Non-Human Sub-Races

Non-Human Sub-Race Backgrounds

DWARVES

CITY DWARVES
The Kazadrach, or City Dwarves, are the most commonly
encountered dwarves in the cities and towns. Most city
dwarves are smiths, jewelers, merchants, or alchemists. City
dwarf men trim their beards short and neat, or simply wear
large, flowing moustaches. Women do not grow facial hair.
City dwarves can also be found in the southern city of Chim.
Description: Tan skin, red, brown or blonde hair, blue or
green eyes, 4 ft. 0 in., 160 lbs, portly build, typically Unaligned.
• Background skill: Bluff.

DEEP DWARVES
The Kazadrugar, or Deep Dwarves, shun daylight and
prefer to live out their lives underground. They are an
unhealthy race, and spend most of their time studying dark
magic, seeking ways to conquer and enslave their cousins
and neighbors. They keep goblin and troll slaves to do most
of their labor, leaving them more time to study. Deep dwarf
males have a difficult enough time growing any hair let
alone beards. Their women (the few there are) are typically
bald, or possess but a few wispy strands of hair on their heads.
Deep dwarves rarely wear armor, as it interferes with their
magic, and are usually only armed with a dagger (often
poisoned). Deep dwarves do not revere the gods, instead
worshiping demon lords and gods of evil knowledge.
Description: Splotchy gray skin, bone white hair, pink
eyes, 3 ft. 8 in., 120 lbs, lumpy build, typically Chaotic Evil..
Background Skill: Arcana
Languages: Dwarven and Abyssal

HILL DWARVES
The Kazadurul, or Hill Dwarves, are a coarse, insular
warrior race. The clan thane is the highest social class of the
Kazadurul, as the clan folk believe the only true Dwarf King
is Kazadarum. Clan warriors often work together in mercenary
troops, fighting for one or more of the human lords,
though they will never fight another dwarf troop in such a
manner. Kazadurul females are equal to males, as the birth
rates are more equal among the hill clans; some even become
warriors. Kazadurul are as likely to work with wood as stone
and metal, and most of their villages are above ground, with
buildings of stone and wood. Hill dwarf men grow beards, but
not as ostentatious as the mountain dwarves. Women do not
grow beards, but often grow moustaches and sideburns. Hill
dwarves are typically armed with greataxes and armored in
chain shirt or splint mail. Hill dwarves worship Kazadarum
with zealous exclusivity, and consider mountain and city
dwarves to be heretical for their polytheism.
Description: Bronze skin, brown hair, green eyes, 4 ft. 2
in., 170 lbs, stocky build, typically Unaligned.

MOUNTAIN DWARVES
The Kazadaran, or Mountain Dwarves, are the most ordered
and hide-bound of a very stubborn race. Though perhaps best
known to reside in Thunderhold, Mountain Dwarves have
resided in many underground kingdoms, including the famed
dwarf kingdom north of Tarsh. Their society emphasizes honor
and obedience to social superiors. They pay very close attention
to ritual and precedence; every mountain dwarf has his
own position in the social order, and knows exactly where he
stands in respect to everyone else. Mountain dwarf women are
rare (only 1 in 10 are female), and so are kept secreted from the
rest of the world, as they are considered the most precious of
treasures. Mountain dwarf men are very proud of their beards,
and let them grow throughout their entire lives, braiding them
and decorating them with gems and jewels. Women grow
beards just like their men, though they are not as vain about
them as their men folk. Mountain dwarves are typically armed
with warhammers and armored in breastplate or half-plate,
while nobles wear full plate or even mithral plate. Mountain
dwarves revere Kazadarum, but also worship Goibhnie the
Divine Smith, Rosmerta the Bountiful, and Odin the All-
Father.
Description: Tan or ruddy pink skin, fiery red hair, blue
eyes, 4 ft. 5 in., 180 lbs, stocky build, typically Lawful Good.

FERAL DWARVES
The wild dwarves and carnivorous dwarves of the jungles
south of Chim are dwarves that have sunken to barbarism
and cannibalism. They do not speak more than in guttural
grunts and shouts and rarely are organized more than in
loose packs.

ELVES
There are nearly a dozen major known elven settlements
in the Roglaras, not counting the scores of small villages and
camps found in forest and glade. While each of the different
settlements has its own history and idiosyncrasies, most of
the elves living therein, regardless of the distance involved,
maintain a moderately unified culture. There are, however,
exceptions to this rule, and there are a number of strange
and unusual elven societies.

DARK ELVES (DROW)
The dark elves are so called due to nature of their
subterranean homeland and the hatred in their heart, not
the color of their skin. Though they are naturally very pale
skinned and haired, their flesh and locks are darkened and
singed by the fires of the earth and the smoke and cinders of
their great forges, where they endlessly craft weapons and
magic to use in their feud with the goodly races. They
sometimes cooperate with the deep dwarves and other
inimical races, though they never trust them fully.
Description: Soot-covered ivory white skin, singed bone
white hair, red eyes, 5 ft. 4 in., 100 lbs., lean build, typically
Chaotic Evil.

HIGH ELVES (ELADRIN)
Most of the elves of the northern portion of the
Wilderlands are of the high elven race, by far the most
common of the subraces of the elves. Most high elven folk
consider their settlements to form a single, widely dispersed
kingdom, known as Alfheim. Each lord of a settlement is
King in his own realm, answerable only to the High King,
though there has not been a unified High King for centuries.
The high elves are the greatest allies of the Dunael Woods-
Folk, forming a united front against the Orcs of the Purple
Claw in Dearthwood. A few high elves turn from the merry
ways of their brothers and strive to return to the ancient
ways of war and high wizardry; such folk become the stuff of
legends among humans and elves.
Description: Pale white to silver skin, black hair, blue
eyes, 5 ft. 8 in., 140 lbs, lean build, typically Good.

GRAY ELVES (GRAY ELADRIN)
The gray elves are the closest living embodiment of the
ancient elvish archetype, though even in their mighty eyes
can be seen the eventual passing of their race. Gray elves are
stately, contemplative, courtly, exacting beings, not taken
to merriment or quick action. They are very rare. The grays
that decide to take a hand in modern events make history
and forge legends. The most recent such was Vanuviel
Glamdring, who helped found the City State of the Invincible
Overlord and established one of the most important
dynasties in the region. His descendants founded Ashenshaft
and Palewood. There is a contingent of gray elves in Onhir
as well.
Description: Ivory white skin, gold or silver hair, violet
or amber eyes, 6 ft. 0 in., 160 lbs, lean build, typically Lawful
Good.

MER-ELVES
The mer-elves are the rare, distant kin of the merfolk. They
must live within the waters of river or sea or die of dehydration.
Mer-elves possess the tail of a great fish instead of legs,
though once per day they may magically transform and split
their tail into legs for up to an hour. They may be out of water
for no more than one hour per day. They are said to possess
magic that enables them to increase this time. They are most
commonly encountered on the Great River Roglaroon, where
they are the allies of the Roglo River-Folk.
Description: Pale green skin, greenish white hair, green
eyes, 6 ft. 0 in., 190 lbs, athletic build, typically Neutral.
Racial Traits: as per the PHB for Elf with the following
modifications or additions:
• Amphibious (Ex): Mer-elves can breathe both air and
water, although they rarely travel more than a few feet from
the water’s edge. They may spend one hour on land per day
without penalty but thereafter lose 1 healing surge for every
thirty minutes beyond the first hour they remain on land in a 24-hour period.
• Transform (Su): Once per day,for an hour, a mer-elf
may change his tail into a pair of human legs.

NORTHERN ELVES (ALVAR ELADRIN)
The northern elves, also known as Alvar, or Blue Elves,
arrived from the Great Glacier to the north. These northern
elves do not recognize close kinship with other elves,
considering all other elves to be cultural degenerates of the
original breed, save perhaps the gray elves, whom they
respect for their ancient ways but disdain for their peaceable
lifestyle. The Alvar claim but a single settlement in the
Roglaras for themselves, Seasteadholm on Goodholm Haven,
on the Warwik Peninsula.
Description: Pale blue skin, platinum hair, blue eyes, 6 ft.
0 in., 160 lbs, average build, typically Neutral.
SOUTHERN ELVES
The southern elves, also known as Altani Elves, or Red
Elves, are a barbaric race from Barbarian Altanis. Like the
human folk there they live in savagery, preferring the
atavistic ways of the barbarian to the civilized ways of their
ancestors.
Description: Pale red skin, tawny hair, red eyes, 5 ft. 0 in.,
100 lbs, lean build, typically Neutral.

WILD ELVES
Wild elves are the most reclusive of the elven folk, next
to the dark elves, though unlike their grim cousins, the wild
elves do not go out of their way to trouble other races. The
Green Elves, as they are also known, just want to be left
alone, even by other elves. Many tribes have forsaken
advanced technology and only use stone and wood. They
reside in the deepest forests and hidden valleys. A tribe of
wild elves is known to reside in the Darkling Woods, where
they seek refuge from the world at large, and maintain it by
slaying all who enter their domain, hanging the bodies from
the boughs of trees on the edge of the forest.
Description: Nut brown or green skin, green or tawny
brown hair, green eyes, 5 ft. 4 in., 100 lbs, lean build.

WOOD ELVES
Wood elves are the rustic cousins of the high elves,
paying lip service to the concept of Alfheim, and living
however they please otherwise. They prefer to live in forests
and wilderness, away from other races as much as possible,
though they are not as murderously xenophobic as their
wild elf cousins. Their main realms are the northern
Dearthwood (where they actually work with the Elves of
Alfheim in Dearthwood), though they may be found in
most fair forests and woods of the Wilderlands. They avoid
cities and towns, disdaining even the villages of more
civilized folk. They are at eternal odds with orcs, goblins,
and trolls, even moreso than their wild elven cousins.
Description: Tan white skin, blonde or coppery red hair,
green eyes, 5 ft. 4 in., 120 lbs, lean build, typically Neutral.

FERAL ELVES
Some very few elves in the depths of evil forests have
descended into barbarism, cannibalism and madness.

GNOMES
Gnomes are believed to be faeries that have somehow lost
their ties to the land, though they are still very earthy, and
love the forests and hills. Some sages claim that the gnomish
race is descended from a magical cross between faeries and
dwarves, though all three races deny this vehemently.
Gnomes are actually fairly rare, there being only the single
major settlement of them in the east, in the village of
Lightelf. Other gnomes are encountered uncommonly in
the cities and towns, the deep forests, and haunted hills.
Unlike other many other races, there are no relevant
subdivisions of gnomes. Their racial characteristics and
general description are uniform across the Wilderlands.
There are several cultural differences worth noting:
City Gnomes: City gnomes have been found in the cities of
man since time immemorial. They are a sorcerous race, steeped
in the ways of illusion and phantasms. They also are highly
respected as alchemists and herbalists, and, perhaps, second
only to the dwarves in renown as brewers of ale and beer. Some
are renowned tinkers, and no few city lords have a gnome sage,
teacher, or mechanic in their employ, to work on interesting
clockwork golems, clocks, and other unusual constructs.
Forest Gnomes: Forest gnomes are pudgy, roly-poly
recluses who live in deep forests, away from other creatures
save sylvan animals and faeries. They form fast friendships
with woodland animals. They live in burrows, tree-stumps,
and earth-covered homes, similar to halfling burrows, much
like brownies and leprechauns, who are their greatest allies.
They wear pointed hats in mixed company (usually brown
or green, never red-colored) and rarely leave the forests.
Like their city cousins these gnomes are renowned for their
herbalism and brewing skills. They are mistaken for simple
comical, whimsical, rustic creatures by other races, and as
such their powers are often underestimated.
Lightelf Gnomes: Lightelf gnomes are unlike their cousins
in that they have abandoned the ways of magic in favor of
martial studies. They are hunters, and trappers, farmers and
gatherers. They are an embittered people, stuck between the
human powers of the Skandiks and the City State, lorded
over by the former, corrupted by the latter. Their society is in
flux, and on the edge of extinction. Many Lightelf gnomes
have left their home to find a better living elsewhere. They
seek in most cases to serve their city cousins as guards and
mercenaries; most accept them, though they are wary of
them, for the Lightelf gnomes are a comparatively grim lot.
Forest gnomes dislike them, while the Red Caps hate them no
more or less than they hate everything.
Red Cap Gnomes: Red Cap gnomes are an insane breed of
gnome that lives in ruins and barren hills. Legends say that
they have been so since the Uttermost War, long ages ago.
Some legends say that their minds shattered during the great
battles of those days, or that their entire race was cursed, or
even that they fell into evil and degeneracy when they tried
to call upon powers too great for their minds. Regardless of
their origins, the Red Caps of today are a race of psychopaths,
seeking only to commit the most horrid atrocities they can
before they die. However, they are also, for the most part,
cowards, and remain in their haunted homes, far from other
peoples, festering in their own hate. Sometimes a slightly
sane Red Cap will leave the dread burrows and seek out a life
elsewhere. Dark lore indicates that the Red Cap gnomes are
the forerunners of the Kobold races.

HALF-ELVES
Half-elves are created as per the PHB. Except for halfmer-
elves, which are detailed below, half-elves do not
retain any of the abilities of their elvish parent other than
those outlined for standard half-elves in the PHB.
Half-mer-elves: Half-mer-elves are not as limited as
their elvish parents, having human legs. They are required
to immerse themselves in water for at least one hour a day.
They are able to breathe water as easily as air. They do have
slightly fishy characteristics, such as gill slits that appear
while they are immersed, sections of their body covered in
scales, and webbed feet and hands. Most encounters with
"mer-elves" are actually encounters with these half-breeds.
• Immersion: Half-mer-elves must completely immerse
themselves in water for 1 hour per day. They suffer 1 healing surge lost
for every four hours they fail to immerse themselves.

HALFLINGS
Like gnomes, the differences between halflings is mostly in
their appearance and culture and has little effect in game terms.
Halflings are created as per the PHB. The following details are
noted to provide background information.
Common Halflings: The most commonly encountered
halfling race is that of halflings of the cities and towns of the
Wilderlands. They concentrate on the skills and crafts they
consider most valued in the cities, the ones that they tend
to perform best, such as cooking, baking, tavern-keeping,
and other food service, as well as leatherworking, haberdashery,
tabac vending, and mercantile concerns. A fair
number of these folk also enjoy working in entertainment,
as well as more questionable practices, such as burglary and
more esoteric roguish schemes.
Highland Halflings: Highlands Halflings look not unlike
small versions of the local Altanians with slightly
redder skin and proportionally larger, hairier feet. They are
a Shire folk, and prefer to be left alone by the Altanians in
order to grow their pipeweed, tend to their small farms of
potatoes and maize, and husband their herds of small llamas.
They trade regularly with the Altanians, who find favor
with the Halfling's weed, their cheeses, vegetables, and
wood products. Highland Bounders (the guardians of the
boundaries of the Shire) typically wear leather armor and
carry short swords and slings. The few priests they have are
mostly druidic.
Stouts: Stouts obviously have some elements of dwarven
and probably gnomish blood, for they are very stout, and are
the only halflings of the region known to wear large, curly
beards under their great potato-shaped nose. Stouts are
known for their famous Blue Tabac, the most potent
pipeweed grown in the Wilderlands. The Bulwarkshire
Bounders are, however, a boisterous lot, more than happy to
crack open a head or two if that is what it takes for their land
to be left in peace. They wear chain shirts, hand axes, and
hand crossbows. They do not worship the gods in general,
figuring if they leave the gods alone, the gods will return the
favor. Some of the Bounders, however, revere Odin or
Mitra, for their martial and protective qualities.

City, Clan & Area Notes

ALTANIAN BARBARIAN CLANS

Red Bear - west of Bisgen. The War Chief is rather weak, & hen-pecked by his Wise-Women. War-singer Haak. Shaman Uncia (PC).

Tigerclaw - south of Bisgen. War Chief Kalgol. Sword Knight Koltan of White Wolf Lodge was wounded in the Battle of the Shore. The chief Wise Woman, Mama Kala, is very powerful. Sword Knight  Varek (PC) of Black Eagle Lodge.

Winged Ape - east of Bisgen. The new (4434 BCCC) War Chief is Prince Rameses of the Mountain Lion, married to Princess Lyssana, daughter of Hygaros (dec'd).

TOWNS

Bisgen (Altanis; Town, Pop. 2,248 within the walls; TL 4; 800gp limit):
Population: human 86% [mostly Altanian or Nerathi-Alryan,
a few Lagoldurman and other], half-elf 6%, elf 3%, halfling 3%,
other 2%); Resources: Horses.
Authority Figure: Parre, female Altanian. Important Characters: Eldrin,
half-elf wizard mistrusted by the populace; Nasan Tara, Altanian master of the herds.
Bisgen was established several thousand years ago by a wandering tribe
of Altanian nomads. Parre, the current ruler, is known as one of
the traitor barons in the court of the Overlord. She rules over a
prosperous small town made rich by continuing trade with the
elves at Renth. She sends troops to help Renth patrol the
Carnelian Plains and the areas to the south. Bisgen is noted for
the quality of its horses and merchants travel to the village to bid
on them.  There is a small herd of elven steeds in the care of Nasan.


COLISTH (Village): (hex 1722)  TL 1; 200
gp limit; Population 1,044 - half-elf (Southern) 37%, human 36% [mostly Antillian],
dwarf 10%, halfling 7%, other 10%; Resources: Silk.
Authority Figure: Prince Filor, male half-elf.
Important Characters:
Nalia, female elf (chief of the weavers);
Nolus, half-elf (captain of the village guards);
Regeck Eltas, male Antillian (master of the caravanserai);
Bakthet, male Antillian (slaver).
The area around Colisth is dotted with many stands of
mulberry trees. With the aid of humans from Bisgen, the
half-elves established a walled village to plant silkworm
colonies and harvest the silk, which are later woven into
the sails used for the ships built at Renth. Today Colisth is
a thriving trading post as caravans from around the
Wilderlands come to trade for the silk cloth produced at
Colisth. Visitors are encouraged to sleep securely at the
guarded caravanserai, because lately slavers have been
involved in kidnappings and disappearances.


Renth (Altanis; Town; Pop. 936 within the walls; TL 5):
Mixed (elf 70% [southern], half-elf 15%, human 8%,
dwarf 5%, halfling 3%, other 4%); Resources: Rope.
Ruler: Prince Cyn Light-foot, male elf [southern] Wizard.
Important Characters:
Cirawen, female elf [southern], master rope maker and rigger;
Sorelin, male half-elf captain of the local rangers.
The eastern shores of the Straits of Maerstag are lush
with hemp and flax. Ships made in the Great Forest,
Actun, Serpeant Little and other elven communities often
sail here with temporary sails and have their final rigging
done here. Cyn Light-foot is dedicated to the safety of
harvesters and often goes out on patrol with Sorelin and
the other rangers. Often times Plain Demons, as jackalweres
are known in the region, come out of the Carnelian Plains
and threaten the harvesters.

Mysk (Altanis; Town, Pop. 1,384 within the walls; TL 4):
Mysk is Antil's southernmost outpost and a trade market for goods
from Actun, Antil and the lands surrounding the Sea of Five Winds,
including Viridstan. Mysk was established 350 years ago after an
incident with foreigners at Antil caused the death of several
Windriders. The foreigners market for traders from the Sea of
Five Winds was moved to Mysk to prevent another such
incident.
Items of up to TL 8 are available here, despite the fact that the local craftsmen are not
very skilled.
Nert Iron-fist, the lord of Mysk, is noted for his nobility
and justice. He maintains law and order as well as the security of
the temple of Shang-Ta.
Sossul is the leader of the trade
delegation from Viridistan and looks upon the natives as inferiors.
He is also a priest of Armadad Bog and hasn't had much luck
in subverting the population to his views.
Achilleos is the leader of the Lightbringers of Mitra.

________________

LOCAL AREAS

Pazidan Peninsula (Altanis):
is the chief geographic feature of the northern
Wilderlands. Running from the Estuary of the
Roglaroon in the north to the fingers of Oricha in
the south, the Pazidan Peninsula was once home to
the legendary Orichalan Dragon Lords, who were
hunted into near extinction by the Altanians after
the fall of the Dragon Emperor. In many places, such
as the Carnelian Plains, the soil of the peninsula is
rich and red—like the color of the skin of the hardy
nomadic barbarians who wander the region in their
animal clans. The peninsula is criss-crossed with
many ancient roads, some built long ago by the Empire of
Kelnore, which have yet withstood the weathering of
the ages.

Lagoldurma Jungle (Altanis):
jungle covers Altanis from the area north
of the Carnelian plains up to the River
Greyrush, and from the coastline east to
the Ered Perack mountain range. Several
different tribes (many Altanian, some not)
live in the jungle, and at least three tribes
of headhunters reside here.

Carnelian Plains (Altanis):
Legends relate that this red earth plain was created by an army of skeletons
led by dark wizards against two huge armies
encamped here after celebrating a new alliance for
several days. Scholars discount the stories that this
once rich soil was stained red with blood. Farmers
here find many varieties of seed take well to the soil
but gardens must be walled to prevent Jackalwere
raids, known to the locals as plains demons. It is
home to several wandering tribes of Altanian barbarian
nomads.

Castellan Mountains (Altanis):
A gigantic sculpture of a sleeping Stone Giant sprawls along the
lower elevations of this mountain chain. Orcs have
taken residence in many ruined citadels and attempt
to coerce caravans into paying a toll to travel the
long pass called Bulwark’s Breach. Renowned for
water falls emptying into wetland valleys. Most have
never been explored due to the sheer cliffs. Natural
caves abound.
 
DISTANT LANDS

Irminsul Forest (Elphand Lands):
An uncharted and vast terrain, the Irminsul
holds many unknown secrets. It is the largest
contiguous woodland in all of the
Wilderlands. Thousands of square miles of
wooded land hold many mysteries and much
adventure. Elves, fey, dragons, humanoids, and
forest giants are all known to inhabit the
Irminsul, as well as saber-toothed tigers and
mastodons.