Civilized Races

Civilized Races

• Dwarf: The dwarves are a proud people that live in mountain freeholds. Although they all nominally live under the authority of a High King who rules the great undergound city of Kazar-Hek (High Mountain in Dwarvish) each freehold has its own ruler and are in reality quite independent. There are dwarven communities throughout the world and it is not uncommon at all to see a dwarf or party of dwarfs in human lands. Dwarfs can realistically take any class except barbarian, although swashbucklers, druids, and wizards are rare.
• High Elf: The High Elves are those elves who live on the Isles of Ambrenur in the Middle Sea, or at least their descendents. High Elves have the oldest civilization in history and are understandably proud of that fact. Even though they have not held sway on the continent for the entire span of recorded human history, they still feel that the empire was merely a passing thing and they will soon enough reestablish their dominion. High Elves can also use any class except barbarian, as behaving in such a way would be beneath them. Even so, High Elves dislike being overburdened and prefer the subtlety of the swashbuckler to the brute force of the knight.
• Mountain Elf: Mountain Elves are descendents of ancient rebels from Ambrenur. These people disagreed with the spiritual direction of the Elders and refused to submit, instead accepting exile in the wildlands. Today there are hidden Mountain Elf communes throughout the great mountain ranges of the world that stand as monuments to their devotion to their spirit guides. Mountain Elves do not recognize the primacy of the Elven Pantheon and instead practice a form of Animism that includes nature and elemental spirits, as well as beings of a more Ethereal nature.
• Sea Elf: Sea Elves are the bastard cousin of the Elven family. They are not spoken of in polite company as they are not a true subspecies but are merely an advantageous mutation, or even a crossbreeding with some unnamed amphibious people. They are not treated kindly by most elves but are the most common elves seen in the lands of the old empire. Couple that with their gregarious (for elves) nature and they are by far the most well-liked of the elven offshoots.
• Winged Elf: The winged elf is not a subspecies at all, but an expression in physical form of the favor of an elven Deity. Some Elves are noticed by higher powers, and when that happens in dramatic enough fashion they can be chosen to be the living avatars of their patrons will. However, it is important to note that once this gift is given, it cannot be undone short of death. Few Elves are so recognized but fewer still are those that can live up to the promise inherent and often those that fail can become twisted by bitterness and regret.
• Wood Elf: The wood elf is a member of a lost colony of elves that were abandoned in the distant mists of time. They lost a great deal of their Elf heritage in the intervening centuries and no longer consider themselves connected to Ambrenur and instead spend all of their time fiercely guarding their forested sanctuaries from all invaders, whether greenskin or human.
• Gnome: The Gnomes are a jovial people that came from a hardy hill folk deep in the center of the continent. The became involved with the first dwarven empire and learned metalcrafting and other learning from them. Since then they have settled into their hilltop villages and have become renowned the world over for the fantastical and intricate creations they can fashion from even the most mundane of materials.
• Celestial: The Celestial is a cursed individual. Because of the dark times, all people turn to their gods to see them through, and imagine their joy when a personal representative of the Almighty shows up in the flesh. Nevermind that they were just on their way to the tavern after working in the local counting house, obviously it is the will of the divine that they be here to help someone out with something. On the plus side, Celestials accused of assault are rarely convicted.
• Infused: Infused are a common enough occurence that most people that aren't complete rubes can accept them at face value. Depending on the actual elemental nature of the person, they can have a tendency towards different professions.
• Halfling: Halflings were lucky that they developed in the center of what would grow to become the empire, far away from any ravaging monsters. Because of their long interaction with humans, halflings have become a subculture within human society and you can find their communites dotted throughout human lands. Halfling individuals and families are very common in human towns and cities as well and they are not considered unusual in any way.
• Dragon Blooded: The Dragon Blooded live apart from the empire in their own country to the northeast. Their appearance and aggressiveness have not made them well liked in general, but the are honorable to a fault so are usually accepted in human territory. Their home is said to be a great city built at the foot of a smoldering volcano far to the northeast.
• Cat-People: Cat-people were a nomadic people encountered when the empire was first expanding. Normally the empire would have barely noticed them in the march towards progress but for some reason most humans find them pleasant company, some inappropriately so. Given also the Cat-peoples insatiable curiosity and it was not long before the nomadic bands were gone and in their place a small urban minority of furry imperial citizens.