HOW THE PEOPLES OF THE WORLD CAME TO BE

Much like the Variant Origin For Elves article, this piece tries to come up with a logical rational for where the elves (and certain other magical races) came from. I was inspired after reading The Deed Of Paksenarrion and The Lord of the Rings. Thus, while the article borrows ideas (albeit loosely) from both settings, I’ve tried to give things a unique twist. I’ll also admit to something of an anime influence in how the characters appear. I’ve really come to like the tall, long-eared look of many anime elves, as well as the more baroque skin colors common to many video game elves (such as purple for World of Warcraft or blue/gray for Lineage II [see illustration to the right for an idea of what I mean]).

Finally, I’ll readily admit the included magic system (or suggestions) is drawn almost directly from reading The Lord of the Rings, where I realized that many ‘magical’ objects were simply well-crafted. However, I didn’t stop there and included a healthy dose of Celtic Myth/Tuala Morn as well.

It is said the elves are the first and eldest of all the races of the world. They were formed by the gods when the world was new and tasked with caring for the land and all that dwelled with in it. Thus, they are masters of the forests and fields, of beasts and birds, and all that walk, crawl, fly, and swim.

The dwarves were made next, formed—or so the elves say—from rock and stone. However, the dwarves declare themselves to be the first race, forged from the molten core of the world, but set aside to cool, allowing the elves to be first to set foot on the newly-created world. True origins aside, all acknowledge them to be masters of the earth and metal and stone. They are tillers of great fields, diggers of deep mines, and shapers of wondrous things.

Men came next, brought into being because the gods bore easily and the long-lived elves and dwarves were too set in their ways to give them much sport. They were made masters of no domain, but let to run free across the world, to settle it and tame it as they will.

The youngest of all the races are the goblins, who were once elves, or dwarves, or men, but have become changed as a result of trafficking in noisome arts. They tend to dwell in deserts, and swamps, and ruined lands, and can often be found in service to dark masters.

These are the four major races of the world. They are not alone—there are numerous minor peoples, found only in isolated lands, who appear to be beasts given the shape of men. But these people are rare and scarcely seen.

Elves

As the first race, the elves were made to be all the gods desired. They are tall, strong, and swift, fair to look upon, and wise in the ways of the world. They dwell where ever nature is to be found—among the trees, on the plains, within lakes and rivers, and even in the depths of the sea. Humans, who like to make lists and sort things, have divided the elves by their presumed ‘domain’ and thus refer to them by such names as field, forest, sea, and snow elves. As for themselves, the elves take such titles amused acceptance and the reply of “they are young.”

Men make such distinctions in the elves due to their appearance. Although they all share the same general features of great height, graceful ways, large eyes, and long ears, elves vary widely with regards to the color of their skin, hair, and eyes. Elves of the woods, for example, have skin the color of bark, be it gray, white, brown, of black. Their hair is the color of leaves, coming in all shades of green, with some having reddish or even purplish tresses. Their eyes tend to be yellow, green, or brown. Elves of other places are colored similarly; water and sea elves are bluish or greenish in color, while those of the swamps tend to be grayish, and those of the north are pale in skin and hair. Of them all, only the plains elves, who tend to light brownish skin and dark hair, look the most like humans.

Dwarves

The dwarves are shorter than men, and far shorter than elves. They claim their stature was decreed by the gods to allow them access to the hidden ways of the world. That said, they are strong—very strong—for their size, capable of lifting weights beyond the capabilities of men and elves. They are also extremely hardy and can work long hours without need of rest or respite. As with the elves, men have sorted by the dwarves into such groups as canyon, hill, and mountain, depending on the dwarf’s homeland. And as with the elves, most dwarves ignore such distinctions, mainly because the dwarves look upon the entirety of the earth as their domain.

Dwarves have skin the color of earth and stone, while their hair is that of precious metals (silver, copper, gold, and so on), and their eyes glitter like gems. They are very broad for their height, with thick beards and ears that taper to a slight point. Their hands and fingers are surprisingly deft and nimble, and allow them to craft many wondrous things.

Men

The race of man can be characterized by their endless variety. Some are as short as dwarves and some as tall as elves. Some are wide, some thin, some light, some dark. They have no set appearance and no set niche—they live where and how they will. As the most numerous race, they can be found nearly everywhere, from the driest deserts to the wettest swamps, from the hottest tropics to the coldest tundra.

Goblins

It is said no two goblins are alike. Each has been twisted in its own unique way, and thus the goblins aren’t a “race” per se. What they are is the result of beings meddling with powers best left undistributed. This has changed them, warping their bodies and their minds, and creating monstrous forms.

Goblins can be found almost anywhere, but seem to prefer desolate areas in which to live. Some lair near communities of humans (and sometimes elves) and prey upon those who are unwary and foolish. These goblins often dwell in still tarns, or weedy rivers, rocky hills, or near graveyards. They snatch the young and the old, and some go so far as to dig up fresh graves.

As a rule goblins tend to have sickly gray or greenish skins with stringy hair. Their teeth of often large and crooked while their fingers end in sharp claw-like nails. Their minds are often as twisted as their bodies, but still full of cunning, capable of sly traps and tricky ambushes.

Halflings

A halfing results when two races cross—be it elf and human, elf and dwarf, human and dwarf, and so on. They borrow aspects from both parents, but tend to be greater than the weaker and weaker than the greater. Thus, the halfling child of an elf and human will be stronger than the human but weaker than the elf. The child will also live far longer than the human parent, but nowhere near as long as the elven one. Halflings are most common among humans and elves, less so the dwarves. However, the rare times an elf-dwarf halfing is born he (or she) will be greatly honored and revered, for they are known to become some of the greatest of makers (see Magic, below).

Ecology: Elves live where ever nature is to be found in abundance, including the depths of the thickest forests, the wide plans, the frigid tundra, marshes and swamps, steaming jungles, and even in the depths of lakes, rivers, and oceans. True to their nature as caretakers, they tend to live as part of the land, instead of modifying the land to meet their needs. As they are omnivores, elves prefer a hunter-gather existence, and cultivate few crops.

Personality/Motivation: Typical sentient humanoid motivations. Elves tend not to involve themselves in human affairs, mainly because their concerns are with the lands under their care and not the activities of men. However, they’ll readily ally with men (and dwarves) against outside threats, such as goblins.

Powers/Tactics: Elves use the full range of tactics available to sentient humanoids. They also possess extensive inherent powers of almost a magical nature, and within their home territory can make for deadly foes. The exact powers possessed by an elf depends on his native environment. The ones presented here are for the most common form of elf—one who dwells within the woods. A plains dweller, on the other hand, may have no extra meters of Swimming, but may have extra meters of Running. A water-dwelling elf will have the ability to breathe water, survive extreme depths, and have no extra meters of Running (or Flight), but will have additional inches of Swimming. Other elves will have similar powers—elves of the poles will have Life Support versus cold, whole those of arid areas have Life Support versus heat. Halfling elves (the children of elves of two different environments) will normally possess a mix of the parents abilities, usually of lesser power then the parents, but at the same time, will have powers from both (thus, the child of a tundra-dweller and a desert-dweller will have Life Support versus both cold and heat).

When elves go to war they tend to wear armor made from animal hides, often reinforced with metal plates of dwarf make. They prefer weapons adapted from their common tools, such as bows, spears, long knives, and axes (both hand-held and thrown). They tend to not use shields.

Campaign Use: This character sheet represents a typical base-level competent elf the PCs might encounter in a situation where you need a character sheet (i.e., combat or the like). You can easily customize this character sheet by applying one of the templates found on pages 116-118 of Monsters, Minions, and Marauders, such as Chieftain or Fighter.

Appearance: Elves are taller than men and stand, on average, over six feet in height. They have well-muscled and well-toned builds, long, grace limbs and fingers, large eyes, and long tapering ears. Skin, hair, and eye color varies greatly, but tends to reflect the elf’s home environment (i.e. forest-dwelling elves have skin the color of different types of bark and hair the color of different types of leaves, and so on).

Elf Template Hero Designer File

Ecology: Dwarves tend to dwell amid the mountains and hills, often along fast-running streams and rivers. They often dwell in great caves, or dig deep mines, or burrow into the sides of hills. Some, however, prefer to live above ground, where they tend their farms. As masters of the earth and soil, dwarves make excellent farmers, and have taught humans much about the growing of crops. While they enjoy meat, they aren’t hunters, and tend to trade with elves and men for such food.

Personality/Motivation: Typical sentient humanoid motivations. As with the elves, dwarves tend to mind their own affairs, but have been known to assist men in projects involving the moving or earth of cutting of stone. They have no love of goblins and their ilk, and are more than willing to aid men and elves against their attacks.

Powers/Tactics: Dwarves use the full range of tactics available to sentient humanoids. They also possess extensive inherent powers of almost a magical nature, and within their home territory can make for deadly foes. Unlike elves, dwarves have far less variation in their innate powers—the ones listed here are fairly typical.

Dwarves use their mastery of metal to create excellent suits of mail and plate armor. They also forge tools and weapons of unsurpassed quality and tend to use axes, hammers, mattocks, and picks in battle. Most of these are used in conjunction with a shield, except for those who desire two-handed “great” weapons.

Campaign Use: This character sheet represents a typical base-level competent dwarf the PCs might encounter in a situation where you need a character sheet (i.e., combat or the like). You can easily customize this character sheet by applying one of the templates found on pages 116-118 of Monsters, Minions, and Marauders, such as Chieftain or Fighter.

Appearance: Dwarves tend to be shorter then most men, and stand around five feet in height. They are very broad across the shoulders, with well-muscled builds. They grow their hair long enough to braid and (if male) have luxuriant beards. As noted, skin, hair, and eye color varies, but tends to remind one of the earth, metal, or jewels.

Dwarf Template Hero Designer File

Ecology: Goblins haunt the badlands of the world, including arid wastes, fetid swamps, battlefields, cemeteries, and ruins. They normally are solitary, but may band together in large numbers to serve some greater evil. Some have formed into tribes and these are the most dangerous of all, as they tends to be the most mobile and most active.

Goblins will eat anything, from fresh meat to near offal. Many like to prey on young children of all races, either to devour them or to raise them up as one of their own.

Personality/Motivation: Typical sentient humanoid motivations. A goblin’s mind is often as twisted as his body, and their true aims may be hard to determine. Many seek even power (of a magical nature) or revenge (against foes both real and imagined), while some simply settling for amassing material goods in the form of precious metals and the like.

Powers/Tactics: Goblins use the full range of tactics available to sentient humanoids. They may possess additional powers, often relating to what magics they initially experimented with that resulted in their goblinization. The descendants of goblins may have no powers whatsoever, or may have developed new ones. In any case, they prefer to use abilities that allows them to hide easily, strike ambush, and overcome enemies quickly.

Campaign Use: This character sheet represents a typical base-level competent goblin the PCs might encounter in a situation where you need a character sheet (i.e., combat or the like). You can easily customize this character sheet by applying one of the templates found on pages 116-118 of Monsters, Minions, and Marauders, such as Chieftain or Fighter.

Appearance: Goblins tend to appear as twisted variations of elves, dwarves, and men. They tend towards sickly, grayish-green skin, with stringy black, gray, or white hair. Eyes often have red tint, and teeth and finger tails are long, pointed, and discolored.

Goblin Template Hero Designer File