Animaloid Races
Apiodeans
Also known as beefolk, the apoideans were created by the god Artist. They are social folk fiercely protective of the city states in which they live. They are ruled by a queen, who wields magical ability to protect the interests of her subjects. Young apoideans undergo a rite of passage known as the Bumblerun during which they must survive outside their city for two weeks and return having completed a noteable action of valour or benefit to others. If their actions are deemed worthy, they become full subjects of the city and are seen as adults.
Beefolk brew a variety of magical brews from their honey, that can accelerate healing, or give a temporary boost to strength or other attributes. They also perform a magical dance, known as the Waggledance, either singly or in larger groups, when it has increased potency.
The apoideans have the power of flight, and can wield weapons with each of their limbs if sufficiently well trained. Their large eyes are set at the corners of their heads giving them a near 360 degree visual field. This means their highest warriors are truly formidable in battle, raining blows down from above with multiple weapons simultaneously, while being almost impossible to sneak up on.
Anthribida
One of two beetle derived races created by the god Artist. The original beetle folk were deemed ugly and awkward by Artist who wished to destroy them all. A few were spared by Weaver and moved to a separate plane where they remained until the time of Isle of Echoes. The countless milenia of isolation saw them split into two distinct races of which the Anthribida are one.
They have tough exoskeletons and strong mandibles making them dangerous opponents when riled. Their shamans perform rituals that access magical abilities including far-seeing, cloaking of their brethren among others. Some among them specialise as warriors, scribes or cartographers, though most have no specialty.
They are generally a peaceful race, except with regard to their cousins the Curculiona, for whom they hold a bitter hatred. They are able to walk on two legs, though for all but short distances, they run on all six legs. In battle they will rear up to wield weapons with their forelimbs.
Curculiona
The Curculiona, or greater beetles are larger than the Anthribida and have retained the power of flight. They speak no recognisable language and communicate between themselves by gesture, scent, and a primitive form of telepathy that allows a general understanding of an objective among a swarm of them. They are voracious in their appetite, and will eat any living material they find, including the bodies of those who fall in battle. They use no magic and have never learned to read, write or count. This lack of learning means they use no tactics in battle beyond a rush to tear their enemies apart.
Like the Anthribida they have natural body armour, though their gossamer wings are easily damaged.
Tegenaria
The Tegenaria are the commoner of the two spider races created by the goddess Weaver, and are considered the improved version by her. They spin webs in complex patterns that can hold magical enchantments. They use a variety of types of venom which can paralyse or kill, among other effects. They are highly territorial but have never sought to conquer other races. Their communities tend to avoid the humanoid races, but have been known to trade with the Fey.
Formicans
Also known as the antfolk or just Ants, the formicans were created by the goddess Hunter, and are based on the insects, ants. They have six legs, natural body armour, and powerful mandibles they wield like twin swords in battle. Fast and strong, they are dangerous opponents. They communicate through a language of clicks, augmented by scents. They are able to learn some words in other languages, though never become fluent.
They live in large underground cities of thousands of individuals, ruled by a queen. They are aggressive and hold territories which they expand where nothing prevents their doing so. They will take slaves from the communities of other races they overrun, and compel their slaves to serve them in their underground cities. Queens can live for many decades and the oldest gain limited magical ability, typically the ability to compel others to their will. they use this ability to direct their minions better in battle.
Their legends tell of a time known as The Swarming when Formicans from across the mortal realm will unite into a single army that will conquer the world.
Pegasi
Pegasi were created by the god Air, and are of course based on terrestrial horses. The fact that pegasi do not speak has caused many to think of them as no more intelligent than horses. This is not true, and pegasi quickly learn to understand the speech of humans and other mortals. They communicate telepathically, and do so with members of other races who also achieve that ability.
They are content to live alongside humans and other races and will tolerate riders. Their flight is a magical ability, and thus their flight muscles are diminutive compared to other flying creatures of similar body size. They are generally peace loving, but their ability to strike from above with their hooves makes them dangerous when riled.
The air mages at the school of air magic in Loft have long dispatched pegasi to recover the bodies of fallen air magi, and return them to the school for burial.
Shape Shifters
These races have the ability to shift form at will, though they vary in how much they use this ability.
Centaurs
Centaurs prefer their half horse / half human form, since they look down on both horses and humans. They can communicate with horses, and treat them poorly. They regard humans as too weak and slow to be useful. They are aggressive, a trait given to them by the god Warrior, who made them. Most adopt a superior attitude towards other races, which makes them unpopular in many places. They do not use magic directly, but cover themselves with tattoos which can offer some resistance to elemental magics, depending on their design. They have a loathing of dragonkin of all kinds, and have set themselves the task of ridding the world of all dragons.
Ichthyi
Ichthyi are merfolk who can take full human form to come out of the water. They must fully immerse themselves in water every day or they will resume their half fish / half human form. Even in human form they can breathe underwater. They are abrupt in their speech which can be interpreted as them being rude, even when that is not their intent. They prefer to live in salt water, though settlements in larger bodies of freshwater are not unknown. Some among them have magical ability, with water and metal the most common. Such individuals are typically held in high esteem, and often rise to leadership positions in their community.
Kat
Created by the goddess Hunter, Kat live for the hunt. They have excellent vision in low light levels, and most have a strong sense of direction, being able to navigate mazes or the streets of cities with ease. They can shift between human and great cat forms but among themselves generally take their feline form. Most remain in their small village communities their whole lives, but a few find themselves in the cities of other races where they are valued as trackers, bounty hunters, even assassins, though a few resort to thievery to sustain themselves. Fast and agile, they are dangerous opponents.
Humanoid
Odytes
The Odytes avoid all strong light sources on account of their highly sensitive eyes. For this reason they prefer to live below ground, venturing to the surface only at night. Rock magic is common among them, air, lightning and wood magics are rare. They are mistrustful of humans who they regard as selfish and arrogant. They generally take a long view of events, such that they are disinclined to involve themselves with the struggles of the day unless they perceive existential threat to themselves or the mortal plane. Their records are considerable, dating back thousands of years, and are shared between communities and cities as a resource for the common good.
Fey
The fey are short lived folk, with adulthood arriving around age seven and forty being considered ancient. Their males are large, and have skin with texture not unlike tree bark. The largest of them have been mistaken for wood giants on account of this. Their females are slender, green skinned, and have excellent skill with bows despite living in dense forests and jungles where others find ranged weapons are blocked by the undergrowth. They have a high frequency of wood magic in both sexes. They are seldom seen by humans and do not venture onto cleared land unless forced to do so. They practice no agriculture, instead living on the resources of their forest homes.
Giants
Giants were once the dominant races of the mortal plane, but their slow reproduction has seen them so outnumbered by smaller races who fear them for their prodigious strength. They are generally peaceful and prefer to avoid conflict. They delight in children, having so few of their own. They are divided into elemental varieties – wood, stone, fire, metal. Some legends refer to air giants who travel in swirling columns of fierce winds causing great destruction, though scholars believe those references are in fact descriptions not of living beings, but tornados.
Dragonkin
All dragonkin except dragonets are immortal. All are intensely magical, fly well, and are considered to be the children of the Elder God Beanleheirballscalai the Dragon Queen, who sacrificed herself at the end of the war between demons and gods, to seal the demon prison for all time. She created the first dozen great wyrms from scales she plucked from her wings, others hatched from her eggs. All have innate healing ability, meaning they recover fully from all but the most serious wounds given time.
Great Wyrms
These enormous beings are immensely powerful, rivalling some of the lesser gods in their raw magical ability to shape the world to their will. Most have retired from the mortal realm to another plane where they sleep while awaiting the call to action to defend against any threat of demon resurgence. The last of them in the mortal realm is Tarkuin, after whom the northern half of the continent of Sondlhu was renamed when he went into hiding there, throwing up the rift range of volcanic mountains. Myths of a great treasure hoard beneath the sleeping dragon have drawn adventurers for millennia; none have found riches or the dragon. Their magic is pre-elemental, reflecting the fact they hatched before the elemental gods came into being.
Drakes
The drakes are large, lizard-like beings that can reach sixty feet in length. They wield a weakened form of the magic of the great wyrms but are powerful in one elementary magic, which most use in preference. Their natures are as varied as any other mortal race, which is to say there are heroes and villains among them. They are solitary, seeking their own kind only to mate after which they share nest-sitting duties until the hatchlings are able to fend for themselves. Those who have alignment to blood magic are known as basilisks or black drakes. They have the ability to transform their blood into deadly poison at the time of their death, which has caught out many unwise enough to hunt drakes for their blood or scales.
Wyverns
These dragons also show elemental alignments, but are less skilled in magical arts than their larger relatives. They still possess near impenetrable armour of scales, sword like claws and teeth. They grow up to twenty feet in length, and have been seen in groups of up to fifty individuals. Like drakes and wyrms their blood has healing properties, and has been sought for remedies to a vast array of ailments.
Dragonets
These tiny dragons seldom grow larger than a few inches in length. Fire and lightning dragonets are by far the commonest, giving rise to the name ‘sparks’ being often used for them. In some cities, rich humans keep them as pets to use as fire lighters in their homes. They are playful and enjoy pranks of all kinds, including burning precious items. Though not immortal like the larger dragonkin, they have millennial lifespans unless they are overfed, in which case they have been known to explode from gluttony.
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