CE: Races

Herein contained, the races inhabiting our beloved Lands of Edarin.

Races

I. Centaur
II. Dracon
III. Dwarf
IV. Elf, Albian
V. Elf, Nymandine
VI. Elf, Zhoan
VII.Fey
VIII. Human
IX. Pomira
X. Romari

Sub-Races

I. Deus
II. Psyon
III. Shoar
IV. Vampyre

Races

Centaur

Life Expectancy: 500 years

Homeland: Garumeth

Physical description: This quadruped race is half-man, half horse. Their upper torso is humanoid, but with the gently sloped ear of a Zhoan elf. Muscular and athletic, hair ranges in many shades, as pale as snow white, or as dark as ink black, and usually matches the fur color of their lower torso. Skin tends towards a bronzed tan and eyes are most commonly in the range of greens--though blue and brown are also fairly common. Height is rarely below 7 feet or above 9 feet.

Strengths: Speed and a good sense of smell are this race's primary advantages. They're strong, typically, but no match for the strength of a dracon or dwarf. Perhaps this race's greatest advantage is sheer determination. If a centaur tells you he's going to do something, come hell or high water, he's damn well going to see the task through to the end. Centaurs excel as artisans--for a leatherworker or blacksmith you'll find no race more skilled.

Weaknesses: Centaurs are highly claustrophobic. They hate closed in spaces, even more so if they're in the dark. Vision, while not categorically bad, is sub-par in comparison to other races--they can't see colors but view the world in shades of gray. Their large, equine bodies make them ill-suited for traveling through the mountains, and most will only do so if a cleared trail is available.

Culture: Women wear the pants in a centaur family. This matriarchal society is ruled by a Queen with her King at her side serving as an assistant and advisor. Whether this is the reason for the centaur love of beauty and creation cannot truly be determined, but the fact remains that nearly all artisans are artists or craftsmen.

More than the deities, a centaur tends to worship the changing of the seasons and celebrate the coming of one and the going of another four times a year. Of these four celebrations-Yuletide(winter), Eventide(summer), Arintide(autumn), and Soventide(spring)-the Eventide celebration is considered the most important and lasts a full ten days and nights. An adventuring centaur will go to great ends to be in Garumeth for the Eventide celebration if they think it might be possible to make it. Centaurs DO worship the gods, but do so on the terms of their impact on the natural world. They feel that they are tied to the land and prefer to disrupt the natural order as little as possible.

Dracon

Life Expectancy: 300 Years

Homeland: Xsenzar

Physical Description: Draconic and bipedal, these lizard-men have thick leathery wings designed for gliding rather than flight. Their serpentine scales can be of any color in the visible spectrum. They walk on the balls of their feet and have claws rather than nails. Many possess protrusions of bone shaped like spikes from parts of their body—most commonly elbows, shoulders, spine, or the end of the tail, though head spikes are not unheard of. Dracons are hairless, broad-shouldered and muscular, with slit pupils. Eye color ranges from reds and oranges to a nearly metallic gold. The average height of these half-dragons is 7-10 feet.

Strengths: The most physically strong of Edarin’s faces, what Dracon’s lack in grace they make up for in brute force. They are also capable of human transformation once in any 24 hour period for a time not to exceed three hours. Though a good disguise, as most other races see the isolationist Dracon as more beast than man, it won’t stand up to close inspection. Used to carrying heavy wings on their back, even in human form Dracon tend to slouch their shoulders forward slightly, and their slit pupils will always give them away.

Weaknesses: Stubborn and prideful, Dracon tend to have superiority complex, seeing all non-dracon, or dracon of a lower rank, as inferior to themselves. They also have a completely irrational fear of horses, making business with centaurs rather difficult, and their overly bulky build makes them unable to swim. Weapons and armor need to be specially made and can prove rather expensive.

Culture: Dracon society is divided up into a caste system with the Council of elders on top, and the low-ranking soldier class at the bottom—literally. The island nation of Xsenzar, built upon a stone walkway, places the lowest ranking classes on the lower walks, closer to sea level and the most important members of society on higher walkways, less likely to become flooded during bad storms.

The highest of the castes is the governmental council and their immediate families. This council, known as the Council of Elders, makes all final legal decisions and tries criminals.

Below them, the Xsenuei, or bridge-builders, who keep the stone walkway in good repair reside. As this class is highly important in keeping the island nation of Xsenzar afloat, lest their entire nation crash into the sea for neglect, the Xsenuei are highly praised as the backbone of Dracon society. On the third tier, the Iragi class, or mercantile and artisan class, reside and work, and on the lowest level of Xsenzar, the fourth tier, rest military barracks and the soldier class, or Mitze, whose main purpose is to oversee traders and guard the island from foreigners. Since this nation spent thousands of years in near complete isolation, Xsenzar is a mostly peaceable nation with little other purpose for soldiers, though all Dracon respect strength above most anything else. While it is possible for a Dracon to increase their rank within their class by virtue and hard work, they are not able to change their basic class. (i.e.: a foot soldier can become a general with much training and dedication, but will never be able to ascend to another social tear and become a blacksmith.) The job of Councilor is handed down via family lines to whichsoever child of that Councilor is voted into the position. Other children are given jobs based on merit as advisors and aides.

Dracon feel they are superior to all other races, and while they do engage in trade with humans from Tirane, the Dracons of Xsenzar will oftentimes go to ridiculous extremes to assure that these humans never travel deeper into Xsenzar that the Iragi tier and will keep them at port for their entire stay if at all possible. Since traveling Dracon are also rather hesitant to talk about the sociopolitical structure of their homeland to non-dracon, this leaves the inner workings of Xsenzar a great mystery to most of the peoples of Edarin.

Dwarf

Life expectancy: 1500 years

Homeland: Cyrra, Auregon, Nohra Mountains

Physical Description: Short and stocky, the average dwarf ranges from 3-4 feet in height. Their build is broad and steady and most (though not all) wear long, thick beards. Facial hair is not uncommon even among the females of this mountain-dwelling race. Dwarves tend to have small brown or black eyes, though on a rare occasion a blue-eyed dwarf can be found. For the Southern Dwarves of Auregon and Cyrra hair is usually auburn, red, or brown, while the Northern Dwarves of the Nohra mountains--a much smaller group--have blonde of light brown hair with only the occasional dwarven red. A dwarf's hands are thickly calloused from hard work in the mines. Their complexion tends to be ruddy, their features squared off, giving them a rugged appearance.

Strengths: With physical strength second only to the Dracon, dwarves are famous for their steadfast endurance. They have a natural resistance to magic and can see well in even the darkest places. They are not quick to succumb to fear and are durable enough to tolerate most climates. Dwarves have a high tolerance for alcohol.

Weaknesses: Too short to mount a horse, if they're on one it is most likely against their will, though pony-drawn carriages are common enough. They're stubborn and foolhardy, with a tendency to rush into battle, which tends to shorten their life span considerably. It's said that any dwarf who actually lives over a thousand years is either extremely lucky, or a coward. They are twice as lucky to fall for the 'charms' of an elf than any other race, leaving them quite often duped by the crafty Nymandine. Strangely, they don't particularly seem to mind.

Culture: It's a peculiar combination of traits that makes up a dwarf's life. Hard-working and yet light at heart, dwarves are lovers of music, dance, and of course, plentiful supplies of ale.

They are stone masons and sculptures. Dwarven hands are said to be capable of constructing architectural feats that can stand the test of time again and again.

Though dwarven civilizations are ruled over by a King, it is a much more loosely knit hierarchy than other races are wont to have. At a glance a dwarven king can't be distinguished from a pauper of the same race. They all work the days away mining and singing, and the evenings are devoted to drink and dance. Dwarves are not 'morning people'; they will sleep as late as possible and stay up as late into the night as they can bear.
This race has no specific cultural holidays (though they willingly join in the celebrations of other races). They feel being alive is reason enough for celebration, and many become grumpy when forced into the 'all work and no play' attitude common among other races.

Elf, Albian

Life Expectancy: 3000 years

Homeland: Windwarren

Physical description: The tall and willowy Albian elves are known for their pale features. Their eyes range through pastel shades-silvers, blues, greens, and the occasional purple. Hair never gets darker than a sandy brown, though whites and blondes are far more common. The typical height range of an Albian Elf is 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 feet. They usually wear their hair long. Skin is ivory in shade and their slender fingers tend to make them excellent musicians and archers.

Strengths: Albians are able to withstand even the coldest temperatures without taking much notice of them. They tend to be gifted in magic and strategy. Highly intelligent and extremely patient (sometimes beyond the point of reason), they are known for their ability to think things through to the very end.

Weaknesses: This race does not fair well in excessively warm regions and becomes dehydrated quickly. Too much time in warm weather will kill them if they aren't careful, and their extreme patience makes them slow in making decisions. They have a superstitious nature and tend to believe readily in fortune-tellers and prophets, so can sometimes be easily duped into believing things which other races would be hesitant to accept.

Culture: Perhaps the most prominent feature in Albian culture is their penchant for discovering that which is otherwise considered unknowable. This race holds high esteem for prophets and scryers and believe that dreams are capable of giving even the most common man or woman a view of the future or past.

In fact, the royal family of Windwarren is from a long line of scryers. They do not wed based upon royal blood, but will only entertain proposals from those who are unusually strong in this 'gift of gods' as Albians believe the ability of foresight is genetic. Of the king and queen's children-and Albians believe one should bear as many of these as is possible (Albians consider a couple with less than six children to be a 'small' family)-the one who shows the strongest inclination and accuracy in fortune-telling, which is usually done by reading crystals or the patterns of frozen ice flows in their native lands, is the one who shall ascend to the throne. Albians are devotees of the magical powers of crystals, and it is rare to find an Albian who doesn't have at least one or two on their person at all times.

The Albians are always making up new titles and government posts for their people, not because they have any particular need for so many jobs or a complex governmental system, (and many of these proposed 'job titles' are rather silly in the eyes of other races), but rather because they think an inauguration makes for an excellent excuse to throw a party.

Elf, Nymandine

Life Expectancy: 3000 years

Homeland: Iodar, Northern Darendale

Physical Description: Dark skin ranging from chocolate brown to blue-black paired with eyes in all shades of red and purple and pale hair--almost always platinum blonde, make the Nymandine impossible to mistake for any other race. Like other elven races, the typical height of the Nymandine is 5 1/2- 6 1/2 feet. Even more so than their cousins, their ears are dramatically pointed (and often heavily pierced) and rather elongated. They tend towards simple, loose clothing like loincloths, kilts, and ponchos, and are famous for their jewelry and prominent tattoos.

Strengths: This desert-dwelling race is the exact opposite of their Albian cousins--they can live in even the most arid regions and survive without water for nearly two weeks if they have to (though given the choice they'd rather not). Their large ears give them hearing unmatched by any other race. These elves tend to make excellent sorcerers. The are crafty, understanding how to easily get what they want from people, and share the Zhoan's ability to charm those around them, though it is more planned than natural instinct in the case of the Nymandine.

Weaknesses: Predictably perhaps, the Nymandine are unable to withstand extreme cold. Their tendency towards manipulating people makes them not well-liked and many people have an innate bias against anyone of this race. Their good hearing is a double edged sword--they have to stuff their ears with wax to mute sounds in a bustling city or tavern. Even the weakest sound-based spell is likely to cause damage to this race.

Culture: Nymandine society can easily be divided up into the government and…well, everyone else, really. That is to say that there are those who know things, and those who don't know and never bother to ask. For the most part, an ordinary Nymandine believes that the government works with their best interest in mind. The vast majority of Nymandine elves live in the desert wastes of Iodar. Not unlike dwarves, these elves depend on their mines. With no source of water or many other necessary supplies, the trade of black gold keeps their civilization afloat. The Nymandine don't mine black gold themselves, but rather put criminals and enslaved foreigners to the work. Though higher officials in the military and those involved in the Nymandine slave trade are well aware of the land's darker inner workings, ordinary citizens assume that only tried and convicted felons work these mines.

Like most of Edarin's societies, Nymandine culture dictates that a king rules with the aid of an advisor. The military keeps the peace and runs the basic governmental structure, and ordinary citizens don't' bother concerning themselves with government affairs.

The Nymandine race originated in the deserts of Iodar, and while many moved elsewhere, all Nymandine are shrewd businesspeople, raised in a society where metals and silks were traded for food and water they learned quickly how to barter.

Nearly all Nymandine worship the god of fire and hold celebrations in his honor on moonless nights; they call these holiday evenings 'nights of divinity' because they believe it is on a moonless night that they are closest to the gods.

Elf, Zhoan

Life Expectancy: 3000 years

Homeland: Moonhaven

Physical Description: Usually tanned due to prolonged exposure to the sun, the hair of Zhoan elves is typically brown or black, though auburn and red are not unheard of. Their height ranges from 5 1/2 - 6 1/2 feet. These elves are famous for decorating their hair with braids, beads, and feathers and dress almost exclusively in earth tones. Their eyes range in greens and browns with the occasional black.

Strengths: Excellent horsemen, the Zhoan are closer to their mounts than they are to their mothers. This bond helps them to excel as rangers and advance as warriors. They have an affinity to nature and most prefer to stay out of doors. The Zhoan also tend to have an uncanny ability to charm people easily, usually without even realizing they are doing so.

Weaknesses: A Zhoan elf will only bind themselves to one horse in their lifetime, and it MUST be an Apertaine (see bestiary). The horse effectively becomes a part of the Zhoan and the pair is said to 'share a soul', so if a Zhoan's mount dies by some unnatural means, the Zhoan will become traumatized and may completely lose their will to live, if not their very sanity. The death of a horse is the foremost cause of suicide among this race. Likewise, the Apertaine, will often grow wild and violent if they lose the elf they are bound to, and will not accept any other rider. A Zhoan's natural warrior instincts sometimes make them a bit paranoid about possible attack.

Culture: For many thousands of years, the Zhoan were divided into two very different and distinct societies. The first were the elves of 'the Grand'. The Grand consisted of all lands near the Watchpeak and the King's Castle. Noblemen and noblewomen and the archers who guard the watchpeak from invasion, known as Sentinels, made up the elves of Moonhaven's Grand. The second group was the more stoic elves of Thrae Goden Valley, ruled over by their General. These elven warriors would follow their General to death, but would take no orders from King or Court unless so instructed by the head of the military.

Today, with the same ruler assigned as both General and King, these elves work in concert, though the differences in mannerisms remain. The more cultured elves of the Grand often have trouble accepting the Thrae Goden's more brusque manners and the Thrae Goden elves yet find the more cultured manners of a Grand elf to be snobbish. For the most part though, they have learned to get along, even if they don't always see eye to eye.

Until recently, women were not permitted to hold high rank among the Zhoan, and though this has changed (primarily because the current ruler of Moonhaven, Serenzar, declared it 'a stupid tradition that makes no logical sense'), some misogynism yet remains among the Zhoan. Old habits die hard, after all.

Fey

Life Expectancy: unknown, there are no records of a fey ever dying of natural causes

Homeland: Lavidia Forest

Physical description: Averaging at about 2-3 feet tall, the child-sized fey have skin tones ranging in most shades of green and translucent blue insectoid wings. Hair, while able to be any color in the visible spectrum, is most commonly pastel in shade-platinum or powder pink being the most common. Eyes, like hair, can be any color, but tend toward darker shades, blacks and darkest blues. Jovial and mischievous to a fault, many claim that a fey is never without a smile.

Strengths: Cheerful practitioners of natural magic, Fey are avid learners. They pick up new things rather quickly. They are overtly optimistic.

Weaknesses: Fey are lovers, not fighters, as the saying goes. While they may give weapons the occasional temporary magical enchantment, they are ill suited to the warrior arts.

Culture: Frivolous, light-hearted and mysterious, the Fey are as child-like at heart as they are in body. Ruled for millennia by a chubby little monarch known only as Sovereign, Fey tend to organize themselves into familial units of a dozen or more. These units, which they call 'mians', don't appear to have anything to do with blood relations or even bound to race-an adventuring fey may often take to a member of their party and 'adopt' them as an older or younger sibling. They have no real concept of family in the strictest sense of the word, but will be fiercely loyal and attach themselves rather firmly to anyone or anything they become fond of.

Fey are lovers of celebrations and often participate in what they fondly refer to as moon-viewing parties. Though these can happen at any time of month, the biggest 'party' is always held on the night of a full moon. These celebrations aren't ALL fun and games (though you'd be hard pressed to find a fey who thinks of anything as not being endlessly entertaining)-the moon-viewing party is also a time when fey grind flower petals, leaves, and berries into fine powder to let the moon bring out the natural magic in these items, which will later become the magical dust they use to work their mischievous magic. But of course, there's much dancing and nonsensical song-two of a fey's most favored pastimes.

For whatever reason, Fey tend to speak of themselves in the third person.

Human

Life Expectancy: 90 years

Homeland: Tirane, Ardenbau, Darendale

Physical Description: Bulkier than the elven races with more squared off features and small, round-tipped ears, humans range from 4 1/2 - 6 1/2 feet. Skin color covers a wide range from ivory white to darkest brown. Human hair can be found in many shades of blonde, red, brown, or black, and tends to gray out with old age. Eyes may be many shades of blue, green, and brown. Edarin's most prominent and unpredictable race, it is believed they are somehow descended, many generations over, of mixed elven parentage, but that remains to be proven.

Strengths: The most versatile of Edarin's races, humans find ways to survive in any climate. They have inventive minds which are always finding ways of making life easier, and their physical build makes most physical feats possible, if not always easy.

Weaknesses: Perhaps due to an unusually short lifespan, humans lack something in forethought and often make errors in judgment. They don't appear to understand the consequences of their actions and many can be rather temperamental, throwing fits over even the most trite and inconsequential details.

Culture: Human culture is a state of constant change and intellectual revolution. While most of Edarin's races have had thousands of years to grow and develop, humanity can only be traced back a mere eight centuries, leaving their cultural heritage and what it may one day become vastly up to chance and circumspection.

While governmental structures vary somewhat, most human civilizations continue to be run by kings and queens, though others have begun to experiment with much more peculiar governmental systems. The human race seems to have no qualms about 'borrowing' ideas from other cultures if they see them as useful.

Human celebrations are also vastly left to chance-the humans of Northern Darendale most often celebrate the moonless night with their Nymandine neighbors and spend evenings drinking with the dwarves, while many other humans have adopted the seasonal holidays of the centaur race. There is one holiday that all humans seem to celebrate though; known as Endwar Day and taking place in late April, this holiday celebrates the signing of a peace treatise between Tirane and Ardenbau which ended three centuries of war between these two large, mostly human populated nations, with estimated casualties of almost twenty thousand.

Humans are strictly monogamous, taking only one betrothed at a time and many will only have one partner over their entire lifespan.

Pomira

Life expectancy: 400 years

Homeland: Arenai, Western Garumeth

Physical Description: This once promient race is half hawk, half man. Bipedal with two legs, two arms, and two wings, these bird-folk are built more for flight than walking. Their humanoid bodies are slender and appear almost frail. Fingernails are forgotten in favor of short talons. Feathers can be any color, but skin tends toward darker tans and lighter browns.

Strengths: Pomira have natural healing abilities that will cure any minor wound within 24 hours. Major wounds also tend to heal much more quickly than other races if properly treated. It was once believed that it is pomira bone that causes this accelerated healing, though this belief has fallen to mere folklore these days, but the result remains the same: in the past the Pomira were hunted to near-extinction for the sake of acquiring these bones. They are able to fly long distances and are resistant to wind-based spells.

Weaknesses: As far as physical strength goes, they are the weakest of the races. Pomira are more prone toward magic than the warrior arts. Without extensive conditioning they are unable to walk long distances without rest.

Culture: A mostly non-violent and intellectual society, the Pomira love the land almost as much as they love the sea. They celebrate solstice twice yearly, in summer and winter. The winter solstice is the larger of the two celebrations.

Pomira are thought to have a greater understanding of the natural world than other races and they DO have a high regard for nature. While non-violent with a distaste for fighting, many Pomira still choose to take up occupation as dryads.

The Pomira are a small, tribal race who tend to not adhere to monogamy as strictly as other races. A pomira is allowed to have three betrotheds at any one time. More than that is not permitted because they feel with a larger number, it will be difficult to pay the appropriate amount of attention to each husband and wife. A pomira's marriage expires after seven years, but renewal vows are not uncommon.
Ruled by a King and Queen who were once Migari( a word used for two young people who share a first marriage together) and rule with an equal balance of power between them, the Pomira are a closely knit and familial society where everyone knows everyone else.

Romari

Life expectancy: 250 years

Homeland: n/a

Physical description: Bipedal wolf-men, the pack-oriented Romari range on average from 6-7 feet tall. Fur tends towards gray or brown, but black and white are also possible. Canine ears and features are their trademark, though the Romari snout is somewhat shorter than that of a wolf's. Eyes are usually black.

Strengths: While often thought of as base and animalistic by those outside the pack, the Romari are actually quite intelligent. They are able to adapt to new situations easily and are fiercely loyal to those they hold dear. Fur provides insulation in winter and cooling in summer, so the Romari are comfortable in any climate.

Weaknesses: Nomadic to a fault, the concept of possession escapes the Romari. If they're hungry and see a flock of sheep, they most likely soon find themselves being chased by an angry farmer without fully understanding why. As a result, they are perhaps the least-loved of all Edarin's species. Excellent rangers and trackers, perhaps, but they tend to get into a lot of trouble in major cities. They are considered a race of thieves though they'll surely deny their guilt on the matter rather adamantly.

Culture: Tribal and nomadic, the Romari have no set governmental structure. They are simply 'ruled' by the Alpha, or strongest member of the tribe. The Romari view of strength is not physical, but a combination of strength and intelligence. Whoever is most likely to win a fight (by whatever means) is the person a Romari tribe considers the clan chief, but this is as ever-shifting as the wind, as are all members of this wolf-like race.

Wandering from place to place, finding food, clothes, and water wherever they happen to stumble upon them, the Romari don't believe in or understand ownership and 'trade' items freely (this consists mostly of taking things they find useful and expecting those around them to do the same). Romari are ill-suited to city life and prefer to sleep out of doors. They keep as careful an eye on the changing seasons as the centaurs do, and celebrate the coming of spring with much drinking and revelry in a holiday they call 'Harusame'.

Sub-Races

Please note, players are not required to choose a sub-race. Sub-races exist simply as another possible option. However, if you want to play a sub-race, you must choose it in addition to, not in lieu of a basic race. All sub-races must be noted in your character profile. Not all sub-races are available to first time players.

Deus

The more common an derogatory term for this group is ‘half-breed’, and a dues may be a combination of nearly any two races. The child of one of these half-breeds and all of their children will also be considered deus—a term which encompases all those of mixed parentage, even if the mixture is only 1/1000th of a percent.

A deus is both privelaged in having the strengths of his/her parent races and cursed to have the weaknesses of same. For example, while a half-human/half-zhoan will have a lifespan far exceeding that of their human parent (about 1000 years), they will pass away long before their elven parent. A child that is half-nymandine/half-albian, being vulnerable to both heat and cold would never survive infancy.

While deus tend to be looked down upon by full-bloods, this attitude is more pity than hatred. It is well understood that being neither one race nor the other, a deus is destined to endure a difficult life, having no heritage to truly call their own. Coming of age is normally especially hard on individuals of this mixed heritage.

For trivia’s sake, Deus is an ancient word meaning ‘middle-ground’. This is perhaps the perfect way to describe this sub-race as both strengths and weaknesses lose some of their potency in a Deus. A half-zhoan, while remaining tightly bound to their horse, will not be as likely to succumb to insanity and despair at the loss as a full-zhoan, though they will likely be in a state of shock and mourning for many days or weeks. A half-centaur may not succumb as badly to the claustrophobia of that race, but neither will they be as strong or adept at craftsmanship.

A deus will spend the better part of their lives trying to find somewhere to fit in, a place to call home. Many will never find it. They tend to be a bit anti-social, avoiding large groups and casual acquaintances who will talk about their pitiable parentage behind their backs, but are fiercely loyal to those they see as true friends.

Notes: Choose your combination wisely. Some combinations would provide far too many weaknesses to be wise and others simply would never happen. For example: Dracon/Centaur—Dracons are both innately terrified of horses and stronger than the centaur. It is unlikely that these two races would ever get close enough to one another to make a child. Another would be Albian/Nymandine. Albians are vulnerable to heat, Nymandines to cold. A child of such a union would not survive very long. Weigh the strengths and weaknesses of the two races carefully to determine if the coupling would be worthwhile.

Psyon

Most loathed of all the peoples of Edarin, a psyon is a member of any race born with an inherent magical ability. To a measure, psyonic traits are genetic—a psyon child, without fail, will have at least one psyon parent, though their abilities may be far removed from one another. A psyon parent understands at conception that their child has an 80% chance of being born a psyon themselves.

The times of the gods randomly gifting a child with magical abilities are long since gone, and what remains is a blood trait that both gives a person one gift of natural magic and prevents them from using any other magic for all the days of their life. A psyon will never be a sorcerer, cleric, paladin, or artificer. Not only are they unable to learn magic, but all attempts to do so prove physically painful, as if they are being torn apart from the inside, and will leave them bed-ridden for days. Something in the blood reacts badly to practiced magic, but their individual trait comes as easily as breathing. They need only think it and it will be done. The more common term for a psyon is ‘witchblood’ as their abilities require no active spell-casting and is a result of pure genetics.

Psyons did not always exist in Edarin. They are the result of dark times millennia past. Legend states that long ago there was a drought so bad in the lands of Darendale that it turned lush farmland into pure desert wastes in which nothing could grow. As most of the peasants of Darendale were farmers, their livelihood disappeared and the people became destitute and slowly began to starve to death. A prophet told the Darendalens that sacrificing parts of their bodies at GodMount at the base of the Cyrrines Mountains would engender the gods’ aide.

For seven years the people sacrificed—limbs, eyes, ears...so desperate for salvation that they bathed the God Mount in blood. Despair began to overwhelm the populace and come the seventh year they began to sacrifice organs, lives…

Eventually the old goddess, Nahsira, could watch no longer and used every ounce of her power to restore the land and wove the years of sacrifice to create seventy-four children, each gifted with one magical ability. The goddess died in the effort, and over time the great acts of these children were pushed aside and forgotten. Never again was a sacrifice made at the God Mount, but the damage had already been done and the gifted children, seen as patchwork dolls born from the suffering of others were never accepted as anything more than atrocities. Their children, also born with abilities, were seen as no better than their parents and over generations became known as the psyons—individuals with bewitched blood who would bring misery on those around them. They were outcasts, exiles, hunted… and that has not changed in thousands of years. Only in the city of Telsey, once saved from annihilation by a psyon, can one openly admit to such and be respected, rather than feared, for their abilities.

Notes: All Psyonic Abilities must be approved by an administrator. Once approved, be sure to add your psyonics to your character profile. Examples of psyonic abilities would include but are not limited to: telekinesis, empathy, control of fire, flight, etc… Psyon characters may possess one ability only.

Shoar

Perhaps the only of Edarin’s sub-races that has earned any respect from the greater races of Edarin, a shoar is said to ‘hear the call of the sea after being consumed by it.’ Unlike the deus or the psyon, a shoar is not born with their abilities, but usually comes into them in early childhood. A shoar is any person who is saved by a Sirre (see Bestiary) from drowning in the Qynder-kail Sea. A person saved by the Sirre nearly always comes to have a certain affinity for the ocean from that day forth, with only the vaguest memories of their drowning and subsequent rescue. In fact, in most cases, a block of about a week surrounding the event is completely erased from their memory as if the events of that time have never happened.

The Shoar make excellent sea-farers and prefer to stay on or near the ocean, putting their feet on dry land as seldom as possible. Sea Pirates, Sailors, Naval Officers, Fishermen—a shoar will often go to great lengths, even if they find the work morally objectionable, just to keep to the rocking of a ship and away from solid ground. It is not that they dislike dry land, but that they love the sea so much that it is emotionally taxing to be away from it for too long, and months without so much as the pleasures of a lake or river will leave a shoar feeling over-taxed and severely depressed.

A shoar may be of any race—even one that normally dislikes water. Being saved by the Sirre often changes the nature of a person, even their very personality, but no one knows why the aquatic Sirre choose to save some and leave most to drown.

The Shoar retain most traits of their original race, but eye color will always change to a vibrant sea green within a league of open water and even members of a race that normally is unable to swim will find themselves quite adept at it. They cannot breathe underwater persay, but can hold their breath for almost an hour while submerged. On dry land, however, they are only able to hold their breath for the ordinary amount of time.

This sub-race is considered blessed by the water goddess, [insert goddess name here], and the Sirre are rumored to be her devoted servants. How much of that is folklore and how much reality remains to be proven, but the end result is the same—this sub-race is revered among the peoples of Edarin as unusually blessed.

Notes: No one is EVER born shoar. All shoar nearly drown before they are saved and ‘altered’, and the drowning is ALWAYS on the Qynder-kail Sea, where the Sirre reside. This does not mean a shoar must live near the Qynder-kail—they can live wherever you would like, but a shoar will never live far from a body of water of their own free will, and all shoar must have been to the Qynder-kail sea at some point in order to drown and be reshaped as such. With few exceptions, shoar will only have vague memories of the actual process of drowning and being changed, and many will remember nothing of the event at all, as if they simply woke up one day and found they had been somehow ‘altered’. Most, but not all, have been changed as children. The Sirre seem to have little interest in rescuing adults, but it is not impossible for such to happen.

Vampyre

Ah, the legendary vampyre, what can we say about this famous sub-race hm? –Don’t believe everything you hear. There are thousands of years of fear and loathing surrounding the myth of the vampires—their strengths, their weaknesses, their very nature has been brought to bear many suspicions over the long years of Edarin’s history.

While it may be true that vampyres drink blood (only fresh and only from a live victim, whether said victim is a human, a dwarf, or a common alley cat) to survive and that this lifeblood infuses them with great strength and preternatural senses, the rumors that they detest garlic and religious symbols is foolish at best. Mind you, a vampyre is a creature created by use of dark and ancient arts. Strength of faith and devotion to the gods does weaken them and so they dislike clerics and will go to great lengths to avoid them, but the symbols of religion without faith and divine magic behind them are virtually meaningless and some vampyres choose to wear them to avert suspicion of their true nature or even because they were an heirloom of a time when they were yet alive.

Vampyres do not change into bats or black cats or any other animal (unless of course they happened to be a shape-shifting psyon during life). They have only one bodily form and other than some loss of color in flesh and fur and unusually lustrous eyes, a vampyre will look exactly as they did when they were a mortal.

Sunlight does harm vampyres but will not kill them instantly. A vampyre at full health can endure sunlight for short periods (not to exceed 2 hours) of time, though direct sunlight will cause bad burns that may leave scars even after the burns have healed. A vampyre is stronger in the dark hours though, and their strength and abilities will be virtually halved in daylight.

Can a vampyre be killed with a stake through the heart you ask? Why yes, yes they can. Then again, won't a stake through the heart or ritual beheading kill just about anything? Other methods that seem to work well in disposing of a vampyre are overexposure to sunlight-what we like to call the slow and painful death-and oddly enough, drowning, which is the foremost method of suicide among this race.

Vampyres may be of any occupation EXCEPT cleric or paladin. A turned paladin will retain all of his/her sword and warrior skills, but lose all holy magic. A turned cleric-though most clerics kill themselves before they can fully turn into such a 'dark and monstrous being'-will lose all his/her magic within two months of the change. However, a former cleric turned vampyre is able to learn arcane magic at twice the speed of those around them.

Vampyres are not characteristically evil, but an evil man in life is one in death, and the same goes for a good man. However, mortal races assume that all vampyres are foul natured, so discretion is advised.

Notes: A vampyre may not be your first character. If you wish to play a vampyre as your second character, your first must be of at least the third level and you must post a request in the requests forum containing your last three (less only if you have not played in that many threads) IC threads.

Races Classes Bestiary Religion Astronomy Government World Map Item List Miscellany Forums