Races of the Seven Kingdoms

Here is another post, copied over from my LJ from a ways back.  Some of this will change as we approach the final version (or versions, as it is starting to really split into two distinct settings).  But, these are at least thoughts.

I’m considering the races in two separate ways. First, there is accounting for the standard D&D tropes in my races. Second, how I would do it without D&D.

With D&D:

Humans are the predominant intelligent species. They breed quickly, adapt well, and organize well. Each of the Seven Kingdoms is ruled by a human.

Elves are present in the campaign setting. However, they are not a playable race (at least, not until a few of their secrets become known to the players through other means). Half-elves do not exist, and are not physically possible. The elves came in on great golden winged ships from mysterious lands over the western ocean. They have always been relatively peaceful, despite being obviously skilled at both sword and sorcery. They claim to be refugees from a homeland, devastated and conquered by terrifying foes (foes which seem to get more improbable the more the stories spread). There are numerous sub-races of elves, including drow, but, so far as anyone knows, the differences are purely cosmetic.

Halflings exist, but not quite in the way typically described. They are called halflings, not because they are half the size of a human (though many are), but because they are half-human, and half-fey. They have inherited gifts from their faerie halves (i.e., many are sorcerors), but, like the faerie, they are rarely able to shape magic with more knowledge (i.e., few are wizards). Even among their own kind, societies any larger than a family unit rarely last for long.

The Wild Ones (feral halflings) are, perhaps, most similar to the native tribes of the Amazon. They live simply, taking only what they need from nature. However, don’t mistake them for simple people. They are clever, artistic, and vicious. And, yes, the rumors of them being cannibals is true. But, unlike the more lurid tales, it is not a blood-soaked orgy. Rather, it is a ceremony in which the essence of the worthy (either respected elders or honored enemies) is taken back into the tribe through eating a small piece of flesh.

The Motley Folk (gypsy halflings) are, indeed, much like the tales of the Romany (more like the tales than the reality, to be honest). They are traders and entertainers, living in large, constantly moving caravans. They are frequently accused of theft, but they are really no more larcenous than any other group.

The Wave Riders (sailor halflings) are a curious, reclusive crew. Among themselves, they are known to be raucously active. But, among strangers, they quickly grow quiet and suspicious. They also have a very special bond with their ship. A halfling can be born, grow to adulthood, raise a family, and die, without ever leaving the ship (or, at least, not leaving the docks where the ship loads and unloads). They are perfectly at home rocking with the motion of the deck, or clambering through the rigging. Some halflings claim that they can actually speak with the ship, and that it has a mind of its own. It is unknown whether they have a particular sea magic that makes this possible, or if they are simply being poetic. It is known, however, that no merely human crew can keep up with a halfling vessel.

The dwarves live underground, deep in the caves. They are natural miners, smiths, and jewelers. They mostly like to leave humans alone, and be left alone in turn. However, tribes of goblin-kin making homes in the upper mines have made that impossible in recent decades. Apparently, there is also some shortage of resources going on underground, that is forcing a number of younger dwarves to the surface to pursue their fortunes. The dwarves are very tight-lipped about just what is in shortage.

Dwarves and humans are not cross-fertile. That means that, without divine intervention, it is impossible to produce a half-dwarf (or, for that matter, a half-gnome).

Gnomes are to dwarves what halflings are to humans. That is, they are half-dwarf, half fey. Similar to halflings, they have a real knack for the sorcery and illusion that is the hallmark of faerie magic. However, because of their dwarven blood, they also have a real knack for alchemy and mechanics. As such, they tend to become tinkerers, with a boundless curiosity and a peculiar lack of concern for their own well-being. More than one gnome has been found slumped over at his workbench, having passed out from thirst, simply by forgetting to get up and get water.

Orcs, goblins, hobgoblins, and the like are really all essentially the same creatures. “Orc,” indeed, is simply a Draconic word meaning “broken.” These are descendants of the soldiers bred by the merlanes, by combining human stock with various animals. The standard orc was crossed with wild boar. Goblins were crossed with rats. Gnolls were crossed with dogs. Et cetera. However, they have all proven to be cross-fertile with each other, which means that many of them have lost most of their distinctive animal traits. Unfortunately, the merlanes were terribly short-sighted. When organized and controlled by a strong leader, the orcs make a formidable army. However, during peacetime, they have few redeeming qualities, or constructive contributions to society. In the best case scenario, they retreat to the wild places, and return to a hunter-gatherer society. More commonly, they lurk about the edges of human society, as bandits, mercenaries, and thugs. In the worst case scenario, an ambitious warlord can fuse a number of units together, and go on a conquering spree. These are invariably tremendously destructive, and mercifully short-lived (ambitious warlords rarely make good administrators).

Half-orcs do exist. These poor creatures are most often the result of a rape of a human woman. It is extremely rare for them to grow up in any kind of family unit, let alone a safe and loving one. They are seen as brutish monsters by human society, no better than any other orc. But, among the “might makes right” structure of orcish society, they are also frequently at the mercy of their stronger cousins. Some find tribes of smaller orc-kin, such as goblins or kobolds, that they can dominate. Most turn to lives of crime and banditry. A rare few find ways to conceal their orcish heritage, and manage to make do in human society.

There are hosts of other races, hidden in pockets around the Seven Kingdoms. Most of these are the results of various merlane cross-breeds with humans. This includes centaurs and wemics, yuan-ti and aarocokraa, blink dogs and displacer beasts, and even the beholders, created to be mage-killers.

Finally, there are the fey. Faeries come in a dizzying array of shapes, sizes, and personalities. Numerous scholars have attempted to catalog and understand them, only to be frustrated and awed at their near-infinite variety. The faeries themselves simply laugh at the scholars, as we might laugh at a child trying to earnestly count

This entry was posted on 21. February 2009 at 10:50 and is filed under 7 Kingdoms, Gaming. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.