Half-Races

Scholars have struggled for ages to politely describe certain aspects of human behavior. In comparison to other races much time has been spent on their aggression, curiosity, shortsightedness, adventurous nature and other aspects that exceed those of other races. Though books on the libidinous tendencies of the species are much rarer. Which is an oversight given how much this behavior has impacted the course of history. Humans as well seem unusually capable of interbreeding other races successfully. Dwarves for example seem completely incapable of interbreeding with other races, even halflings. (A mystery which biologists have taken to just not talking about.) Here we make a short examination of crossbreeds between races, most often with human involvement. This does not include races which are created by mystical rather than biological processes.

**Half-elves**

Perhaps the most common in the public eye of all hybrids is the half-elf. Humans and elves have had a fascination for one another since the first humans walked the world. This sometimes results in interpersonal relationships that rarely last but can sometimes produce offspring. The pregnancy is much easier for a human mother, but elven mothers are also capable of carrying the child to term. Should the elven mother die in childbirth it often causes a great deal of animosity from the elven side of the family. Half-elves mature slower than their human forbears and have longer lifespans, living to be around 150 years old. Socially half-elves usually endure the least bigotry from humans, often being considered attractive and exotic. (Exceptions exist of course i.e., the Reign of White Castle.) Many elves however see them as either tragic missteps or outright tainting the species. This is especially true among those elves they dwell in the Fey Realm.

**Half-orcs**

The next most common hybrid species is the cross between orc and human. As humans and orcs share origins and behaviors, half-orcs are created in a number of ways. Woefully, this often includes violence and warfare, though it would be inaccurate to say that the violence is always coming from the orc parent. Humans are just as capable of monstrous deeds. Regardless of origins half-orc children often suffer under great amounts of stigma among either parent race. Humans see them as brutes and assume the worse. Orcs consider these hybrids weak if occasionally useful for their intelligence. Half-orcs often find the greatest acceptance among adventurers or in quite halfling communities. They are larger and stronger than their human parentage, but mature quicker and have shorter natural lifespans on average. Though there are those who have posited the idea of half-orc/half-elf children, no such pregnancy has ever made it to term. Ending most tragically if the mother is elf.

**Changelings**

Folktales speak of those changelings that are fairies swapped out for mortal children. Something that is discovered all too late. While this is not merely myth, other changelings are created by fairy and mortal dalliances. The mortal parent is typically an individual that lives in the wilds, hunters, fisherman, woodsmen and the like. The other parent is most often a fey mother of some kind. The most common and manipulative are hags, who are quite beautiful until they reach middle age. It is actually impossible for hags to have children except with mortal men. The child is always a daughter, doomed to one day be a hag herself. Other parentages are possible though and less tragic. Nereids, nymphs, swan maidens, and other fey women are all known mothers of such children. The rarest of fey fathers, such a fossergrim or similar spirit. Changelings mature almost at the same rate as human children though they are potentially immortal. Unlike other hybrids, changelings will usually appear completely human on the surface save for some odd trait. Heterochromia, stunted limbs, a slightly pointed ear, extra finger and other such traits occur. This unfortunately only encourages individuals that mistreat those considered "different".

**Half-giants**

The fascination that giants have for humans is long documented and does not always make for polite reading. At times giant nobles have been known to take on human spouses or keep humans in their harems. Rarer of instances when for political purposes and elf is married to a giant. In either case any children produced must be helped along by magic otherwise it is almost impossible for the child to make it to term. If the father is a giant, the mother has an incredibly difficult pregnancy ahead. After the first trimester the mother must be attended at all times by a spellcaster with access to the proper magicks. Even still there is no guarantee that the pregnancy will be successful. However, children of such parentage are extremely healthy and grow to a size comparable to ogres regardless of the giant. Their appearance is generally a dead giveaway of the giant parent. Unlike with many other half-races, giants actually take pride in such children. Seeing them as destined for greatness. Though these children often find giants to be distant parents and the emotional needs they picked up from their human or elf parent go unfulfilled.

**Sea Touched**

Stories persist in ports and seaside towns of love affairs between merfolk and surface dwellers. Such stories generally end in tragedy or mystery. But sometimes the stories end in children. Such children are believed to possess gills inherited from their merfolk parent and the take naturally to the water. They are said to otherwise appear as normal members of their race. It is unknown by scholars if this is related to the stories of insular fishing towns crossbreeding with ancient creatures from the depths. Villages where the populations features suggest a distinctly aquatic ancestry. Rumors of such towns tend to also include talk of inhuman rituals of worship to Dagon.

**Half-goblins**

Rare in the extreme are the hybrids of halfling and goblin parents. Halflings are one of the few races to be as "curious" as humans. In many instances children are simply impossible. But there have been instances of halflings and goblins successfully mating. Such offspring have distinctly goblin like skin color and ears and slimmer builds but otherwise take on many traits of their halfling parent. These children also tend to have natural fey abilities uncovered from deep in their ancestry. In many ways despite parentage, they are often lumped in with other semi-fey as gnomes.