H U M A N S

Naturally, we all know what humans are. The true humans, unmodified and unmutated by the magical cataclysm of the world's past (if that myth is indeed true) come in three basic varieties -- "primordial" population clusters, if you will, that have since dispersed and somewhat mixed with each other over the course of many centuries (or longer.) There is no sense of shared fraternity or sense of belonging within these population clusters, but the physical features of them are fairly well defined, and they also apparently each had their own language groups at one point in the distant past.

Humans today live in several cultural units. These cultural units do not necessarily coincide with political units except in very broad cases. There are a number of cases that are much like modern Basques, for example -- an ethnic group with their own language, traditions and culture, but straddled across the border of France and Spain and belonging politically to both depending on location. This leads occasionally to ethnic friction in various locales, depending on how free the individuals are to practice their own localized culture. The following cultural units can be selected during character creation. They don't have any mechanical function except for allowing certain background feats, but they do, however, provide an important roleplaying function.

Golean:

The Golean ethnicity hails from the southwest, near the borders of the Criadoc Sea and south of Magloire. They are a small population, and are confined to a relatively small area. Although some individuals do indeed live within the borders of kingdoms, protectorates or other regions, for the most part, they are an independent people still, who live in the harsh arid regions somewhat removed from the sea. They are very isolationist and have little interest in outsiders or their technology, and most are not literate. Spoken Golean, which is a Westerling dialect, is not written. The Golean are actually the vanguard of a much greater population of people who live more to the south and west, but as they are blocked by relatively harsh terrain, commerce between the Golean and their distant relatives is not common.

The Golean live in small clans or tribes, and are wandering herders for the most part in the rough scrublands that make up their homes. They do have fortresses built of packed earth and dried clay and mud. The Golean are proud of their fierce primitiveness, resisting attempts to "civilize" them by either thier neighbors. Their religion, which is a bit different from that of their neighbors, places great spiritual importance on their way of life. Chieftains rule each clan with an iron fist, although culture dictates that they be benevolent rulers lest they call down the wrath of the gods for their hubris. The Golean revel both in obtuse mysticism and utter devotion to the community over the individual. The clan chief dictates many aspects of the community that other cultures find repugnant, including to whom his warriors will marry, what his clan members will do for their livelihood and other life-changing decisions. In reality, this works fairly well, given the attitude of the Golean and the strong cultural impetus for clan chiefs to work with their clan members to make decisions that actually are to their benefit. When travelling outside of their ancestral lands, the Golean are usually bemused, yet politely quiet at the antics of their neighbors. However, many of the Golean who travel do so because they are exiles from their own culture.

The Golean physically are very tall and very fair: all Golean have extremely blond hair, often bordering on white it is so pale. Their eyes are also extremely pale: even blue eyes are rare because gray is so common. When their skin tans, it typically freckles as well. Because of their extreme paleness, foreigners often call them the "Ghosts of the Desert." The Golean actually encourage this and take this up with some pride. Golean men typically dress in a long open robe; white with a clan color stripe. Under the robe, they typically wear long, baggy trousers and thick boots, and a knee-length tunic. Because of the harshness of their desert environment, this clothing is often layered, lower layers being thin, pale cloth primarily to keep the sun from baking the skin, and heavier layers for the harsh (yet infrequent) rains or cold. These are often made of wool. They also typically cover their heads with a wrap of thick cloth, and sometimes their faces as well. Soldiers rarely have any armor, and if they do it is traded, scavenged, stolen or purchased from wherever it can be found, so it does not follow any one style. Golean swords have single-edged blades and longish handles without any hilt (use scimitar rules.) Beards are typically kept fairly neat and trim, and their hair is also cut fairly short. However, long "tails" over each temple are not unusual, especially amongst warriors and hunters. Golean women usually wear more tigh-fitting trousers and tunics, with heavy hooded cloaks in cold weather, light "poncho"-like cloaks of thin cloth during hotter periods. Women like to braid their hair into a multitude of small braids. They also typically wear a traditional dagger called a selake on their waist, and lots of bone jewelry. Whenever possible, Golean women like to wear foreign jewelry as well, made of precious metals, jewels or whatever their clan chieftain is able to acquire.

Bertonite:

The Bertonites are the western-most of the local human ethnicities. The region itself is still occasionally called Berton after them, and much of it is unincorporated into any kingdom other than the loose confederation of Bertonites which make up the Lonely Maid Mountains, but the city-states of Magloire are a much more ordered and settled place along the rivers and coasts between the mountains and the Criadoc Sea. In the mountains, there are few towns, but many small hamlets, villages and other rustic locales. Trappers, loggers, hunters and others who love the wilderness, wild forests and unspoiled mountains and hills are the most common inhabitants. There are a few moderate cities and trade centers, usually along major waterways or roads. Even in the south, where relatively large cities and trade centers have been built up, they are at best city-states and mini-empires: the Bertonites seem to naturally resist incorporating into a unified political entity. Despite this, however, most Bertonites are friendly even with their traditional rivals, and the Confederation of the Mountains has since begun to spread south into the lowlands, and the Bertonites have lately managed to act as a relatively unified body, even while respecting the fiercely regional individualism the culture has always favored. This is mostly a reaction to the expansionist policies of their neighbors and distant relatives, the Tinaldians.

Bertonites are perhaps the most independent of the local peoples. They put less stock in nobility and the accident of birth and much more in merit than most peoples. In general, Bertonites are placid, calm and peaceful. They enjoy outdoor festivals that try the strength, competitiveness and toughness of individuals. Friendly rivalries and roughness is common, but Bertonites who anger easily are rare and unpopular. Bertonites, even those who live in the cities, tend to enjoy solitude from time to time as well. It is not unusual for even the most sedate and city-bound Bertonite to take a holiday in the forest or mountains for hunting, fishing, or simply camping and enjoying the wilderness that still makes up so much of the region's land. Bertonites are tall, with white skin, blue or grey eyes common and brown or blond hair. Men typically wear their hair shorter than women, and wear beards, but otherwise they dress very similarly. Both men and women typically wear woolen trousers, although men's trousers are usually extremely baggy, but gathered below the knees and tied or tucked into boots. Long-sleeved tunics, also often of wool usually cover the torso and hang almost to the knees. Embroidered designs are typical for the ends of the sleeves and the bottom of the tunic. A jacket, usually short-sleeved and often double-breasted is typically worn over the tunic. In colder weather, long coats of leather lined with martin or fox fur and belted with leather are used, as well as caps with fur interiors. In all seasons except the hottest of the summer months cloaks, fastened with bronze or golden pins are worn: winter cloaks are often made of felt and have fur insides.

Tinaldians:

Tinald is one of the largest of the ethnic homelands in terms of land mass and population. It includes Cassant and the surrounding coastlands of the straig, as well as the Iron Cliffs region, and is also somewhat culturally distinct. The area is probably also the most cosmopolitan, having immigrants from all over the area settled in Cassant especially, including orcs, who are the original inhabitants of the area. Tinaldians typically speak their own dialect of Bertonite, enriched by a number of words from the Tsuuqu-orc language (said Suku-orc by most humans, who typically struggle with the difficult consonant clusters of the language.) The country is ruled by a King, and a Parliament of both Nobles and Burghers. It maintains a policy of neutrality amongst its neighbors, and has a highly organized security force made up of reeves: some that are local, and some that report indirectly to the houses of Parliament, and some that report indirectly to the king himself.

Of all the ethnicities in the region, the Tinaldians are perhaps the most tolerant, as their relatively open borders and have invited settlers from all over into their land. In general, they are talkative and friendly, reserving judgement (both good and bad) until they've been able to observe the individual for a little while. However, they have a strong sense of national pride, and although it's fine to come from wherever and identify with wherever, if you are a Cassantite, you are a Cassantite first and foremost. Tinaldians are both urban and rural, but do live generally in settlements of some sort, so hardy outdoorsmen like the Bertonites are rare.

Tinaldians are fairly standard in physical appearance. Their build is not too tall, nor too broad. Their hair coloring and eyes are usually brown, although blond, red or darker hair is not uncommon and blue eyes are also fairly easy to find. Men wear beards as often as not, and have short hair, although small braids hanging from the sides of the head are not uncommon (either on either side, or more rarely, on both sides.) Women also have shorter hair than women of neighboring nations, although still longer than the men, and they often have a number of ties or braids to keep it off their backs. Men typically wear simply-patterned tunics and trousers outside, although the material and weave may be both complex and rich. Boots of leather are common as footwear, and simple cloaks clasped with broaches are worn in the winter. The climate in Cawaine is relatively mild, so thick winter clothes are not very common. Women often wear long dresses with divided skirts and sleeve-less vests or coats. In summer, these are worn without undershirts, while in winter long-sleeved woollen or linen shorts are worn under the coats. Women use more make-up than in other countries, including whitening of the face, red lipstick and extremely heavy mascara and black eye-shadow, which gives them an almost skull-like apppearance when carried to extremes. The trend comes from a death-cult popular amongst women, and is now so firmly entrenched that it is seen as a mark of beauty amongst some. In their own homes, or at certain other functions, both men and women wear a one-piece wrap: an extremely long rectangular piece of cloth that is wrapped around the waist and belted, and then brought up to wrap around the torso as well. Color and material vary depending on social class, while trimming and decoration denote rank and house allegiance. It is very similar to the Scottish "great kilt."

Enajian:

The Enajian live in the region stretching from the northeastern fringes of the Lonely Maid Mountains and northern reaches of the Iron Cliffs around the northern border of the Gunfirth Sea. The Enajian ethnic group is the primary population of the Groenwald nation as well. Many of the Enajians that live outside of Groenwald belong to the Kaszimo khagante. Rather than a linear succession system as in a kingdom, the next youngest brother of a dead khagan is the heir, and when all brothers are gone, the sons of all the brothers in the next generation are elligible heirs to the khaganate. When this happens, typically the clan khans come together to decide who amongst the heirs will become the next khagan. In reality, a great deal of blood is usually shed at this point, and the khaganate is in danger of breaking up into its constituent clans each ruled by its own khan until one claimant to the khaganate can get enough support to put down his rivals and unite the khaganate.

The tradition of mounted warrior is part of what makes the Enajian famous, but ironically, that is only a relatively recent phenomena. In a world in which no horses are domesticated (or domesticateable, as the case may be) the Enajians have taken to domesticating and taming a breed of the fierce terror birds, and ride them into battle.

The Enajians can be fierce, stubborn and unfriendly, but they do so only because their neighbors are so unfriendly to them, for the most part. Even the neighboring nations look at them in askance, as their culture and language are different from those around them, and the Groenwald Enajians have become much more integrated and modernized into the region's politics. However, most Enajians regardless of the nation they belong to are astute diplomats, all things considered, and are rigorously polite and correct as hosts and as guests. They are also renowned for their ability to retain feuds, and to extend them not only to the individuals involved, but often to entire families, warbands or even clans.

The Enajians are exotic in physical appearance relative to any other non-Bloodline human. They have a dusky olive skin, but with brown, not dark hair, and very light brown eyes that are often almost amber in color. They are average of height, but tend towards slightness and slimness. Commoners typically wear big bushy hair and beards, with fur-lined caps and sheepskin trousers. Long, open coats are typical dress of commoner men. Noblemen typically wear slightly past knee-length, divided robes of silk in bright colors and with delicate patterns over baggy trousers and with felt shoes, boots or puttees. Nobles typically prefer a moustache to a beard, and often braid their long hair behind them. Women of both classes wear long, divided skirts (the material, color and decoration being the main distinction between commoner and noble) and tight fitting, long-sleeved tunics or shirts made of wool, linen or leather. They typically have numerous small braids or ties in their hair, which is sometimes shorter than the mens' long braids.

Pon�ian:

The Pon�ian ethnicity is the primary population of Landreth, but a number of independent freeholds have migrated out of the magic zone and authority of the Shadow-king and into the downs near the Enajians. Prior to the rise of the Bloodlines, specifically the charissan bloodline that established the kingdom of Landreth, the Pon�ian had a mighty empire of their own, renowned for its navies and merchant fleets that plied the Gunfirth and even the Criaddoc Seas with impunity. Beset by a host of internal problems, and finally tipped over during the revolutionary Ascendence Years when the Bloodlines first manifested, the ancient regime was overthrown and the powerful tyranny of Landreth was established. This, along with the darkening of the land due to the strange magic that infused this area has profoundly affected the collective psyche of the Pon�ians, who see themselves as the noble yet imbittered survivors of a nobler bygone age. Pon�ians are often morose and melancholy. An ingrained attitude in all of the common class of the Pon�ians is their rich history, and the tragedy that was the fall of their empire. The nobles, on the other hand, feel little attachment to the to that bygone era, except for the crumbling cities, roads, aqueducts and temples that are their legacy. More than any other nation in the region, the Pon�ians are concerned with being proper, with following protocol, and with the dead seriousness of court functions and etiquette. However, this is a poor cover for the vicious politics, assassinations and rampant corruption that goes on behind the closed doors of the court of Landreth.

The Pon�ians are usually short and slight with fair skin and blue, green or grey eyes, but with straight dark hair. Men rarely wear beards or moustaches, and they typically have short hair. Long tunics with panels on the edges and sleeves are common, often made of wool, linen, silk or other material. Except in cold weather, trousers are rarely worn outside of the Landreth itself, but the ever-present chill of lightless Landreth almost mandates their use. The trousers are somewhat baggy and tied with strings at the bottom, and soft leather shoes are the norm. Cloaks are normal, and it is not unusual for a headband or sash wrapped around the head to be worn, although that tradition comes from the more easterly nations, and is not native to Carganad. Women typically wear dresses that are past the knee, with long woolen stockings or taped legs. The dresses are usually sleeveless, but small jackets and/or cloaks are often worn over them. Women typically wear some kind of cloth in their hair: either a sash used to tie it up, or cover part of it. To do less is considered immodest.

Veyradier:

The Veyradier ethnicity has the strange fortune to exist mostly on the orcish lands of Ksviaqtuur. Because of this, they mostly speak Tsuuqu-orc (Suku-orc) and their own language survives only as a substrate of loanwords into that orcish language. They do not feel oppressed under the yoke of the orcs, for the most part, and see the orcs as an integral part of their own culture. Those that live in the Valennia, on the other hand, are fierce revolutionaries for the most part, and trouble is always brewing amongst them. Others of them live independently on the southeast corner of the campaign setting's map, a quiet life of herders, farmers and hunters.

According to myth, humans (and by extension, the myriad bloodlines as well) were the "second children" -- the younger brethren to the orcs. Many humans believe they were created superior -- that the orcs were the gods' "rough draft" and that humans are the more polished creation. Many of them believe in a manifest destiny to rule over the orcs. However, the establishment of the bloodlines has thrown many philosophical schools of thought completely for a loop in the last few centuries. Some view the bloodlines as a curse on the humans for their arrogance during the golden age of magic. Others see them as the dawning of a new day in the evolution of humankind. Many of the bloodlines themselves see for themselves a manifest destiny to rule over the rest of humanity. In any case, the gods certainly haven't said, and many racial pogroms and purges, as well as bitter wars have been fought over racial issues in the past. Cassant, in many ways, is very unusual if not completely unique for its relatively open and cosmopolitan nature -- formed by both humans and orcs and viewing them both as equals. Of course, this also makes it a more interesting base of operations for the campaign setting, as it allows any of the racial selections to be used with relative impunity.

The various bloodlines really differ physically from humans, but in not really in any other regard. There are very little generalizations that can be made about them except for their physical features, with the exception that many of them hold to the beliefs and politics of their homeland and the large concentration of their population. They may have any type of personality. However, some extremely broad generalizations can be made with the caveat that many, many individuals will differ from this racial profile. Note that the presence of homelands for each of the bloodlines isn't meant to imply that only members of the bloodline live in those areas -- as a mutation, the bloodlines are somewhat erratic and often in the same family some individuals will be of the bloodline and others normal humans. Some families that only marry other bloodline individuals have stabilized their progeny, but all of the bloodlines live interspersed with regular humans and occasionally orcs as well. Except in singularly cosmopolitan areas, such as Cassant, more than one bloodline does not typically live in especially close proximity to another.

Esonir: The esonir come from the Graenwald, an area blessed with a magical energy that makes it greener, lusher and more fertile than any other area in the region. Because the Graenwald itself comes right to the shores of the Gunfirth Sea, many of the esonir live in fishing and trading communities along the shore, although others are farmers, miners, trappers, manufacturers or any other occupation they can in the green woods. Esonir are tall and often very beautifully proportioned, like living works of art. They have fair skin and white hair, and shiny silver eyes. Although most believe themselves superior to other bloodlines and normal humans, they tend to be fair-minded and thoughtful to others, and are typically easy to get along with.

Charissan: The charissan often make people somewhat uneasy because of their "demonic" appearance. They are short but very lithe and agile, with dusky coal-black or gray skin and hair and pale blue eyes. They also have a long pointed and thin tail. In their own homeland, the charissan are masters and deception and intrigue, and many expatriots also practice those skills almost out of habit. More than any of the other bloodlines, the charissan seem to have a sense of brotherhood -- as if the rest of the world is against them, so they better band together to hold it off. This isn't necessarily true -- although most folks don't necessarily trust a charissan, they don't necessarily fear or hate him either. The charissan homeland is in shadowy Landreth.

Jannarin: The jannarin originate in the dry steppes and canyons of Magloire. They are tall and whip-like, with dark red skin the color of fired bricks. Their hair is typically wavy and blond, and their eyes are a fiery golden-yellow. Jannarin are probably the least likely to band together, as they are often fiery individualists. Jannarin are often quick-tempered, but are also known for their generosity and hospitality.

Valennim: The Valennim are also quite clannish in most regards, and come from the southeast shores of the Gunfirth Sea near to Ksviaqtuur and across the river from Cassant. Because of this, they are relatively common in Cassant itself, and are often allied with it, in spite of their own native policy of strict exclusion of regular humans and orcs from many privilages of citizenship. Valennim are sturdy of both body and mind -- quiet and slow to react, but strong when they do. They have a grayish brown skin with an odd almost gritty texture, and a stocky build. Many of them have thick straight hair that is pale flaxen or even green, like grass or grain. Their eyes are universally black.

O R C S

Orcs are much less bestial than they are in standard D & D -- they are on average slightly taller and broader than a human, but not by much. They do have similar proportions, though -- orcs do not have hunched backs, for instance, or large animal-like faces and jaws. Most orcs have relatively flat faces and small noses, and they do have longer canines than humans. In most orc individuals, the lower canines protrude out past the lips when their mouth is closed. Orcs can have anywhere from a dark olive green skin to a dusky khaki color, and they all have yellow "predator" eyes, like a lion or wolf. Their hair is almost universally black, except when grayed or whitened by age.

According to their own myths, orcs are the "elder brothers"; the first creation of the gods and thus the rightful stewards of the world, and responsible examples to their wayward and feisty younger brothers. Despite their patently non-human ancestry, most orcs aren't so different mentally from a human that it's a real stretch to understand each other. One notable difference between the orc and human mentality is that orcs have no concept (except as a theoretical and abstract understanding from observations of humans) of romantic love, and this leads to lots of subtle (and not so subtle) differences. Orcs do not marry, for instance. To humans, orcs seem to have very casual and wild sexual habits, but in actuality, orcs don't have as pronounced a sex drive as humans anyway, and sex typically isn't an issue unless an orc group wants to have children. Mating and child-rearing is a planned event amongst orcs based on deals made between parents, or qualities that a particular orc sees in a mate that she wants to pass on to her children. The orc biological father often has little if anything to do with his children beyond fertilizing the female, and often don't even know who their children are, if the father and mother aren't from the same tkuuk. However, orcs do understand a more fraternal bonding, and typically gather in very tightly knit bands (the aforementioned tkuuk) of more or less the same age group, or other common interest. These groups stick together and watch out for each other in a way that, to human sensibilities at least, borders on obsessive. Orc children thus have communal parenting from the entire group that his or her mother belongs to. In some areas, such as Cassant, non-orcs are sometimes adopted into these groups.