits include bulky shells and physiques, as well as horns/antlers on males in some cases. Usually have four limbs (two legs, two arms), but some have six (four arms, two legs. Vice versa is rarest kind). Can be find in most castes and places. Appearances differ greatly depending on the place they inhabit.

Culicin- A large sub-race consisting of scrawny, fly-like humanoids (resembling things like mosquitoes). They are found in all castes except the Zephss Caste. Some are vampiric and have needle-like probosci. Most have long, thin wings that can beat at insane speeds. Found mostly in humid and temperate areas; cannot survive in cold weather. They are lively at all times.

Vespula - Wasp-like Xillidi that make up most of the Krztello Caste. Race traits include enlarged abdomens with stingers, insectoid wings and sharp mandibles. All Vespula have four limbs (two arms, two legs). Found only in places near the Whispered Plains, though nomadic tribes can be found as far as Adrila. Short-tempered and always hold grudges.

Formicia - Ant-like Xillidi that compose a majority of the Dsnia and Respcis Castes. Race traits include long antennae, sharp mandibles and six limbs (two legs, four arms, or vice versa). Found absolutely everywhere, even the furthest most wintery Southern reaches of the Old World.

Aranichi - Eight-limbed Xillidi fall under this sub-race (except Scorpion-type). Usually found as two arms/six legs or two legs/six arms. They can be found in all castes. In the Zephss Caste, only Scorpion-type Xillidi are part of it, and can only be found in this caste. Most common are Spider-types, usually identified by enlarged abdomens and up to six eyes (some cases have normal sized abdomens). Scorpion-types are generally the same, except instead of the abdomen, they have a stinger tail that can measure anything from 1.5m to 6m (longest recorded). Scorpion-types also tend to have pincers instead of hands, or a combination of the two. All Aranichi are found in Northern areas of the Old World around the Whispered Plains. Scorpion-types are only found in the elusive Zephss caste.

Mantid - Humanoid mantids that usually serve in the Krztello Caste and Roda'Craan Caste. Racial traits include thin shells with wings within them, slightly enlarged abdomens, and scythe-like limbs. Some only have the scythe-like limbs as their arms, while others have them attached to the shoulders instead in addition to normal arms. They are usually four limbed (six if they have shoulder limbs). Found generally everywhere.

Lepidos - An unusual sub-race that consists of caterpillar and butterfly-like humanoids. Young are often hidden away because of their ugly appearances, though upon maturing, they are released to the world. Have shorter lifespans than other Xillidi and thrive in sunlit areas. Moth-types are also rarely spawned from younglings. Moth-types are generally regarded as "destined for greatness" since in the past, Moth-types contributed to the population of the Zephss caste.

Anisoia - A mysterious and ancient sub-race that composes a majority of the Zephss Caste, and cannot be seen in any other. Dragonfly-like traits, with lanky forms and horizontal wings. They also have a more scaly appearance compared to other Xillidi.

Dermasi - Earwig Xillidi. Though they may look similar other sub-races, they are their own sub-race. Characterized by large pincers on the rear of abdomen and thin hard shell plates. Often found in desert and temperate areas. They are a very non-hostile sub-race and are usually found in economical positions.

Uncategorized - There are various small groups of Xillidi that are unclassified in the sub-races of the Empire, simply because they are too much of a minority to be granted such status. These include a tribe of stealth-adepts that resemble silverfish and a cult of vampiric tick-like Xillidi that are outcasts of the Empire. If you have any inquiries for characters that aren't in the listed sub-races, speak to me.


Last edited by Octie♥ on Tue Aug 13, 2013 5:12 am; edited 3 times in total
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Races of the setting Empty Sylvians (Nemians)

Post  Mizu Mon Mar 25, 2013 10:45 pm

THIS POST IS OBSOLETE, UPDATED INFO COMING SOON

Hello everyone.
This is my first post here, so I figured I'd take the time to say hello.


Sylvians (Alternatively: “Nemians”)

The sylvians are an old race of dryadic and nymph-like humanoid creatures that inhabit the feral regions of the world, tending to their sacred duty of nurturing and protecting nature. These creatures never boasted any form of militaristic or economic might, due to their secrecy and more tribal and independent tendencies, and have never been known to organize into any truly large form of community. They are elusive and shy by nature, and are infamous for their curious outlook, tenacity, illusive magic, and poor relations with humans.

The sylvian race is generally passive in nature, possessing little natural aggression, and boasts a staggering amount of resilience and longevity on the individual level. It is said that not a single sylvian has died of age, and that a sylvian only finds death in being killed. Whether or not this statement is true or not is up to debate, but whatever the matter, it’s indisputable that sylvians have been known to live for centuries, in perfect health, unmarked by the marrs of age.

Appearance and habits
A typical sylvian -or as intellectuals would call it: “Nemian”- is humanoid in appearance. Given the magical nature of a sylvian, each member of the species has a limited ability to change their appearance. Most often, they choose to take the full form of humans; whether it be to live among them or for simple pleasure, most sylvians are found looking remarkably “human”. This characteristic has been cause for much suspicion from other races, most predominant of which being the race that sylvians so often make a habit of mimicking.

All sylvians, nymphic as they are, possess a sacred duty to the flora of the natural world: to protect and to nurture them. With varying sects of sylvians playing different roles in this almost religious duty -named the “Pars Virilis”- each sylvian has a vastly different set of traits than those of another sect. While some are in charge of tending to the trees, others could be responsible for the changing blooms of the vernal months. What further defines each individual sylvian is what is known as their “Radix” (which, in much simpler terms, could be called their “favorite plant”). Their Radix, of which they are patron to, is the flora that they have the highest natural affinity for watching over and tending to. Caring for this specific element of nature, be it a type of rose or an oak, is what many sylvians view to be their entire purpose in life. As a human is born under a zodiac, sylvians are born with their Radix. In addition to this, their Radix will also reflect their abilities and even elements of their personality.

Although it would certainly appear otherwise, a sylvian, in many ways, is more akin to flora than fauna. Sylvians, like plants, are able to produce the majority of their own nutrients, of which they supplement with the occasional intake of food, as well as plenty of water. Not surprisingly, a sylvian will begin to die if kept from the sun for extended periods of time, and they will not fare well in excessively dry or treeless biomes.

Sylvians are extremely sensitive to pollution, as their skin, which they take the majority of their air and water in through, is especially absorbent. In addition to this, metals, such as lead, are especially toxic to them.

Abilities
Sylvians are magical beings, having access to a wide array of abilities that, although rich in variety, are modest in power. Their greatest magical talent lies in their mastery of the illusory arts; magic that plays tricks on the mind, or confuses through spectacle. Added to this, a typical sylvian has access to a set of spells that, the properties of which, are heavily dependent on his or her Radix. Although their magic may be wielded in different ways, none if it is inherently deadly, nor does any form of Nemian magic come with the explicit intention of killing. Additionally, as sylvians are very proud of their individual magical talents, many abilities, despite how trivial, are often rich in sensory appeal. A flower-based sylvian, eager to flee a scene, may explode into a shower of beautiful petals dancing in the breeze, or alternatively, a tree-based sylvian, wanting to entertain travelers, might make soothing music of the wind through the leaves. Their magic is just as diverse as their species.

Interestingly enough, sylvians have a surprising amount of difficulty with magic when they are unable to see; and, additionally, despite how essential water is to them, a sylvian completely drenched in liquid may be rendered unable to use potentially life-saving escapist magics.

The race is predominantly female, with males having become increasingly rare over the years.

Interactions with other races
One of the most interesting features of the sylvians is their incredibly quick and versatile adaptability. Most striking of which is their unusual breeding habits. In dire times, female sylvians are able to pair with members of other biologically similar sentient beings, ensuring that the gene pool keeps a rich biodiversity. Due to sylvian genotypes often overriding most of those of a human partner, no real “hybrids” are an outcome of interspecies pairing, and those that are born of the pairing are considered sylvian. Within Nemian culture, those born of interspecies pairing are known as “Redbloods”, and those of “pure” descent are known as “Whitebloods”. Sometimes, conflict arises between the Reds and the Whites, often stemming from the common belief that Whitebloods are naturally superior. Despite this, the conflicts don’t usually turn violent, and, interestingly enough, the actual color of blood between the two parties is near-indistinguishable. Redbloods have a natural instinct to follow the ways of sylvian culture, but also carry instinct to cling to human civilization, nearly always in secret, becoming what is known by humans as an “imus”. On the part of the sylvian’s mate, all are gifted with the health and longevity that the species offers as reward for the affection of its members; a highly coveted, albeit very misunderstood prize.

The peaceful, yet enigmatic nature of sylvians has gotten them into trouble on more than one occasion. Out of all races, interactions with humans have by far gone the worst.

Sylvians, for many centuries, were held by the common man to be fiendish creatures of the night; bogeymen of sorts. This was largely due to their unknown nature and suspicious tendencies, most strikingly of which was their mimicry of humans. Their tendency to masquerade as humans was, in long ages past, a source for much mythology. Some stories stated that the sylvians had an insatiable desire to feed upon the flesh of human children, and would disguise themselves as governesses or teachers in order to achieve that goal. And in other cases, it was widely believed that the sylvians, like sirens, would entice innocent young men from their homes in the dead of night in order to butcher them in the darkest depths of the forest. Although these legends were clearly false, given the average Sylvian’s inherent lack of predatory instinct, it didn’t halt the lasting stigma surrounding them that the tales, and others like them, had created over the centuries; which only served to feed their poor relations with humans even into the modern day.

Much like witch hunts, some people who were suspected of being imuses (“imus” being a derogatory term for human-mimicking Sylvians, meaning “inferior”), were round up and, in younger times, put to death by fire. It wasn’t until just over a century from the present that these waning occurrences finally ceased. However, they picked up once again with a far more deadly passion later on.

The blood of sylvians, the red and near-black coloration of which people formally used to identify innocence or guilt with in witchhunts, was eventually found to be an extremely profitable resource. Due to the sylvians highly regenerative nature and odd healing process, their blood was found to be an almost complete panacea for physical injury and minor illness, as well as having lasting health benefits when consumed, being a potent ingredient for alchemists, and having a great deal of worth to sorcerers whom wished to amplify their magical talents. Additionally, and even more importantly to the business world, their blood could easily be made into an oil to coat weapons and machinery with, greatly enhancing durability as well as providing outstanding efficiency. It didn’t take long for the harvesting and sale of sylvian blood, called “Ruber-Aurum”, to become an extremely lucrative and deadly industry across the Old World. The witchhunts of old returned with a new intensity, with people scouring the land for the dreaded imuses with all-new methods of routing them out. It was also discovered that when in contact with larger quantities of water, a Sylvian with the appearance of a human would begin to show tell-tale signs of its true nature, such as floral markings along the skin or shifting coloration of the eyes. This proved to be a far more effective method of catching imuses than the old ways, which had included laceration. Additionally, and more sinisterly, It was found that, when in direct contact with fire, a sylvian’s blood would begin to solidify and crystallize, forming thick, unhealing scabs on the wounds of injured sylvians.

Sylvians, or “Sprigs” (as their hunters, or “Venators”, often called them), were culled by the hundreds for the “Red Gold” by mercenaries and soldiers alike, whittling away at their numbers in merciless raids until they were only but a shadow of their former selves, untrustful of all humans. The sylvians’ only real form of defence, the Sentinels, were eventually unable to hold back against the constant stream of organized slavers and killers that continually assailed their numbers any longer, causing this small warrior-sect of the Nemians to fade into memory. In times of war, when their blood would be especially useful for the coating of weapons, sylvians were slain and captured in mass quantities, unable to defend against the superior numbers their assailants often possessed. Cauterisation was discovered to be a very efficient and brutal weapon against sylvians, as the old, and now outlawed book To Snap a Sprig outlines: “Sprigs are, in many ways, not unlike hydras. If you cut them, they will simply grow it back. Just as in the feats of Hercules, Fire is the key.”

Because of the strange healing process of the plant-like slylvians, large quantities of Ruber-Aurum were able to be collected at once from captive, often enslaved individuals. The way in which a sylvian heals his or her wounds is through excessive bleeding over the damaged area. Then, their magic-imbued blood, containing amazing regenerative properties, will quickly heal the wound through coating it. Despite the extremely efficient healing this provides for the sylvian, it causes them to bleed far more than an average human would, a feature that many hunters and businessmen took advantage of; through lacerating captives and harvesting the excessive blood flow, collectors could easily double their profits over standard raids. Although the organ structure and high concentration of Ruber-Aurum within a sylvian mitigates some of the harm in excessive fluid loss, this occurrence will often give them away as an imus. As the once-popular book A Modern Witchhunt once stated, “-And if she bears no markings, the easiest way to identify an imus is to cut off her leg.”

This period of cruelty was relatively short lived, thankfully, as the common folk of some more civilized regions, whom had been significantly ignorant on the origin and collection of Ruber-Aurum, soon became distressed at the suffering and slaughter of the sylvians. Within the century, the collection of Ruber-Aurum soon became outlawed across many provinces, and more recently, in a select few regions, the murder of a sylvian is held to be a crime equal to that of murdering a fellow human. Despite this, imuses changed little from their old ways, as even Redbloods were still denied citizenship and equal protection under the law, even in the regions more tolerant of their kind. Racism still continues against sylvians, and it is not uncommon to see sylvian slaves.  Although it’s widely considered to be derogatory by most sylvians, most people will refer to them in whole as “imuses”, whether it be meant as an insult or not, or alternatively, by an audacious few, they will call them the far more offensive “Sprig”.

In the present, sylvians are still sometimes killed for Ruber-Aurum, depending on how tight or thorough the control is of a region’s government. And although trade in Ruber-Aurum has been outlawed, furtive black market trade in the hard-to-obtain substance has caused profits to skyrocket from its collection. A man could live off the profits of a gallon for the entirety of a year, if he plays his cards right. Worse still, the specialized bands of Ruber-Aurum hunters, known as Venators, still make a habit of poaching and kidnapping sylvians wherever they can, be they free-roaming or otherwise. Additionally to this, some wizards have become especially covetous of Ruber-Aurum, as well as Nemian slaves, which they often come into possession of a large quantities of. Sylvian servants, although expensive, are especially valued as slaves given their apparent lack of needs, their resilience, and their longevity. It is held in common belief that all a sylvian needs to survive is water and sunshine, of which they can do fine on obtaining on their own, and that the presence of a sylvian in the household will add plenty extra long, healthy years to their master’s life. It is, however, debatable on whether or not these beliefs are true, or more importantly, ethical.

Venators often kidnap both free-faring Redbloods and Whitebloods, if not having killed them, to turn a profit by either harvesting their Ruber-Aurum themselves, or by selling the captives off as slaves. Given a sylvian's elusive and mischievous nature, Venators usually employ a strategy often referred to as "dousing". Dousing envolves coating a captive sylvian with either water or, more efficiently, types of thick oils. Then, often through use of thick cloth, the sylvian's sight is completely obscured. Finally, the captors will often engrave criss-cross shaped cuts along the captive's back and arms, all coming together to render the captive completely unable to feasibly use any mode of their usual escapist magics. Once enslaved, the fate of a sylvian is uncertain. In the most fortunate of cases, a sylvian will wind up as a gardener or perhaps a house servant. In the the most luckless of circumstances, however, a sylvian could become a wizard's test subject or a living blood bank. Their experiences aren't without hope, however, as sometimes their indentured lives are met with fair conditions or even pay. If a master is feeling particularly greedy, however, he or she may allow his or her subject to pay for their freedom in blood. Literally.

Marriage between a sylvian and a human is, despite recent reforms in the treatment of sylvians, strictly taboo in human culture. Many don’t understand the workings of it, and many more are left confused by the benefits to health and longevity their partner receives. As stated before, sylvians were kept often as slaves in an effort to obtain these gifts, which many believed are a result of close proximity or contact with sylvian individuals.

Additional Details
- Sylvians have a Birthmonth rather than a Birthday. Generally, this is celebrated as a festival of sorts, where everyone who shares the same Birthmonth congregates somewhere deep in nature to celebrate, usually happening for a week in the beginning of the month and a week at the end. There's often food, dancing, and magical competitions. Sylvians are allowed to bring one guest. Traditionally, Reds and Whites are not allowed to differentiate from each other during the celebration.
- Sylvians celebrate the start of Spring as one of their most important holidays; however, they do not celebrate the start of Winter, as it is a time of fear for most sylvians.
- Sylvians are strongest and healthiest during the apex months of their Radices. e.g. when their flower is in bloom or when their tree bears fruit. When their Radices are dying (such as in Winter), many sylvians become weaker and more edgy.
- Venators most often hunt in Winter and rarely in Spring. Additionally, Venators are considered outlaws in many territories.
- Sylvians, while immune to many poisons and diseases deadly to humans, are extremely sensitive to pollution and toxic chemicals.
- Sylvians, when deprived of sunlight for too long, will experience symptoms similar to dementia and schizophrenia in humans. Most will either die, or alternatively, given their adaptability, turn to more predatory instinct.
- Sylvians have a habit of letting colors affect their psychology. Most sylvians find the color yellow to be sedative, the color blue to be invigorating, and the color green to be soothing.
- The affection of a sylvian (whether it be romantic or friendly) has been known to positively affect the health of those it's centered on. Many believe that simply close proximity will suffice, however.
- Ruber Aurem is sometimes heated in furnaces, making mock-gems, which can be sold for a great deal of money.
- While many sylvians are absolutely terrified of Venators, sylvian-hunting is a very dangerous business, and it's not unrare that even a successful raid is without its losses.


Last edited by Mizu on Sun Feb 23, 2014 6:52 am; edited 1 time in total
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Races of the setting Empty Re: Races of the setting

Post  Octie♥ Wed Jul 24, 2013 12:56 am

Vampires

Vampires in TOS are a race that inhabit a land to the South. They share some traits with conventional vampires, but have some more unique aspects from the general consensus of vampirism. First and foremost, vampires are not an undead race; they are a living, sentient race of beings that reside in the Old World. Vampires are mostly hostile towards other races outside of trade, and others kindly return the favor, though vampires don't often wage wars.

Biology

Vampires are beings that are generally defined by pale complexion, scary eyes, pronounced fangs and other dark features. They are weakened by sunlight and strengthened in the darkness of night. The cause for this is their place of origin being a realm of perpetual night and/or cloudiness, the sun being obscured completely from their lands. Hence, they become weakened by the harsh rays of sun (though they don't burn to ashes). Vampires suck blood from other creatures as a primary source of nourishment; the blood of humans is favored above others. However, animals will suffice if no human is available. Vampires do eat, but it is mostly luxury since they derive the nutrients they need from blood. Drinking the blood of another vampire is considered cannibalism (except when drinking the blood of a parent; see details on reproduction). Physically, vampires have enhanced strength and regeneration compared to humans (these increases are reduced to below human levels when exposed to sunlight). They can also see through darkness with ease and they have a natural charm ability that uses their gaze to either seduce or intimidate others.

In terms of reproduction, common misconception is that extra vampires are made via converting humans by sucking their blood. This is not true at all in TOS. Vampires reproduce naturally like other races do, and have capabilities to cross-breed with humans to make Dhampirs (see Dhampir section below). However, the ways vampires are raised are different than most conventions followed by humans. From birth and through childhood, the paths of vampires' lives are designated through the way the mother raises them. The mother can nurse her child via feeding from the breast or feeding from her jugular vein. Breast fed children become vampire civilians and pursue any non-combat role in life. Those who feed upon the blood of their mother are destined to become fighters. The blood of their mother increases the natural bloodlust of the vampire, so even if they try to deter from their given path, they'll be cursed by the lust to fight and kill. Because of this, vampire society tends to become segregated between those who think of nothing but battle and killing, and those who live ordinary lives. While they are xenophobic, the blood-raised vampires are the ones mostly giving the bad impressions left on other nations. They are also mostly the only vampires that venture outside their territory.

Dhampirs

Dhampirs are a sub-race of vampires, and they are the results of vampiric cross-breeding with other races. Most Dhampirs are human-vampire hybrids, but there have been cases of even Xillidi-Vampire hybrids. By law, Dhampirs are permitted to live on land designated as theirs within the vampire territories. However, felonies such as murder and rape are not considered criminal offenses and if Dhampirs venture outside of their designated land, vampires may do what they want with them with no penalty. Socially, they are considered outcasts/abominations and get little to no remorse from other vampires. Dhampir children, as dictated by law of the state, are not allowed to live outside of vampire territory. If the father/mother of a Dhampir child is foreign, they must come and live in Dhampir land or have their child and spouse executed. In terms of biology, Dhampirs reproduce normally and do not follow the usual vampire codes. They share some traits like enhanced strength and regeneration, but they are usually dulled down versions compared to real vampires. Dhampirs also are more resistant to sunlight, but still find it unpleasant.

As of recent times, Dhampir presence in the vampiric territories has been mostly eradicated since the purges were carried out. Most Dhampirs that survived have fled the territory completely, and have either settled elsewhere or have been killed off. All the Dhampir settlements and land is now treated as forsaken ground, with plans being made to build over them.

Politics

Their territories are located in the South between Ivellea and Adrila, where it is much colder. They control two other pieces of land in addition to their mainland. The state is led via aristocracy. The heads of various prestigious vampire families form a council that leads the country. When a head of a family dies, their designated successor takes their position in the name of the family. In the mainland, all the territories are divided into "realms", each one owned by a family head in the council. Such realms are named after the family that rules in. The council often focuses on internal relations and society, since it is a rarity for the entire council to fully agree with each other.

In terms of foreign relations, the council is bitter to most other nations, only willing to accept negotiations and deals in trade. Any other type of political gesture is either ignored or rejected. The council also actively avoids wars, and will do much to avoid conflict with other nations, mostly because of their internal instability. While foreigners may traverse freely through their lands, they are not covered by the judiciary laws. Therefore, crimes against foreigners crossing through the land are not counted as offenses, so it is difficult for one to gain compensation if they are robbed or wounded while traveling through. Because of this, most avoid the country altogether and opt to go around it.
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Races of the setting Empty Centaurs

Post  Berserker Fri Aug 30, 2013 4:18 am

Centaur on Kayre
Northwest of Elthern, upon the wide prairie there, roam many tribes. The Rhino Tribes have roamed around here for ages, trampling and decimating anything unfortunate enough to get in their path. One of those who have succeeded at getting out of the way of the rhino stampedes for long enough are the centaurs.  These proud and swift nomads can move swiftly, often moving from one part of the prairie to another in search of better bounty.  Yet, while they are well known, humans have not gotten to interact much with them. The centaurs often keep their distance from humans with ease, though some stories exist where a human and a centaur cooperate successfully.

Centaur on Elne
While centaur have never been particularly oppressed by humans, they were still left in the metaphorical dust when human technology began advancing and approached an industrial age. They thus had little to contribute with when it became clear all civilised races needed to work together in order to survive the magics bearing down upon Elne. While no humans worked to influence them, the centaur tribes on Elne eventually decided that for the sake of survival, all tribes were to be dissolved, and each individual centaur were to try and find a meaningful role within the society that humans had built. While far fewer than the humans in number, centaur still make imposing figures, and can be seen across Elne in various roles where their strength and swiftness make them better suited than humans.

Biology
The common lifespan for a centaur is shorter than that of a human; a centaur is at the same stage at age 14 as a human is at age 20, and usually centaur die when they are between 50 and 60 years old.  A 14 years old centaur may still be found slightly childish by humans, if their nature is of the calmer and gentler kind.  If they are of the wilder and fiercer kind, they often strike civilised humans (such as Ivelleans and Eltherners) as bloodthirsty savages, when in reality they simply have yet to mature mentally to the point where they will know when to stay their blades and when to draw them.

Their lower bodies are generally the same size as a smaller horse, making them quite bulky beside smaller races. They remain agile for their size, however, and most centaur warriors can react even better and faster than a rider on horseback.  Their upper bodies are quite dextrous, making them able to reach down to pick things up from the ground and shoot backwards over their own rears. Of course, this comes with the disadvantage of not seeing where one runs.

While the centaur can accommodate themselves to other environments if they must or wish, they are at their peak on the prairie, where their omnivorous eating habits come to play. A centaur clan eats as much in one day as a human band of the same size would eat in a week, due to their size and constant activity. Regions like Adrila can sustain a centaur clan with ease, but the journey from the prairie through Ivellea and the Fallathian pass will be far too difficult for a centaur clan to make.

Culture
Kayre
Centaur tend to stay together in their clans, roaming the steppes between the Federation mountains, the western coast, Elthern and the Federation mountains.  The centaur clans thus become tightly knit, where anything worth celebrating for one often becomes a clan-wide celebration, and likewise with sorrowful events.  There is little organisation inside the clan, only that the strongest of them will lead them, with the assistance of the wisest.  The rest base themselves upon a principle of sharing amidst each others, and any disputes are solved through a fistfight, most commonly.  The centaur have a low birth rate, and their numbers have dwindled slowly in the last centuries, but they are still a common presence on the plains.

A centaur clan ranges from around 20 to 35 individuals at a time. It's common for a centaur couple to get two children, of which the elder stays and the younger is married away to another clan, often in exchange for a partner for the elder centaur in return.  This double marriage is often celebrated with a great feast and afterwards a parting ceremony, where the centaur leaving to another clan will be given family heirlooms, many of which have been through this ceremony before. The clan's wisest will give the young centaur some words of advice and the promise of never forgetting.  Then, the centaur's life in their new clan will begin, and the two clans depart in different directions.

The centaur are not very religious people. They believe that upon death, their spirits will find a new body to inhabit, so that while their memories and knowledge may fade, their souls will endure. The centaurs' only further development on the topic is the Soul Tearer, who will come to dying centaurs of particular greatness and tear off pieces of their soul, to make sure a great centaur in one life will not become even greater in the next. While this stands as an unlikely story to both followers of magic and followers of the Five, the centaur rarely bother discussing the topic and are not very eager to enter deep religious discussions.

As earlier mentioned, centaur population is slowly dwindling. There once was eighty clans of centaurs roaming the lands; now there are only half as many. Whether this is due to human and Xillidi expansion, or the eighty clans were simply too many for the lands to sustain, is unknown. The centaur themselves are largely undaunted by it, caring far more for their own clans to worry about the misfortune of others.

Elne
While the centaur tribes are no more, their culture has not disappeared entirely. The centaur still treasure the ties to their old clan mates, and many still keep in contact - not too strange, as the tribes were dissolved not too many years ago, and many centaur from before then remain alive. Having made a choice out of necessity, the centaur on Elne are far more accommodating towards other races, however, and most centaur on Elne have friends and associates of all races, slowly integrating into human society. Nonetheless, a centaur will still refuse to let a human ride on their back.

Carried down through centuries of telling and re-telling, the centaur of Elne still hold true to the tale of the Soul Tearer, and believe that as they die, they go on to start life again, and see it all from a new perspective. They hold little reverence for magic, and unlike their human allies, view it as an ultimately bad thing - a view reinforced by the fact their clans are gone because of it.

Curiously, centaur are coping very well with the transition from a steppe-dwelling, primitive society to becoming a small part of the human society. One would think a race that is physically incapable of entering most smaller doors would struggle, but the Elnean centaur population is growing. Some scholars theorise that as the centaurs have given up on something very dear to them in order to survive, they have grown to appreciate what they still have all the more - in particular their partners - and the result of this appreciation is a growing number of young and enterprising centaur.

Relations with other creatures (specifically on Kayre)
The centaur often interact with others, usually the Rhino Tribes when these wildmen once in a while stop to collect food and drink, and to let their massive mounts rest. The centaur often hunt smaller animals and collect edible herbs and roots, trading these to the Rhino Tribes. What the centaur get in return varies greatly. It may be weapons looted from enemy tribes, it may be goods stolen from plundered caravans. What is certain is that the centaur lean towards spears, halberds and ranged weaponry, as they as often fight Rhino Tribes as they trade with them, and while their arrows cannot harm the rhinos themselves, arrows and spears can take down a rider. It is a foolish centaur indeed who tries to face a rhino head on.

When it comes to more civilised people, centaur prefer keeping their distance, as there is no knowing what an Elthern slave dealer might do if an opportunity for an exotic beast of burden presents itself. The centaur and the Xillidi are able to interact, but rarely do so, as the centaur have little to trade to Xillidi merchants, and they know better than to attack the Xillidi Empire.

On rare occasions more adventurous centaur will leave their clan and venture towards human lands in search of excitement. As a result, centaur clans have begun adapting more to human contact, often wearing clothes on their upper bodies to avoid bipedes staring at them.  They dislike physical contact with people they are unfamiliar with, but those who become a friend to the centaur will find the centaur having no issues with physical contact of friendly nature.

If one seeks to meet centaur, the best place would be Rhino Rock out on the prairie. Here, the Rhino Tribes gather often for tribal meetings, deciding on new areas to roam and trading armour and other equipment for their rhinos. Centaur clans often venture here to trade with the tribesmen. While the tribesmen find the centaur weak and puny compared to their mighty rhinos, they recognise the manoeuvrability of the centaur and respect them for this. On only one occasion did the Rhino Tribes and the centaur go to war together; this was against Chandeum many, many years ago. The tribesmen simply refer to this event as "The Charge", while the centaur, marginally less simplistic, have records of the event written down. It is considered the greatest victory the Rhino Tribes have yet won, and the most humiliating defeat Chandeum ever suffered. Even though Chandeum territory stretched even into today's Xillidi lands, Rhino Rock has never been conquered.


Magics
The magics of centaurs are not too far from those of a human, often being similar in nature. Some centaur have magical abilities outperforming humans, but these come at the price of a shortened lifespan. Most centaur care little for magic, often developing simple abilities like sensing impending threats or sleepvision, allowing them to keep running in their sleep without colliding with anything.

Trivia
Craftsmanship
While centaur aren't taking pride in their craft, they can create extremely stubborn cloth. In old times, these were used as mere blankets, but lately these have become exotic trade goods to Elthern nobles, who often have them made into everyday clothes. The irony, perhaps, is that the common slave would be better served with such clothes, doing far more demanding work than the noble.

Centaur mercenaries
As rarely as Centaur are seen outside of their clans, there still seems to be a fair few of them who find their way into human society. Some end up in human mercenary bands, where their unique capabilities are great assets to their comrades. A centaur wearing heavy armour and equipped for melee combat can be a dangerous opponent indeed.

Statboard for values centaur fit within:

StrDexMPConSpd
4-82-62-75-105-11


Last edited by Berserker on Wed Mar 29, 2017 7:19 am; edited 2 times in total
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Races of the setting Empty Ogres

Post  Berserker Sun Feb 16, 2014 12:13 am

The ogres are large, bipedal creatures, walking upright and often wielding heavy, crude weapons meant to bludgeon their enemies to death. Thankfully, despite their large stature, their capacity for intelligence tends to be quite below an average human's, leaving the ogres only capable and not guaranteed to overrun any human lands they set their sights upon. Additionally, the ogres are adept builders when using stone. The Grimscathe mountains have ogre fortresses in many, many locations; near impenetrable by any human, only dragons have managed to break the walls by force so far.

Appearance:
Scholars compare ogres to humans in many cases; ogres living in mountains tend to appear similar to humans, only with far more muscle, twice as tall and with bulkier facial features. Ogres adapt better than humans, however, finding a way to live literally anywhere. Ogres have been found living in icy wastelands, deep swamps, atop mountains, in underground caves, even on islands far from main continents. One case even tells of an ogre who took up residence in Damthern's slums. Therefore, ogres come with several skin colours; more common variants are grey, muck green, ivory, earthy brown and pale beige. Ogres also tend to grow hair, though it usually looks shaggy and dirty. Additionally, they tend to grow a fair bit of body hair, but not to the point where it looks like fur.

Whether ogres look repulsive or just ugly is a matter of debate among humans, but no human has ever told of an attractive-looking ogre.

Biology:
Ogres are large and tough creatures, capable of mighty feats of strength. They are difficult to kill, and more enduring than other mortals. This reflects in their lifespan; they have mighty hearts, capable of keeping the ogre going for many years. Ogres who aren't killed in battle may see lives lasting up to 170 years.

An average mountain ogre is 11 feet tall and weighs approximately 300 kilos. Much of this weight is the bulk of their muscle; ogres are often 7 feet wide across the shoulders, and the sheer amount of muscle on them can intimidate any warrior, just as any dragon sees them as a splendid meal. Due to their hard lives between rocks and hard places, ogres rarely develop any excess fat. Instead, their nutrition goes to maintaining their muscle mass. Although ogres move slowly, not being fast runners or agile fighters, their bulk allows them to become a very deadly foe regardless.

Ogre males and females are differentiated in the same manner as humans, alleviated somewhat by their muscle.

Culture:
Kayre
Ogres are quite territorial; they will lay claim to an area, and only might can force them away from it. Once there, they will usually build some kind of headquarters and defensible positions, expanding upon the area with a surrounding town later. Their construction and tailoring style is very simple and very solid; they lack the nimbler digits of smaller creatures, and thus ogre-sized clothing with any kind of embroidery is highly prized by ogre women. Their fortresses are similar; built up using simple, sturdy stone and made into a strong structure. However, these stone walls are near impossible for humans to breach, due to their size and strength, and so most ogre fortresses rarely if ever come under siege.

A common phenomenon in ogre culture is battling for supremacy; ogres respect or fear strength, and will yield to stronger individuals. This usually leads to the leader of an ogre tribe being extremely mighty and experienced in combat, but also very proud and unyielding. Many conflicts involving ogres have gone on even after the ogres' enemies have found themselves able to fight the ogres efficiently, leading the ogres to get slaughtered because of their proud warlord refusing to back down.

While ogres are slowly roused to emotional reactions, when an ogre does react emotionally, they are likely to lose their self-control, whether it is anger, fear, love or hatred. Ogres will keep acting as their emotion tells them to, until they are either exhausted or the emotion is gone. In ogre communities, this is perfectly normal - fights are very common, though rarely lethal.

Elne
In the northern realms, ogres remain incredibly widespread - a new breed of their kind has appeared, that even resists and eats magic in order to survive in lands unprotected by focus points. Nevertheless, for all their widespread nature and brute strength, they have suffered greatly at the hands of humans - when the Elnean pact was first made, humans rallied together against a new foe, and ogres suited their needs quite well - nothing quite like an external foe to cause unity, after all. Countless ogres fell, and they retreated into the wilderness for many years, avoiding conflict altogether and slowly rebuilding their numbers. When magic forced them from their wilderness homes again, they were driven into the hands of humans once more. Now far less warlike, the ogres were quick to surrender to the humans, on the condition that humans would protect the ogres from magic, as well as not butcher any more of their number.

Humans have, fortunately, found a place for ogres; as no humans on Elne can hope to match the strength of a Tyrican, an ogre's strength ironically serves as a very good substitute. The ogres have proven themselves to be useful at heavy physical labour, a task they do quite happily. Instead of brawling, the ogres have now turned to vying among themselves with who can work the hardest and lift the most ('work smart, not hard' is not something they've considered yet), and whichever ogre performs best at their job is elected as representative in negotiations with human employers. Ogres can therefore be found at both construction sites, storage facilities and rail yards across Elne, where they use their strength to great effect in both heavy lifting and shoving wagons weighing several tons around by themselves. Working as hard as they are, ogres quickly become permanent additions to any work crew.

Fortunately for the ogres, the humans are not solely bent on using their strength for their own benefit - ogres have their own small societies in human towns and villages, where everything is larger (and sturdier) than in the human areas, and strangely, ogres and humans get along very well in these villages - though it must be said that the patience of humans is often tested by their fellow citizens. The ogres live free lives here, earning their pay just as human workers, and through some primitive appreciation for the humans' protection against magic, the ogres seem very content to live in this manner.

Relations with other races:
Kayre
Ogres are generally not friendly to all races and nations; only vampires, Xillidi and human barbarians are able to overwhelm ogres with enough strength and skill to keep the ogres off their backs. Tyricans, generally lax and easygoing individuals, do not scare the ogres, and there is a brutal war between Tyricans and ogres going on. Ivelleans lack the might to fight ogres reliably, and ogres often raid Ivellean holds near the wilder areas. Adrilans fight the ogres with enough fury and might to make the ogres respect them, but without the inhuman power of barbarians, Adrilans just lack the vigour to drive the ogres away from their borders, and instead, some small ogre bands have been permitted to dwell within Adrila, so long as they cause no harm to citizens. Centaurs generally scoff at ogres, as the slow brutes have no way to keep up with the swift nomads. Felinides have little fear for the ogres as well, proving the ogres to be a problem for humans, mostly.

Elne
With their violent tendencies beaten out of them, ogres have become friendly, giant creatures who only harms other races by accident. Ogres will eagerly do as a human asks (if asked nicely), and humans are easily the race ogres get best along with. Centaur and dwarfs are more distrustful towards ogres, and dwarfs have little to gain from their presence either way, as their fine-tuned mechanical bits don't normally survive contact with an ogre. In the centaurs' case, it is likely their distrust comes from the centaurs' pride in themselves, and unwillingness to accept others as better than them - they joined human society out of necessity anyway, rather than any particular wish to do so, and considering a band of big, dumb brutes equal to themselves may be a little difficult.

Magics:
Ogres are very poorly affiliated with magic, as their large bodies are difficult for magic to affect. Only a few particularly intelligent ogres manage to conjure spells, and these are of considerably lower power than those of more magically inclined races.

Trivia:
Centaurs often joke that humans who don't constrain themselves within metal shells turn into ogres, though only a few of them would be so bold as to tell that to a human.
The ogre warlord Hadok the Heinous (called Hadok the Headless posthumously) was an ogre warlord so strong and brutal that he managed to rule all ogres who once dwelled in Tyrica, suppressing the few humans living there, until a hero of Tyrican legend fought him and took his head, wielding a mighty sword that Hadok's log-sized axe could not stand up to.

Statboard for average ogres:
 StrDexMPConSpd
6-122-41-57-133-5


Last edited by Berserker on Fri Apr 27, 2018 8:09 am; edited 2 times in total
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Races of the setting Empty Cheetahmen (or felinides, for those of a more serious nature)

Post  Berserker Sun Sep 06, 2015 12:25 am

Felinides, also called cheetahmen, are a race of bipedal cat-like people, scarce in number, but often seen, thanks to their tendencies of travelling far and wide. They are agile, silent and quick in a fight, and while some of them suffer from moral bankrupcy, others are good and reliable friends and allies.

BIOLOGY
The felinides are moderately short-lived creatures, as they spend their lives considerably more active than a human. Their swift running, hunting and largely primitive way of life keeps them active at all times, and an average felinide lives for about 50 years, at which point it's time for him to bid his friends farewell.

They are almost seven feet tall of height and weigh between eighty and one hundred and twenty kilograms. Compared to humans, felinide are very fast, able to run close to fifty kilometers an hour; something they hardly do, as it strains their body incredibly, requiring them to rest a lot. They usually stay closer to thirty-thirtyfive when they run; the top speed of a fast human, but a good average running speed for a felinide.

Appearing very similar to the cheetahs of northern Crevethia, only bipedal and with human-like hands on their upper appendages, the felinide looks bestial and quite feral, without appearing overly aggressive.

Their bodies are very lithe and graceful. A matured felinide generally moves with long strides, even more prevalent when they run, as the felinide run with only one foot hitting the ground at all times, using their long lower legs to gain serious speed when compared with a human foot.

Unlike most other races, it is somewhat difficult to tell the difference between a male and a female felinide, if you're not one of them. As they generally wear clothes on their chests and loins at the very least, the most obvious identifying traits are hidden, leaving a human either guessing or waiting for it to be revealed naturally, be it through speech or action.

CULTURE
Males tend to stick together in groups, whereas the females prefer their own company. The male felinide tends to be quite sociable, though loners do exist, and most felinide males travel in small groups of two and three together, often using light and simple weapons like spears and bows. Females prefer staying by themselves, often avoiding other felinides altogether.They generally wear little clothing, as their homeland is rather warm and they are already covered in fur. When they travel outside their homeland to colder lands, they generally choose human clothing that doesn't fit too tightly.

Overall, felinides are usually rather asocial; they don't often converse with other people unless it furthers a goal of theirs, or situation demands it. They prefer having few and close friends rather than many associates all over the world, and a felinide will usually stay with his friends, journeying on with them. Generally, they don't settle down; rather, they spend their lives on the move, either alone or with trusted companions.

HISTORY
It is yet unclear when the felinides appeared for the first time. Those who know of them and their history simply state they have always been around, and so the felinides are usually left in the background, forgotten by other species when not dealing with them. Yet, one event was pivotal to their history, though more tied to the other races involved.
The single greatest event in felinide culture was when Chandeum expanded into Crevethia. The wide plains of Crevethia was a necessary step on the road north to the Whispered Plains, and Chandeum went about their conquest with little regard for Crevethia's inhabitants. Rhino Tribesmen, centaurs and felinides alike faced no mercy if they chose to fight. The stage was set for one of the most gruesome racial wars in centuries.

While the Rhino Tribes and the centaurs alike dedicated themselves to the gruesome war, uniting their tribal communities to find the numbers they needed, the felinides remained separated, their small groups doing their best to stay on the run. While they could move at great speed, they were nowhere near as strong and tough as the rhinos and centaurs. As Chandeum spread their forces throughout Crevethia, erecting outposts and fortresses in many locations, the felinides eventually found themselves cornered and separated, as Chandeum tightened the noose around them. Felinides were hunted for sport by Chandeum soldiers, and countless of their numbers were killed, the already distrusted race facing genocide as a consequence of their poor reputation. No tribesmen or centaur stood up in their defence.

As a result of this, the remaining felinides fled Crevethia. Only a few hundred of them remained, and a community already separated was spread out even further, as some travelled east to what later became Tyrica, others left north to the Whispered Plains, and yet others travelled west. Of these three, only those who travelled north found lands befitting their way of life, and the only ones whose descendants yet live. The felinides even today have not recovered from the mass slaughter, and rumour has it the felinides are slowly dying out.

RELATIONS WITH OTHERS

Felinides are not very aggressive, and can get along with both humans, Xillidi and centaurs rather well; they often trade and become mercenary scouts and spies, as they can move both quietly and quickly. However, as felinides usually prefer their own company, they rarely form ties, and just as they show little loyalty to their employer beyond their contract, the employer rarely completely trusts a felinide.

On the occasion that a felinide's trust and good faith is earned, however, the felinide may be found to be a quite dependable friend, willing to defend his friends if situation demands so.

Felinide males tend to have names like Alessio, Flavio and Giovanni, while the females are given names like Marzia, Riccarda and Valeria. Their accent when speaking the common language is closely related to their naming tradition.

Stats for the average felinide:
StrDexMPConSpd
3-75-92-63-65-10


Last edited by Berserker on Mon Feb 13, 2017 3:51 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Races of the setting Empty Fairies

Post  Berserker Sun Mar 06, 2016 5:00 am

The tiny fairies are commonplace all across the world, though they have not always been so. The first fairies appeared only some hundred years ago, but have since then become commonplace, particularly in deep forests, high mountains and remote areas. Some of their more enduring individuals make their way into civilised areas as well, dwelling among humans and vampires, often playing pranks on the common folk.

The fairies are gifted with certain unique traits. Most importantly, fairies are beings made out of magic. They are therefore immune to the corrupting energies of magics, and can safely dwell in areas where focus points don’t exist. Contrarily, they are weakened near focus and nexus points, as magic - the very essence of their being - is drained from them.

Appearance:
The fairy’s outward appearance varies greatly - a fairy can shapeshift at will, thanks to its magical nature. Thus, the fairy’s appearance is entirely up to the fairy in question, but the most common appearance a fairy takes on is that of a tiny human or elf woman. The fairies often use this skill to fool humans, and that has helped them gain a reputation of being unreliable. Nevertheless, the fairies are normally wise enough to choose forms that humans find endearing, so that they rarely face any serious retaliation for their tricks.

A fairy’s original form is really nothing more than a glowing, hovering ball of light. When a fairy shapeshifts, it is not able to mimic the forms of inanimate things, and the form the fairy takes, is restricted in size by the amount of magic in the area. This means that in civilised areas and in areas where focus point coverage is good, a fairy can only turn into something small and tiny, but in areas where focus point coverage is poor or nonexistent, a fairy may even turn into a full-sized dragon!

Biology:
As the fairy’s being is made out of magical energy, they do not go through regular birth and death cycles. Instead, a fairy comes into existence rather randomly, when enough magic concentrates in one spot to form one. As long as there is enough magic nearby to sustain the fairy, it continues to exist; if it is drained of all magic, it simply stops existing. This happens every now and then; touching focus points, going too close to nexus points, or being drained of magic by a wizard can make the fairy disappear in such a manner, and the latter is by far the most common way fairies stop existing.

Because of this, fairies don’t need food. They will happily eat and drink, but as long as there is magic in the air, the fairy will get by just fine.

Culture:
Fairy culture is quite varying, depending on the fairy’s dwelling place. The so-called wild fairies, dwelling out in the wilds, generally tend to go about frolicking in the woods, go on adventures, or play jokes on the animals of the forest. Their existence is a quite carefree one, as they are far removed from the troubles of the human world, and they are generally very balanced beings.

Fairies living in civilisation, so-called city fairies, on the other hand, are another matter. These are deeply affected by the society within which they live, and many of the city fairies grow far more aware of the broad picture than the wild fairies. They often find themselves a human partner, as a human is naturally better adapted to living in human societies than the tiny fairies, but the fairy usually tries to make up for it in a multitude of ways, such as serving as a light in the dark, or helping the human reach high places.

Relations with other races:
Fairies go exceptionally well along with all kinds of humans. While human wizards are the most common sources of fairy disappearance, wizards are a minority among humans, and most humans won’t actually make a conscious effort to drain fairies of magic. They do not, after all, need the fairy’s magic for any powerful spells intended to flip their wizard’s tower upside down or other silly things.

They do not get along as well with vampires. Vampires, being considerably less morally enrichened than humans, as well as having a higher concentration of wizards, are quite a lot more prone to use the fairy as a magic battery, so fairies living in Khaerum tend to be experts at hiding themselves, or using horrific forms that can send even a vampire packing.

Ogres, curiously enough, tend to be very fond of fairies, as the tiny things aren’t really worth trying to eat, and as ogres are terrible spellcasters, fairies can’t help there either. The two races have a very good synergy, however, as the small, dextrous fairies and the big, mighty ogres can work in tandem really, really well.

The centaurs generally don’t think too highly of fairies, as the centaur clans are very tightly-knit, and fairies are outsiders. Therefore, fairies, too, avoid centaurs, as the two have very little to gain from each other.



Magics:
Fairies are extremely good spellcasters - or would be, if they weren’t so small. Because their tiny bodies cannot draw in much magic, they cannot cast very big spells, except by expending their own magical power. This takes a long time to replenish, especially in the vicinity of focus points. Fairies therefore normally have a very low MP, but can boost their MP all the way up to 20 for a single spell - though an MP of 20 will drain the fairy completely and cause it to cease existing. An MP of 16 and above will cripple the fairy for extended periods of time, leaving it entirely to the mercy of other fairies or a partner from another race. Anything below, the fairy can recover, given time, but it takes at least a week before the fairy can re-attempt such a powerful spell.

Trivia:
On occasion, a large amount of fairies will merge together, forming a single entity known as a great fairy*. A great fairy is a spellcaster of such power that other races’ mightiest wizards pale in comparison, but strangely, great fairies tend to prefer dwelling in hard-to-reach caverns, where they provide adventurers with boons and magical items. A great fairy normally takes on the form of a giant, stunningly beautiful woman (at least when they are in a good mood), but eldritch horrors have also been encountered within great fairy caverns.

Statboard (regular fairy):
StrDexMPConSpd
18-115-1114-8
Statboard (great fairy):
StrDexMPConSpd
4-64-515-20**3-43-5
*Great fairies not playable, maybe except in rare exceptions. Talk to me if you're really interested in playing one.
**This is because fairies and great fairies are IMMUNE to magical corruption, being magical beings themselves! They are therefore able to cast spells of tremendous magical power, and staying in control of these. Regular rules of magic don’t apply here.
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Races of the setting Empty Dwarfs

Post  Berserker Sat May 13, 2017 12:23 am

Once simple, hairy creatures found in caves and mines all across the world, dwarfs went unnoticed by the surface races for countless generations. Unused to sunlight, the dwarfs were gifted with exceptionally good night-vision, capable of seeing in near pitch-black darkness, and their short, strong bodies made them very well suited to moving through rocky, subterranean areas. An amusing misconception among human scholars is that dwarfs took so long to emerge on the surface because they feared falling into the sky, but dwarfs are very familiar with the concept of gravity, and the true reason they have historically preferred staying underground is because of their unique diet: Dwarfs are capable of digesting stone, and that is a meal easier found in their deep tunnels than on the earth-covered surface.

In the world of today, dwarfs live only on Elne, having allied with the humans and other races there. It is one of few non-human races on Elne that still have their culture intact, much thanks to their underground origins.

Appearance and biology
A dwarf is most easily described as a short human. Their proportions are not too different from humans, though they are a wee bit sturdier. This is in part thanks to their stronger skeleton, which, like their teeth, is extremely durable and can take a lot of stress. Thanks to their admittedly unusual diet, dwarf muscle is also very tough and dense, leading to dwarfs being heavier than a human while taking up less physical space. Thus, dwarfs are stronger than they look, and many dwarfs performing physical labour daily can carry at least twice their own weight.

The average dwarf stands at about 140-150 centimeters for males, and 130-145 centimeters for females. When a male dwarf can weigh up to 120 kilos, it's quite telling of their muscle density - they look more like acrobatic sprinters than weight lifters, but their lifting capacity says otherwise.

The stereotypical, male dwarf has a long beard - though not all dwarf men have beards. Many, such as smiths and engineers, eventually grow tired of beard getting stuck in gears, burned in forges, and other such impracticalities. Many therefore cut it to short lengths, while some shave it off entirely. Adverse to the male dwarf's beard, the female dwarf commonly has very fluffy hair, often remedied with braids to keep it manageable. Dwarfs of both genders also have quite long-haired eyebrows and eyelashes, notably longer than human standards. While beards are often groomed, braided and cared well for, however, eyebrows are often left alone - current dwarf fashion lets the eyebrow go untouched on all occasions. On the topic of eyes, dwarf eyes are notably larger than human eyes. As the dwarfs evolved underground, their eyes grew large to take in more light from what light sources they had. This naturally led to the development of sunglasses relatively shortly after dwarfs emerged on the surface.

The digestive system of a dwarf is as strong as it is because of what dwarfs eat - very few creatures can even hope to gain any sort of nutrition from a stone, yet dwarfs chew granite for breakfast like humans eat bread. Once the stone has been consumed and enters the stomach of the dwarf, it is immediately exposed to acids potent enough to damage metal, and gradually corroded away. The dwarf body makes use of almost the entire stone, so once the remnants have gone all the way through the digestive system, only a small stalactite-like thing remains of the stone, making dwarf hygiene a considerably easier matter than human hygiene.

A common problem for dwarfs is that their limbs grow stiff as they grow older. Surfacer dwarfs, however, are less exposed to this issue, as they mix their rocky diet with human food; an underground dwarf that's in his early 300s often struggles with climbing and running, while the surfacer dwarfs of the same age seem to be doing quite fine, leaping and climbing with ease. Surfacer dwarfs are therefore among the most long-lived creatures on Elne, helped further along by the dwarfs' low potential for magic.

Culture
To study dwarf culture is to study stubbornness manifested in the physical realm. A dwarf's resolve is as unshakable as a mountain, once they've made their minds up about something; unfortunately, dwarfs aren't any better at critical thinking than humans, leading to a lot of constructions that should not have been constructed. Added to this is the long life of a dwarf, letting them often take on ridiculous tasks by themselves and finish 200 years later, only to realise the flaw in their original plans upon completion. This is in part why dwarf innovation happens so slowly; once they get an idea, they complete it long after they could tell it wouldn't work.

Their stubbornness aside, dwarfs are quite progressive, acknowledging the fact everyone is entitled to their opinion, even if it's wrong. Whether it's objectively wrong or just different from one's own is less relevant, the point is that everyone, man or woman, is to have their (wrong) opinions treated equally.

Dwarf cuisine has developed considerably over the millennia. While granite remains the bread and butter of dwarf meals, sedimentary rock types are considered delicacies by many dwarfs, and freshly solidified magma, still hot from the volcano, is pretty much the holy grail of dwarf cuisine. Many are the dwarfs who will start watering at the mouth when they are offered magma-coated pegmatite on a bed of marble - but some surface dwarfs have begun adding spices to this mix, which traditionalist underground dwarfs consider absolutely heretical.

Today, dwarf culture is very industrial - as dwarfs are hard workers and very enduring, they can work for longer and do more than humans, but their stubbornness has been a problem to their employers when they unionised - dwarfs on strike have no problem staying well fed, and until their demands are met in full, they will refuse to take up their labour once again. Replacing them with humans is near impossible, as well, thanks to the dwarf physiology, and as a result, dwarfs are quite wealthy for their stations, when compared to regular human workers. Nevertheless, dwarfs do enjoy their free time, and many dwarfs now take vacations, where they go to the surface to travel around and see the overworld. Most, though not all, dwarfs prefer living underground in their great city of Narhel, but some dwarfs fall in love with surface life and become travelling merchants.

Relations with other races
Humans
Dwarfs and humans get along rather well, though dwarfs find humans far too impatient and weak-willed when developing new constructions. The similarity between the races means they can use the same tools and machines with relative ease, so trade and industry of both races benefit from their alliance. It is mostly the Locrian humans the dwarfs like, however, as Yldeans seem too broody and Falcresters seem too lazy for the dwarfs' taste. Mistaking a dwarf for a Falcrester is considered a dire offence.

Ogres
The ogres are large, clumsy and hardly fit for use in dwarf mines. Their strength is of little use to dwarfs, as the dwarfs either do heavy labour themselves, or invent machines to do it for them. Additionally, the low intellect of ogres give dwarfs little in the ways of intelligent conversation, so when dwarfs go to human lands, they do not interact with ogres unless absolutely necessary. While this is in no ill will from the dwarfs, the ogres often avoid the dwarfs because of it.

Centaur
Dwarfs are often fascinated by centaur, and have in them found a strange kinship; as different as the two races are physically, their stubborn natures are similar, and while centaur are large and heavy creatures, they still have nimble fingers and can operate tools in a similar manner to humans and dwarfs. In particular, many dwarf engineers are impressed by the centaur body, believing it a marvellous combination of man and horse, providing most advantages of both while offering only minor disadvantages. The centaur seem to appreciate the attention, and even if they have little in the ways of common causes, dwarfs and centaur can often be found together in Elnean cities.

Fairies
A dwarf can be a quite serious creature. They rarely appreciate practical jokes, and rarely lower themselves to the simple humour of a fairy. Fairies don't seem discouraged by this; instead, they often put even more effort into playing pranks on the dwarfs. Many times have dwarf beards been tied to bedposts over the course of the night, or gears in machines altered and moved out of position while the dwarf engineer hasn't been looking, resulting in the most dire of curses being summoned from the deepest depths of the dwarf vocabulary. Dwarfs rarely befriend fairies because of this, but some thoughtful individuals have realised that it takes a genuine understanding of mechanics to make machines do the opposite of what they are supposed to. These individuals have therefore hired fairy assistants, gaining an edge over their competitors as fairies can reach into places no dwarf can stick his fingers, and gaining second opinions from their assistants.

Magics
As grounded as dwarfs are, they rarely display much in the way of magical talents. Instead, they rely on their technology to do the same thing, or just hire a human wizard. The most acknowledged dwarf wizard ever known was capable of melting steel; his renown came from his position as a master smith, rather than a wizard. Needless to say, magic is not something dwarfs value deeply.

Stats:
StrDexMPConSpd
5-93-71-46-93-7
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