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Theriac

Races

Dragonborn Dwarves Elves Gnomes Half-Elves Half-Orcs Halflings Humans Tieflings

Dragonborn

Occasionally a draconic egg bears the genetic mark of the Feyral Arcanum and the incubating wyrmling develops as a dragonborn. While individual reactions vary most draconic parents embrace their progeny and utilize them as agents to the bipedal races. Some choose a life of wandering and adventure, returning to to their parents occasionally bearing tales and treasures to glorify their clan. Other dragonborn, perhaps not as warmly welcomed, go (or are driven) into exile and live with whomever will have them.

There are no known purely dragonborn settlements, partially because of the race's rarity. They will adapt to the living circumstances of their companions but will hold themselves aloof. They are, after all, the progeny of dragons.

Dwarves

Hill - At the time of the Surge many dwarvish communities either did not have underground redoubts or were pushed out of those they had. Forced to survive on the surface Hill Dwarf societies developed to be small and self-sufficient, with a clannish social structure of loosely allied families led by a group of respected elders. Settlements are generally a redoubt cut into hills or bluffs with the majority of the populace living in exterior buildings built above-ground. Agriculture and animal care are done on the surface.

Mountain - the most successfull race at keeping their civilization intact, Mountain dwarves secured the sweet spot of living deep enough underground to be protected from the turbulent weather while still being close enough to the surface to retain access to goods and resources. Mountain dwarf society generally resembles a medievel hierarchy with different caverns being ruled by different noble families. Settlements are cut out of the living stone with limited surface access. Outlying caverns provide space for farming and ranching Gloam Goats. These settlements can encompass miles of caverns and are some of the most extensive cities in the world. Mountain dwarves are more militant than their Hill cousins. Their larger population allows for a standing army, the noble families enforce a top-down organization, and the 360 degree competition for resources requires constant vigilance against attack.

Deep Dwarves (Duergar) - Dwarves who embraced the Feyral Arcanum and were changed by it, they banded together after being driven to the deep depth of the Gloaming. They survive by raiding and enslaving other races. Settlements are dark, dank, and crudely constructed, relying on natural caverns instead of being made.

Elves

High - Tied strongly to the Arcanum, most High Elf cultures stubbornly insisted on staying on the surface and suffered the effects of the Feyral Surge, morphing into Hobgoblins.

Shadow Elves - creatures definately out of their natural habitat, Shadow Elves are the remnants of the High Elves who fled the surface to the Gloaming in a bid to survive. With lifespans which span centuries the Feyral Surge is within elvish generational memory, making Shadow Elf sages some of the best informed creatures on the years before and after the Surge. Shadow Elf societies have weathered the years through magic, raiding, and xenophobic pride. Settlements are carved from the most beautiful locations the Shadow Elves can take and hold. The most isolated race through self-imposed sequestration, many settlements have embraced the use of Feyral Arcanum to survive.

Settlers - relatively recent arrivals to Theriac, the settler elves arrived approximately 500 years ago on a fleet of colonyships fleeing the First Unhuman War . Having to evacuate their planet hurriedly to escape destruction by a Witchlight Marauder loosed on their planet. With the fleet hurriedly built and poorly maintained over half exploded during reentry spraying their treasures over wide areas. Of those which survived the passage through the atmosphere many crashed while attempting to land, forming resource rich troves and cairns for the dead. The handful of crews which successfully landed faced an environment filled with physical and magical threats. The newcomers were initially dismayed to discover they had crashed on a planet filled with goblinoids. But the need to survive, coupled with the Orcs' lack of racial animosity, encouraged the creation of alliances. Colony ships which were intact became the basis for towns and cities, the first blossom of civilization on the surface for hundreds of years. Depleted or destroyed ships' crews adopted the 'barbaric' lifestyle of the natives, joining Orc tribes or forming affiliated tribes of their own to create a clan (as well as the first half-orcs.

Hobgoblins - Some elves, out of stubborn pride, refused to abandon their surface lives after the Feyral Surge. They fortified their societies with magic and might till the Feyral Arcanum had changed their very nature. Intensely militant, hobgoblins live regimented lives always prepared to fight and die for the greater good of The People.

Gnomes

The gnomes of Theriac fled into the Gloaming after the Feyral Surge like everyone else. Smaller in stature and less numerous the gnomes were pushed to areas weak in resources but strong in the Feyral Arcanum. Exposure to the Feyral taint twisted their bodies, turning them into Grimlocks.

The gnomes of Theriac fled into the Gloaming after the Feyral Surge like everyone else. Smaller in stature and less numerous the gnomes were pushed to areas weak in resources but strong in the Feyral Arcanum. Exposure to the Feyral taint twisted their bodies, turning them into Grimlocks.

Valstat's Great Escape brought gnomes back to Theriac. The newcomers lived among the larger communities while maintaining their independent culture and language. Some gnomish clans have since struck out on their own to found gnomish settlements, often in partnership with halflings.

Half-Elves

Most half-elves on Theriac are young at under 100 years old. The colony ships carried only pure blood elves, and relationships between elves and humans on Volstat were rare. The hard living on Theriac broke down the barriers between the races.

Half-elves have no culture or settlements of their own. Instead they take on the lifestyles of their parents. True children of Theriac, they commonly become adventurers to cleanse the planet of the Feyral Arcanum's taint. Many noted Rangers and Druids are half-elves. With their human focus but long lifespans they also excel as scholars and leaders.

Half-Orcs

Common and well respected on Theriac, the orc line breeds true regardless of the other parent's heritage, be it human, elf, or dwarf. Before the Feyral Surge marrying into a Orc Clan was a way to join Orcish society. After the Surge the inherant toughness of orcish blood gave offspring a greater chance of survival.

Like half-elves half-orcs do not have settlements of their own. They often rise to be leaders in their societies, respected for their intelligence and strength.

Halflings

A natural part of the Fey Arcanum through their ties to the land, the native halfling population was tranformed into goblins by the Feyral Surge. Driven to the most desolate areas, despised by all, the goblins experience of life is nasty brutish, and short.

Halflings returned to Theriac as part of the Great Escape. Over the intervening century attempts have been made to reach out to the goblins and alleviate their suffering. Success has been mostly on an individual level.

Halflings living among other races adopt the local lifestyle. Alone their settlements are bucolic villages (or at least as bucolic as possible in a world riven by climate change) which meld into the natural settings. Gnomes are frequent neighbors as the races compliment each other's strengths.

Humans

A minor race before the Feyral Surge, humans were considered uncivilized. Living on the edges of the advanced races' cultures humans survived by hunting and gathering. The often harsh conditions under which they lived ironically prepared them to thrive in the runaway climate chaos after the Surge. Taking in refuges from the other races the human tribes taught the others to survive off the land. The constant struggle for survival made such alliances short lived.

Valstat's Great Escape brought new humans to Theriac. The transplants formed towns and cities where they could and went native when they could not. New city-states and cultures began to arise as the native Therians, transplanted elves, and translocated Valstats banded together to carve civilization out of chaos.

Human settlements are almost always a polyglot of racial mixing. Settlements vary depending on the resources available, but the general aestetic is similar: buildings are practical and built to provide shelter from and survive the environment. Only the largest cities are able to start adding ornementation for decorative purposes. Most settlements are small towns or large villages. Humans are now the most populace race on Theriac. Because of the the scattered fashion of the Great Escape and the intermarriage thereafter human settlements are full of people with every genetic background possible.

The Great Escape brought an influx of new gnomes to Theriac. Still small in number they integrated into the developing cultures as a distinct subculture, often with its own district.

The most popular partnership is with halflings. The races share a deep connection to a rural lifestyle, especially Forest Gnomes. Rock Gnomes are less likely to live within or adjacent to a halfling village but instead will form a freehold in a nearby set of hills or bluffs.

Tieflings

Children of the Feyral Surge, tieflings are youth of any mammilian race who because of Feyral influence in their ancestry transform at puberty in humanoid creatures with inhuman traits such as horns, tails, and non-traditional hands or feet. Tieflings can come from any race except Dragonborn (who have already be changed by Feyral influence). There is no indication at birth or during childhood that someone will become a tiefling. Gnomes and halflings who become tieflings grow to medium size.

It is a rare tiefling who is embraced by their family or community after the change. Most are cast out, scared and alone, to survive as best they can. Many bear their emotional scars from this betrayal for years, finding it hard to accept acceptance or trust offers of friendship.

This distrust extends to their own kind. Tieflings seek community and acceptance but their small numbers and suspicious natures impede their ability to coalesce amongst themselves. Compounding the issue is any gathering of tieflings will face backlash from nearby communities who see them as a threat.