Races

[Black Plauge]

Races that need to be written up:
Dromite (XPH)
Duskling (MoI)
Githyanki (XPH)
Githzerai (XPH)
Gnoll (MM)
Goblin (MM)
Goliath (RoS)
Hobgoblin (MM)
Kuo-toa (MM)
Locathah (MM)
Manead (XPH)
Merfolk (MM)
Rilkan (MoI)
Sahuagin (MM)
Sea Kin (RoD)
Skarn (MoI)
Troglodyte (MM)
Xeph (XPH)
Yuan-ti (MM & XPH)Japanese names


I don't like half-races (like half-elves and half-orcs) or sub-races. As such, I'm not going to include them. Also, races which smell like subraces, such as Aasimars, Azurins, and Teiflings, are banned.

Banned Races:
Aasimar (MM)
Azurin (MoI)
Chaos Gnome (RoS)
Dream Dwarf (RoS)
Drow (MM)
Duregar (MM & XPH)
Elan (XPH)
Feral Gargun (RoS)
Half-Elf (PHB)
Half-Giant (XPH)
Half-Orc (PHB)
Half-Ogre (RoD)
Illumian (RoD)
Mongrelfolk (RoD)
Sharakim (RoD)
Skulk (RoD)
Stonechild (RoS)
Teifling (MM)
Underfolk (RoD)
Whisper Gnome (RoS)

[Black Plauge]

Bugbear (by My Fellow Gamers)

Personality: Bugbears are a tribal race and therefore their mentality revolves around the tribe. The strongest individual or best herdsman is usually the leader of a local tribe. Bugbears are selfish and aggressive but in a commercial way. They tend to think in matters of personal gain whenever faced with a decision to make. They are not particularly intelligent but are cunning enough to know what is good for them and what is not. They value physical prowess, strength, hunting and riding skills. A close second comes material possessions and animal herds both domestic and wild. They love to compete against one another in any form that involves hunting or riding. Some tribal leaders are challenged and decided in such competitions. They love to receive gifts of any kind, a small gift of value goes a long way when trying to befriend a bugbear. When dealing with strangers, most bugbears will attempt to find out a bit more about the newcomers before acting in any way. If a profit is to be made, they can keep their normally short temper on a leash, for a while. Once a decision is reached however, action is swift and immediate. They are also wise enough to know that they should give strangers a chance and some bugbears will sometimes take great personal risk if the end result can be a great reward.

Physical Description: The biggest and the strongest of the goblinoids, bugbears are large, very muscular and usually a bit bow legged. They can reach a height of about 7 feet tall when they choose to stand erect to their maximum. An average male can weigh from 200 to 290 pounds and the women are usually much shorter and lighter with an average height of 5'10" and a weight of about 170 pounds. Females are also physically very strong. An adult female bugbear can wrestle with an average adult human male and stand an even chance of winning. Their very thick and hard hides vary in color with the changing seasons. During the warm ays of the küçüksene, the range from a pale yellow all the way darker up to a yellow-brown earth tone. They have very few hairs covering their bodies during the warm ays and the skin hardens even more for that part of the küçüksene. During the colder part of the seasons, most bugbears's hide go much lighter ranging from tan beige to almost pure white with a full coat of thick coarse hair of matching color or a bit more red than their hides. Once in a while, a bugbear male will bear a completely black hide and hair during the winter. This is usually seen as a very good omen by most bugbears.
Theirs eyes are very animal like and are very keen. They are usually green or browns with a red pupil and sometimes change colors right before adulthood. A bugbear's mouth is full of long, sharp fangs, and it's nose it much like that of a bear, with the same fine sense of smell. This feature earned them their name, though they are nor related to bears. Their tough hides and sharp claws also resemble those of bears, but bugbear are far more dextrous.

Relations: On their continent, bugbears get along the best with their cousins in the lands further away from Pelor. They sometimes organize big fishing or hunting parties with goblins and hobgoblins on the south part of their continents. They trade a bit together and help each other whenever interracial conflicts arise on this continent. Bugbears tending to be overly aggressive about their territories, this can happen quite a few times during a büyüksene. They also get along fairly well with the lizard folk and a semi-truce of live and let live exists between the two race. As long as the bugbear's herds don't go out too far away from Pelor, lizard folk and bugbear leave well enough alone. Bugbears however have a profound distrust toward the Dwarfs who live on the North part of the continent. Bugbears wish they could trade more with other races from other continents but the fact that the dwarfs control the northern coastline and therefore the best trading routes leaves the bugbears in a big trading disadvantage. They are neutral with all the other races and only have a few contacts with the Dromites and Thri-keens. These contacts are usually an opportunity for the bugbears to sell some prey for sport hunting for the other races. They are sometimes perceived by other races as pushy and nosy trying to find out information about an upcoming deal.

Alignment: Being tribal and pretty nomadic, bugbears tend slightly toward chaos. They are however fiercely loyal to their tribe and would never do anything to endanger them in any way. As a very commercially inclined race, they tend to be neither evil or good but out to make a profit.
Bugbear Lands: Bugbear land are mostly vast plains and long low rolling hills with lots of grazing terrain for them to exploit. Their homeland having a pretty constant heat source from Pelor, is very fertile and enjoys warmer weather than most land on the continent. Bugbears are very aware of this advantage and fiercely defend their homeland from any intrusion. They gather great legions of their famous cavalry to defend from any attack. In mounted combat, they are unrivaled in this part of the world. A regular fighting force stands no chance against such military might and mounted prowess. If not for their commercial interests, bugbears would have probably conquered all lands of this continent that is accessible and defensible by horseback. Tribes are usually very mobile and only the biggest tribes or very rich merchants bother with building any kind of durable buildings or permanent homes. Most of what each bugbear owns is usually carryable by their large and muscular horses. Even the poorest of bugbear usually owns a horse. They have herds of horses, deer, cows, sheep and many other animals all running wild in their homeland. Stealing a horse or a heard animal is punishable by death. Bugbear take personal possessions very seriously. Grazing rights in the best part of their land in a big source of in-fighting amongst bugbears. Competition between merchant rivals is very high and sometimes skirmishes break out during the cold months. Merchant stuck with unsold or uneaten animals often watch them die of starvation during the winter months. Tribe are usually composed a one of a few extended families. The very large tribes can be almost 500 strong. Being primarily hunters, bugbears will sell their animals in exchanges of many different goods with other races. Most bugbears stay above ground even in the winter but a small portion of them stay in caves and are less mobile and more agricultural nearer to the dwarven lands in the north.

Religion: Religion is somewhat very loosely defined for any Bugbear. He his move devoted to getting more grazing land, animals or personal wealth that getting spiritual enlighthenment. The poorest of bugbear do revere Obad-hai for giving them fertile lands to work on and feed their animals. The participants in equestrian contest or battle will utter a short prayer to Kord, hoping for strenght but also a bit of luck. Those going on a long trip or risky buisness venture might have a small ceremony to Fharlanghn before departure but nothing really fancy. Very few temples are present however in all of the bugbear lands. The few that do exists are built next to the few permanent buildings of the richest bugbear tribes. They also serve a very serious purpose. To turn out a profit from healing and other services provided by rare clerics of the Gods. But bugbears as a race, are generally more commercially inclined than spiritually inclined.

Languages: Bugbears speak goblin. Merchants value highly interpreters who speak more languages and use them on commercial negotiations.

[Black Plauge]

Centaur (by Conlee of Eoin)

Personality: Centaurs are a proud and arrogant race. They bear a grudging respect for elves and humans, but they are completely disdainful of Halflings and gnomes, who they consider to be small and insignificant. Centaurs are wanderers, and tend to get irritable if forced to stay in one place for more than a short while. Centaurs are quick to anger and hold long grudges; stories of feuds that last for many generations are not at all uncommon. Since most centaurs are unable to read or write, they do not tend to be very knowledgeable by civilized standards, but there is no better guide in the wilderness than a centaur. A centaur will only allow himself to be ridden by a human or an elf under the rarest of circumstances, and many a gnome or Halfling has met his end under the hooves of an enraged centaur after trying to ride.

Society: Centaur society is based around the clan. The clan is a band of a dozen or so centaurs, who are all related somehow to the oldest male in the group, who serves as the clan’s Serok. Upon the death of the Serok, the next oldest male in the clan becomes leader. As soon as the old Serok’s spirit leaves his body, it enters that of the next in line, where the two are fused forever. In this way, each Serok has within him the essence of every Serok who came before. The Serok serves as chieftain, father, and priest for the tribe. The number of clans in existence on the continent has remained constant for several büyüksene. There have been 49 clans for as long as any can remember, though centaur legend tells of a fiftieth, the Shining Rock clan, which disappeared during the Fall. The clans follow herds of wild horses, protecting them from natural predators and those who would capture and tame them.

Physical Description: A centaur is a mix of a man and a horse: the body and legs of a horse, but the torso and upper body of a human. This means that centaurs tower over most other intelligent races; a centaur is often about eight or nine feet tall at the top of his head. The hair on their horse parts can be any color an actual horse can be, from deep black to an almost reddish brown to grey. Their skin is always well-tanned, but there is a limited range of differences in shades. Centaurs do not grow facial hair, and the hair on top of their head is nearly always the same color as that on their legs and back. A notable exception is the Ghost Horse clan, whose lower bodies are jet black but whose hair is white. All clans except the Ghost Horse will have extensive bodily decoration: piercing, ceremonial scars, tattoos, and dyes being most common. In fact, these decorations are the main way in which centaurs can tell what clan another belongs to at a glance. Centaurs do not wear clothes; many conservative travelers have been shocked to see a group of female centaurs running around uncovered, but the centaurs see little reason to clothe themselves. During colder times, centaurs rely on the magic of the Seroks to warm them. A centaur’s eyes are always deep brown; the iris fills nearly all the space and almost no white is visible. Perceptive observers will detect a hint of pain within the eyes of every centaur he meets.

Relations: There are so few centaurs on the continent that some city dwellers do not believe they exist at all. However, any traveler will have at least seen a few, if not actually spoken with them. Centaurs tend to keep to themselves, though some have been known to attack travelers to free their horses and increase the size of the herd. Intelligent merchants have switched over to ox-drawn wagons, which do not seem to draw the ire of the centaurs. Occasionally a centaur may be employed as a guide or a tracker by humans or elves, but this practice is extremely rare. Centaurs trade little with other races, though some warriors prefer swords to the more traditional javelins, spears, and lances, and will trade to get them. The Quiet Brook clan is particularly notable for its willingness to trade with non-centaurs. As mentioned above, centaurs respect humans and elves somewhat, but care nothing for Halflings or gnomes. They have no experience with any of the foreign races, but are generally mistrustful of those they do not understand. Some of the human leaders are in favor of a war with the centaurs, and some attempts have been made to eliminate the “horse-thieves,” but the centaurs are far too adept at living on their own out in the wild to be easily rounded up and killed. On the whole, most regard centaurs as an inevitable part of traveling in the uncivilized lands, and will try to be respectful when they encounter them.

Alignment: Since they are nomads and have little use for imposing systems of government, centaurs are almost never orderly. However, they are fiercely devoted to their clan and to other centaurs. Centaurs do not tend towards evil or good, nor are they all neutral. A centaur may not be orderly, but there are no other restrictions on his or her alignment.

Centaur Lands: The centaurs roam all over the continent where they live, though their unique anatomies keep them largely out of the mountains. They live mostly on the plains, though a few clans live in the fringes of the forests. Most centaurs will not go anywhere near the ocean; just seeing such a great expanse of water has been known to drive some centaurs mad. The centaurs make their camps wherever the herds are, staying for a few gün or a few ays, depending on the season and the activities of the horses they follow. The only permanent structure known to be used by centaurs is the Grove. The exact location of this holy site is a closely guarded secret, but it is located somewhere in the northern reaches of the forest that covers much of the elven and gnomish kingdom.

Religion/History: Most centaurs are intensely religious. They do not follow the will of a god, but revere their ancestors above all else. Centaur religion is based around the prophecy of the Return, when it is believed that all centaur spirits will return to the world. Once every few generations, a centaur is born who will develop the horns of a stag. These Horned Ones are believed to carry great power, but, with the growth of the horns at puberty comes insanity. It is said that the pain of the growth of the horns causes the madness, and, since the Horned Ones have no one who can understand their pain, they go mad. The Horned Ones always leave their clans after they become mad. It is believed that they wander the plains until they starve to death.
Before the Fall, the centaurs were the dominant race on the continent. Then, in a few generations, a horrendous plague killed hundreds and hundreds of centaurs, including the entire Shining Rock clan. Since this clan had formed the ruling council of the entire centaur nation, its collapse was the end of centaur dominance over their lands. The ensuing power vacuum led to the creation of the human and elven kingdoms as they stand now. The plague was seen by many as punishment for the centaur for their adoption of more civilized ways, and, as a result, the 49 remaining Seroks vowed to remain nomadic until the Return of the Shining Rock clan.
It is believed that, in time, twins will be born who will both develop horns. Either one alone would go mad just like the rest, but, together, the Horned Twins will overcome the insanity. They will be able to wield their power, calling back to the world the spirits of the Shining Rock clan. This will be the long-awaited Return; the Shining Rock will call the other spirits back to Dünya, where each will possess a horse. In a few gün, all of the horses so possessed will be transformed into centaurs. The centaurs will then rise up against those who currently occupy their ancestral homelands and claim what they believe to be rightfully their own.
Each spring, the clans all gather at the Grove, where they perform the ritual sacrifice of a horse. Its blood is transformed by the Serok of the Ghost Horse clan (which presides over the Grove) into a solution thought to increase the potency of those who drink it. Once all have had some of the magic elixir, the centaurs pair off and find a quiet place in the woods, hoping to conceive the Horned Twins. Generally, the offspring of the spring rites are normal centaurs, but every Horned One in memory has been conceived around the Grove on a spring night.

Languages: Centaurs speak their own language, which is in actuality a variant of Elven. They can easily communicate with elves, though no one would mistake the two languages for each other. Some centaurs learn to speak the languages of the others they share their land with, but this is not typical, centaurs being on the whole fairly isolationist. Centaurs who can read or write are very rare.

[Black Plauge]

Elf
Physical Description
Elves vary in size from 4'10" and 5'8" and typically weigh 100-135 lbs. However, according to their delicate bodies they seem much taller than they really are. Often male and female elves are hard to discern, at first glance. Both sexes usually have big, expressive eyes (in the most splendid colors). They wear their hair uncut and open, have graceful, fragile features and are of extraordinary beauty. Male elves also don't have any beard growth. Very typical for elves are their pointed ears, and high cheekbones. In comparison to humans, elves are stronger in spirit and in limb and have an exceptional constitution and endurance. When they grow older they seldom get weaker, instead they become wiser and even fairer. Elven senses, especially of hearing and sight, are much keener and intense than those of Men and are highly resistant to extremes of temperatures and also have several natural defenses against magical influences. The long life-spans of elves may be accounted to one of the main reasons that elves are very calm and patient in all their actions.



Society
Long ago, there was only one Elf City in the forest of Kyta. With its own king, the great Elf city was in the 10,000 – 30,000 population range. It is unknown what it is that caused the dismantlement of this city, what has become of it, or even where it was located. The elves have now separated into much smaller clans and tribes scattered throughout the forest. They still maintain a bond amongst them, but are no longer known as the great united force it once was. They are now known as just another race, rather than an empire.

Most Elf towns and cities are now made up of tree houses in old growths with platforms, ramps and rope bridges connecting the houses and shops. It is actually possible to pass underneath an Elf village without ever seeing it in the trees above your head. Elf cities in the forest often are more like fortresses and the few that enter without authorization returned alive. Elves rarely live more than 500 küçüksene as often they end up dying protecting nature or their homes or kin. While they respect life greatly as do all Elves, they are more willing to sacrifice themselves in a just cause without fear or regret. Most Elves gather in small bands of 100 to 200 members, where the best warrior is usually the leader. Few Elf tribes use any other kind of hierarchy. There is no social discrimination between male and female. A talented individual of either sex may hold any social or military position. The leader is usually titled Prince or Princess and tribe members are free to leave the tribe or form another tribe if they disagree strongly with their leader. There are some bands or tribes of Elves that are merely hunter gathers. They often have a hunting range rather than a permanent or semi- permanent camp. It is common for Elves to maintain base camps in empty caves or a few tree huts on their hunting grounds as well as some sort of defensible strong hold.

Elves are not particularly good in crafting, construction or any activity of this sort, as much of their time is spent developing combat weapons and styles. This is one of the reasons that they have gradually enslaved gnomes. Elves are really good with the bow and the sword. They usually wear leather armor, because they prefer fencing to sword bashing. Elves are also good riders, since their friendship with animals can make them get the collaboration of most creatures, even magical ones. Even if they are not the most numerous races, Elves as a race have one of the best chances of surviving. Its population grows very slowly, but given time they might recover the glory that the Elven people once had. Elves are prepared to fight evil especially in defenses of nature or their homes.

Culture
Elves hide deep in the forest and most prefer to not deal directly with other races as they have gotten tired of watching while other races destroy nature. To them, the fight is inevitable and there's no specific way to solve the problems of the world. It is in this way that the Elves began to develop a more offensive attitude than is usually known of them. Elf culture is simple and their actions are mainly for survival, theirs, and their environments. The young are trained early to fight and survive. Elves have assumed their role, as nature protectors like never before, and are willing to use force they may need to do so without regret. Over time, they have learned to live in perfect harmony with nature developing the ability to communicate with the plants and animals of their home. The Elves are great hunters and spies. They can move silently, and if they don't want to be seen, they usually won't.

Elves have somewhat lost the sense of style that every Elf once had. Even if they still look graceful, they don't have all the "fashion sense" they once had. They are still magic in nature, and every one knows a little bit of magic. The art and the music of the Elves have also suffered several wounds. The Elves still play beautiful songs, but perhaps not as beautiful as they once were. And if one pays careful attention to the lyric of those songs, one will notice the songs are often sad and melancholy and about war, and death and hope.

Relations


General
Elves are generally content to ignore others as long as they respect nature and do not intrude upon Elf territory. Hunters and trappers who hunt and trap to survive are tolerated on their borders, but those who hunt and trap for sport or profit killing can find themselves in serious trouble. The same goes for lumberjacks; those who come and take only what they need might be tolerated, but anyone trying to clear-cut can find themselves at war with the Elves. To this day, the only races Elves will still fight at first site are Orcs and Gnolls. Stories are still told of how these monsters had a habit of invading Elf lands and destroying nature in their paths, coming in by hords by way of the water.


Gnomes
As eternal neighbours with very different values, the Elves and Gnomes never really got along that well. As opposed to most other feuds between races, there have not been any major wars or battles that set forth this feud. Their relationship simply slowly degenerated through the centuries, with no one from either side ever having the resolve to fix the issues and mend the two races. One Elf town where the feud was getting more heated had defeated and captured most gnomes of that village and had forced them into crafting and building certain things that were strange and difficult for elves, but at the same time became very useful in every day life. This village seemed to become more and more prosperous than most with this new combination of Elf values and gnome craftsmanship. Word eventually got around the various towns and cities and more and more gnomes were getting captured by elves and used as slaves. Although owning a gnome slave is beneficial and seen as a sign of nobility, it is not a necessity to survive in the Elven towns and therefore not a widespread custom. It is the equivalent of owning a pet. Some do, and some don’t. However, it is suspected that a few remaining tribes still frown upon such things. Many gnomes are known to have escaped their masters, most with the help of the Halflings, and many more were captured again to replace them. It has simply become part of life in the forest.

Humans
Although Elves do not consider the Humans to be their successors, nor do they have anything against them, they keep an open link as humans have some times proven useful in the fight against evil. Knowing very well that humans have accepted and even housed runaway and/or fugitive Gnomes and Halflings, the elves still retain some scepticism towards most humans. Some tribes have in fact developed certain trading routes with humans, but these are very rare.

Halflings
Because of the fact that many Halflings (especially Stonewalls) have been known to help gnomes escape from various elf towns, there is a certain natural inner annoyance towards them. Elves don’t see Halflings as any kind of threat (they are just another type of gnomes to them) nor do they see them as allies. No major war or battles have ever really transpired between them, but rarely will you see Halflings and elves walking or fighting side by side… Elves tend to simply remain wary of any Halflings they meet, with the exception of Deeplings, for whom they have a little more respect.

Centaurs

Elves and Centaurs have always known of each others existence, some have crossed each others paths, but never has it been know that either race has actually come in direct contact with each other. It is said that they have always had an innate and somewhat grudging respect for each other, which is partly based on both races having similar views of the other races on Kyta. Also, Elves have always seen Centaurs as simply being part of nature. Their resemblance to, and care of wild horses, are obvious signs of the Centaurs respect for their environment. But at the same time, Elves have always slightly feared these large creatures. Their shear size and nomadic ways, as well as their short tempers, lack of patience and known long lasting feuds, have characterized them as wild and unpredictable to the eyes of the elves…


Alignment and religion
Elves do not tend to any particular alignment. However, no elves have ever been known to be evil. For the longest time, the elves worshiped Corellon Larethian, the Protector and Preserver of life. Corellon is a pratron of magical study, arts, dance, and poetry, as well as a powerful warrior god. But since the elves split in a multitude cities and towns, many tribes have slowly gotten away from Corellon and either found new gods to worship, or no god at all. Elven myth holds that is was from Corellon's blood, shed in battles with Gruumsh (the god of the Orcs), that the elves first arose. There was a point in time when many of the gods were still battling for possession of the various lands of this world. Battles that lasted for centuries as they were fought as much on each of the gods continents, as in the oceans that seperated them. In the end, there never was a clear winner and the gods, all of them exhausted, settled for what they had conquered thus far.

[Black Plauge]

Giant

Personality: Giants are a reclusive race. Isolated by the loss of power they experienced with the balancing of the planes, as a race giants are loners, trusting no one outside the tribe. To some their loss of power is a weakness to overcome. A time of trial which they must push through to come out the other side more powerful than before. To others, it is a punishment. Like the dragons that came before them, their ancestors overstepped the bounds of reasonableness and threatened to destroy the world with their power. The balancing of the planes was a just punishment of the gods for their indiscretions. In either case this ancestral memory rules their codes of behavior. From highly formal codes of honor and shame to the right of trial by combat, to prove oneself not right, but more worthy of deference.

History: Nomads of the Vasteland steppe, giants are the descendants of those who once ruled the planet. When Io punished the Dragons and bound them too the wheel it was the giants of the elements that stepped in to fill the power void. For several büyüksene giants wandered the face of Dünya and the fledgling smaller races quaked in fear of their passages. The balancing of the elements, however, brought an end to their reign. Without the influx of elemental energies, the elemental nature of the races faded and with it their size and power. The area of their nomadic wanderings shrank and the smaller races moved up to fill the voids left behind.
Today’s giants are the legacy of these once powerful and giant people. Still by far the largest of the races of Dünya, the giants are giant, however, in name only. Their wanderings no longer span the planet as they once did, and other races no longer tremble in fear at their coming.
The tribal tradition, however, lives on. Now families, rather than elements, determine alliances and trade, rather than war, rule relations with other races.
Wandering is still the rule of the day for the giants though. Living with the lost legacy of power and stature, giants wander, searching for access to the elemental planes. Hoping that a shift in the balance might bring back the days of power. Solo giants, however, are mostly a thing of the past. Families work together to survive, and upset the balance. Those that strike out on their own are seen as outcasts, even as they stand the best chance to find key that will shift the balance.

Physical Description: Towering over normal humans, giants are twice their height and more than four times their bulk. Skin, hair, and eye colors vary wildly, but each giant’s colors tend to be consistent with a single element (i.e. oranges, yellows, and reds might group together on a giant with a fire heritage, while whites, pale blues, and grays on one with an air heritage).

Relations: Giants tend to be reclusive and thus have little interaction with other races. Even the Xephs, who wander the same planes as them, know little of them. Through trade contacts, other races find them reserved and polite but prone to aggressive behavior when they perceive an insult.

Giant Lands: Giants wander the steppes of Vasteland. Migrating along ancient game trails, giants follow the game they hunt for sustenance and seldom stay in one place for long.

Religion: Giants worship Annam and Hiatae, the patriarch and matriarch of the giant race. Neither have any elemental traits, a facet that giants find comforting in their current state. Some, however, who long for a return to their race’s former glory, worship their children, Skoraeus Stonebones, Stronmaus, Suty, and Thrym among others who exemplify the elemental nature of the giants of old.

Language: Giants speak their own language which they seldom share with outsiders. Traders generally learn the language of the Xephs or the Kuo-Tao, the two races they trade with the most.

Adventurers: Giant adventurers usually leave home to seek places of power. Areas where their elemental nature can express itself. Legend has it that given the right conditions, this manifestation could be made permanent. An event that would forecast the return to better times. Those who leave, however, are viewed as outcasts. Fools who abandon tribe and family for a glory long forgotten and power better left lost.

Giant names are taken from Dutch.

[Black Plauge]

Gnome (by Aethyc)

Personality: Naturally inquisitive, gnomes have a deep desire to learn about the world around them. Gnomes love to make mechanical objects and tinker with just about anything they can get their hands on. Gnomes are generally outgoing and love to talk about anything that comes to mind; whether or not this disturbs the recipient of the conversation is rarely applicable. Practical jokes are almost a given; gnomes love to make contraptions that will embarrass others, although this is rarely done with any malice in mind. Gnomes are also very handy with illusions, commonly using them in their practical jokes; although these are seriously discouraged by their elven masters it is still quite a common occurrence.

Society: Few gnomes remember what it was like before they allied with the elves, but legends among the gnomes tell that for many küçüksenes the gnomes wandered the land. Necessity forced them to make an alliance with the elves to keep both races from extinction. This sham of an alliance has kept the two races together and alive, but has led to the elves enslaving the vast majority of the gnomish population. Some of the gnomes are made to work in the mines or the forges to furnish any metallic items the elves need for use or trade. Many gnomes labor in the elven homes as housekeepers or servants, or as laborers in the fields. Outside of the elven lands gnomes have no real society, instead assimilating into whatever society they happen to come across. They generally take jobs as repairmen, wandering salesmen or tinkers, whatever position fills their belly and is moderately interesting to them. Some gnomes make their living as inventors or, sometimes, teachers, if the right pupil comes along.

Lands: Gnomes live with the elves in the southern half of Kýta, mostly in the forests. Some of the gnomes live in the mountains nearby. The gnomes have no lands to call their own, instead inhabiting the lands of the elves or, if they have escaped, whoever lets them in.

Physical Description: Gnomes are about the same size as Halflings, standing roughly 3 feet tall at adulthood. Gnomes are easily recognized by their bulbous noses and wild hair, which normally ranges from reddish to brown or black. Most gnomes are somewhat stocky, though the ones kept in the elven lands are more ragged and beaten in. Gnomes generally mature by 25 küçüksenes and die of old age at around 300 küçüksenes. Most gnomes have little facial hair, although some grow beards.

Relations: Most gnomes are kept in bondage by their elven masters, and this has sorely damaged the relationship between the two. Some gnomes have begrudgingly accepted this position of servitude, but many of the gnomes constantly strive for freedom, although no leader has arrived to lead them out and no change is expected in the elves’ mentality. Gnomes outside of the elven lands have generally good relationships with others. The tricks that gnomes have a tendency to play can hamper this relationship, but the ability of gnomes to tinker and improve anything has led them to be accepted nearly anywhere they go.

Alignment: The wanderlust and love of pranks leads most gnomes towards a more chaotic lifestyle. Gnomes tend to dislike laws that specifically prohibit the things that they love to do, and will break those laws, sometimes just to see if they can. Some gnomes that have been enslaved by the elves turn towards evil, especially against the elves; gnomes in general tend towards neutrality or even good, though most gnomes have little preference.

Religion: Generally Garl Glittergold, although worship of Corellon Larethian is sometimes imposed on the gnomes by the elves, depending on the strictness of the master and the temperament of the gnome.

Languages: Gnomes primarily speak elvish, and although the elves discourage it, many gnomes teach their children to speak gnomish as well. Gnomes born outside the elvish land speak gnomish and whatever language is used the area: usually human or halfling.

[Black Plauge]

Halfling (by Ragallach mac Cormac)

Long ago, at the earliest ages of recorded history, the halflings were all of one clan. But as time passed, three separate tribes of halflings arose: Those that wished to live in cities amongst humans and the other races, those that wished to live close to the land and harvest her bounties, and those that wished to live in the wild lands away from others. These three tribes came to be known as the Stonewall tribe, the Tillfield tribe, and the Deepling tribe (respectively). The three tribes stay in contact with one another, but on an irregular basis. As such, the three tribes have developed different physical and personality traits from one another.

Physical Description:
Stonewall: Stonewall halflings stand about 3 feet tall and usually weigh about 30-35 pounds. Their skin is pale, and their hair is black and straight. Their eyes are brown or black. Stonewall halflings often follow the style of the city or region they live in, so they will alter their hair and dress to match. Stonewall halflings reach adulthood at 10 küçüksenes and often live to be 125 küçüksenes old.
Tillfield: Tillfield halflings stand 3 to 3 ½ feet tall and usually weigh 35-45 pounds. Their skin is ruddy, their hair is brown or red in color and is usually worn short. Their eyes are blue or green. Tillfield halflings wear simple, practical, and comfortable clothing. Male Tillfield halflings often grow their sideburns long and older males will usually grow a beard of some sort. Tillfield halflings reach adulthood at 10 küçüksenes and often live to be 130 küçüksenes old.
Deepling: Deepling halflings stand 3 feet tall and usually weigh 30-35 pounds. Their skin is tanned, and their hair is brown and straight. Deepling halflings both male and female wear their hair long, and often decorate it with feathers, beads, or bones. Deepling halflings usually wear hides or pelts that are dyed to blend into their surroundings. Male Deeplings are mostly clean shaven, although a few will grow beards. Deepling halflings reach adulthood at 8 küçüksenes and often live to be 120 küçüksenes old.

Personality:
Stonewall: Stonewall halflings like action. They are notoriously curious. Possessing luck unknown to the other races, Stonewall halflings will often rush into danger headfirst and walk out unscathed (or mostly unscathed, anyway). Stonewall halflings love wealth and the pleasures and comfort it can bring. They are notorious for spending coins as fast as they can make (or 'find') them. Stonewall halflings also have a reputation as packrats, collecting large piles of 'stuff'. Wealthy Stonewall halflings will pay many coins for an exotic item to add to their 'collection'.
Tillfield: To outsiders, Tillfield halflings appear close-mouthed or reserved, if not downright suspicious. But once a Tillfield halfling gets to know you, and accepts you, then they are generally very generous, open, and giving. Reciprocity is expected, though. A new 'friend' of a Tillfield halfling better be prepared to pull his own weight and contribute his fair share. Tillfield halflings prefer a quiet life of hard work, dedication, and spending time with one's friends and family. Tillfields are tight with their money, often preferring to put coins aside for winter, than to splurge on something new.
Deepling: Deepling halflings prefer the quiet of solitude. Outsiders rarely get to know a Deepling halfling, but those that do find them extremely intelligent, and possessing a vast knowledge of the wilds that they live in. Deepling halflings say very little, and will often fade into the background when around outsiders. Money has no meaning to the Deeplings, and is traded away as soon as possible for the necessities that allow them to survive out in the wild.

Race Relations:
Halflings: Halflings often have a hard time understanding members of other halfling tribes. Their lifestyles are so separate, that they don't relate to each other well even though they are basically the same race. Stonewall halflings look on Tillfields as bumpkins who toil endlessly because they aren't creative enough to leave their lands. Stonewalls just think that Deeplings are weird savages who are more animal than halfling. Tillfields view Stonewalls as lazy and untrustworthy, and some still hold a grudge over Stonewall collaboration with humans during the time of slavery. Tillfields think Deeplings are odd, but admire their self-reliance. Deeplings don't understand how the Stonewalls can live so removed from the land and generally avoid them (but they try to avoid everyone). Deeplings often trade with Tillfields, but they have a hard time understanding why the Tillfields would tie themselves down to one area.
Humans: Until the time of slavery, humans and halflings had a very good relationship. Stonewalls lived amongst the humans and although some worked the shadier industries, many labored as craftsmen and laborers and were productive citizens in the towns and cities where they lived. Tillfields worked hard on their farms, stockpiling all manner of grains, produce, and meat. Once fall was over and winter fast approached, Tillfields would load up their wagons and make the grand exodus to the nearest settlement to seek shelter during the winter. The goods they produced were traded for shelter . Deeplings often didn't come to human lands, at all. Those that did traded what they brought and often spent much of the winter hunting and gathering. This went on for many generations until the humans changed everything. In the first year of slavery, the humans welcomed the halflings into their cities and towns and when the halflings' guards were down, the humans captured an entire race. Using Stonewall halflings as intermediaries, the humans explained that all halflings were now the property of the human race. Since Stonewalls were immersed in human culture and were promised that their lives would continue more or less as it had, they did little to resist the humans. Most of the Stonewalls complicity was a sham, though. A strong underground movement, composed mostly of Stonewalls, did what they could to resist, confuse, and confound their human masters. It got so bad, that halflings were forbidden from gathering in large groups inside human cities. The Tillfields seethed at their captivity, and they were the most 'vocal' in their dissatisfaction. They were often the tribe that bore the brunt of the human response. Many thousand Tillfields were killed, banished, or simply disappeared. Deeplings were the least effected. Those that were captured often escaped as soon as their human master's back was turned. They found shelter elsewhere, and survived the winter the best they could. When spring came, the halflings were defiant but defeated and returned to their lands with their human masters. The humans who were given charge of halflings were chosen for their temperance, and so very few atrocities or unpleasantries occurred. There were a few cases, which halflings are very willing to bring up if the topic of slavery is opened. Halflings resisted as they could. Stonewalls smuggled escaped slaves away from human lands, and often financed halfling resistance movements. Tillfields often were the 'muscle' behind halfling resistance. Humans soon learned to travel through Tillfield lands in groups, for those that traveled alone often disappeared. Retribution to these attacks was swift, and often punished innocent halflings, which just fueled the Tillfield anger. Deeplings continued as they always had: living off the land and traveling where the wind carried them. Humans that attempted to capture Deepling halflings often found themselves on wild goose chases (until they arrived at an appropriate ambush spot). Deeplings helped their halfling brethren as they could, often helping escaped halflings who had stumbled into their wild lands. These halflings often ended up joining the Deepling halflings and abandoning their former lives. Slavery continued for many, many küçüksenes. Finally, it was a change in human heart that freed the halflings. Humankind began to feel that slavery was immoral. Slowly this anti-slavery movement spread to the top of human society. Finally, the decision was made and halflings were freed. The halflings were happy, and went back to their lives. Today, the halflings have mostly forgotten slavery (but have not fully forgiven humankind). Stonewall halflings have moved on the farthest. Many of them are prosperous merchants, shipowners, shopkeepers, and craftsmen (all of which has been done in human towns and cities). Tillfields still hold a grudge, especially those that live in the far off lands well away from humankind. Despite their hard feelings, humans offer the only game in town, and so they must deal with them. Deepling life has continued uninterrupted, and some of them still ambush humans when they get a chance.
Elves: Halflings are wary of Elvenkind, mostly because they have taken Gnomes as their slaves. Stonewall halflings are pragmatic, and deal with Elves in their business transactions. But, if given the chance to help Gnome slaves, they do so. Tillfields have little contact with Elves, but when they do Elves are given even shorter shrift than everyone else. Deeplings avoid everyone, but they admire Elven culture (especially their respect of nature).
Gnomes: Halflings are sympathetic to the Gnomes' situation. Since Stonewalls deal with Elves most often (and their Gnome slaves), Stonewalls are in the best situation to help. Gnomes that come to human and halfling towns are sometimes smuggled away and moved away to other human towns where they start a new life. Sometimes these Gnomes end up in 'safe houses' on Tillfield farms. Just as they did with their fellow halflings, Deeplings that encounter runaway Gnomes in their travels often help them get back to civilized lands.
Everyone Else: Tillfields and Deeplings have very little contact with the other races. Stonewalls, because of their careers as merchants, sailors, and travelers encounter most of the other races. They take their coins if trading, and treat them well if treated well themselves. If they are treated poorly, there is no worse enemy than a Stonewall halfling with a grudge.

Alignment: Personal morals are just that: personal. Although some generalities can be made, there are no absolutes when it comes to halfling alignment.
Stonewalls: Stonewall halflings tend towards Chaos. They embrace and adapt well to change. With respect to Good/Evil, Stonewall halflings have no preference.
Tillfields: Tillfields tend towards Order. They are slow to change, immersed in traditions, and run tidy lives. With respect to Good/Evil, Tillfields tend towards Good. They are generous, helpful, and friendly.
Deeplings: Deepling halflings tend towards Neutrality. They are comfortable with change, but are also reliant on family ties and personal honor. With respect to Good/Evil, Deeplings tend towards Neutrality.

Halfling Society:
Stonewall: Stonewall society is very much tied to human society. They live in human cities and towns, they work to produce goods which are often sold to human traders, and they often find themselves socializing with humans in their off hours. This is good for Stonewalls, for they are adaptable and react swiftly to the often changing human culture. Humans and halflings generally get along very well, and the two have worked as allies often in recent years.
Tillfield: Tillfield society is semi-isolated from everyone else, and as such they are self-reliant. They are most comfortable with other Tillfield halflings, but have little problem dealing with the other two halfling tribes. Humans are held in suspicion until they are proven trustworthy. Once one becomes a friend to a Tillfield, they often find that Tillfields are very fun loving and know how to have a good time. Tillfield harvest parties often last weeks and involve copious amounts of music, food, and drink.
Deepling: Deepling society is very primitive compared to the other two halfling tribes. They exist primarily on what they can hunt, gather, or scavenge. Occasionally they trade what they have for tools, weapons, or other goods they can't produce themselves. Deeplings are very tied to their family clan, and if it is threatened they will all fight to the death to protect it. Despite this close-knit family unit, Deeplings often spend ays separated from each other. Their isolation has made them the stuff of legends among other halflings and humans. Some don't believe they exist at all.

Religion:
Stonewalls: Stonewalls primarily worship Olidammara and Fharlanghn.
Tillfields: Tillfields worship Yondalla almost exclusively.
Deeplings: Deeplings worship Obad-Hai mostly. Some choose to worship Ehlonna instead.

Language: Stonewall and Tillfield Halflings speak the Halfling language. Deeplings have their own language and have developed a hand talk language that they use when stalking prey. Stonewall halflings often learn the languages of races that they deal with most often.

[Black Plauge]

Human (by Ragallach mac Cormac)

Physical Description: The exact origin of the human species is a matter of debate amongst scholars. Some argue that humanity was placed on this world by the gods themselves. Others postulate that humanity was a magical experiment performed by one of the earlier races. Other theorize that humanity traveled to this world from another world. One scholar has even put forth the idea that humans descended from apes and monkeys. Whatever their origins, humanity today is composed of a myriad of forms, colors, and shapes. Humans usually range from 5' to just over 6' tall (with some even taller still), and weighing from 125 to 250 pounds (or more). Men are usually taller and heavier than women, but this is not always so. Due to the human penchant for travel, conquest, and migration, human bloodlines are very intermingled. Some scholars have theorized that by going back only 8 or 9 generations would reveal that every human is related to every other human (if distantly). Human females are unique in that they can conceive, carry, and birth babies from most of the other races. In most human lineages there is a half-elf, half-dwarf, half-giant, or half-orc somewhere. These bi-racial children are accepted by some, tolerated by most, and rejected by a few. Human life spans are short compared to some other races. They become adults anywhere between 7 and 9 küçüksenes of age (depending on the society) and rarely live beyond 50 küçüksenes.

Personality: Humanity is a race that cannot be labeled. They are the most friendly, helpful, generous, and compassionate of all the races. They are also the most conniving, treacherous, greedy, and spiteful of all the races. Humanity runs the gamut in almost anything you could care to name: from religion to fashion, from morals to meals. Human culture is also highly regional. The norm in one city or region is antithesis in another town or keep. With humans it's best to never make assumptions.

Race Relations: As with most things with humans, there is no one answer to race relations. Some individuals, cultures, societies feel one way. Others feel the opposite. What follows are generalities.
Halflings: Halflings and humans have the closest relationship of all the races, and also the most turbulent. Halflings have always made their way as nomadic herders, farmers, and hunters. Halflings would spend the spring, summer, and fall traveling back to their lands, raising crops and animals, trapping animals for pelts and meat, and generally stockpiling as much as they could for the winter. The onset of winter would bring a mass exodus of halflings back to the human cities where they would trade their goods for shelter during the long winter. This influx of halflings left the cities near bursting with both humans and halflings. The humans of these cities generally looked at the halflings as a nuisance (even though it was halfling food and cloth which was feeding them and keeping them warm). As the long winter slowly passed by, 'Winter Madness" would set in and halfling and human fighting would break out. The local officials usually took the human side and would 'banish' the trouble making halfling (basically condemning him/her to death). With the coming of spring, the cycle would continue again. Some humans of power began to see that it was halfling goods and labor which was driving their economy. Some speculated on the disaster that would befall if the halflings decided to sell to another race, or went elsewhere for shelter. Not wishing to chance it, the halflings were seized by the humans when they appeared the next winter. That winter was spent 'banishing' any halflings that refused the new policy and explaining the benefits to the rest. Reluctantly, the halflings went back to their lands the next spring, human overseers in tow. Generally speaking, the halfling enslavement was peaceful. The halflings did what they had always done, and humans made more coins from their efforts. It was only 200 küçüksene ago that the halflings were freed, due mostly to a change in human government and morales. Many think that the close relationship between the two races let humanity see the joyful spirit and free will of the halflings, and could no longer enslave such a proud people. The current relationship between the two races is generally good. Halflings have mostly forgotten the incident (although some young halflings still rail against slavery, and some older halflings are wary around humans). Humans just want to put the whole thing behind them and move on.
Elves: Of all the races, elves are viewed as the closest competition to humanity. Elven magic is powerful, their goods are beautifully crafted, and their culture is old and strong. Despite this, elves are generally welcomed and accepted in human cities (although they are watched closely).
Half-Elves, Half-Giants, Half-Dwarfs, etc.: The half-breed offspring of humans and other races are often taken on a case by case basis. As long as the individual does something to contribute to society, then they are accepted. Those that choose to live outside of society, or to not carry their share are shunned.
Dwarfs: Of all the races, humans feel most comfortable with the dwarfs. They both craft exquisite items (although the dwarfs have the edge here), they both have a love for technology, and they both mistrust the elves.
Gnomes: Those gnomes that escape from their Elven masters are welcome in human society. Gnomes love technology, and gnomes have been at the heart of some of the big breakthroughs in steam-based and clockwork technology.
The Gith: For the most part, humans have tried to stay out from between the Gith races. Some human operatives have worked for both sides, but overall humans trade for their goods, take their coins, and stay away from them.
All the other races: The other races are viewed as monsters (with the possible exception of merfolk and centaurs), and are not to be trusted. Trade with these races is tolerated, but is found distasteful by most. Exceptional individuals from these races that are found to be trustworthy, are grudgingly accepted.

Alignment: Humans do not tend towards any alignment.

Human Society: Human society is a whirlpool of change, new ideas, and innovations. Human society is young compared to the other races, and other races often wonder at how humans have done so much in so little time. The other races also have a hard time keeping up with the changes in human society. Just when they have embraced an idea, human society reinvents itself and makes the old idea obsolete. Humans have a better time coping with change, on the other hand, and have seized opportunities that the other races were too slow to recognize.

Religion: There is no 'head church' in human society. Humans run the gamut on religious sensibilities, as well. Some are burning zealots who stand on street corners and admonish passers-by, others offer nothing to the gods and ask nothing in return.

Language: Humans speak the human tongue. Learning the languages of the other races is often considered a wise course by humans (especially those who expect to meet these races in their travels).

Adventurers: Although adventuring is looked askance by the general population, no one can argue with the effectiveness of human adventurers. With such short life-spans, and a willingness to do anything, humans have taken over the role as the world's premier adventurers.

Technology: Although Dwarves are the masters of colossal engineering feats, and gnomes are unsurpassed in the making of small gadgets, Humans are at the forefront of the technological movement.

Classes: Humans can excel at any of the classes. In recent times, Wizardry has become a popular choice for young humans looking to make a mark in the world. The university tradition is strict and regimented, but produces outstanding wizards. Some Sorcerers and those who bristle at the rules of the Universities have worked outside of the Universities. It remains to be seen how they will fair. Druidism has also undergone a surge in recent times and has been a great boon to the shipbuilding and sailing industry.

Human names are taken from Turkish. A sampling of such names can be found here. (http://www.geocities.com/~abdulwahid/muslimarticles/names_turkish.html)

[Black Plauge]

Kobold (by Vaniver)

Personality: Kobolds are cautious, cowardly, and crafty. In negotiations and dealings they are constantly evaluating who has the advantage, making the most of it when they are and trying to switch it when they aren't. Kobolds are often cowed by physical violence, and many join clerical and monastic (Christian-esque monks, not Buddhist-esque) orders to minimize the threat of physical harm. Kobold traders (of which there are many) rarely leave their homes without a few trusted guards, often gnolls or minotaurs (Lizardfolk are the most prized but also the most rare).

Society: Kobolds have an oddly dualistic society- many have something of a wanderlust and travel the lands, buying and selling what they can (at the most favorable price) or form gypsy caravans of some sort, where the others that stay in one place favor heavily defended strongholds and traps to keep out intruders. Kobold society is somewhat religious, but the Kobold religion is more scholastic than most. Monasteries are common throughout Kobold lands (and a few in other lands) and they are centers of learning and knowledge. The monks take vows of physical nonviolence and charity, but they are designed so that the monks can set up traps for defense and advise others in warfare. Some of the best Kobold generals over the ages have been monks, who despite their vows not to harm another living being through physical action have slain thousands with their orders.

Physical Description: Kobolds are short, reptilian humanoids. A kobold’s scaly skin ranges from dark rusty brown to a rusty black color. It has glowing red eyes. Its tail is nonprehensile. Kobolds wear bright clothing or dark robes (only monks are allowed white). A kobold is 2 to 2-1/2 feet tall and weighs 35 to 45 pounds. Kobolds speak Draconic with a voice that sounds like that of a yapping dog.

Relations: Kobolds are on somewhat friendly terms with nearly all other creatures- Kobold traders span Dünya. However, that is not to say they have a good reputation- it is known that if a Kobold can cheat you, they will. Very few Kobolds are thieves, however, preferring to take what they need through more 'honest' trickery.
Permanent Kobold cities and towns are nearly impenetrable fortifications, and Kobold tacticians are prized for their ability. Many leaders have a Kobold advisor, to aid them with planning and detecting the plans of their enemies. Kobolds know that they are physically weaker than other races and attempt to make up for it through tactics, planning, and whatever advantages they can get a hold of.

Alignment: Most Kobolds are Lawful Evil, since they hold little value for life and place large value on social class and planning.
Most Good Kobolds join a monastic order, the most known being the Order of St. Elena, an order devoted to helping those they can. Unlike most kobolds, the majority of the clerics and monks who follow St. Elena do not act out of calculating self-interest, and so are not attacked by those who recognize them. However, the only difference between a monk or cleric of St. Elena and one of another (and not necessarily good) is that the monks and clerics of St. Elena have blue embroidered hems on their robes. This is often not noticed by the less perceptive or thought unimportant by the ignorant, so many people have a negative view of all kobold monks and do not respect those who follow St. Elena.

Kobold Lands: Kobolds control the isthmus between two continents, and the northern shore of the southern, with the land divided into many baronies. Each baron has at least one fortress from which they control the surrounding lands and peasants can retreat to in times of attack. Baron Kataar is the most powerful of the barons, controlling the isthmus. His armies and fortresses guard this valuable trade route, which has been strategically structured to make the most of Kobold tactics.
Kobolds can be found anywhere in Dünya, either a semi-permanent gypsy camp, a crossroads town, or a monastery deep in foreign lands.

Religion: Most Kobolds worship Kurtulmak, a god who endorses magic, technology, cunning, and traps. There are several prominent Saints, who are revered by those of their order (the most important being St. Elena, who is Neutral Good).
Kurtulmak (the Kobold deity) requests that all Kobolds who are able see Pelor rise and set one time in their life. This requires a journey for most Kobolds, who live where Pelor never rises or who have traveled where Pelor never sets. This is not observed by many Kobolds, who fear to leave their fortifications, but is seen as a goal for those who wish to wander the world.

Languages: Kobolds speak Draconic, and many pick up as many other languages as they can.


Kobold names are taken from Italian.

[Black Plauge]

Lizardfolk (by Vaniver)

Personality: Lizardfolk are considered savage by most other races, since they have almost no manners to speak of and can grow violent at minor provocation.
Lizardfolk often settle disputes with fighting, and the combatants involved often decide on rules to limit permanent damage. In warfare, Lizardfolk will take any advantage they can, and find no tactic too low except for those that would damage the environment.
Lizardfolk have a profound respect for nature (swamps and marshlands especially) and consider themselves the guardians of the swamp. Druids are generally venerated, since they exemplify the role of natural protector. They react violently to the 'development' of land and pollution.

Society: Lizardfolk are divided into tribes, which are led by the strongest druid (chieftain) of the tribe. The chieftains report to the Druid Council each küçüksene at a meeting of the tribes. The Druid Council is made up the 14 highest level druids (including the Archdruid), and decides matters for the Lizardfolk and orchestrates the defense and preservation of the swamp.
Conflict between tribes and individuals is common, and Lizardfolk are strong believers in 'survival of the fittest'.

Alignment: Lizardfolk are almost always at least partially neutral. They believe that the natural order (survival of the fittest and other such concepts) is paramount, and that preservation of nature is important. They believe that the value of life can be measured (and thus not all life is valuable), but is not always decided by survival ability (especially in larger tribes weak but intelligent or otherwise gifted Lizardfolk can survive by trading services for food). Compassion is rare among Lizardfolk, and if a member of a tribe cannot support themself they have little qualms with letting that member die. Even the compassionate know that it is often better to give someone a clean death than a long life of dependency, and normally only give charity to those they expect to get better.

Relations: Lizardfolk often war bitterly with the dwarves, since the industrial and technological goals of the latter oppose the isolationist desires of the former. Dwarven expeditions to mine the resources under the swamp are met by raging tribal warriors and hosts of summoned denizens of the swamp, and dwarven factories and industry are often raided by Lizardfolk war parties determined to destroy sources of pollution and loot dwarf-made weapons.
The Lizardfolk rarely deal with the other races, content to stay within the swamp, and the other races are content to not face a lizardfolk warband.
Lizardfolk respect druids of all races, assuming those druids respect the sanctity of the swamp.

Languages: Lizardfolk speak Draconic. Since nearly all of the scholars (well, literate in general) Lizardfolk are Druids, Druidic is frequently used for the few written records the Lizardfolk make. Lizardfolk rarely think it worth their time to pick up the languages of their neighbors, although those on the Dwarven border often know at least some Dwarven.

Lizardfolk Lands: The Lizardfolk live within the swamp of Szárazföld. Each tribe lives in a small camp, spread out throughout the swamp, with large camps near the dwarven border and at the holy site of Drasil, where the Druid Council lives.
During the cold part of the büyüksene, most of the Lizardfolk undergo the Ritual of Suspension, sleeping through the cold period. The Ritual gives them some protection from the cold, but the weaker ones die from exposure, which is overall seen as a good thing by the Lizardfolk community. Some stay awake, using magic to keep themselves warm, protecting the holy sites and caves against intruders. Since the Lizardfolk cannot prevent all dwarven expansion, they normally make deals with the dwarves over where they can and cannot mine, warning them of dire consequences come the warmth if they damage the land or mine somewhere they shouldn't.

[Black Plauge]

Minotaur (by Conlee of Eoin)

Personality: Minotaurs are generally quiet, introspective beings. Most minotaurs are very uncomfortable speaking about emotions, which they see as a threat to their focus. They are fiercely loyal to those who earn their trust, but this trust is not freely given. Minotaurs have little respect for life, and are more than willing to kill if it suits their purposes. Minotaurs are often ashamed; almost never will one encounter a proud minotaur.

Society: Nearly all minotaurs belong to one of the Academies, nestled in between the crags of the mountains where they live. These academies serve as centers of trade, martial training, and residence. All young minotaurs are raised in the Academies, conditioning themselves to fight with their bare hands and horns and with weapons. Whenever they are not training, the minotaurs perform menial tasks, such as cooking, gathering food, weaving cloth, or cleaning the halls of the Academy. In their fourteenth year of life, they are made to take a test, in which they spar with the master of the Academy. None ever defeat the master, but he judges their performance. Following this physical test, the master questions the young minotaur about the history of their race and their failure to protect what was most dear to them. If the sparring and discussion are approved, the minotaur is inducted into the Academy proper and is promoted to the rank of Initiate. At this stage, minotaurs begin the more intense training, and are allowed to venture from the monastery for the first time. They are also allowed to begin their prayers to Chios. Minotaurs are ashamed to speak His name, for they have failed him, but they hold devotion to this figure above all else.
Those who do not pass the test are declared Unfit. Some are weak of body, some are simply not intelligent enough to meet the demands of the master, and others disagree fundamentally with the way minotaurs tell their own history. These last are very rare, for they are indoctrinated from birth to feel shame for their failure to Him, but occasionally a minotaur is born who has a natural disdain for the minotaur beliefs. The Unfit have their horns cut back close to the skull, an extremely painful process which kills about half of those subjected to it. Those who happen to survive are immediately cast out of the Academies, left to die or eke out a meager survival in the mountains. One of the first tasks of new Initiates is to go into the wilderness and return with the head of an Unfit. Tales of Unfit communities are not unheard of, but no Academy minotaurs have ever actually seen one and returned to tell about it.
In fact, there is only one Unfit community. A large cave complex in the northern reaches of the mountain range, called Khareia by those who live there, is inhabited by several thousand of the outcasts. They have tunnels leading to secret locations near most of the Academies, and are able to save many Unfit from certain death. Residents of Khareia often continue their training in their new homes, but nearly all lose some of the Academy discipline and begin to train in more traditional fighting styles. They live a rougher life than the Academy minotaurs; the need for secrecy keeps them from establishing legitimate agriculture, and almost all Unfit are hunters, living from kill to kill. The Khareians harvest a mold from their cave that makes them unable to bear young; they do not choose to subject any children to their hard life of secrecy.

Physical Description: A minotaur is a humanoid creature with the head of a bull. Minotaurs stand about seven and a half feet tall at the tip of the horns. Everything about a minotaur suggests immense physical strength. Their hands are much larger than a human's, and fearsome claws extend as much as an inch beyond the tips of the fingers. Minotaurs are covered with thick, leathery skin, which is itself covered with coarse hair. During the long winter, this fur will be quite thick; during summer it tends to be thinner, even stringy. Since minotaur diets contain a relatively large amount of meat, minotaurs have razor-sharp front teeth. A minotaur generally has hooves, which, although they are not well-suited to many activities, can be deadly in a fight. They are very obviously too large to be mistaken for humans, but generally do not have much trouble using buildings designed for use by human-sized creatures. They are, on the whole, much stronger than humans, and muscles are easy to see rippling beneath their dark fur. A minotaur reaches physical maturity in sixteen years or so, and most only live to see five decades or so. Their obsession with training makes fat or loose skin a rarity on minotaurs. Members of the Academies wear very simple tunics; the color of the cloth varies from Academy to Academy. Unfit wear tattered remnants of their Academy tunics or clothes made from whatever materials they can get their hands on, often leather or furs.

Relations: Minotaurs live lives of isolation from the other races. Academy minotaurs are always looking for new targets to practice their training on, and the Unfit are as likely to kill a traveler for food as they are to let him pass so they can remain hidden. It is very rare for any non-minotaur to emerge from the mountains alive if he has seen any minotaurs. Occasionally, Academy minotaurs may be sent out from their homes on some special assignments; in these cases they act in whatever way they think will be most likely to help them on their mission. A minotaur will not kill for enjoyment, but will have no qualms if duty dictates that some innocent must die.
Many Unfit who do not find their way to Khareia wind up living on parts of the continent away from other minotaurs. They are often confused at first to find that the other races are not actively trying to kill them, but, once over this initial fear, are well able to adapt to life in conventional cities and towns. Those who live there are often at first intimidated by the minotaurs’ appearances, but, in time, they grow used to them. Unfit are often very kind and grateful to those who have taken them in, though they never lose the timidity they have because of the trauma they faced at the hands of those they thought were their friends.
Minotaurs do not trust those who use magic. Minotaur society has no place for magic-users, and the first time many minotaurs see magic in action is a terrifying time for them. They can become used to it, but will forever remain wary of those who understand its mysteries. The same is more or less true of minotaur attitudes toward technology. Because they are so isolated from the rest of the world, minotaurs have fallen far behind in technology. In fact, most minotaurs cannot differentiate between technology and magic: both are intricate, alien, and powerful, and minotaurs almost always fear and hate them.

Alignment: Academy minotaurs are always of orderly alignment. The willingness to kill with little concern for the victim indicates a tendency toward evil, though orderly neutral Academy minotaurs are not rare.
Unfit minotaurs can be of any alignment. Often the reason that they did not pass the test was because of some tendency towards good (which Academy minotaurs see as weakness) or an unwillingness to conform. The governing powers in Khareia are neutral, though minotaurs of all alignments save chaotic evil live there.

Minotaur Lands: The minotaurs live only in the mountains on the west side of their continent. They are more concentrated in the northern half, but there are a few Academies in the southern part of the range. The mountains are very steep and treacherous. Most have snow on top, but on the lower elevations the climate is actually fairly temperate. The Academies are generally above the tree line at high altitude, often situated on a ridge between two peaks. The high elevation makes agriculture difficult for the minotaurs, but they make do, often cultivating edible lichen on the bare rocks. Animals like mountain goats are occasionally seen, but they have learned to be very wary of minotaurs and other humanoids, since these intelligent creatures often slaughter them for meat.

Religion/History: Three büyüksene ago, the minotaurs were approached by a being of tremendous power. The minotaurs, who then lived in farming communities in the foothills of the mountains, were awed by Him and pledged to do as He asked. He told them to begin training themselves for war, to achieve discipline of the body and mind. With the help of His mysterious powers, they erected hundreds of Academies in the rugged mountains to the west. Chios promised them that they would be his lieutenants, and that their people would soon dominate Dünya. The newly chosen masters of the Academies pledged their support and vowed to defend Chios with their very lives.
Chios, a devil of some importance who had been inadvertently released into the Material Plane by a careless wizard, then left the minotaurs for a number of years in order to recruit more forces for his conquest. Unfortunately for the devil, he attracted the attention of a group of heroes, led by a paladin, Magnus the Just. When Chios returned to the Academies a few years later to begin preparations for his attacks on Dünya, Magnus and his powerful friends tracked him. In the intense battle that ensued, Magnus and the heroes sacrificed themselves and destroyed Chios, banishing him back to his home plane. The minotaurs were distraught and ashamed that they had failed Him, and pledged to train themselves just that much harder, so that the next time He needed them, they would not, could not, fail. Any minotaur who speaks the name of the Martyr immediately loses whatever status he had and becomes Unfit. In many cases, such blasphemers are instead executed on the spot.

Languages: Minotaurs speak Abyssal, the language of Chios. Minotaurs who live with other races learn their languages, but those who remain in isolation have no way of learning any but their own.

Minotaur names are taken from Greek.

[Black Plauge]

Thri-kreen (by Ragallach mac Cormac)

Strong warriors and fierce competitors, the Thri-kreen are a race of insect-like humanoids sometimes known as "mantis warriors". They are inscrutable, alien creatures; and those that do not know them think that they are monsters. They are a hardy folk that have established well defended holds in their inhospitable desert home.

Physical Description: A thri-kreen resembles a bipedal praying mantis. Its body's exoskeleton ranges in color from sandy yellow, through rocky brown, to an almost jade green tint. Of the body's six limbs, the lower two are used for walking, and the upper four end in four-fingered, claw-like hands.
Thri-kreen have large, dangerous mandibles and compound eyes. Two small antennae sprout from the top of their heads. They wear little clothing beyond simple harnesses for carrying weapons and equipment. Female thri-kreen can reach heights of six feet or taller, while males rarely reach heights over 5.5' tall. Female thri-kreen can weigh over two hundred and fifty pounds, but generally weigh anywhere from 140 to 200 pounds.
Male thri-kreen are significantly smaller and lighter, weighing only 100 to 170 pounds.

Personality: Thri-kreen females that are given permission to travel in other lands generally keep to themselves. Those that prove themselves worthy of respect (usually females that show aptitude in the combat arts) are thought of as family and will be defended to the death. Those that are unwilling or unable to test their body and mind through combat are met with contempt. Thri-kreen women are quick to interpret actions as an insult, and equally quick to issue challenges of combat to resolve those insults. It's best to be overly polite to a thri-kreen female.

Race Relations: Thri-kreen females view themselves as the pinnacle of all sentient races on Dünya. The only reason they haven't set forth to conquer the rest of the world, is that they have no desire to leave their desert. The kreen have established trading holds in a few select locations and outsiders are tolerated in these holds. Outside of these holds, outsiders are not welcome and if found they are often executed without question. The only exception to xenophobia are the Dromites. Dromites are thought by many Thri-kreen to be a 'cousin' race and as such are tolerated and in some cases actively protected. Since the Dromites have free reign on Thri-kreen lands, and most traders prefer to trade with the Dromites, the Dromites make good middlemen for the exchange of goods between the Kreen and the rest of the world. The only other race that kreen have semi-regular contact with are the Yuan-Ti. The Kreen find them to be as slimy and underhanded as the serpents they look like and take extra satisfaction in killing Yuan-Ti trespassers. The Yuan-Ti, for the most part, have no wish to battle the Kreen and try to stay away from them.

Alignment: Thri-kreen have a rigid social structure, a strong sense of personal honor, and an elaborate code of social behavior. They are almost always Orderly in alignment and often neutral with respects to good and evil.

Thri-Kreen Society: Thri-Kreen society is matriarchal in nature. Females lead the clans, own the holds, and are the mightiest warriors in the land. Males, on the other hand, have no rights and are kept around as laborers and for breeding stock. Through a selective breeding program, female Thri-kreen have grown larger and larger with each generation, while their male counterparts have become smaller. Male thri-kreen are not abused, and such behavior by a female Thri-kreen would bring swift punishment. Once a male Thri-kreen has outlived his mating years, he is killed by his mate and eaten by the other members of his family. Despite their hard lot in life, male thri-kreen go about their business with no complaint.
It is unheard of for a male Thri-kreen to run away from his duties or to flee his execution in his waning years.
Female Thri-kreen have a strict militaristic culture that focuses on all aspects of combat and war. From a young age, female thri-kreen are instructed in weapons training, hand to hand combat, grappling, tactics, and siege warfare. Although Thri-kreen holds look primitive, a trained eye will see that they are built on defensible positions, with architecture that favors the defenders, and a multitude of fall back points. Because they are so schooled in combat, and because they are quick to take offense to slights to their honor, full scale wars have broken out over petty arguments. To prevent this, strict rules of behavior are in place to prevent accidently insulting another Kreen.

Religion: Thri-kreen worship Kord (although they worship him as a Thri-kreen avatar).

Language: Thri-kreen speak Kreen (and males speak only Kreen). A favored second tongue for female Kreen is Dromite. The only reason to learn another language after these two is if working as a trader or an ambassador, or if approved to travel to other lands.

Adventurers: Adventuring is almost a given amongst female kreen. To move up the social ladder, one must prove one's martial prowess. The best way to do this is to go out into the Kreen lands and battle some of the monsters that live there. Very rarely, a female kreen is given permission to leave the Kreen lands and adventure in the wider world. This lucky kreen is expected to return and teach anything she learns in her travels.

Classes: The overwhelming majority of female Thri-kreen pursue a career as Fighters. Other popular choices are Monks, Rangers, Clerics (of Kord), Psychic Warriors and Druids. Classes that are unlikely, but possible: Paladins, Rogues, Sorcerers, Psions and Wizards. Since Thri-kreen history is an oral tradition, Bards have a respected place in Kreen society. Barbarians are almost unheard of in Kreen society.

[Black Plauge]

Ogre (by Reuban)

Personality: Most Ogre's have a personality as big as they are. Whatever individual traits they have tend to be toward the extremes. They rule over the central portion of the continent Mor-thir through this strength of personality. When the balanceing occured and the Ogre's size and strength was no longer thier biggest asset, they turned to using thier charisma and force of personality to get ahead of the other races, and each other. Ogre's tend to use strength and intimidation to get thier point accross. If need be they will resort to physical means to keep thier slaves in-line. The Ogre's are a brutal people to those who they enslave treating them as lesser beings. They do however treat others well, and even have a grudging respect for those who were once enslaved, and have since become free.

Society: Ogre society is based upon the owning of slaves. Not all ogre's are slave owners, but many are, and often ownership is a sign of prestige. Over the years many races including the kobolds, and goblins have rejected or thrown off the reigns of Ogre slavery. However, this is the culture that the Ogre's know, and they continue to pursue it, moving on to bend another race to thier will. Many of the races they have enslaved have since forgotten thier reign. The most recent race to throw off the mantle of Ogre control, the Gnoll's, bear a stong hatred for the Ogre's and what they have done to them. It has been some 300 küçüksene since the Gnoll's were enslaved, but they still bear hatred toward the Ogre's. Ogre's congregate in medium sized cities. The economy is driven by the ownership of slaves. Orc slaves run all manner of things in the Ogre's kingdom. Thier society is essentially slavery driven capitalism.

Physical Description: Ogre's stand anywhere from 8-10 feet tall. They weigh from 450-600 Lbs. Thier size and generally mean expression, along with thier hunchbacked walk help to make them intimidating to other races. Ogres tend to have dark hair that covers most of thier bodies, although many more succesful Ogre's shave everything below thier neck, as they are always wearing fine silks, and furs, and have no need of the hair.

Relations: While Ogre's have made some enemies over time, they have made amends with most of them. The only race that still openly hates Ogres for being Ogres are the Gnolls. Most other races have a severe distrust for Ogres, however they will still trade heartily with them, because of the inexpensive well made goods thier slavery system can provide.

Alignment: Ogre's tend to be more lawful in nature. They see thier regimented society as a way to keep order, and save other races from thier own devices. Ogre's run the scale from good to evil, as some Ogre's trully believe they are helping an enslaved race, by bringing them up from savage nomads, into productive workers. These Ogres make kind and fair slave holder. Some however know they are profiting unjustly from anothers work, and continue to beat, or intimidate the most out of thier slaves.

Ogre Lands: The Ogre's control a fertile portion of Mor-thir. They do extensive farming, along with some mining. The land is dotted with several cities with populations ranging from 500 to 10000.

Religion: The Ogre's believe in a large patheon of gods. There is no individual god that is worshiped more than others. Religion plays more of a background role, as long as slavery can be justified by the clerics.

Languages: Giant, Orc; Bonus: Gnoll, Draconic, Goblin

[Black Plauge]

Orc (by Reuban)

Personality: About 250 küçüksene ago, bands of Ogre's decended onto the lands of the orcs. Before this period Orcs were a savage warlike race. Making war all along their borders, and also amongst themselves. They were at the edge of what could be considered an intelligent being. Purely making war, for the sake of war. They were never a major threat to those around them, as the tribes were always unorganized, and often fought one another when one tribe looked to get ahead. The age of the Ogre changed all of this for the orcs. The Ogres came and systematically took over the tribes, destroying the leadership and bringing the orcs to heal through cunning and often brute force. The Ogre's began the creation of cities, and what has become known as the civilization of the orcs. Orcs are now a civilized, if cowed people. Over the years the physical skills have been brought out in the population by the Ogres, while the suppression of any education for the orcs has created an intelligence drain. The orcs have also been cowed by years of service to the Ogres and have lost much of their ideals of personal freedom.

Society: Orc society is one of slavery. Few orcs try to escape bondage, and fewer yet do so successfully. There is a small but growing Orc underground, helped and nourished by the Gnolls to the north. The orcs have banded together around the one thing not taken away from them, their religion. For the most part, many Orcs have accepted their lot, and live in contentment of their slavery. Some are frightened to be free, others yearn to be so, but are afraid of their Ogre captors. There are less than 100 free Orcs within the Orc lands. They have earned their freedom through work, and often it takes several generations of dedicated service by a particular family for one child to atain their freedom.

Many orcs are blind to their servitude. Since the beginning of the ogre suppression of education orcs have been used for manual labor in such workforces as construction or the lumber trade but they have not occupied directly over orc villages or cities. In fact, the orc homelands 'annexation' (as the ogres refer to the conquering of the orc homelands) has been poorly monitored by the ogres and corruption and decadence by the 'benevolent' leaders is rampant in this part of the country.

Orc ties to individual clandoms are only second to the ties to religion. The clans began, as according to legend, by the original thirteen orcs who were spawned by Gruumsh himself. The orcs (known as Gral, Ethak, Malak, Asgog, Gragor, Brogresh, Bruurk, Erart, Vruulo, Rak, Bik, Gridash, and Praarg) took up each spot of orc lands and then began to mate (conflicting reports say that the original orcs either mated with ogres or elves, depending on who is telling the legend) and spawn more orcs. Within time the clans were formed but inter-clan warfare prevented a unified orcish nation which in turn led to early subjugation by the ogres.

When the clans were taken over by the larger kingdom the king of the ogres at the time (Galbain the Mighty-Hunter) declared that the seven heads of the seven remaining clans (six of the clans were either wiped out, enslaved, or integrated with the other clans) should meet once yearly for something called the Champions Games. At the games a tournament was held with each of the clans mightiest warriors participating. Whomever won the tournament would get special 'over-privileges' within ogre society granted to his clan for one year. These privileges included more food, fortresses, and women all taken from the other clans.

The ogres organized the games for two reasons, firstly it would exterminate almost all the warriors of the orcs at once and the ogres would not have to participate and secondly it promoted competition within orc society that kept them distant and disorganized.


Physical Description: If anything Orcs have become bigger during their period of Slavery. Orcs average a little under 7 feet tall, and weight almost 300 lbs. Their fingers have also been elongated slightly to allow for better manipulation of tools. Only the heartiest Orcs have survived over time providing them with a good constitution.

Relations: Orcs are not officially allowed relations with other races. The few orcs outside of the Ogre kingdom tend to be easily frightened and distrustful of others. The orc underground has a growing relationship with the gnolls to the north that both sides are trying to increase.

Alignment: Orcs can be of any alignment. They tend to be weaker willed, and thus often follow the alignment of those around them.

Orc Lands: The Orcs own no lands of their own. They live upon the lands of the Ogres.

Religion: Orcs still believe strongly in Grummsh, but he has changed over the years. He has been changed (by Ogre influence) into the god who brought the Ogre saviors to the savage orcs. The orcs worship at least twice per hafta. Standing within the church, is an indicator of one's place within society. The few free orcs who have earned their freedom, often serve as the leaders of a given church.

Languages: Orc Bonus Languages: Gnoll, Giant

[Black Plauge]

Grimlocks (by My Fellow Gamers)

Personality: Grimlocks are a race of complete duality. They can be divided into the groups of the sages and the warriors. Grimlocks Sages are thirsty for new and old knowledge. They crave legends and stories. If they ever meet someone who knows more about a subject than they do, they will question them restlessly and learn as much as they can. Almost all learning for grimlocks is oratory and therefore they are patient, good listeners and public speaking is second nature for them. They always have a few apprentices with them that are studying under them to pass on their master's knowledge to the next generation. Grimlocks Warriors have a violent streak in them. They dot not have any patience and see intruders as a potential danger to be stopped at any costs. They fight first and usually have no remorse in killing any outsider they encounter. They are true masters of the art of killing quickly. They take no pleasure in this but for them, it is the only way their race will survive the brutal world of Dünya. They are pragmatists that understand brute force works wonders almost all the time. However, the general population of grimlocks mostly will keep to themselves if not disturbed and quietly go about their buisness. They have learned to trust some races a little at a time but the ones who do not travel outsides of grimlock lands are quite xenophobic in nature. They do enjoy the peace and quiet and it is one of the reason they have adapted to the opposite cycle of almost all the races as far as the seasons go.

Physical Description: Grimlocks are muscular humanoids with thick, gray, scaly skin and no visible eyes. They do posess eye sockets and all the proper muscle to move potential eyes but not eyes themselves. It is commonly known that Grimlocks consider this a curse from Io for choosing Pelor over him many büyüksenes ago. It is then that the division within the race appeared. While they are quite strong physically and able workers, living underground during the summer and outside during the winter has kept their bodies quite compact and sometimes difformed. They do not have pleasing appearances to the races who can see. Warts, scars, deformed ears and really bad dentition are just a few examples of their lack of grooming and physical unnattractiveness. They have quite large hands compared to other humadoid and some venture that is it because their sense of touch is more accute since the race lost their vision.

Relations: For most races of Dünya, Grimlocks are a necessary evil to endure for they are the keepers of history. The ones encountered outside of their native lands are almost exlusively sages. They have a habit of telling the same stories over and over again to get their point across. Most would be qualified as eccentric or borderline insane because of their stranges ways. They are quite annoying if you do not know anything about them and have dealings with them for an extended period of time. The positive side is that they have very broad knowledge that many races have all but forgotten over the büyüksenes. Many grimlocks consider themsleves the most educated in matters of Dünya's history and are proud of that role. They are also very trustworthy and reliable as courriers and diplomats. They are trusted in this role because most a bit naively believe that because they cannot see they make for poor spies. They also have a small but fierce tradition of very capable assasins. Even while lacking physical eyes, most grimlocks tend to have visions of apocaliptic events and grimlocks would never make fun of another grimlock's visions.

Alignment: Tend towards true neutral because of the role they play as historians and diplomats. Some tend towards neutral good just like Pelor and some tend towards neutral evil because of the hatred for Io and the curse they suffer. (see religion below)

Grimlock Lands: The major settlements of Grimlocks are on the mainland part of their territory. The numerous islands that are the rest of their lands are very varied. While most grimlocks favor the closed spaces of caves, some tribes live outside. It all depends on the religious view of the tribe. Grimlocks lands have had many minor religious wars in its recent history. Sages have been kept seperate from this conflict but both pro Pelor and anti-Pelor Warriors have fought in religious conflicts.

Religion:Religion: When the dragons where made into the wheel, the grimlocks starting favoring Pelor over Io. Io the creator didn't approve and instructed them to cease. The small races were not to worship the Sun god in the lands he did not rule over. They kept favoring Pelor even after this warning. Io took immideate action and took their eyesight away to teach the new races of Dünya a lesson. Since then, they are the keepers of history, they have very elaborate oral traditions and have been separated religiously in 3 groups. Some continued to love and revere Pelor as a god and ask him to lift the curse Io put on them. They long and hope for the return of the Sun god over their skies. They named this period "The longest Night" and hope for it to end and have their eyesight returned. Their places of worship are usually outside, in well maintained pretty open shrines or walls. Most temples of Pelor in grimlock lands do not have a roof in case the Sun god returns, they want to enjoy him right away.
A second group has turn to vengeance and evil ways and deal with the god of secrets and trickery in the hopes of getting back what they lost without divine intervention from Io. They are quite fanatic and willing to go to religious extremes to accomplish their stated goal. Their places of worship are usually undergroung in sometives very well hidden or simply secret locations.
Some simply abandoned their religious beliefs and have turned to the outside world looking for knowledge and peace from the religious schism in their homeland. Sages are most of the time from this last group.

Languages: Draconic and Grimlock; Bonus languages: Derro, Undercommon, and Gith

[Black Plauge]

Yuan-ti

Brainstorm ideas:
Abomination, half-blood, & pure-blood are differing stages of life
Add in a juvenile stage - semi-intelligent snake (stats as small or medium viper except with Int ~ 6)
When a yuan-ti sheds its form (moving from one stage to next) it sheds everything, including identity
Juvenile sheds to abomination, which sheds to half-blood, which sheds to pure-blood.
Caste system based on differing stages:
Warrior Caste - Abominations
? Caste - half-blood
Ruling Caste - pure-blood
Juveniles have no caste
Use incarnate and mindlink for some members of ruling caste (privilage or method of control?)

[Linklegacy77]

Dwarf (by Linklegacy77)

Personality: Dwarves are very untrusting of others. They are, in general, suspicious and suspecting of anyone they do not know. They are often convinced of the superiority of their ways and race, and thus often look down upon others. They are typically greedy, and hoarde their treasures and secrets. Very rarely do they allow anyone (and only those who have proven themselves) to share in their wealth. Dwarves are, however, above all, very loyal. When they make up their mind to further a goal, they do so however they can. Typically, their goals are to protect their own. Thus a dwarf usually puts others of it's own race before anything else. Dwarves have been known to be cruel toward others who are not in their good graces. They are very careful warriors, and fantastic craftsman, but wrathful of any who cross them. If you befriend a dwarf, you will have a powerful foe, but woe upon those who anger one. Even more dangerous, dwarves typically hold grudges for a very long time against their enemies, never forgetting. To anger a dwarf is to anger him for centuries, and if the anger is strong enough (which for a dwarf, it usually is), his close family and kin. Dwarves are famous for blood feuds.

Physical Description: Dwarves are typically about 4 feet tall, sometimes shorter, sometimes taller, but never by much. They are very compact and tough, often as heavy if not heavier than humans. The men are usually about the same as women, but edge on the side of being larger. Their skin is usually a dark gray or tan, sometimes brown. Their eyes are black as coals, without exception. They typically have dark colored hair, although it is not unheard of to find a dwarf with a light red or blond hair. The men highly value their beards, and groom and take fantastic care of them. They are considered adults at the age of 60, and typically live to be about 500. Their faces are very angular and sharp, and they usually have excessively large noses. Their ears are also slightly oversized proportionally. Overall, very few races would consider a dwarf attractive.

Relations: Dwarves do not get along well with any race whatsoever. They are avaricious, rude, and superior. Some consider it a result of their short stature, they prefer it that way. Dwarves allow nobody access to their halls unless it benefits them greatly. A typical dwarf has few friends other than his kin, and even then relations can be stressed. Dwarves hate Dromites, more than any other race. The two races often clash, as they vie for resources. Other races typically dislike dwarves as well. Dwarves usually get along best with enterprising humans, who can agree with a Dwarves view on wealth. Dwarves detest elves in general, and all other races who care for beauty or appearances. In a dwarf's mind, why take form over function? The only time dwarves have relations with other races in general is to trade. They make some of the finest weapons and armor (and other goods) to be found anywhere, but they need someone to sell them too.

Alignment: Usually lawful evil. Dwarves always uphold their end of a bargain, and take great pride in themselves and their rules. However, they will stoop to almost any level to make a profit or to strike back at some perceived wrong.

Religion: Dwarves worship their deity Moradin, the soul forger. They often study the art of incarnum, the use of soul-magic, in order to follow in the footsteps of their god. After all, Moradin created the dwarves and gave them souls so that he could have a race of his own, so the least the dwarves can do is pay him respect by focusing on the gifts they were given.

Dwarf Lands: Dwarves rule entire chains of mountains and part of the underground. There they mine the earth for minerals and riches for themselves. Very few non-dwarves are allowed to enter these lands, and those who do without permission are hunted down and killed. The dwarves guard their lands jealously and carefully. Only a dwarf of the clan may bring someone in, and must immediately bring them before the head of the clan, or they are killed.

Languages: Dwarves speak Dwarven and Human. Dwarves guard their own language well and teach it to no-one. It is for their tongues only, no other race deserves to be able to speak it. They also learn to speak the language of humans, the race they most often do business with.

Dwarven Adventurers: Dwarves typically study incarnum, in all it's forms, in order to become closer to their god. They are most likely to become Soulborn or Incarnates, but rarely totemists. Dwarves view the study of incarnum as the superior art, and distrust psionics. Some dwarves study the martial disciplines, but they are usually relegated to soldiers or mercenaries, and rarely advance to any rank in dwarven society. Of those dwarves who do not study Incarnum, they are most likely to become fighters or rogues. Dwarves are famous for stopping at nothing to gain treasure.