Other Races
Though the inhabitants of the Simbris Valley are primarily centaurs, many other races co-exist, both in the Esch Mountain range and farther north. Centaurs are a firstborn race, one of seven known to exist.
The Firstborn Races
At the beginning of the world, the four elemental gods created the mortal firstborn races. A high race was created for each of these, to guide and tend their respective peoples. These high races, particularly the high aelenin, have been largely responsible for the creation of many secondborn races that now populate the world.
The Aelenin
The aelenin are tall, beautiful people with fine features and long, thick hair that some wear as long as ankle length. They are the first of the mortal races, and have an innate gift for magic, often possessing unique magical talents as well as the ability to learn magic easily. They are found in both major continents of the world; their hereditary lands are located on the far continent across the ocean from the one which holds the Dragon Mountains.
The FaldrimThe faldrim are short and massively built, with great strength and emotional stability. Their people are great craftsmen, and they have been at the forefront of many technological advances, including the invention of clockwork and the development of new architectural techniques.
The Humans
umans are between aelenin and faldrim in size, being taller than faldrim and bulkier than aelenin. They are the most adaptable of the races, and thrive in a variety of environments. Humans lost their high race early in the history of the world, when an insane high aelin called evil demons into the world to destroy them. Consequently, care of the humans was given over to the high faldrim, who have served as their lords and shepherds ever since.
The Winged Horses
The Winged Horses are a quadrupedal race which resemble horses, except for enormous feathered wings that sprout from their withers.Their coloration follows that of normal horses, with the wings of the same coloration as the rest of their coats. Their high race is pure white with long, luxurious manes and tails; long since, they retreated to a high realm in the clouds, abandoning their duties.
The Tava
The tava are six-toed tiger-sized cats, usually marked with a chevron pattern on their backs. There are three types of tava; stone tava and forest tava. Despite the descriptive terms, there is little difference between the first two, as forest tava often live in caves, and stone tava are at home in a forest environment. The main distinction is that forest tava have fur of a mint-green color with chevrons of darker green, and stone tava have grey coats with faint slate-hued chevrons. Desert tava live in arid environments, and have pale sand-colored fur with darker markings on head, feet, and tail. Legend also speaks of white-furred tava who live in the elemental lands of Winter, but sightings of these have not been substantiated. A large subsection of the tava people are matriarchal, with women and children living in a pride year-round, and men having a more nomadic lifestyle, returning only to sire children.
The Wyrdwolves
The wyrdwolves are a race of large, blue-eyed wolves with great intelligence and complex culture. They live in packs, and are often, though not always, nomadic. Fierce pack hunters, they are also compassionate, with cultural values of nurturing the young. They teach their youth primarily through story and example, and have strict moral codes.
|
The Secondborn RacesMany peoples arose after the firstborn races. Most of these are either a product of cross-breeding, or come from elemental or demon origin. Though not originally possessing free will, all the secondborn races were granted this gift through the sacrifice of the air dragons. In addition to the esch, some of the more common are:
The Ae IdarWhether or not the ae idar were a firstborn race is hotly debated among scholars. What history has passed down about this little known people is that they were early denizens of the world who vanished from the records thousands of years ago. Tall and sturdy, with woodlike bodies and rootlike feet, their heads extended into multiply branching crowns with leafy hair. Legend has it that they were extremely magical. Though they had the ability to travel from place to place, they often chose spots where they would root into the soil, becoming indistinguishable from surrounding trees.
The Shaori
The Shaori are a hybrid race, combining the ancestries of aelenin, ae idar, and air elementals. The result is a bipedal people who are supremely adaptable to local conditions. Though young Shaori share similar features, as they mature and develop an area of study which they are passionate about, they undergo a slow transformation which gradually changes them to a body form that best expresses or deals with their passion. For instance, a Shaori who studies trees may begin to grow branches, or their flesh may turn to a woody consistency; a Shaori who plays the circle harp will be likely to grow an extra pair of short arms that are necessary to master the instrument. This transformation will continue throughout their lifespans. Shaori are long-lived and highly magical.
The Istronians
The istronians are a bipedal people who stand one-and-a-half to two times the height of humans and aelenin. They are long-waisted and have a great deal of upper body strength. In their ancestral continent, which they share with the grey aelenin, they live in city-states, each of which is ruled by both a king and a mage working together.
The N'korreld
The n’korreld people are particularly small sturdy bipeds with an origin in elemental earth. This gives them an intimate connection to the earth god Coran, though they also have close ties with the stars. Many n’korreld are master astrologers. It is said that an individual karreld who is favored by the gods may reincarnate many times, and are considered blessed by ordinary n’korreld. They have a historically difficult relationship to the istronians, who enslaved them for several centuries.
The Brunaidhi
Another small bipedal race are the brunaidhi. Delicate and tiny, they reach approximately mid-thigh on a human or aelin body. Though their origins are unknown, they are good with plants, and are known for their helpfulness and abundant common sense.
The Rills
Rills are a hybrid race, being a cross between the aelin and n’korreld peoples. Small in stature, they have gnarled brown limbs, which do not prevent them from moving easily and lightly. They place great cultural value on cheerfulness and are extremely gregarious and friendly. When pressed, however, they can be dangerous foes.
|
These are only a few of the many later-born races that inhabit the world. In addition to the sentient races, it is possible for an individual creature of a non-intelligent species to be born sentient. It is quite evident that many races and peoples remain to be discovered.
All pages Copyright© 2012-2022 by Beth Hudson Wheeler and Eleanor C. Ray