[Information] Races

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Races Within the Ophid Protectorate, the majority of residents are of the ophiduan race, although dromites, humans, jetturs, kobolds, maenads, and xephs are also common, if not as prevalent. The other races of Ksaren – adonais, dwarves, duergars, elans, and orcans – would be incredibly rare in the Ophid Protectorate, as they are typically confined to the southern continent of Femon, located across thousands of miles of ocean controlled by the Maquoran Fleet. It is important to note that while any given country or culture may have a more prevalent race, most of the cultures of Ksaren have a variety of races. The elans of Lumien, hidden on the continent of Femon, are an exception to this rule, as are the dromites of the new Droma nation of Tion and most of the kobold cities, being primarily single-race environments. In most other locations, members of other races are not uncommon. In the Third Dawn Campaign Setting, the following traditional and psionic races do not exist: blues, gnomes, halflings, or half-elves. Half-orcs exist after a fashion – they are the orcan race and are a race unto themselves, rather than a cross between humans and orcs. Elves in Ksaren are called adonais, a name they have given themselves as self-proclaimed lords of the Plains of Ventrad, although they grudgingly share the Plains with other races. Finally, half-giants are known as jetturs.

ADONAIS Primarily found within the Plains of Ventrad on the eastern side of the continent of Femon, adonais are most often nomadic and tribal by nature. Adonais tend to avoid permanent settlements, preferring the ability to pick up and move with the season. As a general rule, adonais are more savage in nature than the races commonly found within the Ophid Protectorate, although they cannot be said to be stupid or crude. Instead, their response to insults, perceived or actual, tends to be extreme and violent, where other races might respond in a calm fashion. Mostly unknown on the continent of Tion, adonais can expect to receive a variety of reactions from the local residents, from curiosity to distrust.

CHIMAIRANS The result of a cross between two of the races of Ksaren, few chimairans have similar physical appearances, except for their pale skin and eyes. Instead, the progeny of these couplings will have traits of their parent races. However, chimairans are always born sterile and have absolutely no psionic ability. Unlike the naturally non-psionic kobolds, these half-breeds cannot even learn to develop psionic talent; they are devoid of any trace of psionic power. Because chimairans are sterile and varied in appearance and background, they have no true communities. Often, chimairans feel like outsiders from the world at large. Typically, chimairans are loners; although those who do find some semblance of community are typically fiercely loyal to it.

DROMITES In recent years, the dromites of Ksaren have broken into two distinct groups – those on the continent of Tion and those on the continent of Femon. For the most part, the dromites still residing on Femon are an enslaved race, working for the other races. The dromites of Tion, conversely, have gathered to create the nation of Droma, a democratic nation of dromites joined into a large mental network through their psionic talents. Although the Dromans are joined in this manner, they highly value their freedom, having spent so many generations enslaved like the dromites still in bondage back in Femon. Dromites found in the Ophid Protectorate are almost always free dromites from Droma, or recently emancipated dromites from Femon, transported to the northern continent aboard Maquoran Fleet ships over the months it takes to cross the vast distance between the two continents.

DWARVES Primarily found in the mountainous regions of the continent of Femon, few dwarves have ever set foot in the Ophid Protectorate. With trade recently established between the two continents by the Maquoran Fleet, it is not impossible for dwarves to be found on the continent of Tion, but it is exceedingly rare. As a result, dwarves found within the Ophid Protectorate are almost always adventurers or explorers.

DUERGARS Like their non-psionic cousins, duergars typically reside in the mountainous regions of Femon. In the Third Dawn Campaign Setting, duergars are a breed of dwarves capable of imprinting their minds into crystal matrices. This process was developed initially as a way to transfer knowledge among the generations of dwarves, allowing the minds of the dwarven ancestors to live on and guide future generations, but the duergars as a race discovered a way to take the imprinted minds of their ancestors and imprint them onto their children. This process gave the duergars the psionic nature and powers they have that their normal dwarven brethren do not, although their perspectives are skewed from this process, resulting in a difficulty relating to the other races. In Tion, duergars would be exceptionally rare, although it is possible for an adventuring duergar to be found, most likely a psychic warrior or fighter.

ELANS A race all but unknown by most of the inhabitants of Ksaren, elans are almost exclusively found on the continent of Femon, where they work to take control of the other races through subtle infiltration and manipulation of key figures. Any elans found on Tion would most likely be acting as scouts for the leadership of Lumien, their nation, although elans take extreme precautions against being recognized as anything other than the humans they most often resemble.

HUMANS Found in every corner of Ksaren, humans are common in the Ophid Protectorate, even if they are only a small portion of the population. Although the human race is not psionic in nature, their flexible nature allows them to excel in the psionic arts, and humans can easily rise in rank and station within the society of the Ophid Protectorate. Most humans on Tion were born there; few have made the long trip by sea from the southern continent of Femon.

JETTURS Standing head and shoulders taller than most other races, the jetturs of Ksaren are most often found within the boundaries of the Sommaran tribes of the Eternal Desert. Those within the confines of the Ophid Protectorate are most often visiting for trade, although this is rare due to the Protectorate’s attempts to colonize the Eternal Desert. The jetturs are the most common race to follow the philosophy of the Flow, a belief among some of the residents of Ksaren that the psionic nature of the world itself can be felt, read, and manipulated.

KOBALDS Subterranean and non-psionic by nature, the kobold race of Ksaren is one of the few intelligent races that seeks to stay largely self-contained. Although they are by no means xenophobic, their racial history of being ostracized by the Ophid Protectorate that surrounds them has resulted in a close-knit environment where few kobolds foster relationships or friendships with the other races. Although technically citizens of the Ophid Protectorate, kobolds are essentially independent of the Protectorate and rarely leave the predominantly kobold cities or villages where they tend to live. Kobolds found within the cities of the Ophid Protectorate are most often there in search of trade or an item that cannot be found or made within their own communities. There are the rare kobolds that have started to integrate with the Protectorate, creating small pockets of kobolds within the Protectorate’s cities, rather than remaining in their native homes. These kobolds are typically of the younger generations and have sought to develop psionic talent that the rest of their race generally lacks, most often learning the techniques of the aegis or soulknife.

MANEADS The primary race found within the Maquoran Fleet, maenads are the finest sailors in the world. As a race, maenads enjoy the dichotomy of the sea: calm and gentle, yet deadly and fierce, for it mirrors their own emotions and demeanor: calm on the outside, a churning cauldron of emotions underneath. Created as a race over four centuries ago, maenads are independent and, nearly universally as a race, despise slavery and oppression. Because of this, maenads and the freed dromites of Droma are loyal allies. Maenads found within the boundaries of the Ophid Protectorate are rare, as they prefer to be on or near a ship and most Protectorate cities are land-locked.

OPHIDUANS Within the Ophid Protectorate, the ophiduan race is the most prominent; roughly half of the population of the Protectorate is an ophiduan. In the nation where increasing psionic prowess means increasing political and social influence, this reptilian race thrives. Most leaders within the older Protectorate cities are ophiduans, and even the newer settlements are more often led or counseled by ophiduans.

ORCANS Found almost exclusively on the continent of Femon, the orcan race is viewed by the other races of Ksaren as bestial and barbaric, even though they possess a cunning nature. As a race, the orcans are reclusive and tend toward familial units for a society, rather than the formalized or larger groups the other races tend to favor. This has resulted in the race having a fairly limited education and intellect, and their physical resemblance to bears has only further pushed this stereotype of the orcan being stupid. Within the Protectorate, most citizens have never seen nor heard of an orcan. Standing taller than most humans, orcans have pointed ears, a pair of sharp incisors and a wet snout, not unlike that of a bear. They are covered in body hair, which they take great pride in. Some orcans grow their hardened nails long and sharpen them, giving them the appearance of a cross between a bear and a human. Exceptionally strong, orcans are canny hunters with sharp eyes.

XEPHS Wanderers, messengers, and explorers, xephs are most commonly found within the northern regions of the continent of Tion, although they are travelers by nature. They are uncommon in the Ophid Protectorate, although they can be found there at times, most often carrying news to and from Nimotei, the nation where most xephs can be found.