Gaspworld2
Gaspworld Races
Dark Elves of Sith Tor
Sith Tor elves claim the entire swamp region in the middle of the world and unlike their Free elf brothers they are extremely political. Sith Tor is largely a matriarchal society but does have its share of male rulers. The government is a dictatorship currently ruled by Queen Salashar and a series of regional governors who have free reign as long as proper tribute is paid to the Queen. Officially there is an election if ever a ruler is on the throne for more than 100 years, this has never happened. The lands of Sith Tor are riff with political intrigue and back stabbing. The longest a ruler has ever held the throne was 82 years the shortest was 1 week, the average is about 25 years. Sith Tor culture centers around worship of the snake god Sith (Chaotic Neutral, Strength, Power, Deception). Sith Tor Elves are very dark skinned and are very fond of tattoos, children a very often given their first tattoo at birth. Males tend to shave their heads with the exception of a topknot of hair and have large snake tattoos across their face. Some of the most vile toxins and poison come from Sith Tor as well as some of the deadliest assassins. The Sith Tor work with the free elves and respect their territory because they know if anyone tries to attack Sith Tor they will have to get through the Free elves first. Lost elves and especially half elves are treated with utter contempt. Sith Tor elves believe in racial purity and see them as abominations.
Free Elves
Free Elves claim most of the forestland in the middle of the world as well as the Island of the gods to the west and the chain of islands to the East. The closest thing they have to a capitol it the dragon guarded fort city of Felwith. The Free elves have no real central government but rather a bunch of tribes working together. Every five years the Tribe elders meet in Felwith to discuss issues that threaten the land. Free elves have very little concern for anything outside of their forest and very rarely venture beyond their tribal lands. They tend to be very peaceful and do not restrict travel in their lands but will become fierce fighters if the land is threatened. Elves who grow up in free elf society gain traceless walk as a feat and hide (in nature) +10 in addition to normal elf bonuses. The only place outsiders are not welcome is the island of the Gods. This is sacred land and anyone found trespassing has never been seen again this rule applies to Sith Tor and Lost elves as well. The Free Elves work and trade freely with the Sith Tor but have no interest in their political views. As for Lost elves they feel sorrow and pity for them but they are treated as no longer being elves and are given no more respect than humans.
Half Elves
Half Elves tend to migrate to human populations because not all of elvenkind approves of thier human heritage. The Sith Tor believe in racial purity and hate them the most.
Lost Elves
Lost Ones represent all other elves in the world who in the opinion of the other Elvin races have lost all connection with their Elvin roots. Lost elves do not begin speaking Elvin and do not receive the hide and sneak bonus. They do however begin with two skill (of their choice) at +4 each. Lost elves retain all other Elvin bonuses. There is no standard racial profile for lost elves; they tend to merge with the dominant culture they grow up in.
Northern Dwarves
There may be pockets of Dwarves still in the Northern Mountain ranges, but many of them have left thier mountain homes and are now estranged from thier past. They are workmen and have mingled into Human settlements and towns in the Northern Kingdom.
South Dwarves
7 Dwarf Clans: Belar, Belfur, Dorim, Dwar, Farak, Gimur, and Norin
The dwarves of the south are divided into 7 major clans and many smaller ones. Six of the clans have Underground City-States and the seventh Clan Norin wants to claim a city state of its own in the heart of the Southern Orks territory. Of all the clans Norin is the most for the continued war on the southern orks.
In the past the Clans have warred with each other, and have had a hard time working as a whole. Most are united in driving the orcs into the islands and off the mainland.
The southern Dwarves tend to be darker in skin and hair color than the Northern Dwarves. They are also slightly larger than thier northern bretheren.
Goblins
Goblins are a Lawful Evil race that live on the northern part of the Wild Lands Island to the west of the mainland and to the north of the Island of the Gods. In the past the Goblins have always fought against the Hobbit Villagers but have at times made peace with the Wildings since they live such a similar lifestyle.
Half-Goblins
There are usually some half-goblins in most goblin tribes as a result of these times of peace between the Wildings and the Goblins. Some wilding tribes also have some half-goblins but the majority of these half breeds join with the goblin tribes because of some name calling and hatred. There is some disagreement in both the Hobbit, and Goblin Tribes about these half breeds. Some view them as abominations where others don't see anything wrong with them.
There is one tribe wandering around the island that has the majority of the half breeds and is almost entirely made up of them. They hold no former allegiance with goblins or hobbits and raid both of them. They feel that neither one wanted them and have a reverse hatred for them because of it.
Gnomes of Keytop
Keytop north of the Southern Dwarf City-State of Dorim-Kildur is the only known place that Gnomes are located.
Hobbits
Hobbits are alittle different on Gaspworld. They live on the island north of the Island of the Gods. It is currently used only for timber by the Middle Kingdom and left to the wild things. Hobbits have a very short life-span on this island that is thier home. Only the careful ones survive. They live in constant fear of the creatures that inhabit the rest of the island. It is full of predators and beings that want to harm and eat other life-forms.
Sorcery seems to be very strong in the hobbits. Some men of knowledge (the ones that know of the hobbits) think that one of thier ancestors was gifted with sorcery and because of it survived where other hobbits died before mating. It seems in the woods you need to have quick feet, and ability to hide, and a little firepower in case the other two fail.
Hobbit adventurers are those who have somehow gotten off of the island. They are normally exiles from the villages that don't want to life as a "Wilding", or "Wildings" that flee that tribe. Some of them are hobbits that have been captured in failed raids and eventually are let loose on society, although the lumber villages tend to kill those caught on raids by drowning since is scares the crap out of most hobbits.
Hobbit Villagers
There are 4 Tribes. Three of the tribes are pretty much the same, living in almost invisible underground villages and hold to thier own customs. They prefer to hide and flee rather than fight, but have learned to defend against the raids of the "Wildings." They are peaceful, but they don't like the encroaching logging on the island by those who have settled in the coastal villages on the Mainland side of the island.
The villages are peaceful under the protection of the roots of the great Weirwood Trees that tower above them. They grow mushrooms and hunt small animals such as rabbits, and when brave enough, go up into the woods to hunt the prized warthog meat.
At the age a child hobbit becomes an adult he is sent out into the wild as his rite of passage. If he survives after a year and returns he is accepted back into the tribe. If he comes back before this time, at worst he is stoned and shot full of arrows, at best he is exiled and not allowed to return to the villages and is taken by the 4th Tribe if they survive the "Wilding" initiations which are very brutal.
The Wildings
The 4th tribe is the tribe that has not chosen to hide, but instead defends the island against the "Strangers" or those who aren't Hobbit born. They are a thorn in the spine of those who would lumber on the island. The lumberjacks have to worry about the beasts as well as the raids of the cannibal hobbits. They hunt in parties and are very quick and leathal wielding sorcery poisons.
Humans
Humans are mostly found in the Northern, Middle, and Southern Kingdom.
Soondar
The Soondar speek Soondari. They live in the very arid regions of the Tikkan Waste in the very south of the Southern Kingdom. They have very dark skin and speak a very complex language of facial expressions and hand gestures as well as sounds. The same gestures mean different things depending on what is said at the same time. They are a nomadic people and aren't seen much to the north of the Tikkan Waste, but are encounted sometimes in the cities looking to buy and sell things.
Half Orcs
Half Orcs of Jort still have bluish white tint to there skin and average about 7 feet tall and only retain some of the cold resistance (1/2 damage from normal cold and � damage from magical cold).
If making a Gothgot(South Orc) HalfOrc use the following stat adjustments Str +1 Cha -1.
There are other pockets of Orcs in smaller numbers and Half-Orcs from those areas get the (+2 Str, -2 Int, -2 Cha).
Ice Orcs
Ice Orcs of Jort have adapted to the harsh climate they live in and as a result they are immune to normal cold and only suffer half damage from magical cold attacks. They have a bluish white skin and average 7 to 8 feet tall. The Ice Orcs typically live in brutal might makes right tribes were the strong survive and the weak get eaten. Occasionally half Orcs will survive to adulthood in the ice kingdom and when they do it is often because they have become shaman or witch doctors. Half Orcs of Jort still have bluish white tint to there skin and average about 7 feet tall and only retain some of the cold resistance (1/2 damage from normal cold and � damage from magical cold).
The Ice Orcs have rallied around some intelligent force and have been attacking the Northern Kingdom recently. In the past they rallied around Jort the Ice Giant in the last wars. They have been making many raids south of thier border.
South Orcs
The southern Orcs call themselves Gothgots and are very different from their northern cousins. Gothgots are more intelligent and live in civilized clans with elected leaders. They are accomplished ship builders, which they build, out of porous volcanic rock and even maintain a small navy. The Gothgots used two inhabit the whole southern mountain chain many many years ago but where pushed out by the dwarves and to this day they fight a continually war to reclaim their ancestral land. More than likely the Southern Orcs must have intermingled with Humans in their past, they are much more closely related to half orcs than true orcs. They are shorter only averaging 7 feet tall and have different stat adjustments (Str +3 Init -1 Wis -1 Cha -2). Because of the continually war most Gothgots do not venture from their homelands but it does happen. Because of their isolation they rarely mingle with humans but when it does happen they are often exiled at the age of maturity (approximately 16 years old). If making a Gothgot � Orc use the following stat adjustments Str +1 Cha -1.
The south orcs are more intelligent than the northern orcs. They seem to have more human blood mixed in. They are very capable with ships and naval operations and have survived the Dwarf Wars with this talent.