The Highborne, Races of the Elderblood
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The High Elves, the Einheldren
Haughty, self-righteous, and powerful; the, self-proclaimed, 'high elves' of Alscium are perhaps her proudest race, if her most hated. The elves are masters of art, literature, and architecture, their cities ring with song and are covered in masterpieces. But, for all the outward beauty of the elves and their lands, a sinister evil lurks within them all. They have led a quest for the last two-hundred years to conquer every known inch of Alscium they can put onto a map, and their quest for power has led them to subjugate nearly every race beneath their control. Fierce warriors and brilliant spellcasters, the elves are a force to be reckoned with, whether in a small company, a massive army, or alone in a back alley.
Haughty, self-righteous, and powerful; the, self-proclaimed, 'high elves' of Alscium are perhaps her proudest race, if her most hated. The elves are masters of art, literature, and architecture, their cities ring with song and are covered in masterpieces. But, for all the outward beauty of the elves and their lands, a sinister evil lurks within them all. They have led a quest for the last two-hundred years to conquer every known inch of Alscium they can put onto a map, and their quest for power has led them to subjugate nearly every race beneath their control. Fierce warriors and brilliant spellcasters, the elves are a force to be reckoned with, whether in a small company, a massive army, or alone in a back alley.
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The Dark Elves, the Dreiheldren
The sinister cousins of the high elves, the drow are Alscium's most mysterious race. Their origins are unknown to even their elven kin, and they are few in number. However, they are a terrifying sight to behold. Their stark-white skin and ivory hair gives them a ghost-like appearance, the appearance of one affected by the White Plague. They are the strongest and most feared spellcasters in all of Alscium, and to face one in combat is death sentence before the battle even begins.
The sinister cousins of the high elves, the drow are Alscium's most mysterious race. Their origins are unknown to even their elven kin, and they are few in number. However, they are a terrifying sight to behold. Their stark-white skin and ivory hair gives them a ghost-like appearance, the appearance of one affected by the White Plague. They are the strongest and most feared spellcasters in all of Alscium, and to face one in combat is death sentence before the battle even begins.
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The Wood Elves, the Sylheldren
Denizens of the Great Forbidden Forest, and, perhaps, some other forgotten corners of the world, the Sylheldren elves separated themselves from their haughty brethren long, long ago over a dispute about the veneration of the natural world. Thus, they retreating into their heavily protected woods and shunning the other races of Alscium, fighting bitter wars against the beastmen that dared stray into their domain. As the Einheldren advance spread across the continent, the wood elves found themselves faced with a precarious decision; stay in hiding and abandon the Low People to domination, or sally forth and join the fight. They chose the former. Few Low People ever come into contact with a Sylheldren elf, though there are several small companies that have come out of their elective isolation to join the Free State's efforts, often driven by a feeling that their leaders are complacent to watch atrocities tear the world apart.
Denizens of the Great Forbidden Forest, and, perhaps, some other forgotten corners of the world, the Sylheldren elves separated themselves from their haughty brethren long, long ago over a dispute about the veneration of the natural world. Thus, they retreating into their heavily protected woods and shunning the other races of Alscium, fighting bitter wars against the beastmen that dared stray into their domain. As the Einheldren advance spread across the continent, the wood elves found themselves faced with a precarious decision; stay in hiding and abandon the Low People to domination, or sally forth and join the fight. They chose the former. Few Low People ever come into contact with a Sylheldren elf, though there are several small companies that have come out of their elective isolation to join the Free State's efforts, often driven by a feeling that their leaders are complacent to watch atrocities tear the world apart.
The Free Peoples of Alscium
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The Humans
A fiercely independent peoples, the humans are the youngest of Alscium's races, but one of her most tenacious. They are the orchestrators of nearly every major rebellion against the Einheldren's control over the Lower Races and the backbone of the Scarlet Vanguard. Countless humans have died over the years in the name of a free Alscium. They have borne the brunt of nearly every conflict, giving their lives selflessly in their attempts to inspire the other races of Alscium to rise up against their elvish overlords. Recently, humans have founded the Alscian Free State, a place where they seek to create a government independent of elvish control and influence.
A fiercely independent peoples, the humans are the youngest of Alscium's races, but one of her most tenacious. They are the orchestrators of nearly every major rebellion against the Einheldren's control over the Lower Races and the backbone of the Scarlet Vanguard. Countless humans have died over the years in the name of a free Alscium. They have borne the brunt of nearly every conflict, giving their lives selflessly in their attempts to inspire the other races of Alscium to rise up against their elvish overlords. Recently, humans have founded the Alscian Free State, a place where they seek to create a government independent of elvish control and influence.
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The Dwarves
Proud and stoic, the dwarves are the oldest beings in Alscium, hewn from the stone of the mountains and given life by the Gods themselves... or so the story goes. They are the finest metal-smiths and armorers in all the land, and dwelled in their halls of stone for hundreds and hundreds of years before the start of the Elvish-Dwarven wars that sparked the expansion of the Einheldren Dominion. They've never been ones to keep their grievances to themselves, however, and were quick to join with the humans of the Vanguard and the Northland Rebellion when they began. Stout fighters, dwarves rarely go down without taking nearly a dozen of their enemies with them. They supply the Vanguard with all of the necessary equipment to wage their war against the Einheldren, operating nearly every forge in nearly every Free State city.
Proud and stoic, the dwarves are the oldest beings in Alscium, hewn from the stone of the mountains and given life by the Gods themselves... or so the story goes. They are the finest metal-smiths and armorers in all the land, and dwelled in their halls of stone for hundreds and hundreds of years before the start of the Elvish-Dwarven wars that sparked the expansion of the Einheldren Dominion. They've never been ones to keep their grievances to themselves, however, and were quick to join with the humans of the Vanguard and the Northland Rebellion when they began. Stout fighters, dwarves rarely go down without taking nearly a dozen of their enemies with them. They supply the Vanguard with all of the necessary equipment to wage their war against the Einheldren, operating nearly every forge in nearly every Free State city.
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The Halflings
The middle-people, as they prefer to be called, are the simplest of Alscium's races. The greatest cooks in the land, their mastery of the culinary arts cannot be matched, and they are renowned for their gifts with song and verse; the finest bards and troubadours ever to have wandered Alscium's many lands are the halflings. They led quiet lives of wine, song, and harvest in their beloved and picturesque Little-Thicket Wood before the Einheldren began their campaign of dominance. However, while easily conquered on the battlefield, the halflings are something else to behold when sent on covert missions into the heart of Einheldren cities. Small enough to appear as an elvish child in a crowd, halflings are astoundingly adept at blending to their surroundings near unnoticeably.
The middle-people, as they prefer to be called, are the simplest of Alscium's races. The greatest cooks in the land, their mastery of the culinary arts cannot be matched, and they are renowned for their gifts with song and verse; the finest bards and troubadours ever to have wandered Alscium's many lands are the halflings. They led quiet lives of wine, song, and harvest in their beloved and picturesque Little-Thicket Wood before the Einheldren began their campaign of dominance. However, while easily conquered on the battlefield, the halflings are something else to behold when sent on covert missions into the heart of Einheldren cities. Small enough to appear as an elvish child in a crowd, halflings are astoundingly adept at blending to their surroundings near unnoticeably.
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The Gnomes
A quirky, aloof people, the gnomes are fantastic tinkers, engineers, and alchemists. Gnomes have been the great thinkers and shapers of Alscian science and phsyical studies for hundreds of years, producing some of the most important, if utterly dense, texts ever written on the subjects. Their arts, once forbidden by their Einheldren masters, have, in the service of the Free State, given rise to some of Alscium's most terrifying siege equipment, all run on steam power. They were the race that developed firearms, changing the nature of combat almost entirely. They are often introverted and reclusive in nature, but are quick to defend their homes, and all of the trinkets within, when threatened.
A quirky, aloof people, the gnomes are fantastic tinkers, engineers, and alchemists. Gnomes have been the great thinkers and shapers of Alscian science and phsyical studies for hundreds of years, producing some of the most important, if utterly dense, texts ever written on the subjects. Their arts, once forbidden by their Einheldren masters, have, in the service of the Free State, given rise to some of Alscium's most terrifying siege equipment, all run on steam power. They were the race that developed firearms, changing the nature of combat almost entirely. They are often introverted and reclusive in nature, but are quick to defend their homes, and all of the trinkets within, when threatened.
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The Tieflings
Once humans like any others, Tieflings are a bastard race of half-demons created by drow warlocks as an experiment deep in the subterranean laboratories of the city of Averne. Having escaped, they find themselves welcomed as allies, if treated with caution, by the rest of the low races of Alscium. They are, besides the elves themselves, the most accomplished spellcasters in the world, and stole many secrets of the darker arts from their captors during their self-liberation. Their hatred for the Einheldren burns fierce, as they have been cursed with immortality, only able to succumb to death on the field of battle.
Once humans like any others, Tieflings are a bastard race of half-demons created by drow warlocks as an experiment deep in the subterranean laboratories of the city of Averne. Having escaped, they find themselves welcomed as allies, if treated with caution, by the rest of the low races of Alscium. They are, besides the elves themselves, the most accomplished spellcasters in the world, and stole many secrets of the darker arts from their captors during their self-liberation. Their hatred for the Einheldren burns fierce, as they have been cursed with immortality, only able to succumb to death on the field of battle.
The Savage Races
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The Orcs
Brutal, grotesque, and massive in size, the orcs are one of the greatest threats to Low and High races alike. They come roaring forth from the southern isles of Alscium, where the sky rarely rains and the trees are black as ash, landing along the southern coast in massive invasion fleets of crude longboats, or sailing up the rivers of Alscium to plague the interior of the continent. Their weapons are made of battered iron, and their souls are as black as the storm-riddled sky above their homeland. The orcs live in a constant environment of warfare, clan conflict consumes many of their finest warriors before they even take the field against the other races. They are the Scourge from the South, the bringers of violent death, and the fiercest foes to the civilized peoples in all of Alscium.
Brutal, grotesque, and massive in size, the orcs are one of the greatest threats to Low and High races alike. They come roaring forth from the southern isles of Alscium, where the sky rarely rains and the trees are black as ash, landing along the southern coast in massive invasion fleets of crude longboats, or sailing up the rivers of Alscium to plague the interior of the continent. Their weapons are made of battered iron, and their souls are as black as the storm-riddled sky above their homeland. The orcs live in a constant environment of warfare, clan conflict consumes many of their finest warriors before they even take the field against the other races. They are the Scourge from the South, the bringers of violent death, and the fiercest foes to the civilized peoples in all of Alscium.
The GoblinsDenizens of the continent proper and distantly related to the savage orcs of the southern isles, goblins are the ancient enemy of the dwarves. Appearing alongside kobolds in the deep recesses of the world, goblins are cowardly, yet dangerous, vagabonds and marauders. Though they maintain various decrepit cities and vile holds throughout the mountains of Alscium, the goblins of the world are a relatively nomadic people, with loosely organized tribes following Warlords around the world in their constant quest to acquire more shiny pieces of metal than their adversaries. Whenever the orcs make incursions across the continent, goblins will gather to serve as mercenaries, guides, and scouts for their big cousins.
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The Beastmen
A strange, mysterious race of creatures, whose origin in the world is as of yet unknown, the beastmen of the Savage North are a fearsome reality of life in Alscium. Though they are denizens of the uninhabited northern realms, particularly the dense, brambled Forest of the Damned, the nomadic beastmen have spread their foul influence throughout many of the larger woodlands that dot Alscium's landscape. They raid, hunt, pillage, rape, and steal from any and every settlement near their dark homes. The natural enemies of the Sylvan Elves, beastmen are slain in countless number throughout the Forbidden Forest by the woodland dwellers every day. Wild and savage, beastmen are a race fueled by a desire to spill blood, feast upon flesh, and give offerings to their dark deities. It used to be that, when gathered under the influence of a single Herd-Leader, great armies of the beastmen would surge forth in war-parties, using the craggy peaks of the Spine of the World as their gateway to spill out across the reaches of the Einheldren Dominion. These great northern invasions and subsequent migrations, occurring roughly once every ten years, were known as the 'Coming of the Cloven Hooves.' Yet, this event has not occurred in over a century as of Second Era 200...
A strange, mysterious race of creatures, whose origin in the world is as of yet unknown, the beastmen of the Savage North are a fearsome reality of life in Alscium. Though they are denizens of the uninhabited northern realms, particularly the dense, brambled Forest of the Damned, the nomadic beastmen have spread their foul influence throughout many of the larger woodlands that dot Alscium's landscape. They raid, hunt, pillage, rape, and steal from any and every settlement near their dark homes. The natural enemies of the Sylvan Elves, beastmen are slain in countless number throughout the Forbidden Forest by the woodland dwellers every day. Wild and savage, beastmen are a race fueled by a desire to spill blood, feast upon flesh, and give offerings to their dark deities. It used to be that, when gathered under the influence of a single Herd-Leader, great armies of the beastmen would surge forth in war-parties, using the craggy peaks of the Spine of the World as their gateway to spill out across the reaches of the Einheldren Dominion. These great northern invasions and subsequent migrations, occurring roughly once every ten years, were known as the 'Coming of the Cloven Hooves.' Yet, this event has not occurred in over a century as of Second Era 200...
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The Undead
Led by liches, necromancers, and vampires, who call all manner of horrifying abominations part of their "people", the undead rise from their eternal dreams in various numbers at random throughout Alscium. Due to the fact that the Einheldren have nearly eradicated every tome on necromancy and eliminated any human witch or warlock with any semblance of necromantic powers, outbreaks of the undead are rare, and most that do occur are the result of a drow warlock driven mad by his or her desire for power. It is fabled, though, that a great army lies sleeping on the Isle of the Dead, waiting for a master to awaken them from their dreamless slumber, to claim the title 'King of Death.'
Led by liches, necromancers, and vampires, who call all manner of horrifying abominations part of their "people", the undead rise from their eternal dreams in various numbers at random throughout Alscium. Due to the fact that the Einheldren have nearly eradicated every tome on necromancy and eliminated any human witch or warlock with any semblance of necromantic powers, outbreaks of the undead are rare, and most that do occur are the result of a drow warlock driven mad by his or her desire for power. It is fabled, though, that a great army lies sleeping on the Isle of the Dead, waiting for a master to awaken them from their dreamless slumber, to claim the title 'King of Death.'
The Dragon-Kin
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The Kobolds
The 'Low Race' of the dragon-kin and the other fabled enemy of the dwarves, the kobolds once inhabited the mountain ranges of Alscium, delving deeper than even the dwarves dared to go. Their labyrinthine tunnels and caverns stretch throughout the mountains, and though they are now few in number, they still pose a very real threat to any that seek to travel via the underground tunnels the dwarves have carved under the surface. However, centuries of being hunted by the dwarves have left the the kobolds a cowardly race, preferring to pick of stragglers and injured adventurers in search of plunder, rather than rallying in force to assault the surface world. What the kobolds lack in strength, however, they make up in cleverness, and Kobolds are some of the wiliest, trickiest creatures in Alscium.
The 'Low Race' of the dragon-kin and the other fabled enemy of the dwarves, the kobolds once inhabited the mountain ranges of Alscium, delving deeper than even the dwarves dared to go. Their labyrinthine tunnels and caverns stretch throughout the mountains, and though they are now few in number, they still pose a very real threat to any that seek to travel via the underground tunnels the dwarves have carved under the surface. However, centuries of being hunted by the dwarves have left the the kobolds a cowardly race, preferring to pick of stragglers and injured adventurers in search of plunder, rather than rallying in force to assault the surface world. What the kobolds lack in strength, however, they make up in cleverness, and Kobolds are some of the wiliest, trickiest creatures in Alscium.
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The Troglodytes
Just a step above the kobolds in terms of bravery and far beneath them in intelligence, the troglodytes are a reptilian peoples that live in the coves and off of Alscium's shoreline and lakes. They live in semi-aquatic cave-villages, and mostly keep to themselves unless they feel threatened by the incursion of other races upon their, in their simple minds, clearly-marked territory. They are not a particularly bright species, and often feel threatened far too easily for their own good.
Just a step above the kobolds in terms of bravery and far beneath them in intelligence, the troglodytes are a reptilian peoples that live in the coves and off of Alscium's shoreline and lakes. They live in semi-aquatic cave-villages, and mostly keep to themselves unless they feel threatened by the incursion of other races upon their, in their simple minds, clearly-marked territory. They are not a particularly bright species, and often feel threatened far too easily for their own good.
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The Dragons
"Shapers of the World", "Breath of the Mountain", "damnable flying lizards"; the dragons of Alscium are known by many names. Some hold them to be the origin of all life in the land, some see them as heralds of the end of days, and some still see them as little more than a pest in need of eradication. The war between the elves and the dragons saw the death of nearly every member of this ancient, storied race, and those that remain have, for hundreds of years, kept to themselves in nooks and crannies of the mountains that none can reach save for themselves. It is rumored that the dragons shall come forth once more, when the elves are at their weakest, to enact their revenge. This rumor is a common belief amongst the Lesser Races of the Free State, as they cling to the hope that the dragons will be benevolent to their plight and, fueled by their hatred of the elves, assist them in destroying the Einheldren. Only time will tell if this assumption is correct.
"Shapers of the World", "Breath of the Mountain", "damnable flying lizards"; the dragons of Alscium are known by many names. Some hold them to be the origin of all life in the land, some see them as heralds of the end of days, and some still see them as little more than a pest in need of eradication. The war between the elves and the dragons saw the death of nearly every member of this ancient, storied race, and those that remain have, for hundreds of years, kept to themselves in nooks and crannies of the mountains that none can reach save for themselves. It is rumored that the dragons shall come forth once more, when the elves are at their weakest, to enact their revenge. This rumor is a common belief amongst the Lesser Races of the Free State, as they cling to the hope that the dragons will be benevolent to their plight and, fueled by their hatred of the elves, assist them in destroying the Einheldren. Only time will tell if this assumption is correct.