Races

From Wycliffsetting

Current revision as of 06:17, 2 January 2008

Most standard high fantasy races are not in this setting.

• Dwarves remain the same; but they are secluded smiths, magicians, and miners; all dwarves usually a little bit of all three. They are very few in number.

• Orcs: Don't exist :D

• Gnomes: like dwarves, they are very few in number. They're not quite as secluded though; they interact with humans if the opportunity presents itself. They're known for making small high quality goods.

• Trolls: Trolls have hunched backs, greenish or grayish skin, thick dark hair, pointed ears, and large mouths and noses. Though they stand only about 5 feet tall (mostly because they just can't stand up straight) they're almost always all muscle. Though they have a very rustic appearance; often wearing furs and leaves, they have a deep and sophisticated culture. Despite their great physical strength, they dislike prolonged melee encounters; if vicious sneak attacks can't do the job, they rely on nature magic. They like to blend in with their forested surroundings, and throw stones, sticks, and shoot arrows and darts. A trolls greatest weakness is its weakness to iron. Like elves, they're known to leave changelings.

• Elves: The elves are a fickle race. They are inherently magical, able to do things like shift shape and charm people at will. They're unpredictable and can be dangerous. Few if any elves are altruistic; though in exchange for gifts, they're willing to help others. Others still delight in confusing and harassing the fragile human psyche; like the unseelie faries, they can anything from malevolent pranksters to fully dangerous individuals. However, while unseelie court faries tend to be directly violent, malevolent elves tend to prefer more subtle means of malice; such as leading wanderers into confrontations with wild animals, into dangerous terrains, getting them hopelessly lost - or even seducing and then killing them. Elven artifacts are known for being dangerous, beautiful, and powerful. Elves are also known for their mastery of the arcane arts. Like Trolls, they dislike iron, and are known to leave changelings.

• Faeries: The fairies are a diverse group; though they can be put into one of two categories; Seelie Court, and Unseelie Court.
  • The Seelie Court fairies are all ruled by local Fairy Queens, and are generally not as violent as Unseelie court fairies. These fairies appear to be your standard fairy; a couple of inches tall, with the wings of a small bird or insect. They tend to be incredible craftsmen, and often reward humans that unknowingly do them service. However, they will punish those that displease them, such as humans that cut down trees special to fairies, build on fairy paths, or intentionally or repeatedly disturb their forest homes. As trolls seem to have an inherent command over plants, wind, and earth, fairies have command over animals and insects.
  • Unseelie fairies are further divided into two catergories; wild fae, and malevolent fairies. Malevolent fairies are nothing more than typical Seelie Court fairies that have abandoned the court. They delight in misery and violence; these fairies are also known as goblins, and they are known for attacking humans, wild animals, and livestock. These fairies loose their powers over nature, becoming more physically fearsome, as well as much larger.
    • The Wild Fey are completely different than regular fairies. They are spirits of nature, who look after their domain. They tend to inhabit groves (there known as dryads), streams and ponds, and other wild places. They are the fey that most often communicate with humans, even if the Seelie Court fairies are more commonly seen.
• All Types of fairies are prone to leaving changelings; especially goblins.