Races

From Asmythe

These are the major races of Asmythe. These are general descriptions of the most common features of each race; societies in different parts of Asmythe may vary significantly from these descriptions.

Delvers

Delvers are short and stout by human standards. They gather in large, well fortified castle-cities, usually underground and in the mountains. They are excellent miners, smiths, and engineers.

Delvers are typically friendly and stoic except when it comes to their personal property; and they consider everything they make their personal property forever. Anything "sold" by a delver is simply rented out and is expected to be returned. Delvers live about a hundred years and have long memories.

Sylvani

Sylvani are short and thin by human standards. They gather in small semi-nomadic tribes throughout the world. They are excellent gardeners, cooks, and carpenters. Like the delvers, their crafts are artistic and of exceptional quality.

Sylvani live outside fortifications among the beasts and monsters of the world and have developed the skills necessary to survive there. They are stealthy, vicious, and generally humorless except during rare times of festivity when they become almost hedonistic.

Sylvani typically live about a hundred years but it is possible for druids to live for thousands of years using magic to extend their lives.

Goblins

Goblins, or more accurately "goblinoids", are a society of three similar races.

Hobgoblins are large and smart and strong. Hobgoblins are the leaders of goblin society and the only race permitted to have magical ability; any magical ability that appears in the other races is destroyed.

Orcs are slightly larger than humans and very tough. Orcs are the warriors and hunters of goblin society and the sub-race most likely to be encountered by other races.

Goblins are small and nimble. Goblins are laborers and craftsmen and are by far the most numerous in goblin society.

Humans

At the end of the Age of Anarchy a group of technologically advanced humans arrived on Asmythe, but their technology did not function and they immediately devolved into an agrarian society. As years passed they learned to adapt and thrive on Asmythe. They formed the Armada Empire and learned how to use engineering and magic to protect themselves from the natural and unnatural dangers of life on Asmythe.

Human civilization and technology is comparable to late medieval or early renaissance civilization on earth. Civilization is driven by the ever threat from beasts and monsters and the human need to explore and improve.

More information on human civilization can be found in the article on the Armada Empire.

Ilthura

The ilthura are an old race that inhabited Asmythe during the first era. They disappeared long ago but left behind some the towers and some some other indestructible evidence of their civilization.

Half-kin

Crossbreeding between species is impossible, because each is a distinct genetic race and even if conception was biologically possible, the offspring would not be viable. There are no half-orcs, half-sylvan or any other half-anything.

While delvers, sylvani, and a few other ancient races are the same species, geographic and cultural realities generally keep them too far away from each other to produce or raise any children.

Other Races

Most servant races are humanoid because the ilthura were humanoid. Such exotic races could exist in Asmythe as a fallen remnant of an ancient ilthura servant-race. But they are not common to the world and generally exist only as a small tribes, if at all.

  • Avions are bird-like people who are believed to be extinct. If any tribes still exist they must take extreme measures to avoid contact with other races.
  • Aquarians live in the coastal waters of Asmythe and generally avoid contact with air-breathing races.
  • Gnomes are small and very clever, but timid and gullible. Some delver holds integrate gnomes as low class laborers.
  • Khatkin are predatory cat-like people. They are friendly and charming and have a tendency to eat the children of other races.
  • Saurians dragon-like people who are fiercely loyal to each other and eternally aggressive to all other civilizations.
  • Trolls are tall and lanky with long thin limbs. They are semi-solitary, live in dangerous terrain, and heal astonishingly quickly.