Harem Knights: Races

Races for the Harem Knights Setting

Angels

Angels are representatives of higher powers usually, and the only definitive evidence that there are any such things as "Gods". Even then, they tend to be infuriatingly ambiguous about their origins, allegiances, and powers at times.

One thing is certain, they have a love of the dramatic. Whenever they appear, they usually cast a bright light behind them and yell boomingly "BE NOT AFRAID", to the now startled viewers. Aloofness and cryptic conversations will usually follow. Less authoritative Angels can be talked out of doing this with time and familiarity, but it is rare for anyone other than an <<Insert High Priest Equivalent>> to speak with one of their respective Angels on equal terms.

Not to be confused with angles, a mathematical term, or Angles, rogue shapes and wandering things from the Geometric Planes.

Iron Angels

These angels are the standard image of classic angel. Flawless human visage and form, they are created by Myrthter to answer and aid the cries of humanity. When manifesting their powers and miracles, a halo of iron and wings of precious metal will appear, with the side affect of turning spilled blood into water. Appearance and detail of these manifestations are thoroughly recorded to become more and more complex based on the divinity of the angel. Their duties range from healing, messengers, warriors or morale boosters. Some would posit though their miracles cover a larger and more generalized domain, they sacrifice outstanding performance in specialized fields such as the war angels of Ter or the forest sprites of the Nine. They do not age, and pairings between them and mortals, though rare but existing due to the nature of angels representing humanity and thus love, offspring produced is often whisked away by the holy parent, or must endure an existence of unwanted worship and adoration.

Current rankings according to Theology

Blessed - Capable of performing singular miracles, usually that of healing or protection. Most resemble children or adolescents.

Sacred - These angels fit the more standard mould, and resemble many different walks of life, but all adult human. From the inspirational robed muses the Harmonies to the charitable white garbed Irenics, the fearless metal garbed Courages and the determined armor fused Dauntless, etcetera, etcetera. Two miracles to their names, whose domain is defined by their class.

Sainted - Usually a soul who has done great good in life, now in service and guardianship after life. Men and women of the Iron Church aspire to follow even a single aspect of these raised humans, who can rouse spirits and repent sinners, banishing demons and repelling monsters. Often awarded to successful Seekers of the Church, paladins, priests or pilgrims alike, they are capable of two or more acts of miraculous domain as they were in life. Despite that, there are often great differences between the nature of these miracles as they cover the nature of the person when they were alive, so war Saints would bolster combat and bring men to great deeds, while guardian Saints would protect travellers and lost children, and so forth.

Notable saints include:

Saint Viterus, the Pure: Invoke his name to bolster unity and destroy the corruptive influences. Many a crusade against the abominable and infernal have been made in his name.

Divine - These are some of the greatest angels around, said to be as old as Myrthter himself. Usually termed archangels, many of them are warriors nonpareil, being called on to combat Demons will do that to you. Each embodies some aspect of humanity, being paragons of mankind and their images have been used as inspirations and muses for many a sacred icon.

Chironen/Batpeople

Chironen (Chir-On-in), until the dawn of /tg/ have primarily been a nomadic race, living on subsistence. They came from across the Elven lands from some place far to the east. They speak of horrors that drove them away, and their appearance (at least in any form of mass) in the western lands occured shortly before, or after, the Elves began cutting ties with everyone around them and became incredibly hostile to Trespassers in their lands.

Chironen are incredibly dextrous and light humanoids with muscles far more powerful than their size would give them credit for. They have only 4 limbs, a pair of legs and their membranous wings. The struts between the membranes are actually their fingers, of which there are four, with an opposable thumb claw which is double jointed, giving them a surprising level of manipulatory power with it. Their toes, likewise, are slightly longer, and contain an extra knuckle than human toes ontop of being tipped with slightly rough claws. The muscles in their toes, feet, and legs are impossibly strong, capable of holding onto cavern ceilings or branches while they sleep. They usually have long hair, most of which grows down the back of their neck and onto the space where their shoulders and neck meet, forming a kind of mane/ruff around their throats from their long strands of hair. Chironen skin tone is in all the natural human shades, but they tend towards the darker skintones. Finally, they have large ears, which often peak out from their long tresses and bangs (which almost universally cover their eyes)

Contrary to popular belief, there is not much difference between the eye structure of a Chironen and that of a Human. Chironen eyes are, however, not suited for the dark. Their echolocation abilities, projected whenever they talk, are more than capable of making up for this, especially in large groups as Chironen ears are sensitive enough to pick up not only the echos of their own voices, but tell who projected the other echos they are listening too, turning a colony into an echolocation network of sorts. Chironen, by nature, are a nocturnal race, and much prefer the dark of night to the light of day (which is unusual given their skin pigmentation). This leads to their eyes being exceedingly night adapted, to the point where anything but dim lights is literally painful to a night-adapted Chironen. During the day, many Chironen wear elasticy, gauzy, black circles of cloth, called dark-bands, around their heads and over their eyes to help them see. The size and positioning of their ears prevent them from using human sunglasses. Over time, Chironen can become adapted to daylight conditions, though usually they always prefer to wear the dark-bands. Chironen young, born and raised to be awake during daylight hours, have no troubles seeing during the day time, and usually do not wear dark-bands.

Chironen have since lived a nomadic existence, migrating north and south given the season in small colonies, the largest of which has never exceeded 50 members, and only one of those in recorded history has done that. "Migratory" Chironen tend to wear minimalist clothing, if any at all, given their lack of materials available to /tg/ and while they have more manipulatory abilities than one might guess at first glance, the membranes between their arms and torso preclude most normal clothing. This is the cause for their migratory habits in most of the world. When a colony is unable to get south quickly enough, it usually hunts for a nearby cavern, and huddles together in hibernation. It should be noted that Chironen have a particularly bad reputation amongst humans, due to the fact that large Colonies, when in danger of dieing to exposure during winter, will raid human settlements for food to fatten up quickly for the winter before hibernating.

Chironen society is one of incredible closeness. Due to the lack of sight and color in their normal conditions, Chironen rely not only on sound, but touch, taste, and smell to transfer information. This leads your average Chironen to having no concept (or only a vague one) of "Personal Space" as something that is always there. Chironen understand that sometimes everyone needs a little space, or doesn't want to be touched, but they see this as the exception, not the rule. An early problem early on with /TG/ Chironen relations was a misunderstanding of this. Amongst Chironen, there is nothing sexual about touching, licking, or cuddling a person when it is not in an intimate, or sexual spot. Kissing, sex, and other sexual actions retain the same conotiations (A Chironen may lick your cheek, hands, or neck, but never your lips or other intimate areas such as breasts or genitals unless you are in a relationship). Given that things that Outerrealmers considered incredibly intimate, and usually only to be shared amongst members of the opposite sex (or same sex if you swung that way), this lead to many hilarious early on encounters with Chironen who didn't have a concept of gender, or even age, boundaries in this context.

Chironen currently fill a niche as cartographers, night scouts, sappers, and architects in /tg/ society. Their echolocative abilities allowing them to excel in all of these areas.

Demons

Demons are horribly powerful immortal beings that feast on souls and smell of brimstone. They have curved horns on their heads and leave flaming footprints in their wake. Beware its devious contracts!

And with that out of the way, we can focus on specifics.

Current speculation and Demonology has posited that there are two types of Demons, the first group that came before the War Among Stars, and the second group that appeared only after succubi were discovered.

This distinction is very important, as while ancient Demons are far and few between, they are not to be trifled with, and tend to be more civil, than those bred from the bodies of a succubus. With that in mind, take note that trafficking with Demons is always a poor idea for public and polite conversation.

Common traits shared between regular and theoretical Demons are the ability to be summoned outside of their normal plane, or indeed their current location, by means of complicated rituals that involve their name and range from flipping a coin from each of your fingers to sacrificing a virgin born babe on the peak of a double eclipse. Religious and Demon-hunting authorities have it on record that the complexity of these rituals does not always correlate to the strength of the Demon. Most Demons can also shapeshift, the succubi are masters of this, into less frightening forms to better mingle with the unknowing populace. They have a mechanism within their bodies innate to their make-up that allows them to absorb what some may call souls, either by right of conquest or contract. Once again, we advise against any compact with Demons, the amount of corruption has yet to be standardized, but much like nuclear radiation, it's not something to immerse yourself in.

Succubi and Born Demons

They dwell in the hellish plane known as Miasma, the Hell of Poisonous Gases (it used to be on fire, but there was an argument), whose surface is covered in various toxins and mists that are poison, even to Demons, so that they live in underground forts and developed hardy constitutions. Last warlock and demon-hunter census put the ratio of succubi and succubi derived products to non-succubi at 5:1, and indeed, even lower numbers than that of Demons that do not focus on some form of earthly pleasure. A grand majority of these Demons only have intelligence enough to carry out their various tasks, which places them on the level of very dangerous animals. Current demonology theory suggests this is some form of population control, lest succubi lose their high status in Demons society and be relegated to brood duties.

They share similar weaknesses to religious icons and the fervent belief of the wielder, which depending on the Demon may range from immolation and combustion to the failing of their disguise and retreat. Blessed and holy weapons deal significantly more damage to them, regardless of wielder's competence, and reports of Demons fended off with Holy candlesticks give merit to this. Consecrated ground burns them, due to a long standing Pact between Demons and Gods, and we advise taking shelter there regardless of any stance to religion.

As one, they have greater physical and magical strength than that of any man (Protip: no arm wrestling comps), but not greater magical potential. Thus, many a Wizard and Witch can be said to have called upon a Demon with little problem. They have bodies that are hardier to poison and disease, and what little that affects them is kept close watch on. On death, usually turn into ash, having returned to their home plane. Regardless of this, they can be said to taste horrible.

The first Succubus was formerly an elf woman called Lillith who was physically and spiritually corrupted by the Five in an attempt to rebuild their numbers; this backfired when she refused to submit to their authority and "drove" the First Demons out of Miasma (then known as Gehenna, Hell of the Infinite Desires). First Magic may have been involved in their creation, but the records on this are unclear.

Known types of Born Demons include:

Capra Demon- A bestial humanoid with grayish skin, a skeletal tail, and a head resembling a goat's skull with four eyes. It wields two massive machetes which can easily tear through steel armor. One of the more aggressive varieties of Demons, the Capra Demon is known to attack mortals without provocation, suggesting that it may have been bred as a frontline warrior.

Succubus- A former mortal woman corrupted into a demon. The corruption process starts by repeated sexual torture of the victim until her will is broken, followed by a rewiring the brain. Connections to pleasure centers of the brain are greatly strengthened, increasing the sex drive; an inhibitor is also placed on the frontal lobes, diminishing the capacity for rational decision making until the corresponing rune is deactivated (which normally occurs after the succubus has gone five years without breaking a law). At this point, the soon-to-be succubus is implanted with demonic organs that will allow her to convert sexual energy into magic and assume the physical features associated with succubi. By this point, the corruption is irreversible, and only the training process (i.e. further sexual torture with some teaching) remains.

Bull Demon- A brutish creature resembling a humanoid bull, armed with a hunk of stone crudely carved into an axe. Strong but stupid, these Demons act as sentinels and guards.

First Demons

The Demons that existed before succubi were created. Numbers are said to be low since the War Among Stars, but definitely, and suspiciously, at least Five. Religious paraphernalia and protection is only of marginal effectiveness, more likely to annoy or amuse them, whereas holy weapons are only enough to sting. There is no uniform shape among any recorded First Demons, and current theory suggest that there are not made of the same material as the born Demons. Of note, they are not born by any body at all, but spring fully formed from some long gone source. They do have mortal forms they can take on to walk amongst the mortals, but any further semblance of demonhood among them is relegated to looking "monstrous" in some way or other.

No natural habitat, these Demons are either self-exiled, imprisoned, lost or wandering, but they seem to favour remote locations far from any conflict or prying eyes. This lends claim to the theory that they do not require souls for sustenance. Summoning pacts with these Demons are not recommended, as they are far better than most (indeed, nearly all) at contracts, and will only come when it suits or amuses them. Any able to chance a contract will find themselves in company of an immensely powerful and wise ally, several priests and demonologists are noted to say these Demons are remarkably more civil than any after them.

Physical powers are immense. Magical knowledge, unearthly. Lifespan? Indefinite. These lend claims to theological disputes that these Demons fought and killed as many Gods as they lost in wars before recorded history. Any unprepared confrontation is suicide, though they can always be talked out of things, even if their alternative course is not any better.

Relations between First Demons and Born Demons are non-existent, the Born Demons think of them as urban legends or boogeymen (but most can be said to be immensely afraid and awed by them), while First Demons think of them as lower than flies (possible distaste for their derivation from mortals? Others guess disappointment). Notable First Demons are the Five, the rumoured five Demon Lords of Inferno (Hell of Searing Flames) that survived after the War and rebuilt demonkind into its current form, only to be forced out by their own creations. Sightings of them are sketchy at best, but if you are to deal with any Demon Lords, deal with them, you'll have a higher chance of a fair price.

Another interesting trait that Demons hold to be common is a love of the dramatic. When summoned, they will pause all other activity while they announce their presence, appearance, authority and ability to the summoners. Trying to interrupt them during this is seen as bad etiquette, and unlikely to make you any friends. Trying to Attack them during this phase will break the ritual and send them back, due to the mechanics of summoning rituals, but it is always possible to Dismiss them before any prices are paid.

Dragons

Dragons, at least in the new world, are not quite like how we imagined them in the old one. They are capable of three forms, their normal dragonish one, the giant 6 limbed, fire (or occasionally another element) breathing monster, a humanoid one, and there is also the hybrid form where they are human with heavy dragon characteristics. A few dragons with excellent control over their transformative abilities are able to pick and chose which characteristics they keep in this form.

The ability to breath an element is a sign of maturation.

Dragons are a diverse bunch, both in shape, color, and personality. Dragons seem to maintain the basic "scaled with 6 limbs" but reports of feathers, furred, and stranger dragons have been made before, and a few even confirmed. General reptilian appearances, with 4 legs and 2 wings, seems to be the only commonality amongst dragons physiologically.

Dragons, psychologically, are equally diverse. The only commonality shared is the desire for a "Hoard". This hoard, usually imagined as a massive pile of valuable and precious metals, gems, and objects, can be virtually anything, though obviously this is limited somewhat. A 'horde of babes' is not likely to be maintained by your usual cave dwelling dragon. A Dragon who has a desire to collect some unusual type of horde, often still collects the stereotypical gold and gem pile, though not for the same reasons. A "Precious shinies" Dragon (seemingly the most common) will simply keep it, like a magpie, rarely, if ever, dolling out so much as a grain of gold. A Dragon who is not of this inclination, will instead willingly, and wildly, spend their accumulated treasures in the attempt to build up their desired horde. One dragon of fame, after terrorizing the lands of the Caliph of Serridan (may His soup forever be free of fish bones), used their accumulated riches to build a garden that contained every flower and bloom known to the scholars of the world, and jealously guarded it against intrusion or cutting by anyone else.

Dwarves

Dwarves are short, stout, well built mountain folk. While other underground dwelling races live deep beneath the earth, dwarves tend to build directly into mountains, rarely going far below the bases of their mountains in their diggings, at least in terms of living space, for mining, there are few places a dwarf will not go.

Dwarves are built low and tough, a TALL dwarf will clock in at about 5 feet, and that is considered freakish. Most dwarves are at about chest height (~4 foot) to your average human. Contrary to popular belief, dwarves are not universally bearded, and their women tend to be as well shaved as your average human woman.

Dwarven sexuality is hard to quantify. While looks -do- play a role in how they choose who they are attracted to, as does personality, these two facets play a MUCH smaller role in their attraction than it does in other races. No, what a dwarf looks for in a mate is ABILITY. A dwarf who is a master of his craft is considered to be a stud by all of his fellows, and rather than inviting a partner back to the bed room, they are far more likely to invite them to their private workshop.

Dwarven society places massive importance upon tradition, loyalty, and the APPEARANCE of honor. You can be a backstabbing scum bag, but if no one can prove it, you'll only be disliked. God help you if it is ever proven that you are a treacherous snake, dwarves tend to lynch one another over that. But above all, most important to all dwarves, is the ability to get shit done. Proficiency in a craft is not based upon how you do it, but that you get it done as efficiently and cost effectively as possible, to the maximum result. In this end, Dwarves have found a surprising amount of admiration for the Outerrealmers of /TG/ given our industrial/digital age take upon most tasks, and is possibly the reason behind the alliance between /TG/ and the Ranges.

Elementals

Physical embodiments of the Elements of the world. Formed when a high concentration of magic power gathers into a medium either by anomaly or by intention. There are many kinds scattered throughout the world. There are 2 kinds of Elementals; Ethereal and Physical

Ethereal

Enough magic was able to enter a medium but does not grant the elemental a solid form. Example: Undines who are Ethereal will have an Amorphous shape, Shadis and Lumines will have a wisp like form, and so forth.

Physical

The elemental has received enough magic to manifest into a physical state.

Currently known:

Igna

Beings formed from fire. Most common in volcanic areas or deep underground. Draws off heat for sustenance. Can draw off body heat of others if need be.

Teriats

Beings formed from earth. Most common in general. Requires to be surrounded by Earth to draw energy for sustenance

Aeors

Beings formed from the winds. Can survive in large open areas where winds gather.

Undine

Beings formed from water. Most common in lakes. Requires water to survive, Ethereals cannot leave the lakes they were born in.

Frigis

Beings formed from the coldest of snow and ice. Most common in the northern lands. Exposure to heat weakens them.

Voltaci

Beings formed from electricity. Extraordinarily rare due to the absence of electricity to sustain itself, can be formed during storms.

Lumines

Beings formed from light itself. Most common in the celestial realms, they draw sustenance on light alone. If they are seen at night it is the moonlight that sustains their power or are surrounded by objects that give off light.

Shadis

Beings formed from darkness. Most common underground or any areas where light cannot reach, they cannot withstand high degrees of light such as the sun. They can tolerate low amounts of light such as fire and moonlight. It is common to see Shadis and Lumines both in the same area at night when the moon is visible provided that said place is saturated with enough magical energy for both to exist.

Unconfirmed:

Blood elemental

Beings formed from blood. No formal name given. Theoretically require large, large amounts of death within a limited timespan and area to form. Theoretically can rip out the blood from pre-prepared organisms. Theoretically. Definitely a bad omen.

Elves

Elves are a race of magically, and craftsmanship adept humanoids with pointed ears and a few biological anomalies. They are divided into a strict caste based society, with everyone's position incredibly, and irrevocably defined from birth, and reinforced constantly both biologically and culturally. Historical accounts of Elvish society, kept by some human monasteries and dwarven holds, state that this was not always the case, but that it happened several centuries ago, around the same time the Chironen appeared in the western lands.

All Elves are bound to their caste, something decided upon their birth, and only tangentially related to their family lines. In fact, elves apparently place far less value on family units than other races do, instead raising children communally amongst their appropriate caste. While this is the "official" line, the truth is that it is something apparently newly imposed, at least as far as the long lived elves are concerned. "Adoption" of children is quite common, and in the lower castes, at least, almost universal, creating surrogate family units whenever possible. Luckily, since genetics plays some role in what caste a person is likely to be, it is not as common as one might expect for a mother or father to be separated from their child.

A built in mechanism against rebellion seems to be the "Berserk" effect that occurs in elves when someone of higher rank than them is killed in their presence, with the violence increasing exponentially the larger the gap in "Dominance". In recorded cases, entire villages have devolved into cannibalistic blood baths when the lord of them died violently before a large crowd. It is suspected that this was the primary cause of the necessity of the massacre in late 1AA during the counter attack upon the elves that had been preying upon /TG/.

More information on the elves is currently unavailable. It is known they have large cities further into their realm, but penetrating the patrols is nearly impossible. The higher castes seem to be trained into being nearly sociopathic, yet loyal to the central state and the caste system above all else. The lower down into the castes you go, the more capable of "free thought" an elf becomes, though they are less capable of "independent thought". That is to say, Higher castes are able to act on their own initiative more often, but seem to be less capable of questioning orders given by those higher up, while those lower down are less able to act on their own, and more capable of accepting new kinds of thought, as well as questioning orders. This part seems to be, primarily, cultural and only reinforced by the pheremonal controls of male elves, and tends to disappear the moment an elf of sufficiently low dominance is removed from elven society.

The Elves are further divided into High and Low varieties.

High Elves

approximately six inches taller then Low Elves, and have an olfactory organ at the base of the spine that compels Low Elves to follow their commands. This effect can be resisted, however, should the Low Elf in question be aware of it.

Low Elves

Making up the vast majority of Elvish males, and all of female elves found to date, these elves either do not have the organ mentioned above, or have it in a severely stunted state.

Fey

Fey are an otherworldy set of creatures who are probably more magical than all the other species of the new world put together. Each member is a creature of magic, of chaos, of trickery, and strangely enough, of rules. What these rules are, and when they apply, seems to change from Fey to Fey, time to time, and situation to situation, to the point where one might think the Fey were making them up as they go along.

Fey can look like just about anything, but they tend to have humanoid forms, rarely clock in as taller than 10 feet, and seem to favor insectoid features over others for their smallest ranks, and other "natural" (which is to say, drawing from nature, not simply animalistic) features for larger specimens.

Though many things are disputed of the Fey, including how to spell the word, everyone agrees that they can be split into two "groupings"

Unseelie / Winter Court

They favour cooler colours and pale tones. The personalities are more harsh and violent, and they take joy in feeling the pain or causing the pain of others. Think negative, and you'll think Unseel. Do not confuse them for evil, they take precedence in causing muted emotions, but do not bring it, claiming that they set the spark while their victims fanned the flames.

Seelie / Summer Court

They favour warmer colours and bright tones. The personalities are more bubbly and "hippy", and they take joy in spreading positive emotions of delight and such. Think positive, and you'll think Seel. Do not confuse them for good, they will make people fall in love and bring laughter, no matter who is trampled in the cross-fire. Like Helen of Troy and Romeo and Juliet, remember how those romances turned out?

Some evidence exists which suggests that both Courts were once a single unit, which they refuse to acknowledge, even when bound with geas of obedience. The evidence can be found in their anthem/song "Star-Studded Sovereign" and the rare oath "By the Sovereign!". No further evidence of such an individual has proven concrete, and it provides the simple excuse for many a travelling Fey "I seek my Sovereign".

They do not seem to need food, water, or even sleep, though they have desires, and seek out endlessly to meet them. They are effectively immortal unless killed by some method, and even then, they can only be truly destroyed by even more arcane methods, such as the Blade of King Nesserus the Feybane, or the First Magic described in the Clover Journals. Or throwing them into a Mountain Heart, that'll show 'em.

Other terms of note:

Wilde Hunts

When large collections of Fey gather, its either to discuss some unfathomable matter or to pull one of these. They choose some poor and unfortunate target whose only requirement is to be interesting, whether it be a baker born with green eyes and red hair or a chaste wizard past his prime. The target need not be an individual, the Fey have gathered armies to declare Hunts on sorcerers, cities, and at one point, clouds. For all participating mortals, standard rules apply that if you can outlast a day and a night, Fey will grant you a boon.

Silver Ships

Though rarely do they venture out of their Realms without ceremony, the Fey that take to the seas are able bodied in their seamanship. The magnificent vessels they craft from shining light and silver moonbeams (more likely metal and wood) are said to weather any storm and pass o'er any wave. Some suggest these Silver Ships have been sighted cresting the desert dunes, or riding the current of the wind. They are also fond of abducting travellers and forcing them to entertain the crew to pay for their "voyage".

Gnomes

Gnomes live in vast technological cities built into the sides of the Dark Mountains. They are on neutral terms with the highly xenophobic human kingdom nearby, but this has more to do with the Gnome's advanced technology and "Clock Guard" in the form of metal automatons running on springwork and chains. − Your average gnome is about waist high to a human, and their body shape similar in proportion. Their skin tones the normal human range, though they tend to tan quickly in the mountains from the reflections of the constant snow. They have a tendency to alter their bodies in many of the ways old world humans did. Fancy, meaningless tattoos, dying their hair, common, synthetic make ups (usually developed with secrets bought from Goblin alchemists). They are also used to the use of gears and chains for transfering information back and forth between each other in their fast clockwork cities, and even between them in some cases. Within each city is something akin to an "internet" that allows slow by digital standards, but lightning fast by medieval ones, communication between individuals within the same city. All of this gives the gnomes an aesthetic very similar to that of the Outerrealmers of /TG/

Unlike Dwarves, they build ONTOP of mountains, and use the vast geothermal vents under the Dark Mountains to transform their cities into vast mechanical fortresses. Primary, stationary systems are powered by steam, while mobile systems are wound by the vast springs that transfer power from the steam turbines into the rest of the city. They have a primitive form of computing power in the form of long, massive, series of chains. Inside each link, is a little toggle, that can be flipped horizontal or vertical, giving a form of binary logic. Their Clock Guards are programmed by these, feeding the chains into themselves, reading them, and occasionally altering them with their inner clockwork to feed new information into the system. At the core of every Gnomish city is a vast bank of chains, and wound springs.

Goblins

Goblins are a race of slightly reptilian, short, humanoids with a technical bent. Contrary to popular belief, Goblins are not related to Orkind in any way, shape, or form. Physiologically, they are smooth skinned, but have scale like patterns and calluses on places where the bones are shallow against the skin. They have short stubby tails protruding from their rears. Their eyes are usually monochrome with a single snake like slit pupil, though there are exceptions. All Goblins retains a love of gadgetry (though not on the scale of the gnomes) but more than that, a love of alchemy, chemistry, and herbology. Their skin tons have a very, very, very, wide range, but by far the most common range is grey to green (though reports of red, blue, human skin tones, and every other color imaginable have been made, though how much of this is alchemical trickery and how much is natural is unclear).

Goblins, unlike every other race on the planet, seem to have come from else where, another world entirely, only tangentially connected to this one. Goblins are, by far, the most common opponent faced by adventurers going into the dungeons that spontaneously appear. Given that there is no species quite like Goblins anywhere else in the world, and almost no records of them being created, migrating here, or anything else amongst the dwarves, felim, or humans (not even myths or legends), it can only be assumed that those of Goblins populating the new world are those who left the dungeons that brought them here before the dungeons were closed.

Goblins are divided into three races, Gobbos, Kobolds, and Gremlins.

Gobbos

Unlike their wilder, dungeon dwelling cousins, or the tribes of their kind far to the south. Gobbos are incredibly civilized, organizing themselves into merchant bands known as Caravans that travel between settlements. They peddle trinkets, potions, and small gadgetry at each location.

Gobbos rarely, if ever, take off the dark black robes and hoods they wear constantly, nor the white masks carved with different faces, each face representing a different emotion or action or idea. Gobbos only remove this clothing in the presence of someone they truly trust, and is usually something reserved between mates. It is unclear how Gobbos are capable of drinking and eating through their masks, though they seem to do so effortlessly.

Gobbos, far more than their cousins, the Kobolds, are masters of alchemy and medicine, and they adore modifying their bodies, though it is rare when you see a gobbo that is radically different from the standard Goblin template. Gobbos tend to be strangely proportioned for their size, which is at about waist height to a human. Gobbo males are often thickly muscled, even if they are of a scholarly bent, and very, very, fit. Gobbo females are impossibly curvy, to the point where some even have trouble retaining their balance. Gobbos do not state whether this is NATURAL for them, or the result of alchemical manipulation of their forms, though they seem to accord respect in equality to how heavily modified a fellow Gobbo's body is, and to these Gobbos who are almost comically proportioned, a great deal of respect is given.

Gobbos are most commonly sighted type of Goblins in the northern lands, and the only nonhuman even barely tolerated by humanity. This is for a number of reasons. Goblins are master apothecaries and alchemists, and 3 generations back, the heir to the kingdom was deathly ill. No one amount of prayer, healing, or medicine was able to cure him. In desperation, the King began calling to those outside humanity for help (besides the hated elves). Dwarven runes did nothing, nor Halfling cookery, Felim shamanism, or Gnomish invention. Finally, a goblin caravan arrived in the capital, and with it was the oldest and wisest (or so the goblin claimed) of their kind. Over the next few weeks, he had adventurers gather the rarest of ingredients, and after a month, concocted a substance that cured the heir, who later became king. So ecstatic at the revival of his son, the King at the time offered the goblins anything they wanted. The price was not as high as he might have thought, not half his kingdom, not riches untold, no. They simply asked that each of their caravans be given a contract, a writ of trade and pass, to move unmolested through human lands, and peddle their trade in human settlements.

Goblins are still discriminated against, in their gypsy like caravans, but by law, they are protected and subject to the king's laws, and there is many a plague stricken town that would not have survived if not for a timely passing of a gobbo caravan. This, combined with the fact Gobbos tend to camp outside of a settlement and keep to themselves, has lead to a grudging tolerance of their presence in most towns.

Kobolds

Kobolds, by and large, are what adventurers face in most dungeons or around them. Kobolds show none of the modesty nor alchemical manipulation that Gobbos display, and share not even the basic tolerance displayed by humans towards Gobbos, not by a long shot. Kobolds are tinkers beyond compare, and passable alchemists. Many magical items found in dungeons, at least the minor ones, are of Kobold make, and you will never find a race more adept at placing and hiding traps of all sorts. Kobolds are masters of ambushes, and if evidence in deep dungeons is to be believed, were once the dominant species of some very powerful, and magical nation. It is possible that the mysterious magical items found in the depths of most dungeons were made by the Kobolds of old.

Kobolds follow the standard Goblin template in appearance, and universally, whether they are members of nomadic tribes (particularly common to the Desert of 1000 Sands, the Knoll Wastes and Orc lands) despise their Gobbo cousins. Calling them race-traitors and claming that they are dishonoring the ancient ways.

Kobolds seem to worship magic, in all it's forms, and at the same time, abhor "technology" as they put it. The devices of the gnomes and even dwarves, to them, are wretched things, and the few cases where a Kobold has been exposed to something as advanced as say, a cellphone or laptop, and were told how it worked, has resulted in the Kobold going into a panic. There is little explanation for this.

Gremlins

Out of all the Goblins, the Gremlins are the most alien and insane. While Gobbos disdain advanced technology (usually anything that is steam driven or more advanced), and Kobolds despise it, the Gremlin is defined by his paradoxical fascination of what he hates. Gremlins are found most commonly in the Dwarven Reaches and in Gnomish lands. They form strange, half tribes of half insane members, modifying themselves with a combination of magical tinkering and alchemy that is far more unstable than that practiced by either the Kobolds or the Gobbos. They attack, raid, and whenever they can, subvert any form of technology they can find. Most often they break it, but occasionally they "hack" it into something it was never supposed to do, usually involved in killing any "tech lovers" the Gremlins can get at, or damaging anything else technological around them.

Halflings

Halflings are short, waist high at most, humanoids of slight build (similar to gnomes and humans in proportions). Some say they’re related to the Gnomes, but if they are, they don’t act it. Usually content with staying in their dwellings and working their fields, wanderlust is a rarity at best, prosecuted at worst. Still, noble folk with noble aims, even if Mirthterrahs seems to be encroaching on their hobbit holes. While not tinkers, nor warriors, and certainly not adventurers, there are few races who can match their skill in two areas: Cooking, and Agriculture. For emphasis, Halflings figured out the 3 field system about 2 generations into discovering agriculture in the first place. Halflings also keep meticulous records of weather patterns, star movements, and other meteorlogical phenomena for the purposes of their fields and crafts. The shire is such a productive area of farm land, that it produces almost as much produce as half of all of Mirthterrah's provicines put together.

Halflings have a very, very, very, insular society. They tend to keep themselves to themselves, and while they are welcoming of outsiders (to a point), they tend to get particularly clannish if outsiders pry into their business. Likewise, Halflings organize themselves into vast, extended families. It is a rare Halfling who cannot name all of his relations up to his 42nd cousin 13 times removed (a slight exaggeration... but not by much). A common method of "breaking the ice" between two Halflings from parts of the Shire far separated from one another is to figure out exactly how they're related to one another.

Halflings who do not conform to the standards of their community, no matter what their skills and talents, tend to be ostracized, if not outright driven from the Shire. This has lead to a surprising influx of young to middleaged Halflings from the Shire to /TG/ wishing to make a new start, without any kind of traditions or strict rules holding them in place.

Humans

Humans are a diverse bunch, but the vast majority live in the kingdom of Mirthterrahs. Others live in the Caliphate to the south, or across the Thousand Sands. Others still supposedly live across the great ocean. They, supposedly, were once under the dominion of the Elves, before over throwing them in a great rebellion. This has lead to Humans, for the most part, to be incredibly racist and xenophobic to all nonhuman species, who tend to possess abilities far in excess of humans, and further, have historically preyed on them (usually this is exacerbated in the usual wheel of revenge sort of way. "Remember the atrocity they committed long ago to excuse us of the atrocity we are about to commit!").

Outerrealmers

Only about 1000 strong, these humans once came from the old world, a place known as Earth. They were linked only by a common interest in an image planted by a mysterious wizard, who died by their hands soon after. Originally there were around 3000 members.

Kanin/Dogpeople

A race of warrior dog people living on the island of Snarletooth. They are very much a pack creature and tend to be rather outgoing. They have a long history of warfare.

Orkind

High Orcs

Greyish skinned and live in the mountains.

Savage Orcs

Live in coastal regions and are in a way the average Orc as they are in the middle on just about everything between the High Orcs and the Orks.

Orks

Big strong and dumb, they live in the southern plains.

Telidron

War Angels of the Orc god of war, Ter. They tend to be around seven and a half feet tall. They have four eyes and six arms. They bleed like crazy and reside in Ar'mouri, the fields after death and the warrior's rest.

Mercy is a sin to them.