Races of Kanlaoise
Introduction
There a large number of sentient races on Kanlaoise. Many of the races have split into subraces, each with their own abilities. The one major race which has gone against this trend are humans, who have become very adept at change, enabling them to adapt to their situation and environment rapidly.
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Humans
Humans make a the majority of populace of Naraxlos (50%). They are primarily characterised by their variability in physical features. They are the most social of races, and interact with all the other races, often acting as intermediaries. They are therefore very adept at languages and have to ability to change their skills and abilities to their current situation and environment.
Within the Empire a majority of humans are slaves. As such they are often subject to breeding programs. This has tended to reduce the variability, atleast within those bloodlines, and often specific traits are breed to the exclusion of others. Many houses will keep a number of bloodlines for upper servants, normally enchancing agility, dexturity and physical beauty at the cost of all other characteristics. Slave breed humans also tend to have genetically short linespans.
Shapechangers
Unlike the lycanthropes of Alusia the shapechanger race is much more balanced. Rather than resenting their ability Shapechangers actively enhance it, turning it into a second form which they can transform in and out of at will.
Shapechanging is a latent ability of all humans but it requires training to bring it forth. Once this ability has been awaken the shapechanger chooses an animal and learns to change into that animal.
Shapechangers can have multiple animal forms but when gaining a new form requires considerable time and effort. Over time most shapechangers will learn several forms, but initially they put their effort into one form because most start being very young and weak.
Shapechangers can live anywhere that humans live but very few live in the Empire, as shapechanger cannot live in a repressive society.
Elves
Sun Elves
Sun Elves are the most common elven subrace and make a large part of the general population (20%). They also vary most between genders, with males being much bulkier can most elves. The females tend to be much more petite, and are known to make up the bulk of magic users. They are normally dark skinned, although not actually black like drow.
Sun elves are also the most urbanised and intergated of the elven races, and while they hold themselves over the other "lesser" races, they almost always have human and orcish retinue. They have a very rigid society, with very tight family and house bonds. Sun elf society is highly politicised and fractous, with kinslaying a common occurance.
They are longed lived, with a lifespan between 1200 and 1500 years normally. Sun elf woman can expect to have over a dozen children in their fertile years, often by different consorts, depending on their social status.
Sun elves are almost always dark haired, normally black. As more male sun elves are warriors they keep their hair cut short while it is expected for woman to grow their hair long and then pinned up.
Many sun elf Adepts are members of the Solar college (this is similar but not identical to the Alusian Celesial college) and many warriors are also Namers, with most senior House members sorcerors. Because of power of Solar magic to see though most illusions there are very few Illusionists.
Star Elves
Star elves are the most rare and elusive of all the elven races. At the same time they are very sociable, and are accepted by all the other races (both elven and non elven). They are the couriers of the world, and would think nothing of travelling across the continent to take a message. The star elven community knows most of what is going on in the world, except for the most secret of happenings. However they will not divulge this information unless their race is directly affected. They also rarely record their knowledge but are rumoured to occassionally allow the High elven scribes to record their travels.
Star elves are incredibly hardy, comparable to cloud or storm giants in their ability to survive. If they are detected, which is itself highly unlikely, they can take a massive amount of damage and still get away. Noted for their movement, both in speed and scope. On the unlikely event they become cornered they are both powerful casters and highly skilled warriors.
Star Elves favour the College of Darkness and the Night's Sky (similar to the Alusian Celestial college), and are almost never seen during the daylight hours.
High Elves
High elves are the mages of the elven world. They also excel at crafting and artificing, building magnificent structures and making powerful magical artefacts.
High elves are exclusive rather than elusive, living away from other races in magically constructed citadels. Their dwellings generally range from holding a few hundred up to possible a thousand souls, rarely more, and are always inaccessible, often on crags or the middle of deep lakes.
High elves tend to be very slight and pale, with little martial skill. Instead they are known for their ability to cast magic, and the depth of their magical ability. They can especially adept at thurmaturgies and elemental fire, and general able to cast spells from multiple colleges.
Wood Elves
Wood elves are second largest elven race. While they are called wood elves they can be found in all rural environments where animals and plants thrive. They are the race closest to nature, any most are Adepts of the College of Earth Magics, although the college isn't identical to the standard Alusian college.
The majority of the race live in the vast forests in the center of the continent, mostly in treetop holding, but there are few villages, mostly the deep valleys of the central massif.
Sea Elves
Sea elves are closely related to star elves, and suffer a similar wonderlust. Navigators and sailors without par, they constantly travel the ocean's waves in their great galleys.
Ice Elves
Long thought to have died off millienia ago, recent strong rumour suggests that they have either been hibenating or had migrated away. Little is known of them except they favour Air or Ice magics, and are the closest to the dragonkind.
Orcs
Mountain Goblins
Mountain goblins are the smallest race of orcs. While they can travel across the surface and be in sunlight they are loath to do so, even though it does no real harm. However being the smallest doesn't make them the weakest. Although they are not particular strong, they are both agile and dexterious, and have all the hardiness of their larger kindred.
Mountain goblins excel in living underground and are capable miners and civil engineers, although their work tends to be rather hasty and slapdash, and is best described at utilitarian. They favour assassination over warrior when forced into combat.
As a society they tend to squabble a lot and communal fighting is common. Most live in dens of up to several hundred in size, but anything larger tends to fracture and split. They are also not known for hard work, and will happily cheat, lie or swindle others if they can get away with it.
Swamp goblins
Swamp goblins are slightly smaller than Alusian orcs. Unlike most orcs they favour magic, especially the Entities, except for Greater Summoner. Almost all swamp goblins gain a college but they short lifespan means there are very few powerful practicioners.
Swamp goblins, naturally, mostly live in or near swamps, although anywhere in the wilds can have their villages. There villages rarely grow beyond a few dozen families, with many villages not much more than extended families. The jungles of the Empire allow for a large overall population, but as race they are widely and thinly spread.
Fighting Orcs
Often known as hobgoblins, fighting orcs live up to their name. They are very similar to Alusian orcs, if not a little larger and stronger. However almost the entire race is kept in captivity, and almost all magic has been culled. Instead additional aggressiveness and discipline have been breed into the race, making them well suited for frontline fighting or gladitorial games.
They mostly live in pens housed on the great Estates. Rebellions and breakouts are fairly frequent, although few are successful. For this reason their numbers are kept down, with any excess population sent to the gladitorial games or used as hunting targets.
Hulking Orcs
Hulking orcs are the largest of the orcish races and once again the product of selective breeding. Unlike fighting orcs they are breed for pure strength and size, with as little aggressiveness as possible. This however makes them lazy and unmotivated, and will shirk at work unless watched.
Due to the nature of the breeding programs females from fighting orcs are often placed hulking males and conversely hulking females placed with fighting males. In most cases one or the other blood lines with breed true, with half breeds often culled early in their life.
Dwarves
Valley Dwarves
Valley dwarves and deep dwarves are closely related and often considered more of an adapation over time. Most dwarves carry both racial strains and only during pubity will a particular racial profile start to show.
Valley dwarves are more adapted for living in the mountains rather than under the mountains. They can easily deal with both the cold and thinner air of the mountains. In general they are slightly taller and less stocky then deep dwarves, more agile and less strong, but no less tough.
Deep Dwarves
Deep dwarves are the master tunnellers of the world. While mountain goblins are quicker than dwarves at mining, a dwarven tunnel with last centries while a goblin tunnel could well collapse as soon as they have passed.
Deep dwarves live within vast halls deep underground, and are happy to only visit the surface a few times a year. They will however often visit those living in the valleys and marrying between the deeps and the valleys is fairly common. This often creates intricate familial relationships, with young dwarves will often spend time living with their extended family.
Hobbits
Rustic Hobbits
Rustic hobbits are the producers of the world. Most live in shires within House estates, and must pay a tithe to their landlords. Apart from taxation they are generally left alone, and are not chattel. Occassionally a family will migrate from one shire to another but it isn't common practice.
Rustic hobbits tend to be larger than their metropolitan relations, both taller and stockier. They tend to be more agile but less dexterious also. While hobbits have little martial tradition they are often skilled hunters, especially with bow or sling.
Metropolitan Hobbits
Once in a while the hobbit gene pool will though out a hobbit who is unable to accept the slow rural life of the shires. These hobbits also inveriably migrate to the major cities, mostly living among gnomes. They tend to be slighter and more dexterious.
Some settle down to become artisans, often producing speciality goods, especially food, but many choose a more adventurerous life as a spy or thief, gathering information and tracking happenings. The few that survive to middle age often retire to the shires to live the slow life but in every city there is one or two who cannot be away for it all, becoming operational masterminds.
Hobbits have strong racial affinity and will almost always put their fellow hobbits above their work or current employer. The will also rarely join a House, prefering to work on contract for a limited time. They also never forget their rural origins and many shires have avoided misfortunate but the arrival of timely news of possible trouble.
Gnomes
Tinkerers
Tinkerers are city gnomes, normally living in enclaves (often in an attempt to limit their colateral damage). They excel at making things, and having them go boom. Tinkerers are obsessed with complexity, never satisfied with a single solution when a much more complex system will do the same thing in a dozen different ways. As a result Trinkerers rarely actually manage complete anything, and if working on commission often require threatening and bullying to finish the work.
Gnomes are racially attuned to mechanical systems, and can learn mechinician with reduced difficulty. They also have some interest in alchemy, in as such as it relates to mechanical systems.
Trinkerers also get the racial talent of Gnomish Engineering. This ability allows them to create (although not necessarily fully understand) devices of bewildering complixity. Such creations are always chaotic and will envaribly breakdown, often catastrophically. In the hands of a gnome such devices are extremely dangerous, and in hands of others completely lethal, normally to both the wealder and surroundings.
Tinkerers are also extremely lucky, and will generally survive catestrophic disasters which would have maimed or killed anybody else. They are also incredibly incautious.
Delvers
Delvers are often known as Deep Gnomes. This isn't particularly acurate since they more than often work on surface projects. Unlike the mechanically minded Tinkerers Delvers are much more interested in their Grande Projects, and love to work with dwarves to produce magnificent civil engineering works.
Delvers will often work within the Empire as designers and engineers, particularly large scale constructions. While capable of understanding Gnomish Engineering they aren't as interested in complexity, with the possible understanding that big systems have to be simple to actually work.
