Reminder, this is a very rough overview of each race; not an in-depth or serious look into them.
Consider this as a sort of a appetizer to pique your interest; this is normally how I describe them to new players, to help them along picking one to play as.
(In this, they are listed from “most humanlike” to “least humanlike”)
Terran are the most “human” of all the races, and would likely pass a squint test for most people. They have tan, earthy-toned skin, often with freckles, dark hair, and often brown or sometimes green eyes.
Most Terran make their living as nomadic tribesfolk and shepherds, in traditional tribal and family groups that can sometimes trace their lineages back over a thousand years. Some Terran have recently started establishing walled cities at the edge of their territory, imitating their former neighbors, the Nafrin.
The Nafrin are a race of slightly short, blue-skinned humanoids, with metallic-colored hair and often gold-colored eyes. In those eyes sits a glint, a shimmer of a military mind, as every Nafrin who desires any political power, or even the right to vote, serves in their massive legion for 2 years, at the least.
They hold claim to one of the greatest empires in recent memory, though that empire has been gradually collapsing inward due to overexpansion of borders, political infighting, a lack of strong leadership, and a series of failed wars against the Terran and Cranid. Most Nafrin are very proud of their families and their empire, and want to see the glory days restored, though many are also very keen to do whatever it takes to push their family to the front of political power, even at the expense of the empire as a whole.
The Davien are a race of roan-skinned peoples, with digitigrade feet, dark curly hair, and bald, prehensile tails that end in a small tuft of black hair. Quick with a smile and a witty word, they are famous as the group that brokered a peace between the Nafrin and Cranid, ending a 8-year-long war that was devastating to all sides.
Davien occupy a land if mostly desert, with a few fertile rivers turning long strips of land into fertile oasis's. They have a government of loosely affiliated tribes and kingdoms, all of which view for power among themselves. This can be seen as a weakness, until some other force attacks them, in which time it becomes clear they do this to keep their blades and military minds both sharp and steeled. They control the land trade routes between the northern continent and southern continent; making them both an invaluable ally, and often a very wealthy one.
The Ijosai are a race of semi-amphibious humanoids, with rough, almost sandpapery skin, streamlined features, webbed fingers, and rows and sharp, serrated front teeth. Despite their wild, almost bestial features, many are very easy-going, if incredibly sarcastic. Famous pirates and seafaring explorers, they control their territory incredibly tightly.
Ijosai control a series of islands and coastal cities, with a navy which has essentially no equal among the races. Their government, a confederation island states which each choose a representative to sit on a central council, allow each isl;and state (sometimes groups of islands) to maintain a level of autonomy, while still being capable of handling greater issues. Most Ijosai have wild, bright blue tattoos on their bodies and faces; often these tattoos and scars are marks of an ancestral rite of passage for young Ijosai, where they seek out a variety of giant cephalapod and wrestle it to death, underwater, often with their bare hands and sometimes a simple flint knife or stick. The fight riddles them with small injuries from the barbed suckers of the creature and it’s razor-sharp beak, and after they succeed, they tear the creature open and pour the ink sac of the creature over their heads, giving them their tattoos.
The Mortei, at first glance, look to be walking trees, more foliage than flesh; this is a clever camoflage, with their bark-like skin doubling as toughened, natural armor. Skilled infiltrators, survivalists, and woodsmen, they tend to be reclusive, or at least introverted, though that isn’t always the rule.
Mortei control a relatively small amount fo land, on the southern continent, and are separated from their main neighbors, the Avur, by a impressive mountain range. In that series of valleys and gulches, thick, sometimes tropical forests are rife, filled with both the Mortei, and the beasts which would try to make them food. Living here has instilled a sort of subtle paranoia in the Mortei, who are always careful to pass with as little notice, if at a ll possible. Yet, this desire to be unnoticed should not be mistaken for weakness; as the Avur have found many times, to their own pain and embarrassment. Mortei export mostly timber, rare spices, and some medicinal plants; but there are very few cosmopolitan harbor cities in their land, as foreigners are often driven out, either with force, or through seclusion.
The Elemeis, in a word, were bred for war. Literally. Crafted by the Nafrin over 100 years, they are the culmination of experiments in grafting life itself through magic. They have an imposing build, covered in short, coarse fur, with feline heads that hold a glint of cold, military intellect behind them.
The Elemeis are, in no small part, a people searching both for a home, and for a culture. After a bloody and violent rebellion against their forebears, the Nafrin, they’ve essentially been filling the gaps, living nomadic lives of diaspora wherevery they can. Some have banded together to make small towns, even some small cities, but most have been scattered along the front lines of the Nafrin’s old borders. It’s not uncommon to see some still in owenrship of the Nafrin; as they never officially stopped fielding Elemeis troops, or keeping them as property, but it’s far less common now, both because of the social stigma, and the mortality rates of Elemeis under Nafrinan command.
The Avur appear in one of two flavors; the somewhat shorter, and often brilliantly colored males, whose fine silks and finer manners are the truest marks of a gentlemen in Avur culture, and the more muted, more severe appearance of the females, who hold the real political and military power in their culture.
Avur hold a great amount of land, and have theoretically the largest standing army; but they’re hamstrung by the divided noble houses which vie for power and influence. Generations-long quarrels, grudges, alliances, and intrigue are almost baked into the very fabric of the culture. Young males vie to be seen as good suitors, both through gentlemanly acts as well as more conniving ones, but it’s the matriarch of each noble house, the mistress of each lineage, that has the final say on all arranged marriages of the men under her purview.
Cranid are, out of all the races, likely the most alien and least human-looking. While bipedal and roughly humanoid in shape, they have compact, short torsos and long, lanky limbs, with thick necks and heads with 6 iridescent, compound eyes that seem to shimmer in the light.
Despite this appearance, and their reputation as impressive ambushers and warriors, the Cranid are mostly peaceful; their culture prizes industriousness and individualism above all else, and many Cranid are skilled architects, engineers, and cosmopolitan travelers, returning to their ancestral homeland with goods, knowledge, and resources. Their biggest issue, in dealing with foreign groups, is their lack of a centralized government, something which they only temporarily precipitated to deal with the recent war with the Nafrin. That said, times are changing for the Cranid people, as this centralized war council has strengthened both the ethnic identity of the Cranid as a whole, and is reticent to return the powers it has, out of fear of further attacks by the Nafrin.
