Editing Kingdoms of Amalur (section)

==Races of Amalur==
Amalur is full of many different races, though in ''Reckoning'' only four - the Almain and Varani [[human]] ethnicities and the Alfar - are playable. Some are only known from concept material or in-game references, such as the Apotharni [[centaur]]s and the Hylaran [[lizardfolk]]

===Humans===
It's implied there are other ethnicities beyond the ones detailed here, but these are the only ones who receive any major attention.

The '''Almain''' are a warlike and highly religious [[human]] people dedicated to the worship of Mitharu, God of Order, above all things. With a social and religious abhorrence of chaos, they tend to be the most uneasy at interacting with their fae neighbors.

The '''Varani''' are [[Vikings]]; seafaring mercenaries, pirates, traders and wanderers, they tend to be more flexible but also wilder than their Almain counterparts.

===Alfar===
The [[Elf]] races of the game, the Alfar may look similar to the Fae, but are very much mortal. Originally united into a singular empire, the ljosalfar (light elves) and dokkalfar (dark elves) separated over political strife and disagreements about the best way for their culture to advance. Despite this, there remains strong ties of allegiance between them, and in particular the "Crystal War" has seen them fighting side-by-side against the Tuatha.

'''Ljosalfar''' are characterized by their frigid bluish-purple skin. Although they abhore change, they also revere the principle of justice and have long striven to defend Amalur against chaos and darkness.

'''Dokkalfar''', distinguished by their ashy gray skin and black hair, are far more mentally and morally flexible than their cousins. Whilst they share the ljosalfar love of and skill with magic, they are also master socialites, exploiting their natural charisma as politicians, spies and assassins.

===Shortfolk===
Of the three shorter-than-human humanoid races, only the '''Gnomes''' have a major role in ''Reckoning''. Steadfastedly neutral in the affairs of the other races around them, gnomes are devoted to the concept of learning more about their world around them. They are divided politically into a caste system, consisting of the Scholars (inventors, historians, and other science-y types), the Praetorians (warriors) and the Templars (the leaders). Practical and pragmatic, they are the most advanced and learned race in Amalur.

'''Dverga''' are the dwarves of Amalur, and very unlike dwarves of other worlds. Rather than being mountain-dwelling miners, they're sea-farers who rule the Frostbreak Sea... they're also loathed as a race of pirates and slavers, constantly raiding the other peoples of the sea to drag away their wealth and people to enhance the spread of their own kind. Whilst they never physically appear in ''Reckoning'', they are mentioned repeatedly throughout the Legend of Dead Kel DLC.

Finally, the '''Massariol''' are the halflings of Amalur, though they look more like [[ratfolk|humanoid mice]] (emphasis on the humanoid; picture small, cute hobbit-like humanoids with mouse ears and tails). They were planned for ''Concordance'', a scrapped MMO set in the Kingdoms of Amalur world centuries after the events of ''Reckoning'' but survive in Reckoning through mention in two items; the Brewmaster's Armor Set (magic armor created by being aged in a Massariol-brewed cask of mead) and the Massariol Libations. They are master brewers, especially in the arts of producing fine wine; their kingdom was going to be called "Vino Terra" as a result.

===Giants===
There are a number of bigger-than-average humanoids scattered around Amalur, and lorewise they shared a common culture once in their own lands. Most are just enemies to fight, however.

The most common giants in the Faelands are the '''Jottun'''; hulking, orc-like figures with a magical affinity for ice.

'''Ettins''' are two-headed, blue-skinned giants with an affinity for lightning, and almost as widely spread as jottuns.

'''Bolgans''' are massive, red-skinned giants and the strongest of their kind. They are heavily associated with the Tuatha.

'''Kollossae''' are the only non-evil giants encountered in ''Reckoning''. Introduced in the DLC "Teeth of Naros", they resemble humans with stone-like skin and glowing blue-grey eyes, but twice the height of a normal human. Despite looking like living statues, they are actually flesh and blood creatures, and one NPC even notes that their skin is no more durable than any humanoid's, so they need armor. Originally a savage race of hill giants called the Mairu, the rising power of arcane magic resulted in them developing an innate affinity for pure magical energy, which in turn propelled them into becoming the most civilized giants. They have a very Greek flavor.

===Fae===
Living embodiments of magic and the forces of nature, the fae come in many different forms, many of which are little more than magical beasts. The most advanced fae are the Seelie and Unseelie, which take the form of alfar-like humanoids. Of all creatures, the fae are most closely tied to the power of Fate, which makes them immortal; a slain fae revives fairly quickly. The drawback is that they can't ''change''; a fae essentially gets to live a single life, '''exactly''' the same, for all eternity. A fae is born, it does what it is supposed to do, it dies, and then it's reborn to do it all again.

The Seelie and Unseelie are not entirely oblivious to the fact that this may not actually be the best existence. The player can meet a Unseelie fae, the Maid of Windermere, who points out she's basically condemned to re-enact the role of a villainess in a play told out for real that has repeated itself unchangingly for centuries, if not millennia. You can't entirely blame her for wanting to go off-script and find a way to end this cycle.

Aside from the myriad lesser fae, who make up disposable enemy mooks like trolls and sprites, the major fae races are:

The '''Seelie (Summer Fae)''', embodiments of life, growth, birth, light and warmth. The three most important Seelie Houses are the House of Ballards (a "historical society" where Seelie dedicate themselves to reliving the lives of famous Seelie heroes), the House of Valor (dedicated to the princples of might and honor, fallen after their Champion was killed and their coliseum taken by a human mercenary) and the House of Seasons (mystics dedicated to preserving the great cycle of life, possibly also caring for newly incarnated fae).

The '''Unseelie (Winter Fae)''', embodiments of death, decay, darkness and cold. Though highly feared by most mortals, they aren't evil, they just embody ugly but necessary parts of the natural cycle. After all, if the Unseelie didn't clean away the old and worn out, what room would there be for the Seelie to fill with new life? The three most important Unseelie Houses were the House of Sorrows (spiritualists who worship grief and decay), the House of Vengeance (a warrior society, analogous to the Seelie House of Valor) and the House of Pride (the mightiest witches and warlords of the Unseelie).

The '''Tuatha Deohn''' are a new thing under Amalur's sun. Created when the Unseelie court jester Gadflow discovered a god called Tirnoch and was imbued with her power, he massacred most of the Unseelie, converting many of the survivors to his new religion and warping the reincarnations of those he killed into his followers. The Tuatha are driven to exterminate all mortal races, and their retained fae ability to reincarnate makes their numbers effectively endless; all the Tuatha you kill in one battle will return to fight again the next day.