Race Compendium

[Shani]

List of known races

Humanoids:

[/url]
Gremlin[/ul]

Beastfolk:

[/url]
Quirinien
Shasu'e
Shorvelian[/ul]

Fiends:

[/url][/ul]

[Shani]

Shorvelian

Introduction:
There is a city-state in the northern Steppes where a species of "Beast-Folk" makes its home. This race is composed of different types of half-man, half-weasel hybrids (stoats, siberian weasels, least weasels, weaselly weasel weasels) with thick fur and alternate winter and summer coats. They tend not to stray below 45 degrees latitude due to their weakness to hot summers. The city state is primarily ruled by a government that is elected by the people who own shares in the land. This does not include all of the people, but nonetheless, order is kept by an elite army that specializes in arctic warfare and survival. The city, the namesake for the city-state itself which is also composed of various minor towns and villages, is named Shorvelia, after their god of the winter months "Shor." Most people, even other beast-men, consider the bitter cold to be unlivable and barren. Despite this, the Shorvelians are more than capable of keeping themselves alive and even affording to export a great deal of goods to other cities and nations. Shorvelia is not commonly a place to export adventurers, though, as the heat anywhere near the equator can literally be deadly to them.
Appearance:
Shorvelians have a weasel-like appearance with various fur patterns and sizes, few going below 4 and a half feet tall or above 7 and a half feet tall in adulthood. Their fur is thick and soft to the touch. So much so that it is not uncommon for tourists to ask to pet their fur.
Temperament:
Shorvelians are easy-going people who are very socially aware. It is a firm belief among the populace that no one should gain so much political or economic power as to make everyone else worse off, or else the rest of the people typically become very violent. Aside from this, Shorvelians are more open to outsiders than most and welcome new faces.
Strengths/Abilities:
Shorvelians have a natural aptitude for some forms of magic but a natural inaptitude for raw physical strength in most cases.
Weaknesses/Fears:
The biggest fear that a Shorvelian typically has is heat. They will use oil heaters, but literally only as much as they need to feel comfortable, as if they have any more heat than that and they are not used to it they will start to get very uncomfortable.
Origins/History:
Shorvelians originate from a wandering group of tribes that shared similar traits and essentially decided to form a union. Nowadays, Shorvelians pay next to no attention to the differences in fur patterns among their people, and as a result there is very little if any history of racial... anything.
Anything Else:
They are killer arctic fishingfolk. They also have the ability to run on all fours when they find it more convenient.

[Shani]

Shasu'e

Introduction:
This race is composed of small to medium sized feline-esque humanoids, with sleek fur, large ears, and long tails. They have a somewhat tribal society and wear very little clothing, prefering instead to adorn themselves with jewelry.
Appearance:
Shasu'e have a cat-like appearance and an average height of 5 and a half feet. The Shasu'e living in northen climes would have grown thicker, fluffier coats, while those living in hot to temperate areas would still have short, sleek fur. They come in all colors and patterns, as long as they help them to blend in. Natives of Le'arsi almost always have the appearance of an African wildcat or Sand cat.
Temperament:
Most Shasu'e are confident and very independant, they love freedom. They are feisty and playful, persuasive with their smooth, purring voices, and can be quite sly. Though they often prefer a solitary life and like working alone, they aren't a stranger to cuddling up with someone they just met, and may feel insecure if they are turned down for this random display of affection. Overall, they seem more primitive than other sentient races, and enjoy the simple things in life.
Strengths/Abilities:
Shasu'e are very adaptable, and can live in most climates. They are agile and have naturally cat-like reflexes, most often choosing thief and rogue for their profession.
Weaknesses/Fears:
Shasu'e aren't very fond of water, and many are even afraid of it, avoiding it whenever possible. They also have a weakness to catnip
Origins/History:
They originate from the deserts, from the ancient city of Le'arsi. The Shasu'e native to Le'arsi are called Etile'arsi. Most of the Shasu'e being nomadic people, they now live in all corners of the land.
They used to have a pretty advanced civilization, but it fell apart about a thousand years ago and they were enslaved by their enemy. Those who escaped were forced to form tribes and find new places to live. The slaves of Le'arsi eventually freed themselves just a hundred years ago, when they banded together and overthrew their masters with the help of a hero named Eshom.
Anything Else:
They love the heat and the sun.

[Shani]

Goblin

Introduction:
Everyone knows what goblins are, right?
Appearance:
Their appearance is pretty much what you'd expect a goblin to look like. They stand at 4.5 feet (135 cm) tall on average, have a hunched posture, large eyes and large, pointed ears, and, usually, green skin. Though there are also blue-skinned goblins called kobolds*, a sort of race within a race, or a sub-species, if you will.
Their hair is most commonly black in color, or some other dark shade, though there are exceptions, and even whole tribes of blonds. They lack the gene for red hair, and red dye is popularly used to denote a goblin of high ranking - specifically, a bander.
Their eyes can be any color, and typically appear luminous in darkness or semi-darkness. Their skin is typically freckled or mottled, and tends towards pallidness. Albinos are common among goblins, and are not seen as an oddity or bearers of bad luck.
Goblin clothing is crude and makeshift, often consisting of simple wraps or stitched together from scraps of leather. Both males and females wear trousers, starting from the moment they turn 13 years of age. Before then, young goblins only wear knee length tunics, fastened with a belt. They despise footwear of any sort, being much faster and more agile when barefoot. And they do love to wear jewelry and piercings.
Temperament:
Goblins are a bitter and distrustful race, and rightly so, as most other races they encounter try to kill them on sight. Younger goblins tend to be very carefree and have a certain lack of self-control; extremely curious, they have a fascination for shiny objects and the newest discovery. Generally, goblins are very superstitious and have a crafty and mischievous nature.
Strengths/Abilities:
A goblin's biggest strength is, of course, numbers. A goblin army is quite a formidable force, and a goblin feels safer even in a small band or party than alone.
In case of senses, they have exceptionally good night vision in dim light, sometimes being able to see just by the light of stars. Their vision gets poor and blurry, however, when they are blinded by too much light, which is why most goblins wear protective goggles when traveling aboveground. Their large ears also lend them a keen sense of hearing, and they're more proficient at feeling their way around in the dark than people who rely on their sight.
Goblins make good rogues, warriors, and shamans, but they're versatile enough to pick up any class.
Weaknesses/Fears:
They have a fear of light and the sun and will not step out in daylight most of the time. As mentioned before, light blinds them, and their skin is sensitive to sunlight, specifically, getting nasty burns from prolonged exposure. If the burns don't kill them, the "curse of light" that follows the burns will.
Origins/History:
Goblins are an offshoot of H. habilis that spent the last ice age living underground and living off mushrooms, but no sane person in this universe believes in evolution!
So on to the creation myth:
Goblins believe that in the beginning, the world rebelled against the old gods. A war ensued in which the gods killed the world. From the blood of the gods, maggots were born who burrowed into the corpse of the world. In the darkness, the maggots feasted and celebrated the victory of the gods.
When the forces of light arrived, a sun was born in the sky that burned the eyes of the maggots. The maggots' cries of pain were heard by the old gods. Angry at the light for hurting his children, one of the old gods transformed the maggots into goblins. He told the goblins that the forces of light owed them a debt and that they were always to remember the times of darkness when the gods of old ruled victorious.
Goblins consider themselves the first born (which is not incorrect, since technically they existed before H. sapiens ever came to be), spawned from the very blood of the old gods. They believe that other races owe the goblins a debt for ancient wrongs.
Anything Else:
*Kobolds here are not the small lizard people you might be thinking of. Kobold in goblin tongue is what a human would simply call a blue goblin. And Grahkatshii is what a human would call a kobold. How this confusion came about is uncertain.
Other things worth mentioning is that goblins have a life expectancy of 40 years, and any who are 40 and older are considered elders. They use wargs as mounts. They have a matriarchal society.

[Shani]

Gremlin

Introduction:
That pest race which will gain most notoriety during WWII.
Appearance:
Gremlins are short in height, only standing 3 to 3 and a half feet tall, with a head that looks slightly too big for its body. A male gremlin's large pointed ears are covered in fur, whilst a female gremlin's ears only have tufts of fur on their tips. Gremlins' eyes are often yellow, orange, gold, light brown or green. Blue eyed individuals are rare, and typically deaf. Their skin and hair is neutrally colored to help them blend in amongst rocks. They possess long tufted tails, gecko-like setae on their fingers and toes, and strong black nails resembling flat screwdriver tips.
Temperament:
Gremlins are often bold and full of character. Their communities are often large in size and are full of energy and happiness. However even though most gremlins are good natured and happy they care little for laws and rules. This shows itself in their natural desire to disable constructed objects. Which often means breaking villagers' farming equipment, putting out furnaces, taking the wheels off of wagons, disabling traps and ruining finely crafted objects. These acts of destruction are what prevent gremlins from making allies among other races.
A gremlin's only desire is to be happy; they have very little in terms of possessions and have no material needs.
Strengths/Abilities:
Their digits have a special adaptation that allows them to adhere to most surfaces easily.
Weaknesses/Fears:
Water causes them to lose grip on a surface.
Origins/History:
Gremlins originally lived in forests, in the trees, but the forests disappeared, leaving naked grasslands where gremlins became vulnerable to predators. Then the spirits of the earth guided them to their new home, in the nooks and crannies of cliffsides and canyon walls, where the gremlins developed their paws and claws to climb and cling to the rocks, and chiseled out their grottos; they range from small settlements of around ten gremlins to large ones that are home to a few thousand.
Many gremlins like to settle near urban areas and places of manufacture or mechanics, despite being hunted down much like vermin due to their destructive effect on society. Though sometimes, captured gremlins are kept as servants.
Anything Else:
Gremlins reach maturity around the age of 6 and often live to a maximum age of 30.

[Shani]

Miphares, The White Demon

Introduction:
Miphares are a humanoid but very frightening demon. They feed on souls and burn the bodies when they are done with them. They are capable of breeding with humans, however slim the chances they'd do so are.
Appearance:
This demon almost always appears to be male, has white skin and white hair, firey red eyes against black sclera, a set of horns, stands at 7 feet, and has a set of white feathered wings on it's back.
Temperament:
They are evil. Malicious and cold. They are driven by desires.
Strengths/Abilities:
Flight, pyrokinesis, above normal levels of strength, and the ability to teleport between different planes. Can consume your soul if they manage to grab ahold of you for 5 minutes and aren't interrupted. If your body is still intact, the soul can be returned by slaying the demon who consumed it. They don't posses souls themselves.
Weaknesses/Fears:
Unlike typical demons, who are weak against stuff like holy water, salt, etc. Miphares are weak against holy fire and demon blades. Their afraid of Leviathans, their greatest enemies.
Origins/History:
They live on the demon plane, along with other kinds of demons. Fortunately, they seldom visit our world.
Anything Else:
Ask Mikan.

[Shani]

Berbec/Oaie

Introduction:
A race of woolly, sheep-like beastmen. They inhabit the rolling hills and grasslands of northern temperate regions.
Appearance:
The males of this race, called Berbecs, display sexual dimorphism in size, averaging 6 feet in height, and fashion a set of curved horns. They're also bulkier than their delicate female counterparts, called Oaies, who average only 5 feet in height. They're both very woolly, but the females shear themselves to make clothing out of their own wool. They range in color from white, cream, and buff, to brown, grey, and the occasional black. White wool is valued the most because it's easy to dye into different colors. Their almond-shaped eyes are either black, brown, or gold, though you can very rarely come across a blue-eyed individual.
Temperament:
As in appearance, the genders also differ in temperament. Berbecs are aggressive and territorial, while Oaies are meek and gentle. Overall, they have a very strong herd mentality.
Strengths/Abilities:
Stronger in groups, make good herbalists and clerics.
Weaknesses/Fears:
Not very advanced, technologically. Very fearful of things not familiar to them.
Origins/History:
They are primarily a race of farmers, and of course have a strictly vegan diet. They live in simple huts and cabins put together out of stone or wood and topped with sod roofs. Their relations with other races tend to be peaceful and they try not to bother anyone. Lacking any kind of military, they can't afford to make enemies.
Anything Else:
Will add more if I think of it.

[Shani]

Quirinien

Introduction:
There is a country in the Greatwood forests called Quirin, where these beastfolk hail from. Quirin is run by a government of the people, informed by natural philosophers - a scientocracy.
Appearance:
Quiriniens are a race of quilly, porcupine-like beastmen, slightly shorter and stouter than humans (they typically stand around 4 ft 10 in to 5 ft 6 in), and have a coat of sharp spines, or quills, mixed with long, soft hairs. They come in various shades of brown, gray, and the unusual white. They appear to be a very civilized and developed race.
Temperament:
Quiriniens are most known for being rude, temperamental, and pleasure-loving. However, the Quirinienne nation is, on the contrary, the most courteous and serious in the world. Part of the misunderstanding stems from the fact that Quiriniens don't smile unless they mean it, and they don't smile when talking to a perfect stranger. Therefore, when an outsider smiles at a Quirinien whose face remains impassive, the former tends to feel that the latter is unfriendly. In fact, you'll be pleasantly surprised to discover how very friendly and helpful the natives are.
The people of Quirin don't seem to have a religion, just a philosophy about life and their acceptance of it; they are happy-pessimists; they value gallantry and are not impressed by winners.
Strengths/Abilities:
Rich in culture, intelligent, have natural spiky armor.
Weaknesses/Fears:
Persecuted as a heathen race by many of their neighbors, not the fastest or most agile of beastfolk.
Origins/History:
One of the earliest sources describing their origins claims that Quiriniens came originally from the southern savannahs.
Quiriniens did not believe in the supernatural, though they told their religious and spiritual neighbors that they often saw spirits in the forest, which kept non-Quiriniens out. This way, they made a tidy living by selling forest products to the non-Quiriniens, who were afraid to go into the Greatwood forests. There were those who speculated that it was just a hoax and invaded their woods. As a result of this incident, seven hundred Quiriniens were killed. Most Quiriniens were peaceful and solitary individuals, but due to their controversial views, they started attracting unwanted attention, and were forced to start defending themselves. The wars that followed did not deter them, however, but only served to advance their scientific knowledge. The most recent was the Thirty Years' War, which ended in a major victory. The Quirinienne nation is still on prickly terms with their neighbors, who seek to either destroy them or convert them.
Anything Else:
They prefer a vegetarian diet, but are not restricted to it.
They use capyboars (large capybara-like creatures) as steeds and for labor.
They are the only race to have antibiotics in their skin, which prevents infections.