List of Races

Enselonde is home to many mortal races. While most places are dominated by Humans nowadays, non-Humans have played a significant role in the history of Enselonde and continue to inhabit their own corners of the world, big or small. Below is a list of races, both current ones, and ones that have gone extinct.

## Living Races

### Animated

*Main Article: Animated*

The Animated toe the fine line between life and death. Some view them as semi-sentient beings, and others simply view them as possessed inanimate objects.

Created as constructs of labour and war by the Vhalisians and the Three Archangels, the Animated became the backbone of the Empire of Vhalisia. They were metallic creations possessed by the spirits of dead Vhalisians. Though metal beasts of labour, the Animated were shown to be sentient and able to experience emotions and complex thoughts.

However, the Vhalisians and the Archangels turned on each other. The Vhalisians, while mortal, struck down two of the Archangels, with the last being struck down by the Dra Kh Lozz and the God of Order, Anir. However, their victory celebrations soon turned to terror as the Vhalysians no longer held control over the Animated in the wake of the Archangels' deaths. The unwilling spirits possessing them either abandoned their Animated bodies or turned into enraged Phantoms. The Animated turned on their Vhalisian creators and drove them to extinction, later destroying any and all life across Nuj Vhalis.

Nowadays, the Animated continue to wander Nuj Vhalis in the hundreds of thousands. Those who wander are possessed by Phantoms. Those who lie still and collect rust were possessed by spirits who have now found peace. Due to the nature of Phantoms, Animated will attack any living creature on sight and have been known to attack each other at times. Travelling to Nuj Vhalis is ill-advised and extremely dangerous, for the Animated who wander the ruins of their destroyed Empire will tear anything they come across limb from limb.

### Cervusians

*Main Article: Cervusians*

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### Dra Kh Lozz

*Main Article: Dra Kh Lozz*

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### Dragons

*Main Article: Dragons*

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### Dryads

*Main Article: Dryads*

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### Evin

*Main Article: Evin*

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### Faerians

*Main Article: Faerians*

Faerians are the oldest race in Enselonde and have historically enjoyed the favor of many of the Divines. While some claim this has made them lax, weak, and reliant, there is no denying that the Faerians are one of the more prestigious, well-established and cultured races of Enselonde. However, the flow of time has not been kind to the Faerians, as their ancient Freeholds have fallen to Hyllidans and Humans alike. The Darkest Decade and the Great War in more recent centuries have caused even more hurt to the Faerians.

However, not all is lost for the ancient race. The Green Grove, despite its destruction in the Great War, has been reclaimed by the Faerians alongside the Four Races of Nyara. Further populations of Faerians continue to thrive inside of Wyrsia too. While there is no denying that they have had a fall from grace compared to before the Withdrawal, the Faerians can look at the future with some degree of optimism, as they came out of the Great War stronger than they were before it.

### Fhylnasi

*Main Article: Fhylnasi*

Fhylnasi is a Nytalyrian word that literally translates to "Swan Human". This is how the story of the Fhylnasi start, with a bored Lyxis the Blind and a group of swans in her palace gardens. Inspired by the Four Races of Nyara, and perhaps gripped by madness, the Goddess of Magic and Empress of Nytalyria gathered a group of swans and tried to turn them into a sentient mortal race. After multiple trials, the Fhylnasi were created, two-legged upright swans the size of most "ordinary" races.

When news eventually spread, many were outraged at the sheer existence of the Fhylnasi. They were widely viewed as abominations whose existence goes against the very sanctity of nature and the will of Nyara. Lyxis, who had also gotten bored of the Fhylnasi at the time, ordered them to be slaughtered. Of the 1000 or so Fhylnasi present in Alymore, 850 were killed by Nytalyrian soldiers, with the remainders managing to barely escape with their lives.

An even smaller number of Fhylnasi managed to escape the Nytalyrian Islands, the majority resettling in the North as Clan Fhylnasi, which would become a member of the Second Union of Clans. The number of Fhylnasi has increased significantly since their creation, despite being a very young race. Nowadays, the Fhylnasi have spread across most of the North and the Eastland and have slowly begun to make a name for themselves, for better or worse.

### Harpies

*Main Article: Harpies*

Harpies are a sentient flying race created by the Goddess of the Sky, Adyana. Harpies initially spread across the Gemstone Islands, locked in an eternal war with the Evin. Yet, as time passed and Humans settled on the islands, many harpies migrated to the Southern mainland. Here, they spread far and white and created dozens of clans, some more powerful than others. The most notable were the Bloodbeak Clan, the Whitefeather Clan, the Ebonclaw Clan, and the Skyarrow Clan. The majority of the remaining harpies on the Gemstone Islands fell under the Godspeaker Clan.

Harpies lack much of a shared history, with each Harpy group going about their life in a different way. They are generally peaceful yet are extremely territorial and will not shy away from fighting to the death for their homes. Harpies no longer have their own country, yet many clans lack the interest. Most harpies enjoy near-total autonomy within the borders of non-Harpy countries. They largely try to avoid conflicts that do not concern them but will often skirmish with other Harpy clans to show off strength or dominance.

### Humans

*Main Article: Humans*

Initially created by the Divines as slaves for the Freeholds, Humans have long broken free from their shackles and have become the dominant race across Enselonde. They lack the long lifespans, widespread attunement to magic, or the more "beastly" aspects of some other races. However, they make up for their normality with ambition.

Humans are one of, if not the most ambitious races in Enselonde. They dream big, and they make their dreams a reality. This has led to them creating sprawling cities in just about every corner of the world, with lucrative economies and the gigantic armies and nations needed to uphold them.

### Hyllidans

*Main Article: Hyllidans*

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### Krighal Okk

*Main Article: Krighal Okk*

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### Krighal Taresh

*Main Article: Krighal Taresh*

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### Krighal Vitna

*Main Article: Kirghal Vitna*

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### Lupusians

*Main Article: Lupusians*

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### Naerisi

*Main Article: Naerisi*

One of the oldest races in Enselonde, much like the Hyllidans and the Faerians, the Naerisi have had a fall from grace. However, when driven to the brink of extinction, they took matters into their own hands. Most Naerisi have thrown all reason to the wind, becoming the monsters operating from the shadows that the Humans had framed them as for centuries.

The Naerisi are highly militarized, with even children being taught how to fight. Most of them secretly serve in underground sleeper groups known as Shadowfangs and turn into deadly guerillas if their race is ever threatened. This has proven to be both deadly and effective, as Naerisi fighters and assassins killed Human soldiers in the tens of thousands with minimal losses during the Darkest Decade.

Woe to the Human king foolish enough to cross the Naerisi in his country.

### Phinakhar

*Main Article: Phinakar*

Historically considered a variant of the Xyphians, the Phinakhar weren't considered a race in their own right until after the Divine War. The Phinakhar mostly live under the Endless Ocean, where they have formed the Aquatic Republic, the oldest democratic state in Enselonde that continues to function to this day.

While physically weak and short-lived, the Phinakhar make up for their weaknesses with their high level of intelligence. The Phinakhar are also quite open in their cooperation with other races, granting complete trust to strangers almost instantaneously. While this trust has been betrayed on occasions, more often it has not.

Unlike Xyphians, the Phinakhar can't survive on land for more than a few minutes. Therefore, their contact with non-aquatic peoples is limited to coastal trade, though they are generally well-regarded by merchants for their fair dealings.

### Plagued

*Main Article: Plagued*

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### Qu'Zell

*Main Article: Qu'Zell*

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### Ursians

*Main Article: Ursians*

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### Vulpesians

*Main Article: Vulpesians*

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### Xyphians

*Main Article: Xyphians*

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## Sub-Races

Sub-Races are formed when a person's parents belong to two different compatible races. For a list of sub-races, see: List of Sub-Races.

## Extinct Races

Some Races have fallen from grace, hunted down, and wiped out to the last member. These Races have gone extinct at some point in the past, whether through natural causes or through violence, such as during the Darkest Decade.

### Vhalisians

*Main Article: Vhalisians*

The Vhalisians were a race created by the Three Archangels to inhabit Nuj Vhalis. The Archangels granted them great intelligence, which they used to construct the Animated. These metal husks were possessed by the spirits of deceased Vhalisians and used as labourers and fighters. Using the Animated – and with the aid of the Archangels – the Vhalisians conquered all of Nuj Vhalis and founded an Empire.

However, a lust for power would be their downfall. The Vhalisians would go on to kill two of the Archangels which had created them, with the other one earlier dying at the hands of the Dra Kh Lozz led by the God of Order, Anir. With all three Archangels dead, the Vhalisians lost control over their Animated, whose spirits were corrupted into Phantoms. The violent Phantoms used their metallic bodies to lash out at the Vhalisians, resulting in their Empire's total collapse and their race's violent extinction.