Races of Aerth
| Aknorian | The Aknorians are descended from an ancient race of seers from the rocky island of Aknor. Probably the most well known fact about Aknorians is that they generally do not return from the Realm of Death (that is they die only once). This leads many Aknorians to be a bit distant from others although there are many exceptions.
Racial benefit: Aknorians receive an additional 10 character points to start and one Boon from Death. Traditions show that some Aknorians have used their Boon to request a return to the land of the living, but others have been more creative. |
| Alhadim | The Alhadim are from the largely desert lands of the hot, sandy south (which is not unlike the lands to the south and east of the Mediterranean on Earth). Their culture places great value on family and on trade. Alhadim traders take their caravans throughout Areth buying and selling. Some prefer to dress simply in white while others opt for color-fill patterns and decorations.
Alhadim have a different contract with Death than most races. When an Alhadim dies their eidolon (or spirit) does not travel to death on its own, as other races do. Instead, the corpse will lie in place until someone carries it to Death and bargains for its life (which is no trite feat). If no one carries them to Death the corpse will lie there until the end of the game day or until the player decides to "give up the ghost" and start a new character. (An Alhadim must always be mindful that if the game ends and they are lying dead they must give up the ghost forever.) Those who would carry an Alhadim to Death should keep in mind that crossing the portal of Death means forfeiting your life, as well and awaiting Deaths judgment of your bargaining. It is known that Death often assesses quests to them before restoring them to life as well; performing this task well may curry some favor with Death, failure to complete it may have dire results.
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| Barbarian, Bear | Racial Benefit: Spirit Talker. The members of the Bear Tribe practice many rites and rituals that allow them to speak with spirits. All members of the Bear Tribe may use Speak With Dead at will. |
| Barbarian, Raven | Racial Benefit: Tribal Dance. Raven Tribe members may perform a group ritual dance once per event that refreshes their lost Vitality to full. Learned members of the Raven Tribe may learn to perform other, more potent dances as well. |
| Barbarian, White Snake | Racial Benefit: Hale and Hearty. The members of the Whitesnake Tribe are tougher than most humans, possessing 4 additional Vitality. This additional Vitality is not counted against the limit of 10 Vitality that a character may purchase before the cost doubles. |
| Dwarf | The sturdy race from the heart of the mountains has a way with metal and stone. While members pursue all variety of ways of life, their roots in the might of the mountains are universal. All dwarves, male and female, have beards of some sort, and it is an important source of pride to them. The greatest metal workers in the world are dwarven smiths; their armor is clearly superior to others, but they do not sell it or give it to non-dwarves. Their warriors prefer weapons that utilize their strength: axes, hammers, and maces. Mages are rare among dwarves, though, and the ones that are found rarely achieve much mastery.
Racial Restrictions: Player's height must be 5'7" or less to play a dwarf. Characters must have or wear some beard at all times (females too!). The only weapons that dwarves can use are axes, hammers and maces. All magical skills and/or spells cost double for them; however Spell Shield may be purchased for the normal cost without buying Wizard. Racial Benefit: Armor Points for Dwarven Armor are doubled; of course, it normally takes a Dwarf to repair such armor. |
| Galenese | The Galenese culture grew primarily from criminals who were shipped to the rocky island of Aknor from the Tors. They are an assertive, goal-oriented people. They are divided into five Houses of power, which run the land. The politics between Houses is more complicated than an Alhadim trade contract. Racial Benefit: Strong Spirit (The Galanese, through long travails and troubles, possess a stronger spirit than those of most races). |
| Half-elf | Half-elves are descended from human and elf parents. Individual half-elves may honor the facets of their heritage however they choose. Elves are rarely seen by humans; their ways are not the ways of humans. This causes some personal difficulty for half-elves at times. Yet elves are more accepting of half-elves than of humans, generally. Racial Restrictions: They must wear pointed ears at all times. They may not use Blunt Weapons. Racial Benefit: Due to their free spirited and capricious nature, half-elves may resist the spell dominate once per moon. |
| Kia | An unusual race, information is limited about the Kia (pronounced KEE-uh) for their appearance to others has just begun. They come from an island located between Aknor and Okima. Their island has long been veiled from the view of mortals, and it has been a bridge of sorts between Fey and the material realm. But now the island is, for some reason disappearing and its inhabitants are faced with the choice of going to Fey or remaining on Areth. It is not widely known why only females have been seen. As part of their Fey heritage most have some personal connection to a certain type of plant or animal. Many honor this connection by wearing associated decorations, from fur or feathers, to leaves or vines. Some wear such things on their bodies directly, some in images of them in jewelry or decorations on their clothing. The Kia will never die of old age, for they have Fey blood flowing in their veins. Racial Restrictions: Only females may play them, as all known Kia are female. Racial Benefit:Kia posses some measure of Fey blood which has a strange magical affect on how Death deals with their spirit. If a Kia is killed by a Fey of some sort, then their spirits are taxed more heavily than otherwise. If they are killed by mortals, their spirit is more lightly taxed. Additionally, all Kia have some affinity with nature that may be developed ingame. |
| Okima | Okima is an island society that developed largely without mixing with other lands and races. It bears some resemblance to feudal Japan on Earth. Okians value family bonds above all else, but they ardently follow feudal obligations as well. Their culture is elaborate and strict which causes some today to reject their traditions and favor outside values. Racial Benefit: But the Okimen have many mysteries in addition to the skill many show with weapons. One such mystery is their ability to slow their heartbeats down to minimize the effect of contact and blade poison on their bodies. This gives them about twice the reaction time (that is ten seconds) before falling unconscious. In addition, they will lay unconscious for ten minutes instead of five before transforming into an eidolon. |
| Tor Aquillon | Rural and full of farms, it is known as much for its skilled shamen as its many wines. It has a great city, Warwick, in the northwest, which sees itself as the highest evolution of culture. Some people from Tor Aquillon have accents similar to French accents. Racial Benefit: Members regenerate any lost vitality overnight, but magic can't heal them. They also have the ability of Empathic Healing. This allows them to take on the wounds of others, literally transferring their vitality to the recipient. Tor Aquillonians MAY heal other Tor Aquillonians through Empathic Healing, though. |
| Tor Arbreth | Lying to the north, it is cold, snowy and mountainous. It bears strong ties to its Barbarian ancestors, some of whose culture is reflected here. The wolf and cave bear provide many of the furs which keep the cold from the residents. Racial Benefit:Arbrethians receive immunity to Ice Dart spells. |
| Tor Lanencrest | Smallest but wealthiest and the most cosmopolitan of the Tors, its knights and mines are famed throughout Areth. Some natives have British accents, and many of the family names of Lanencrest are reminiscent of those of England. Racial Benefit: Receive five hecta at each weekend, and a title, if desired (e.g., Squire, Knight/Dame -no higher though). The income is connected to their title, and will be received in game, not through logistics or at check-in. |
| Tor Loch Maben | Its fortified villages are home to fearsome warriors of both steel and magic. Tor Loch Maben's people feel that battle is one of the constants in life. Some natives have Scottish or Irish accents, and kilts are common garb for residents. Racial Benefit: Lochsmen are renowned for their Clan Battle songs. Many clan members sing in battle, and this heightens their morale and concentration to the point where they can use a Retreat to resist a slay once per weekend while singing in battle. This singing must be occurring before and while the Slay attack is made, and must be clear and audible enough to be heard over the din of battle. Players can compose their own battle song, however simple, or use one already in existence. They must then submit it to Legends with their character histories in order to use the skill. Retreat allows you to resist a slay but causes you to take 10 vitality damage and to take an unparryable crushing blow. |
| Tor Morbihan | Home to castles and great bowmen, its people share an interest in technology. This is manifest in things as diverse as the wondrous architecture and the unsurpassed crossbows and bows. The land had many forests, and Rangers are often found roaming the trails and deeps. (See also the Circle Wood and Dead Forest in the geography section.) Many Rangers in other lands can trace Tor Morbihan heritage. Racial Benefit: Woodland Guile (may escape from Root spells after 1 minute, instead of the normal 5 minutes). |
| Gypsy | Having come originally from Alhadim stock, gypsies have since roamed all throughout the mainland of Areth, mingling their bloodlines with peoples of all lands. Gypsy trains of brightly decorated wagons (called vardos) are often met these days with a mix of anticipation and dread. Living mostly by providing entertainment and by selling their wares and skills to whomever they encounter, it is from the gypsies that the world has acquired coffee, a weaker derivative of Alhadims |