Races

There are three main groups besides beasts that populate the world, Nobles, Godless and Voiders. Remember that this is the *'common knowledge'*, not all there is to know about these peoples.

### **Nobles:**

#### **Humans:**

*You know what humans are -*

Common: Humans are the majority population of the Human Lands, a relatively mildly climated land of fields, forests and low rolling hills, with a single large mountain range called Menrial Range. Mostly spared the yearly Floods, humans are prosperous and numerous, resistant to Taint despite the few battle grounds of the Gods War dotting their lands. Two Great Houses hold sway within the politics of Humans. Slavery is allowed of all races including Nobles. Food is fairly abundant, Monster and Voider Attacks are thankfully infrequent - Though the Human Lands sorely lack any significant access to metal deposits.

**Human Racials**

+1 To any STAT

**Blindly Stubborn** Part of the human race’s greatest strength is its willingness to charge forward endlessly, even into truly life-threatening situations. A human can summon up their courage and reroll a failed  Resist Coercion or Courage roll 3 times per game session. They take the higher of the two rolls, but if they still fail they cannot re-use the ability to roll again.

**Prone to Violence** - As god intended, humans have a penchant for war and violence. +1 To any Combat-Related skill (This cannot bring the skill above 6)

**Doppelgangers** - The "middle-race", between all other races, humans don't suffer penalties to persuasion / seduction / charisma / leadership for being a different race when using these skills.

#### **Qazam:**

Though they would not like the comparison, the Qazam appear physically similar to Elves, 'Egyptian'-Elves specifically, their lands are a mixture of desert-savannah and oasis based settlements, they are only partly spared the yearly Floods. Their most prominent feature, aside from their sun tanned skin is their completely golden eyes. Despite the harshness of their land, the Qazam have a desirable countryside in that there are no tainted battle grounds remaining from the Gods War. Food and metal is pricey, but with their ongoing war with the rather numerous Wood Elves they have many slaves and exotic goods to trade with the other races. Religion plays a large role in the lives of the average Qazam.

Stats After System Choice.

#### **Stormlanders**

"Mammalian" bipedal animal-people, these mostly furred folk are best suited to the massive False Isle Woods and come in all shapes and sizes according to their local heritage. Trees that reach hundreds of meters high are the primary homes of Stormlanders, who are the worst affected by the yearly Floods. With the instincts and senses unique to their race they make excellent hunters and trackers, but are not very well suited to laborious or fine work. They have seemingly strange cultural norms compared to the other Noble Races, and follow only one Great House.

Stats After System Choice.

#### **Drylanders**

Sometimes (incorrectly) called Lizardmen, these scaled folk are often the largest of the many races that walk the land. Slow to move and durable, they are ironically more prone to scholarly pursuits than martial. They are fairly resistant to taint, but their once flourishing lands still bare many deep scars from the Gods War. Their lands are only partly affected by the yearly Floods. Their god is known to contact them seemingly at random and without warning, and though to outsiders the requests always seem strange, to the average DryLander it makes all the sense in the world. Their Great House serves primarily like their Church.

Stats After System Choice.

#### **Orcs:**

A nomadic water-loving peoples, they are well known for their robust and highly desirable ships. Ever changing, travelling and keen to experience new things you might not ever find the same people in the same towns each time you visit, barring perhaps the elderly who settle for smaller changes in their daily lives. Often seen in garish clothing, quite a few fashion trends have been born or destroyed at the hands of these nomadic peoples. Much trade is conducted with the great camps of Orcs in the Orc Lands, and though not all Orcs are keen sailors, there are few who could refuse a nice dip or a splash around in a body water when given the choice. The Orcs have one Great House that manages all disputes across all Orc matters.

Stats After System Choice.

### **Halves:**

Though not necessarily Noble, Halves are most often supported by both their representative gods. (Of course, if one or both gods are dead . . )

This otherwise odd intermingling of species comes with its own drawbacks however, possessing a shorter lifespan than either of their ancestors race, it is said that the brightest candles burn the shortest. There is also the matter of progeny. Halves are known to have trouble conceiving, often having their bloodlines stop with themselves, or carried on by non-half siblings or cousins.

However, how they are treated by society varies wildly on the mixed bloodline, anything from utter contempt and revulsion to acceptance or even praise may be usual when certain bloodlines meet certain societies.

### **Godless:**

#### **Dwarves:**

Extremely hardy, gravel skinned, typically come up just past the waist of a full-grown human and have a deep hatred of the taint and undeath. Strangely resistant to the Taint despite their gods death, very few are found as Voiders. Dwarves have deep prejudices against burying the dead, and even deeper hatred for Voiders and similar creatures of Undeath. It is not common knowledge why, only that it has something to do with the reverence of Elders. They have an unknown number of strongholds across the great mountain ranges that border all the lands, and though trade a little with the other races, some of their kind makes war upon the Noble races, continuing in their own way the Gods War.

Stats After System Choice.

#### **Goblins:**

Goblins are short olive-skinned humanoids that stand just over 3 feet tall, though black and even pale white goblins have been sighted. Their scrawny bodies are topped with over-sized and frequently hairless heads with large pointed ears and beady red or occasionally yellow eyes. Their seemingly voracious appetites are served well by their huge mouths filled with jagged teeth. A rather fecund species in its prime before the Gods War, they made excellent scouts despite suffering from "Small-syndrome", a strange cultural point of pride was proof of bravery in any form manageable, usually having led to duels. Though they are still fairly numerous overall, many have fled their ancestral homelands due to the numbers falling to Taint.

Stats After System Choice.

#### **Ratfolk:**

Ratfolk are small, rodent-like humanoids; originally native to dry deserts and plains, they are now more often found in nomadic trading caravans. Much like the pack rats they resemble, ratfolk are tinkerers and hoarders by nature, and as a whole were masters of commerce, especially when it comes to acquiring and repairing mechanical or magical devices. Though some are shrewd merchants who carefully navigate the shifting alliances of black markets and bazaars, many Ratfolk love their stockpiles of interesting items far more than money, and would rather trade for more such prizes to add to their hoards over mere coins. Unfortunately for them however, it is rather rare to see a Ratfolk outside of Voider numbers. It is believed they are practically wiped out.

Stats After System Choice.

#### **Djinn:**

Often crimson of skin with horns protruding for their foreheads, possessing a barbed tail, and oddly colored eyes, Djinni eyes almost appear to smoulder in the dark. Their blood is not ruled by sane, mortal laws, and the vast flexibility it produces in them is a thing of wonder, their appearance running the gamut from oddly beautiful to utterly terrible, some even manifest strange supernatural abilities early in life. Though some are still found in the Godless Hives, it is rare to see them in Noble lands. Voider Djinni are particularly troublesome and should be avoided at all costs, as their gifts in life seem to lead to strange dark gifts in death.

**Djinni Racials**

+2 to Will

**Touch of the Void:** A familiarity with the darkness of the world causes you unease, but said familiarity can also be a boon. Twice a session, you can reroll an Education or Monster Lore roll when dealing with Magic, Taint or Supernatural occurances and creatures. Take the second result, even if it is lower.

**A Known Fate:** Well known to the worlds population as creatures that readily fall to darkness, Djinn get a +1 to Intimidation against any non-Djinn race.

**Friends In The Dark:** When travelling in tainted lands, Djinni have a much keener sense for the tainted creatures around them; A Djinni cannot be ambushed by Voiders, including Shades, and are always allowed an Awareness check to be alerted of an Ambush when fighting against Tainted and Voiders.

#### **Skinwalkers:**

Skinwalkers, though appearing outwardly similar to a human with patterned charcoal skin. Skinwalkers tend to have dark eyes, straight dark hair, and rich patterns flowing down their bodies. Skinwalkers’ features vary greatly when they shapechange. They gain a bestial visage evoking the creatures they emulate; the face elongates, teeth become more prominent, claws emerge from fingertips, and skin toughens into hide. Being small in number even before the Gods War, the close-knit communities have long since perished. Skinwalkers are few and far between, thought to have been wiped out entirely. It is not known to the general populace what limitations there are or how these powers work, but it is rumored that Skinwalkers can even mimic the other races.

Stats After System Choice.

#### **Oni:**

With golden or white-porcelain skin, claws, short sharp horns, fangs, and large eyes a typical Onii stands about 6 feet in height. They have long wild hair that is usually black or grey; however, pure white hair is not an uncommon sight, especially among the Pale Oni. They were once a particularly devout race to the Oni God, but now dwell mainly in the Godless Hives. It is not too uncommon to see an Oni Slave in Noble lands, despite their low status many have chosen to fall upon the mercy of the Noble races.

Stats After System Choice.

#### **(Wood) Elves:**

Tall, often copper-skinned elves with black eyes the Wood Elves are a reclusive, "secretive" and highly isolationist race of Elves that have long ago voluntarily split off from the rest of their kin to follow the Wood Elf God, preferring instead to live out their lives in Nature's embrace beneath the enchanted forested canopy of their home lands. They wage war against the Qazam and their god, their long term enemy since the Gods War. Their seething hatred of the Qazam is widely known, though often Wood Elf slaves can be found across all empires due to Qazam efforts.

 Stats After System Choice.

#### **(Swamp) Elves:**

Swamp Elves are similar in stature to humans, but often are slightly shorter and slimmer, often having the longest, most distinctive pointed ears of the races - (poorly portrayed by the image). Their eyes lack pupils and are usually solid white or red. Swamp Elf skin ranges from coal black to a dusky purple. Their hair is typically white or silver, though some variation is not unknown. Once said to have been great revelers, most Swamp Elves seem perpetually listless or melancholic. They mostly keep to what remains of their lands and so their numbers are not well known, and how they deal with the yearly Flood is a mystery to most.

Stats After System Choice.