Native Races of Terragard

There are several native races in terragard, the most notable are the Elves and Dwarves. There is also a population of beast races such as kuo-toa, yuan-ti, as well as others. Halflings and gnomes claim they are native, but its unknown for sure what their origins are.

## Elves

The elves of Terragard have a long and storied history, reaching back farther than most races can remember. The elves were born in Terragard by the gods, and spread to the rest of the world before the Maelstrom cut them off and destroyed their population. Some elves believe the entire land was once an elven kingdom before men were born, and that Terragard is the chosen land of the Elves, but there is little to support this, though the Court of Winter made it difficult to disprove after generations of oral history.

For as long as the elven kingdom has been around, they have always had Everbranch their capital city built around and atop a giant white tree. The city is massive, but not crowded. The elves have always lived in the forests and surrounding regions, and lived a symbiotic relationship with nature and the land, while maintaining a steady pace with the progress of other races, though they typically dislike industrialization for its irresponsible use to resources for sub-par results, preferring superior elven craftsmanship.

## Dwarves

The dwarves of Terragard have a mysterious past, some records say that the source of all Dwarves was one dwarven family millennia ago who found great wealth and prosperity in the mountains of Terragard, and grew bloated and hostile towards each other, splintering off into separate clans and spreading across the land to find new homes.

Currently there is a large population of dwarves but they often do not travel the surface, content to stay within their mountain-halls and keeps. Some dwarves however have assimilated into the surface society, notably the dwarves of Burningbor, who serve as a central point for many aspects of daily life in Terragard. It is a neutral ground for foreign diplomats, is a haven for merchants and craftsmen, and provides much security for guilds and organizations who operate within the land. They have a respectable standing army to serve as protection for the realm, but have rarely been called to action, and the natural barrier of the Span provides additional chokepoints and security.

## Halfings

Halflings have an elusive past, they claim they pioneered magitech in Terragard, and they seem certainly to be the premier experts on its development and use as they've almost completely migrated to a floating city of their own design known at the Pinnacle. Contrary to the nature of other Halfling races in the world, who prefer living with nature, the Halflings of Terragard are very progressive and quite industrious. They pioneered the design of airships and many clockwork automatons and machines for various uses, and will sell their designs and machines for varying fortunes. They are typically morally neutral, and have a strong insistence that people, like technology, are not inherently good or evil, but the difference in our viewpoints can make it seem so.

## Gnomes

Native gnomes are closer related to the fey than most gnomes elsewhere, with stronger innate magical power that changes depending on the genealogy. Some suspect that the gnomes migrated from the feywild, or were bred between fey and gnomes migrated from outside Terragard. Most Gnomes have adopted many of the modern luxuries of civilization, but some gnome tribes are tribal and isolated, though not many.

## Kuo-Toa

There is a massive population of Kuo-Toa living beneath the surface of Lake Garrison, but is largely unknown due to their superstition regarding the surface being paramount to certain death. These fears are largely unfounded, but a long-held tradition among the Kuo-Toa kingdom. This does not prevent them from welcoming visitors from the surface however, but are still treated with suspicion.

The Kuo-toa kingdom is made up of one large magical city beneath the surface, floating a hundred miles beneath the surface, and several outpost-like structures beneath and above the city. The Kuo-Toa fight a never-ending war against unknown horrors from the infinite deep at the bottom of the lake, and have done so for as long as any can remember. Its part of their culture and traditions and they can sustain a large enough population to fight a war indefinitely. In fact, it may be the only thing keeping their population in check.

Like any other race, Kuo-toa have good and evil populations, they have laws and civil and judicial systems in place like any other large city would. Their strong traditions prevent most situations where exile or outcasts would be created, every Kuo-Toa has a purpose and job in their society, and abandoning their duties could mean ruin for their whole race.