Intelligent races
Humans
The Humans of Nimrodel resemble the Humans of Earth, and therefor not much needs to be said about them. They are slightly taller than modern man, heights breaking six feet being rather common amongst males, although seven foot humans are still relatively unheard of. Their ears are slightly pointed, and they are all innately psychic, although an individuals psychic power and potential will vary widely amongst his peers, as will his ability to control ether.
Centauri
Centauri are a race of horse-men, considered by Humans to be barbarous and dangerous, uncivilized entities. They have the body of a horse with the torso and upper limbs of a man where the horses neck and head should be. They are as intelligent as humans, but their societies never seemed to advance past the late stone age, and as such their technologies are limited and they obtain most of their more complicated iron weapons and tools by trade or by raiding. They are entirely nomadic people and also very territorial, and often very violent almost without precedence.
Centauri culture is somewhat simple compared to other Tribal societies. Their culture is highly patriarchal and they worship an ancestral fire they call Ari. The interesting thing about Centauri culture is the way their tribes are led. There is a certain genetic defect or blessing that will cause a Centauri to be born totally white skinned and haired, with two huge wings on their back, powerful enough to sustain limited but not permanent flight. These Centauris are seen as demi-gods, unions of Ari with a female, and indeed they have a powerful proficiency towards fire magiks. These Centauri are called the Pegasus Kings, and a Pegasus King will always be the leader of a Tribe. When two are born in one Centaur Tribe it will split in two, and when a Pegasus King dies its old Tribesmen will join up with an existing Kings Tribe.
The Centauris history with Humans is a mixed one. Humans dislike them universally to a racist degree, Varanians liking them the least and Tribesmen, especially Tribes of the plains, liking them most. They have limited trade interactions with Humans, mostly with the Tribes, and trade almost not at all with the Ayotyans, who are the mortal enemy of almost all the Tribes of that region. The Ayotyans and Centauris have a bad history, as both consider the Ayotyan land as their own, and there have been many battles between them. West of Ayotya there are hundreds of Centaur tribes, and it is undisputedly their territory.
Sea Peoples
The Sea Peoples are a collective name for a large variety of fish-men that live underwater. There are many different species of Sea Peoples, and each has a different shape, or a different part of them that is man and part of them that is fish. The colloquial saying of humans is that they were Humans cursed to resemble the shapes of fish when they started worshipping the terrible and deadly Leviathans. The cult of Posessed are their priests and do in fact worship Leviathans, as well as keep sometimes huge sea snakes as pets, and are adept at water magic. They are very intelligent, and their level of technology is similar to humans, in fact it possibly exceeds it. All species of Sea Peoples can breathe both water and air.
Sea Peoples are the great traders of the oceans, able to travel under the torrential storms and dangers that buffet the Great Sea. In Ourissa especially no transcontinental trade happens except by Sea People, and it is known that they have a great city off the Ourissan coast on the ocean floor. Sea People society and kingdoms are complex, and not much is known about them as all of their populous areas are completely underwater, only visitable by those travelling with a Water Mage or someone else with enough knowledge of Water Magic to make underwater breathing possible.
There are a few Sea Peoples that live in the Ayotyan port and in Pirae, although they are a minority of traders and consider themselves to be foreign traders living locally, not actual citizens of the city states. This does not stop them from voting on matters that affect their jobs, however. Sea Peoples also live amongst the pirates of Himal in much greater numbers, although even there they are a minority. Most of the sea people interaction with Ourissa comes in the form of merchant fleets, and they both build their own ocean going rafts, as well as sail the ships of men and travel underwater with gigantic pack rays that they tame.
As of late trading groups from the Sea Peoples have gotten rarer and rarer and rarer, and they will not explain why. They view their politics as their own and although they will welcome a Water Mage who makes the journey to their cities, they tend to not want an abbrasive intrusion into their world.
Dry'cha
Dry'cha are the oldest, most intelligent and most powerful of the races of Nimrodel, and are viewed as such by Centauris, Humans and Sea Peoples alike, and especially by themselves. They are tall, eight to ten feet in height, and resemble very large humans with somewhat distorted features, except for one important difference. Dry'cha are a race of intelligent tree spirits, and they look the part, having bark for skin, sap for blood, leaves and moss for hair. They breed like plants, and live for hundreds or even thousands of years. Dry'cha are veritable beacons of ether, and many are accomplished spellcasters, although they almost only use earth, air, and shamanistic magics. They do not create many tools, although their warriors will be seen with wooden clubs and spears and they are exceptionally skilled with them.
The tree herders, as they are called, only inhabit small portions of the Andhra Prad in Ourissa. They view themselves as masters of their territory and themselves as an enlightened and superior race, looking on other races as vile, barbarous murderers of nature. Dry'cha rarely ever deal with people, and have a deep rooted sense of morality and ethics, behaving towards others as they see others behaving towards nature. They can be both beneficial saviours, and are indeed worshipped by many cults, or as violent as any demon. All in all though, they keep to themselves, trying to stay away from interaction with other races as much as possible.
The final interesting thing about Dry'cha are their peculiar abilities. Dry'cha regenerate their limbs and parts at an alarmingly fast rate, as they are so infused with ether. They can speak naturally to trees and indeed some have imparted this ability on more ethical Druids of the Tribes. Finally, they are able to take the aspects of particular kinds of tree, changing their shape to suit a situation. Dry'cha are shapeshifters of sorts and will never be seen twice looking exactly the same, sometimes as a lithe, young sapling, others as an ancient gnarled oak. Further, Dry'cha never sleep and rarely eat, being vegetarians. They spend most of their time contemplating various nuances of existance.
It is unknown whether the Dry'cha of the Andhra Prad represent a single community or many scattered ones. All that is known is that they have a universal non aggression pact with Tanja and the Yaksas, so long as neither disturbs too heavily the sanctity of the forest. There was a war between the Dry'cha and the lumberers at Tanja at one point, but it was solved on the grounds that Tanjans would only fell trees so deep into the wood, and would plant a tree for every tree they felled.
Creatures of the Wild
There are many strange creatures in Nimrodel, and Ourissa is no exception. While this is by no means a comprehensive list of the perils one may encounter while adventuring, the following are a few of the more common and more well known terrors of the lands. Remember as well that in addition to these, ordinary dangers prowl the land. Packs of wolves can be common in the plains, leopards and panthers live in the Andhra Prad, and all manner of snakes can be found anywhere and everywhere in Ourissa.
Giant animals
The swelling of ether in the land has created a few breeds of animal that are abnormally large, some fully twice their usual size and generally a bit more irritable. The more common varieties of these are the four tusked Felboar, found almost everywhere in Ourissa. The dire wolf, which inhabits the plains, giant spiders that frequent the Andhra Prad, and giant scorpions and snakes which are almost universally common in the Andhra Rajas. There is also a particular breed of giant mountain lion that is found on Mt. Keral, although much less so in the northern range.
Basilisks
Basilisks are the most well known monster in Ourissa. There are many different kinds of Basilisk, although many are very similar, and they are one of the few great beasts of the land that inhabits every part of the land. They are excessively large lizards with four thick squat legs, about the size of a small horse but lower to the ground. Their heads are filled with sharp teeth, and they have long tails and necks, though their necks are not excessively long, merely long enough to allow a full range of movement. Their claws are sharp, their scales thick, and they are voracious meat eaters, not scared at all to take down a fully grown man.
The most dangerous thing about a Basilisk is its poison. Basilisks generate deadly poisons inside glands in their mouth, as well as in a bony horn spike at the tip of their tails. This poison is applied through the spike or their teeth, and many varieties can also spit the poison great distances, which may be absorbed straight through the skin. These poisons usually differ in effect on the type of basilisk, and are quite deadly.
Ogres
Ogres could loosely be called a fifth intelligent race of Ourissa, except for the fact that they really are not intelligent at all. Resembling tall, ugly, fat humans, they are bald and hairless, stinky, muscular, and simple minded. An Ogre is not without some modicum of brainpower, and definitely operates on a higher plane than a basilisk, but their intelligence is one of a stark simplicity. Communication with them is essentially impossible even if they have limited communication between themselves, and while they will use objects they find as clothing or tools, they make absolutely nothing of their own. Ogres are at times not violent, although they are easily angered and tend to remain violent once they become so.
The interesting thing about Ogres is that they grow. When an Ogre is born in it is maybe four or five feet tall, already as large as a human youth. They then begin to grow, and will grow until they die or are killed, and never stop growing. Old ogres may be as tall as fifty feet, and at some point people stop referring to them as Ogres and simply as Giants.
Ogres live in most parts of Ourissa, and there are a few different breeds of them. Generally the only part of the land they shun is the forests, although they have been sighted there on rare occasion as well. They are filled with an inordinate amount of ether and are resistant to most of the schools of magic, although spellcasting is beyong their limited minds. Ogre society is very nomadic, and they are always roaming around looking for food sources, and travel alone. Ogres only come together to mate, or if a female is raising a small child, so coming across more than two Ogres at once is extremely unlikely.
Rocs
There are two different breeds of Roc, mountain Rocs and forest Rocs, although the main difference is that mountain Rocs are considerably larger. They are savage killers and resemble a sort of humongous vulture, although their extremely long necks and heads are completely feathered like a falcon. They have two very large, razor sharp claws and a pointed beak with a sharp cutting edge, and their necks are strong enough that even at their size they can strike with their beaks like a snake. Rocs have extremely amazing hearing and vision, and fly quite well. They are violent and deadly, and will take down basilisks for their morning meals.
The two different kinds of Rocs are extremely similar. Forest Rocs are around the size of a large buffalo, slightly bigger, and definitely bigger than a Basilisk. They inhabit the forests of Andhra Prad and many will hunt in the plains around it before going back to the forests to nest. Rarer than a Basilisk, they are extremely dangerous and a bane of the inhabitants of Tanja. Mountain Rocs are nearly twice the size, able to pick up a full grown Basilisk in their claws and fly away with it instead of being forced to kill it and eat it on the spot. They frequent the northern mountains, although a few also live on the tops of Mount Keral. Most Keral Rocs however have been exterminated by the Kerali Valkyries.
Rocs are very territorial, and will have established hunting grounds and not travel randomly like an Ogre, nor are they simply inhabited everywhere like the Basilisks. However, it is well known that if you attract the attention of one, and especially if you are close to its nest, it will follow you until you are dead and you must stand and fight it to survive. Rocs live in familial groups, but only the female will stray far from the nest to hunt. Fighting a family of Rocs at their nest is a challenge even for an accomplished Thane, but they are sometimes sought out, their eggs are very useful in magical potions.
Drakes
Drakes resemble smaller dragons, about the size of a mountain Roc, slightly larger. They are scaled from head to toe and have four claws, although their body is considerably thinner than that of a dragons, as is their head. They have two large wings and fly somewhat faster than a dragon does, a long neck and a many toothed body. All of their senses are exquisite, even when compared to a Roc. Drakes are unintelligent, although they show a remarkable cunning when hunting, and generally it is said that only an accomplished monster slayer can deal with one. Much like dragons they inhabit mountains primarily, although the may stray into the plains by a several days journey to hunt for food.
Drakes eating habits resemble dragons as well, in that they will not eat at all for months at a time, only to go on frenzied sprees where they travel around their local abode for days, eating almost any animal they see until their appetite is slated. Like dragons they can breathe fire, although the fire in their guts is much cooler and they are able to do it much less often than a dragon is. Unlike dragons they cannot use any magics, though their various parts are sought after for magical craft. There are six types of drakes as there are six types of dragons, namely red, blue, gold, green, white, and black varieties. Each one corresponds to a school of magic, and drakes are nearly immune to the school that resembles their color.
Other
There are many other monsters in Nimrodel, some much more intelligent and powerful, although the above are the most common by far and the more dangerous entities can be extremely difficult to locate. Dragons inhabit the northern range, and are rumored to live on the very top of Keral which is still a dangerous wild filled with drakes and mountain rocs. Dragons resemble huge, ancient drakes, but differ almost completely in that they are extremely intelligent, capable of telepathic speech, and as competant in magic as any Wizard. Demons and Elementals are known to exist in the ether sea, and sometimes find their way to the physical world. Elementals are especially found in the great desert, although even there they are rare. Their forms are often rather random and strange, and somewhat hard to identify and pin down, although they are all intelligent, deadly, and can form ether to their own ends. Forest spirits inhabit the woodlands but rarely show themselves, resembling Dry'cha except for their limited, almost feral intelligence.
In the ocean there are also all manner of beasts, including giant ocean going piranhas and snapping turtles. In the rivers there is a peculiar brand of dire crocodile that is unrelated to the Basilisk. Hydras, gigantic multi headed snakes of the size of Drakes inhabit the eastern river and are almost as deadly as a small dragon. The most feared monster of the waves is the Leviathan, worshipped by the sea people and essentially unstoppable in the water. A Leviathan is an unspeakably huge sea snake, with all the intelligence and powers of a dragon at their disposal. Indeed they are called dragons of the sea.
|
