Races on the World of Caern
After the creation of the world by the
gods, the greater gods decided to populate the world. From each of the gods
came a different race of beings. Each race perfectly suited towards their
place in the world. The forests were dominated by the elves, the mountains
by the dwarves, the caves and tunnels by the gnomes and halflings. Finally
there were the plains given to the humans. Lastly created they were given a
short span of years but also the ability to procreate quickly to make up for
this shortened span.
These beings were the first created.
They were the guardians of all the forest had to offer.They are normally taller than the average human, being around 6 feet but slight of frame. Their hair is commonly worn long and braided or decorated with feathers. The elves love the sight of bright colors though only in their own company, their common dress is that of the forest.
Normally an elf will stay in the village
of his/her birth and live their life in that community. At times though, an
elf will get an urge to roam and see what the world has to offer; these are
the ones which become adventurers. They leave the comfort of their home and
weather the conditions placed upon them by the 'outside' world. Though not
considered outcasts, these elves are usually looked down upon by their more
complacent cousins.An elf is conversant with the bow and
light sword. They also have proficiencies with the net and lasso. Their
normal mode of fighting is to not kill, but they will when needed.
The dwarven race was created at the
same time as the giants. They are closer in relation than any dwarf would
care to acknowledge. Both were created to delve the mountains, revealing all
the great monuments would give. The dwarves, made to work the stone were
built compact and dense to facilitate their work. A dwarf is also able to
withstand the heat of the forge and the cold of the mountain tops. Their
mode of dress is the leathers and furs of mountain creatures usually
adorned with precious metals or gems which they have pulled from the heart
of the earth.Though normally dour, a dwarf enjoys
the art and beauty of the world - the natural world, not that created by man's
hand. And though their hands are thick and callused, they can create that
beauty. But with their normal weapon, the battle axe, they can destroy beauty
as well.
Gnomes are related to the
dwarves in that their homes lie below the earth, but where dwarves live
inside the mountains and hills, gnomes tunnel deeper, into the very heart of
the world itself. And where dwarves delight in the uncovering of gems and
minerals, gnomes just love to tunnel, finding out what lies within the bowels of
the world. This, at times leads to trouble and disaster since things live in
the earth which are not meant to be uncovered by others. Gnomes have a
tendency to be more mechanical in nature than dwarves who take what the earth
gives them and very seldom improves upon it. The gnome fascinates in the
inner workings of all items mechanical and this makes them good engineers.
They thrive on complexity and this creates good mages and illusionists.
Gnomes will usually fight using short sword and shield or club and shield
though they will use any weapons which will suit their small frames.
The halfling race came as afterthought
on the creation of elves. Elves live in the forests and trees, halflings
live in the rolling hills and burrow spacious homes below the ground. They
are not deep dwellers like the dwarves and gnomes though. The halfling's
home lies just below the surface which many windows that look out upon their
lands. The average halfling is a natural farmer. His pastime is with the
land. Though halflings tend to be stay-at-homes, they will often venture out
from their homes, usually as youngsters. And, being quick and nimble,
despite their soft and pudgy appearance, they make natural thieves. This
delights them but, as they grow older, they normally go back to their
sedentary ways and return home to spin tales of their fabulous adventures.
A halfling is quite good with the short bow and short sword but will normally
stick to knives and daggers. With their good dexterity, the sling is their
natural missile weapon.
The human was the last created. They
were not given any special abilities like the other races and were not meant
to live in any one environment. The race of man was meant to thrive anywhere,
to live where the other races could not or would not. Basically, man was
meant to be a "filler". But, while not given powers and abilities the human
was given an insatiable curiosity, akin to that of gnomes, and the ability
to breed rapidly, which is why their life spans are so short. Humans can have
any profession that the other races can but for some reason are able to
attain greater knowledge and powers in these than the other beings. They can
also use any weapon type and have no affinity for any specific type.
This Webpage was created by Michael Brown and all information, (except where noted) is copyrighted to Michael Brown, 1998