Races in Cresia

The continent of Cresia is home for many different intelligent species - here called collectively as *races*. Most of these races are location -specific for various reasons but some have spread all over the continent.

## Humans

The most populous and most widely spread of all the sentient races.

## Dwarves

Dwarves spot the continental areas of Cresia and can be found in their own towns and villages and in some cases interspersed with human population.

## Elves

Elves have a long tradition of being locale -specific and inhabit ancestral areas. The elves themselves consider the modern lands of Witchlight Strand in Akron as their land of origin from which all the other elves have migrated. Elven areas usually inhabited by elves only and their culture is generally speaking introvert and xenophobic. Many elves travel outside their ancestral areas but they rarely settle down to areas that have no connection to traditional elven lands. The elven lands of tradition are all areas that form nexuses of energy flows from which the famed elven mages derive their power from.

## Orcs

Highly dispersed among the continental areas, orcs do not form static habitats excepting the few orcish villages located on the border regions between Groam and Caheb. They are instead of nomadic tradition of violence and raiding against all other species. Orcs can be further subdivided into several radically different subspecies caused by long periods of isolation.

## Dragons

The continent of Cresia was once ruled by these mighty creatures. Today they are but legendary creatures rarely seen and even more rarely survived by members of other species. The dragons live in family groups which may differ substantially from other family groups by their physical and mental attributes. So much so that human and elven scholars are at a disagreement among themselves whether there is a high number of different species or a single species with a wide variety of manifestations. Most family groups live in voluntary isolation in remote mountains. The dragons are believed to be the most capable creatures in wielding the magical forces and generally thought to be way more intelligent than other species.

## Ogres and Trolls

Many humans think that these are just meaner and bigger orcs, but they both in fact distinct species on their own. Both are rather rare and nothing much is known of their culture as they are generally rather prone to violence against all outsiders - even orcs. Ogres do have a culture of their own - including a written language and spiritualism - and they live in smallish nomadic tribal communities but trolls are mostly reclusive hermits that shun contact even with other trolls unless there is a biological urge to mate. Both ogres and trolls have spread all over Cresia.

## Ishaks

Commonly known by other species as *ice elves -* a name which they find revolting *-* ishaks live only in the desolate northern wastes of snow and ice. They have never aspired to spread beyond where the glaciers end and finding one outside of snowy areas is nigh a once in a lifetime event. They are much more xenophobic than their distant cousins - the *elves* - and despite good efforts, no country in the continent has been able to establish trade routes or diplomatic relations with the ishaks. In essence ishaks are at a state of war against everyone else. Their culture is rich, their tradition far surpasses those of other species excepting dragons and their ability to survive in hostile environs of extreme cold is legendary. The ishaks live in completely independent, colossal and always changing city states that are carved in ice, sub-glacial, subterranean or built on glacial locked land. They live in all glacial areas excepting the island of Horna from which their entire culture was eradicated by the barbarian war tribes of the land hundreds of years ago.

## Birdmen of C'Sar

A unique blend of sentient birds and hominid forms, the birdmen live exclusively in the land of C'Sar.Their physical appearance changes radically within the species. Some may resemble falcons while others are more like owls or sparrows. Individuals are also known to grow or change into different subspecies but no other than magical reasons for this has been ever introduced. They shun other species albeit many of them travel the world in their youth. They have a wide variety of spoken languages, several written languages and are quite famous for their beautiful versatility in using their vocal cords to sing.