Post by Sedaia on Jul 29, 2005 21:45:22 GMT -5
There are many races in Faethaven. People of all shapes and sizes wander in from the wild wastes, amazed to find a city, and overjoyed at finding such a beauteous valley.
The first of course, are humans. Humans are no more common than any other race. Humans, it is said, are the original peoples of the world, who existed before the mutations wrought by wild magic and before the Cataclysm destroyed the old civilization. Humans often have innate magical talents, though they cannot cast spells as such. Human magic is more like a wild talent. They are the only race uncontaminated or unchanged by the fall of civilization and the Cataclysm. Humans would be more likely than magic warped peoples to have relics from the old world such as minor guns, or other rudimentary technological devices.
Dwarves and Gnomes were the peoples who were driven underground by the Cataclysm. They fled into caverns or pre made tunnels in order to survive the fall of civilization.
Dwarves generally included people who ran en-masse for their lives. Underground they banded together, managing somehow to survive in a cramped and lightless world. The abrupt change coupled by the amount of magic released into the world at the time accelerated their evolutionary process, and these people became slightly shorter, and slightly broader. Digging out caverns in the darkness made them more muscular, and their eyes adapted. They lived always awaiting a day when they felt it safe to return to the surface. A few generations passed. While underground, the dwarves made discoveries about magic existing in the stones and gems of the underground world. They found that by using different earthly components they could create magical spells. Slowly over time they trickled out of the darkness of the deeps to find the world above a shattered desert. Though a few fled back underground some stayed above to search out life on the surface.
Gnomes generally included people who had prepared for the cataclysm, or at the very least fled with belongings. They were panicked that the history and glory of the old world would be lost, and they painstakingly preserved many technologies that would have been destroyed. They, like the dwarves, shrunk over the years. They are shorter and less broad than dwarves however, and since they remained closer to the surface than the dwarves their eyesight did not change as dramatically. Despite the gnomish hording of technology, over the many years since the cataclysm, they forgot how to use most of it. Furthermore, when they returned to the surface they were only able to bring things that they could carry. Things that were not essential to survival were often discarded as the gnomes trekked across the desert that the world had become. Despite this, gnomes are still the most likely race to have a significant technology, AND know perfectly how it works. They do not have magic, but they are amazing craftsmen, engineers, historians and all round old world scholars.
Also in faethaven, are the races that were mutated by wild magic before or during the cataclysm. They are sometimes known as half-breeds, or more politely as the fair folk. This category includes a wide range of races.
The elves were only slightly mutated by the wild magic. They have pointed ears and fair, angular faces. They are known to be graceful, and are considered beautiful to some eyes. They wildly vary in height; usually, they are either taller or shorter than what would be considered average in a human.
Fairies are very much like elves, except in the fact that they have butterfly-like wings on their backs, and are around the same size as humans. They are adequate flyers, and though their wings appear delicate they are not. Fairies are often very fast, and have more potential for magic than elves.
Sprites are a small people that vaguely take after insects. They sometimes grow to a bit over four feet. They have wings like the fairies, and their faces are even more angular than their taller cousins, almost appearing sharp. They are very maneuverable creatures in the air, zipping around like humming birds as opposed to the fairies wafting glide. Their wings are very soft, like paper, and are not hard to injure. They may or may not have more bug like traits, but extreme deformities are rare.
Dryads are a tall, thin, graceful people who take after and enjoy communion with the plants. Some can actually talk to trees and other foliage. They can be male or female, and their appearance changes with the seasons. Their skin is darker in the summer, and snow pale in the winter- and not just because of the sun.
In the winter their hair is almost universally white or gray. In the spring, it slowly morphs, often through a range of colors until settling upon its summer hue. In summer a Dryads hair is usually green, but brown, red or yellow-blondes aren't uncommon. In fall their hair usually turns red, yellow, or a leafy brown, before becoming white again. Dryads aren't afraid of cities, but most of them prefer the green woods around Faethaven.
Satyrs are generally human height, but the females may be significantly shorter. These are people who were warped to have goat like traits. Their upper torsos are human, but skin fades into fur below the belt line. The legs are hooved and furry, and satyrs have tails. They have entirely human heads except for the horns protruding from their hairlines. In some satyrs these horns grow long enough to be dangerous, and in others they are just small stubs. They can have any color of fur that a person can have hair.
Centaurs are half horses. They appear to be horses down to the tails, the fur, and the four-hooved legs on the ground until reach where the horse's neck should be. A human's upper torso, arms and head extend from this point upright. They are very tall, both males and females standing generally a few feet higher than humans. They can have any color or pattern of fur that a horse can, and their hair usually mimics that color.
The Winged appear human to every detail, except perhaps in the fact that they may have broader shoulders. They do not have pointed ears like the elves, fairies and sprites, but they do have wings. Winged's wings are bird like rather than insect like, and obviously to match that, they do not drift like fairies or hover like sprites, but fly in the same way as would a bird.
There are also many true half-breed races whose appearances match other animals or creatures of the forest. Some other these are truly warped retaining few of their human feature but still remaining intelligent, and others are only slightly warped. A half-breed snake might be entirely human but for scaled skin, strange eyes and a lack of hair... or they might be serpents from the chest down. A half-breed cat might simply have slit eyes, a bit of fur, a tail and a cat's grace, or may even go so far as to be entirely cattish yet walking upright with opposable thumbs and vocal chords.
Those are all of the races that once were human but found themselves warped by wild magic during or shortly before the Cataclysm. These races might have wild magic in the same manner as the humans, or they may have sorcery, that manifests in the form of spells, magical ritual or chant.
List:
Humans
Dwarves
Gnomes
Elves
Fairies
Sprites
Dryads
Satyrs
Centaurs
Winged
Half-breeds
The first of course, are humans. Humans are no more common than any other race. Humans, it is said, are the original peoples of the world, who existed before the mutations wrought by wild magic and before the Cataclysm destroyed the old civilization. Humans often have innate magical talents, though they cannot cast spells as such. Human magic is more like a wild talent. They are the only race uncontaminated or unchanged by the fall of civilization and the Cataclysm. Humans would be more likely than magic warped peoples to have relics from the old world such as minor guns, or other rudimentary technological devices.
Dwarves and Gnomes were the peoples who were driven underground by the Cataclysm. They fled into caverns or pre made tunnels in order to survive the fall of civilization.
Dwarves generally included people who ran en-masse for their lives. Underground they banded together, managing somehow to survive in a cramped and lightless world. The abrupt change coupled by the amount of magic released into the world at the time accelerated their evolutionary process, and these people became slightly shorter, and slightly broader. Digging out caverns in the darkness made them more muscular, and their eyes adapted. They lived always awaiting a day when they felt it safe to return to the surface. A few generations passed. While underground, the dwarves made discoveries about magic existing in the stones and gems of the underground world. They found that by using different earthly components they could create magical spells. Slowly over time they trickled out of the darkness of the deeps to find the world above a shattered desert. Though a few fled back underground some stayed above to search out life on the surface.
Gnomes generally included people who had prepared for the cataclysm, or at the very least fled with belongings. They were panicked that the history and glory of the old world would be lost, and they painstakingly preserved many technologies that would have been destroyed. They, like the dwarves, shrunk over the years. They are shorter and less broad than dwarves however, and since they remained closer to the surface than the dwarves their eyesight did not change as dramatically. Despite the gnomish hording of technology, over the many years since the cataclysm, they forgot how to use most of it. Furthermore, when they returned to the surface they were only able to bring things that they could carry. Things that were not essential to survival were often discarded as the gnomes trekked across the desert that the world had become. Despite this, gnomes are still the most likely race to have a significant technology, AND know perfectly how it works. They do not have magic, but they are amazing craftsmen, engineers, historians and all round old world scholars.
Also in faethaven, are the races that were mutated by wild magic before or during the cataclysm. They are sometimes known as half-breeds, or more politely as the fair folk. This category includes a wide range of races.
The elves were only slightly mutated by the wild magic. They have pointed ears and fair, angular faces. They are known to be graceful, and are considered beautiful to some eyes. They wildly vary in height; usually, they are either taller or shorter than what would be considered average in a human.
Fairies are very much like elves, except in the fact that they have butterfly-like wings on their backs, and are around the same size as humans. They are adequate flyers, and though their wings appear delicate they are not. Fairies are often very fast, and have more potential for magic than elves.
Sprites are a small people that vaguely take after insects. They sometimes grow to a bit over four feet. They have wings like the fairies, and their faces are even more angular than their taller cousins, almost appearing sharp. They are very maneuverable creatures in the air, zipping around like humming birds as opposed to the fairies wafting glide. Their wings are very soft, like paper, and are not hard to injure. They may or may not have more bug like traits, but extreme deformities are rare.
Dryads are a tall, thin, graceful people who take after and enjoy communion with the plants. Some can actually talk to trees and other foliage. They can be male or female, and their appearance changes with the seasons. Their skin is darker in the summer, and snow pale in the winter- and not just because of the sun.
In the winter their hair is almost universally white or gray. In the spring, it slowly morphs, often through a range of colors until settling upon its summer hue. In summer a Dryads hair is usually green, but brown, red or yellow-blondes aren't uncommon. In fall their hair usually turns red, yellow, or a leafy brown, before becoming white again. Dryads aren't afraid of cities, but most of them prefer the green woods around Faethaven.
Satyrs are generally human height, but the females may be significantly shorter. These are people who were warped to have goat like traits. Their upper torsos are human, but skin fades into fur below the belt line. The legs are hooved and furry, and satyrs have tails. They have entirely human heads except for the horns protruding from their hairlines. In some satyrs these horns grow long enough to be dangerous, and in others they are just small stubs. They can have any color of fur that a person can have hair.
Centaurs are half horses. They appear to be horses down to the tails, the fur, and the four-hooved legs on the ground until reach where the horse's neck should be. A human's upper torso, arms and head extend from this point upright. They are very tall, both males and females standing generally a few feet higher than humans. They can have any color or pattern of fur that a horse can, and their hair usually mimics that color.
The Winged appear human to every detail, except perhaps in the fact that they may have broader shoulders. They do not have pointed ears like the elves, fairies and sprites, but they do have wings. Winged's wings are bird like rather than insect like, and obviously to match that, they do not drift like fairies or hover like sprites, but fly in the same way as would a bird.
There are also many true half-breed races whose appearances match other animals or creatures of the forest. Some other these are truly warped retaining few of their human feature but still remaining intelligent, and others are only slightly warped. A half-breed snake might be entirely human but for scaled skin, strange eyes and a lack of hair... or they might be serpents from the chest down. A half-breed cat might simply have slit eyes, a bit of fur, a tail and a cat's grace, or may even go so far as to be entirely cattish yet walking upright with opposable thumbs and vocal chords.
Those are all of the races that once were human but found themselves warped by wild magic during or shortly before the Cataclysm. These races might have wild magic in the same manner as the humans, or they may have sorcery, that manifests in the form of spells, magical ritual or chant.
List:
Humans
Dwarves
Gnomes
Elves
Fairies
Sprites
Dryads
Satyrs
Centaurs
Winged
Half-breeds
