This document presents world-specific notes for the races that are available for play. Except as noted in this document, all races are available for play using the rules outlined in the Player's Handbook. Further, a player may freely mix races and classes, with only those exceptions listed in the Player's Handbook and the few others mentioned below.
Although in times past, dwarves had great citadels throughout the land, now they have been largely limited to three great cities. The first, Cairick, is located in a mountain on the western edge of the Shadowed Mountains. Because of its remote location, there is relatively little contact between the eastern kingdoms and this city. Indeed, frequent rumors pass through the lands claiming that the city has finally fallen to the goblins or orcs, but all such rumors have thus far proved to be false.
The second great dwarven city, Doomgate Keep, is to be found in the southern lands. It is a great citadel built into the side of a great cliff and is said to guard a gate that leads to the nether-realms. This keep is also the training ground and headquarters for the Uttar, dwarven demon-hunters who have made it their life's work to destroy evil outerplanar creatures.
The third city is called Glanpeak. It is built atop five large hills located where the Pris River feeds into the Sea of Devils. It is unique among dwarven settlements in a number of respects. First, it is an open city, with a sizeable non-dwarven population. The ruling class is almost entirely dwarven, but the merchant and lower classes are almost evenly split between dwarven and non-dwarven residents. Second, it has a large active port through which a great deal of trade passes from the southwestern lands to Casteal and even further north to the Kingdom of the White Sword. Third, Clanpeak has the only dwarven sailors known. They are particularly prized among sailing crews because only dwarves seem able to pilot ships close to the Devil's Mouth, a huge whirlpool that inhibits sea traffic in the Sea of Devils. A ship manned with even a few dwarves, including a dwarven pilot, can sail far closer to the whirlpool than can any other ship, shaving as much as a week off of a journey around the Sea.
Although there are three great dwarven cities, there are a number of smaller settlements peppered throughout the lands. Most of these are actually ghettoes in human towns, but some are dwarven settlements.
All elves (except the drow) ultimately hail from a single homeland, the famed Gray Isle. This island rests about twenty miles off the coast of the eastern coast of the continent, near the sourthern border of the Kingdom of the White Sword. The island is roughly oval shaped and is approximately forty miles in length and twenty-four miles at its widest point. The majority of the island is carpeted by a deep forest, but in the center is one of the continent's greatest cities, Lor Darravale. All elves come from either the city itself or the forest surrounding it.
Although all elves come from Gray Isle, not all elves live there. Throughout the known lands are a number of elven settlements, populated by small bands of elves. From the perspective of the elves, these settlements are strictly temporary. The humans, however, tend to have a different perspective, since some of these settlements have existed for two or more centuries. Of course, given the long lives of the elves, it is natural that the two races would have a different definitions of "temporary." One noteable aspect of these settlements, however, is the distinct lack of pure elven children (although half-elven children may be found). Since the Gray Isle is considered to be the height of civilization, no elven woman would permit her child to be born and raised anywhere else. Any elven child not born on the Gray Isle will be treated as a non-elf by all other elves, even his or her own parents. It is firmly believed by all elves that a child not born on the Gray Isle is not truly an elf.
Because of their unique religious past, elves rarely take up the call of the cleric. Those few who do become clerics worship non-elven deities, and they are thus often looked down upon by other elves (see Elven Beliefs in Religion). Druids, though still rare, are found among the elves and are respected.
Half-elves may hail from human or elven settlements, depending on the circumstances surrounding his or her birth and the preferences of the parents. Few half-elves, however, will ever be born on the Gray Isle. Indeed, in the rare circumstance when a female finds herself on Gray Isle pregnant with a half-elven child, she will be expected to leave the island.
Half-orcs are among the least tolerated races in the known lands. Although they may be grudgingly accepted by either orcs or humans, they are generally held as outsiders and viewed with suspicion and disdain.
Half-orcs will have either a dominant human or orc upbringing. If raised among humans, then the half-orc will typicall come from the northern areas of the Kingdom of the White Sword (perhaps the Blood March or the Duchies of Urdang or Acrebray) or from the smaller Kingdom of Braden. It is also possible for the half-orc to come from either of the two orcish kingdoms, the Kingdom of Korrok or the Empire of the Black Wolf, as both have a small human population.
A half-orc raised among orcs can also come from the two orcish kingdoms, or he may also hail from one of the many orcish clans to be found in the Shadowed Mountains.
Many centuries ago, the city of Kor was founded by Kalg. While descendents of Baru spilled across the land like a plague, the descendents of Kalg were building a center of learning, culture, and art.
The orcs of Kor have formed two great realms, the Kingdom of Korrok and the Empire of the Black Wolf. In centuries past, the Empire of the Black Wolf was the greater of the two, but it has more recently fallen on hard times. After several devestating civil wars over issues of succession, the Empire lost much of its former land to the younger realm, the Kingdom of Korrok.
Centuries before the fall of the First, Gregair and Goratha gave birth to twins, two sons whom they named Kalf and Baru. Kalg, however, was the favored of the two and received his parents' blessings. As the two grew to adulthood, Baru's jealousy of his brother grew. Finally, Baru could take it no longer and plotted to kill his brother. But Kalg learned of the plot and confronted Baru. The two fought until finally Kalg defeated his sibling. Kalg could not slay his brother, however, but instead banished him. Thus did Baru leave to beget the race of Dark Orcs.
Kalg, however, remained in the richer lands of his birth and began his own family. As centuries past (for Kalg, being the child of gods, was long lived), his family grew from a handful to hundreds. In time, Kalg founded a city for his offspring, a place that would become legendary, called Kor.
Korian orcs are a proud, haughty race. They look down on other races as inferior and rarely loose an opportunity to make this known. This does not mean, however, that they will not work with other races. Orcs of Korrok especially try to remain tolerant of other races, although most still view them as inferior. Orcs of the Empire, however, are much less tolerant and strive to preserve the purity of their race.
All orcs believe they are ultimately descended from one of two brothers, Kalg or Baru. The former formed the city of Kor and spawned a new race of civilized orcs (see Orc (Korrok)). The latter, however, rejected the ways of civilization. He travelled to the Shadowed Mountains where he spawned a race of orcs that lived free and independent.
Dark orcs live in clans of from sixty to two-thousand individuals. All members within a clan are organized in a strict hierarchy. This hierarchical view of life, however, does not extend beyond the clan. Dark orcs view all others outside of their clan as enemies to be exploited, with only slightly more contempt for non-orcs than for dark orcs from other clans. For periods of time, two or more clans might form an alliance of sorts, but these are usually short-lived and easily broken. There are a few instances, however, of clans having long-standing alliances with others, some even spanning generations.
At the very top is the Baru'da or clan chief. He is the strongest warrior within the tribe, as demonstrated by the fact that any other orc may challenge him for leadership of the clan. (There are some rituals surrounding such challenges, but they are relatively open, with the result that anyone within the tribe may be able to challenge the Baru'da at almost any time.) The Baru'da may also have up to four consorts. Any Nal'lith that he or she chooses must become his consort, whereas Ki'lith and Baru'dan'lith have the right to decline. (The Baru'da cannot pick a Kil'fa or Kil'fan'lith as a consort.) Furthermore, a consort remains with the Baru'da until death and any children born by the consort are raised within the Baru'da's household and thus are not reared by the community. In the unlikely event that a Baru'da dies of old age, the Baru'dan'lith will battle for control. While in some clans leadership passes frequently, other clans have established long-reigning dynasties, with a child eventually taking over as Baru'da on the death of the parent.
Beneath the Baru'da is the Kil'fa or priest. He or she is the voice of Baru and Gregair within the tribe. Although the Baru'da is the clan's leader, he or she will rarely directly oppose the Kil'fa, and in some cases when the clan has been less successful, the Baru'da may find himself to be little more than a puppet for the Kil'fa. The Kil'fa does not have the right to consorts as does the Baru'da, but he or she may have first pick of any mate. Moreover, that mate has no right to decline. This pairing, however, is not permanent and lasts only until a child comes out of the union. The child then becomes one of the community children, but it is recognized that he or she will most likely become a Kil'fan'lith (and thus possibly a Kil'fa) when he reaches maturity. A Kil'fa may be challenged by a Kil'fan'lith at any time, but this rarely occurs. More commonly, when a Kil'fa dies (either of old age or from an external threat), the Kil'fan'lith will battle for the position. The last one remaining (after all the others have either been slain or fled) will be named the Kil'fa. Because the loss of the Kil'fa (and consequently all the Kil'fan'lith) weakens the clan a great deal, a Kil'fa is protected from all harm, even over the Baru'da.
Below the Baru'da are the Baru'dan'lith, elite warriors within the clan. The name indicates that they are bodyguards of the Baru'da, but in practice this is rarely the case. In general, the Baru'dan'lith are as much a threat to the Baru'da as are any orc warriors. In addition to serving as elite warriors, they also serve as lieutenants, especially for a large clan.
Next are the Ki'lith, the warriors. These are orcs who have proven themselves in combat and have slain at least one enemy. As warriors, they are entitled to a share of all loot gained in war.
The Pri'lith are young orcs who strive to become Ki'lith. The first step to becoming a Pri'lith is for the young orc to receive the blessing of the Kil'fa. This requires a ritual performed at midnight, wherein the Kil'fa will attempt to divine the young orc's fate. About half of the orcs who request this blessing are turned down. A few may be selected as Kil'fan'lith, servants to the Kil'fa. And rarely will one be pulled aside as a Zor'mal (see below). After the blessing is received, the young orc must then slay a dangerous animal in a ritualistic hunt known as the lith'mar. The animal slain will generally be seen as an omen for the life the orc will lead. After another ritual during which the orc eats the flesh and drinks the blood of the animal, he or she becomes a Pri'lith, not quite a warrior but neither a Nal'lith.
Most of the orcs in a tribe are Nal'lith or laborers. These individuals perform the work of the clan, including maintaining the shelters, planting crops, and rearing the young. Upon reaching maturity (i.e., on his or her thirteenth birthday), an orc must decide to either join the Pri'lith or forever stay a Nal'lith. Despite the advantages of becoming a Ki'lith, most orcs choose to remain Nal'lith, due primarily to the relatively short lifespan of a warrior.
At the lowest level of orc society are the slags (slaves). These may be orc or not, but they will be treated the same regardless, i.e., as property of relatively little worth. In almost all cases, slags are captured individuals from raids, but in some cases they may be purchased from other clans. In rare instances, an orc may be made a slag as punishment for a crime, but this is reserved for only the most heinous crimes (as this is considered worse than death).
Finally, outside of this normal structure stand the Zor'mal (sorcerors). Although wizards are almost completely unknown among the dark orcs, sorcerors are not. Most are discovered on their way to become Pri'lith and will be so identified by the Kil'fa. Upon being identified, a young zor'mal will come under the tutelage of the Zor'da, if such exists within the tribe. If one does not exist, then the young sorceror will become the Zor'da. In this case, though, the Kil'fa will usually find another clan's Zor'da to train him for a time. The zor'mal have no exact position within the orcish hierarchy. In some ways they are treated little better than slags. They may not mate except with slags and never play any role in cultural functions. All zor'mal live in a single building, which they themselves must construct. However, the zor'mal, and especially the Zor'da, may exert a great deal of influence on the clan. Rare is the Baru'da who will dismiss any advice from a Zor'da and zor'mal also get a share of loot and food, similar to the ki'lith.
Dark orcs show no discrimination when it comes to gender. Moreover, as a race there is little difference between males and females, the former being in general no larger than the latter. For a dark orc, the only thing that matters is fighting ability. Thus, it is equally likely to see a female as a male in any position within the clan, including Baru'da. It is rare, however, to see a male Kil'fa, although the reasons for this are not clear. The only significant issue that separates men and women in the clan is the issue of child birth. It is viewed as every female's responsibility to give birth to contribute at least one child to the clan (i.e., have at least one child that lives beyond the age of three). Once the child is born, however, it is no longer that female's responsibility. All children (with the exception of the Baru'da's) are raised by the community.
A final issue of some importance in dark orcish society is the concept of family. Although dark orcs have no formal concept of family, blood ties still play an important, albeit subtle, role in orcish society. Through some process that none understands, all dark orcs are blessed with the ability to immediately recognize on sight a member of his family, to within three generations. He or she will therefore avoid these individuals for the purpose of mating. This is far from the only influence of family on orcish culture, however. While dark orcs have no formal recognition of family ties (there are no surnames, for example), they will respect those with whom they share a blood relation. No orc would ever kill an orc to whom he or she is related (even if they happen to be from opposing clans), and in some cases he or she may even call upon family members to assist him. In even more subtle ways, however, will relatives assist each other. An orcish merchant may, for example, sell an item more cheaply to one whom he recognizes as related, even if he has never seen this individual before, and this discount would be granted without either having to speak of the issue. In general, an orc act as if he or she has no family at all, but when a relative becomes involved, he or she will always treat that blood relation preferentially.
The dark orcs revere Gregair as their deity, holding him as the greates of the First. While they do not deny the divinity of the other First, they do believe Gregair to be the most powerful. Orcs rarely worship Gregair, however. They believe that Gregair grows angry at the constant mutterings of his followers. Instead, they pray to Baru who will then grant their wish to intercede with Gregair on their behalf. So orc religious practices really center around Baru, rather than Gregair. The Kil'fa, for example, is a priest of Baru, not of Gregair. Of course, it is believed that Baru draws his power from Gregair, so orcs do not look at their practices as not worshipping Gregair.