Races

The various sapient species that make up the population of Terradios.

## Earthtreaders

Bipedal warm-blooded creatures molded from clay and ash as the original inheritors of the world. Olde folklore told stories of the three children who were hunted by the unknowns of the new world they woke from. The eldest made weapons to fight against the current, and became the ancestor of humanity; the youngest made shelter underground to hide against atrocities, the first of the stoutfolk; and the middle child embraced the darkness and used its cruelties as its own power, which became the father of monsters.

##### Human

A race that based its survival through endurance and persistence. They are not known to be particularly wise, and often overestimate their own ability. Thus, they are often known as the daredevils of Terradios. Humans take up majority of adventuring party populations.

##### Stoutfolk

A race that based its survival through terrain advantage and adaptability. Due to their habitats, their most common skillsets often align with smithing, runecrafting and architecture. Comes in two variations:

 Gnome | Adapted to dirt and fine grain tunnels

There is no significant difference between the two variations, but the difference in cultures consider mistaking the two as taboo.

##### Monsterous

Humans and Stoutfolk are divided when it comes to the validity of monsters among their ranks. Treatments between the groups are often hostile in nature, but settlements closer to other borders often treat each other more neutrally. It is unclear where the snowball of animosity started from.

Similar to the 'real world's usage of the term *heretic,* calling a person a *monster* went from "someone different" to something more malicious and feared.

The three main subraces that are affected by this bias are goblins, orcs and trolls. However, some overzealous human settlements consider everything different as monsterous. This is not a popular idealogy but exists in remote areas or near warring clans.

###### Goblin

A race that based its survival through overwhelming numbers and speed. They are the newest addition to the Earthtreaders category, after considered as monsters for long due to their low intelligence. Their right for citizenship was brought forth by the orcs of Tusk Plains who had been working with social goblins for generations.

###### Orc

A race that based its survival through sheer strength and resilience. They are often described as "the bigger humans".

Orcs have naturally thick skin, and prominent incisors. While they have less affinities with magic and the arcane, those who are able to tap into it are regarded as savants.

###### Troll

A race that based its survival through regeneration, isolation and intimidation. Stories that retell of giants are most likely referring to trolls. They are said to be descendants of fearsome titan or cursed souls.

Trolls are still heavily debated on whether they are more monster or earthtreader. Their ability to speak and be reasoned with despite their short temperament lends itself to being able to be accepted into society, but few trolls give the chance for conversation. As such, regarding a troll as a monster is considered even by other nations.

## Beastkin

Hybrid creatures that have evolved to emulate the animal kingdom's unique instincts. Beastkin from more magical lineages can choose to hide prominent parts of their bodies to appear similar to other races. This is, however, a conscious choice and can be uncomfortable for them to hold.

##### Drakon

A race that shares features with dragons, lizards or similar reptilian creatures. They are also referred to as dragonbornes.

There are recorded instances of a dragon- who claims a land where drakon exist as territory- would take them in as its brood, offering the settlement an unusual guardian. Dragons apparently think the other races in that settlement are the drakon's servants. This does not stop the dragon from eating drakon if they become too bothersome, however.

##### Hivesmen

A race that shares features with bugs or insects.

##### Strix

A race that shares features with avians, pterosaurs or similar feathered creatures.

##### Merfolk

A race that shares features with fishes or similar gilled creatures. Due to being the only race who adapted to living underwater, they gained superiority over aquatic animals. Merfolk settlements would 'mark' the water as their territory using odorless and invisible pheromones. Coming in contact with such is usually described as specific sensations per border, such as putting ice under your tongue or feeling a ball of iron roll around your spine. Predators would avoid such borders in fear of being hunted.

Came in two variations:

 Siren | Finned

##### Huntsmen

A race that shares features with land mammals or similar furred creatures.

## Faeborne

Creatures that spawned from the formation of magic. Due to the constant transformation of magic to mana, bigger faes are rarer to be spawned traditionally.

##### Sprite

A race that can shapeshift to copy another small creature's form. Their main distinguishing feature is their natural biolumenscence regardless of their current mimicry. Those who have come into contact with sprites mention that they are avid pranksters, and sound like children.

They are also referred to as wisps.

##### Pixie

A race of small creatures with wings that resemble mushrooms. They secrete magic pollen sought after for its alchemical properties. Pixies shimmer different colors according to their mood and social cues. This similarity of being able to glow makes pixies the favored mimicry for sprites.

##### Elf

A race of creatures that share many features to earthtreaders, but also share characteristics with plants. They do not sleep like other races do, instead needing to bask in sunlight to replenish their energy. While their eyes are suited to see in darkness, it is inadvisable for elf adventurers to aid in extended dungeon crawling due to this need.

##### Dryad

A race of creatures with bark skins and roots for feet. They are born from trees and grows in size along with their origin, but cannot stray too far from it. If the dryad's origin dies, the dryad gradually shrinks according to their physical age and loses their magic.

In a community of faeborns, dryads are often chosen as its elder or chief.

## Soulborne

Creatures that spawned from the life essences of other races.

They are extremely rare to spawn traditionally. Thus, most of the soulborne population in Terradios are progenies and not full-blooded, making their dual natures seem minimal. This leads to many mistaking soulbornes as other races when found outside their claimed habitats.

##### Angelo

A race that looks similar to earthtreaders, but has qualities of beastkin as well.

##### Daemon

A race that looks similar to beastkin, but has qualities of faeborn as well.

##### Spirit

A race that is of the silhouette of other races, but holds no discernable facial features.

## Primordial

Creatures born from the intrinsic mana of the world. A race that is at one with the element they are named after.

##### Water Elemental

They have the unique ability to appear as a body of water for as long as they can hold their breath. While their forms mimic the versitility of liquid, their weight does not change, and their mass cannot be separated. This means they can be picked up normally even as a puddle, and/or underwater. To be dropped or stabbed while in this state could have unpredictable results, due to important organ locations being unknown.

##### Earth Elemental

They have the unique ability to mimic the appearance, texture and hardness of the mineral they are in contact with. This quality is often mistaken for invincibility by other races, but earth elementals can feel the strikes and can still be injured or fall sick due to shock. Their weight does not change while in this transformation.

##### Fire Elemental

They have the unique ability to minimize high temperature effects to their body and even temporarily raise their internal temperatures to red-hot. With how this effect is universal to every part of the fire elemental's body, all in its contact such as clothes, equipment and flooring will be promptly destroyed.

##### Air Elemental

They have the unique ability to temporarily reduce their weight, in order to increase their speed and even levitate off the ground. This effect does not mean their body is immune to gravitational forces, however. Long bouts of this ability can cause an episode of vertigo.

## Undead

While they are not considered natural races, their sheer numbers and longevity of existence has allowed them to be included by scholars and diplomats for the sake of keeping peace. All intelligent undead are sent to Gallow's Keep upon discovery.

Souls that are living as undead cannot be resurrected back through traditional divine magic, as they are not considered deceased. In such case, the undead must first be killed and the resurrection be attempted again afterwards. The complication often lies that Gallow's Keep refers to them as their citizens, and will consider such acts as murder. The undead must agree to leave the keep for this step, but many do not as they have already established a separate 'life' to live.

##### Vampire

The only type of undead that can reproduce. As vampires are practically immortal unless killed by sun scorching, blessed items or the divine-touched, they are the acting wardens of the other undead in the keep.

Vampires are known for their fast reflexes, flight, and shapeshifting, as well as their lifestealing, persuading and converting of the living. This fearsome power requires feeding of living blood, however. This led the vampires reach an accord with the surrounding nations to allow controlled feeding when bloodletting is required, as to not weaken and lose control of their territories.

##### Lich

A type of undead where a corpse is raised from the grave. Liches vary in shape and form according to their past race, but all are in a mummified state. Liches cannot disobey their necromancers and have varying intelligences according to how decomposed their brains were before raised. When their necromancer dies, the liches lose their objective and are set loose in their own insticts and agencies.

Intelligent liches do not remember details of their past and often speculate such things using hints from their remaining emotional inclinations, magical ability, muscle memory, and general knowledge of the world. Most of this race have been discovered when they shambled to settlements they assumed were their previous home.

##### Bound

A soul that has been trapped or cursed into an inanimate object of similar anatomy to their previous body. Bound undead still remember their past but have certain memories, mostly their death, be amplified and all-consuming. Undead of this type can levitate and move their forms, and are known to be erratic and violent beyond reason at a drop of a hat. Gallow's Keep assigns bound souls to have keepers, nannies or guards for this reason.