Kin

A Kin is the ancestry of a character. A character's Kin will decide their appearance and will influence how the character will act. 

Angalucian

 

Size: Medium, Average Height: 6'

Description: The Angalucian are a humble people who continually seek to bring peace and justice to all. They are a people from the sky, who once dwelled in the heavens above. After the mighty war, some thought to stay back and help the new world grow from its dark times.
There are many types of angels in Angalucia:

• The Archangel: The word archangel means “chief angel.” Archangels have six wings on their back and a halo around their heads to show others that they are someone to trust and fear. They are known to have six wings but have been seen with five.
• Seraphim (singular Seraph): Seraphim literally translates to "burning ones." Seraphim are the second-highest angelic class, and they serve as the caretakers of God's throne. The Seraphim are described as fiery four-winged beings.
• Cherubim: Cherubim, or “guardians,” guard the tree of life/wisdom in the Garden of Eden] and the throne of God. The cherubim are mentioned in lore as two-winged beings with glowing eyes that could see into one’s very soul and thoughts. 
• Ophanim: The Ophanim are the “elders.” They are a class of celestial beings who exist as living symbols of God's justice and authority. They have as one of their symbols the throne. They tend to be more soldierly and follow orders to the “T,” carrying out their orders without hesitation or doubt. At a young age, Ophanim’s wings are dipped into molten metal to coat their wings to give them the advantage against their enemies on the field. 

Bandi

 

Size: Medium, Average Height: 5’10”

Description: Bandi have dark, charcoal-colored skin and anywhere from 1 to 3 ridges along the back of their neck, back of their shoulders to arms, and down their legs. Their veins are visible throughout their body as a soft ember glow under the skin. Their hair is varied shades of grey, black, or white, and their eyes are shades of red, orange, and yellow. Their eyes also glow slightly, and if they open their mouths a slight glow is visible coming from their throat. The Bandi have lived in a community of 5 small villages in the center of the Wastes for centuries and have been very disconnected from the world around them. Their harsh lives have produced a very carefree, aggressive, and strong headed people. Aggression is common and fist fights will regularly break out during heated conversation. For them however, there is no emotional reaction to aggression, which can be strange for other kin who are not used to their ways.

Catdrah

 

Size: Medium, Average Height: from 5’ to 7’ depending on the clan.

Description: The Catdrah are a proud people consisting of four clans:

• The Nolis, characterized by their plain solid-color coats, are known for their leadership and loud voices.
• The Peldroa are characterized by their spotted and ringed coats and are known for their climbing and stealthiness.
• The Reg-Ti are characterized by their striped coats and known for their size and strength.
• The Thachee are characterized by their spotted coats and are known for their speed and precision.

Dark Elf

 

Size: Medium, Average Height: 6’6”

Description: Dark Elves mostly reside on the island of Corunum, east of Wilshire, which is ruled by a monarchical government that is at the center of Dark Elf life. Dark Elves all have a strong sense of civic duty, so those who strike out for their own purposes and travel away from the island are uncommon. Those who actively oppose their government are exceedingly rare. Physically, Dark Elves resemble other elves only superficially, being of a similar average height and a proportionally slim build. Other than bone structure, Dark Elves are quite different from the typical High Elves and Wood Elves. Most noticeably, their skin is slightly pale and bluish with veins more noticeable than in other humanoid kin. They have an appearance like that of a human who is short of breath or hypothermic. Their eyes are invariably a dark ruddy brown, appearing black from a distance. The only exceptions are seen in aged individuals (who are very rare), whose typical dark red-brown irises have begun to change to one of any normal human eye color. Their voices are naturally gravely, although this is somewhat less apparent in Dark Elves who do not hail from their traditional island nation, as the Wilshire continental accent helps the Dark Elf voice to sound more normative to non-elven ears.

Drakohnon

 

Size: Varies based on descendents, Average Height: 5’11” - 6’4”

Description: Drakohnon have darkened skin tones with a tough thickness to their skin and darkened hair colors. 

• A descendant of Rawkahgoor, First Lord of the Dragons, is of median size and average height, with a lean-to-normal build and golden eyes.
• A descendant of Krawdahgoor, First Guardian of the Dragons, is of large size and a height of 6’ to 6’6”, with a muscular build and yellow eyes.

Dryad

 

Size: Large, Average Height: 6’6”

Description: Dryads are slightly larger than most humans. They have dark-to-light-brown skin and are covered in bark. The amount of bark on individuals varies. Their hair is made up of leaves such as long thin leaves, locust leaves, or pine needles, depending on what climate they’re from. Their eyes are deep green and almond shaped, and their faces are slightly flatter than humans. Dryads are a kind and calm people, slow to speak and make decisions. If anyone or anything tries to make them move or change their mind, the Dryads will not budge. Even in the face of war, Dryads would rather fortify their city and hold than move. Dryad cities are relatively small; each Dryad city has a huge tree in the center that gives life to everything in the forests around them. The central tree houses many important buildings. Dryad “militaries” are more of a well-trained but small guard. If necessary all citizens are competent as soldiers. 

Dwarf

 

Size: Large, Average Height: 4’

Description: Dwarves are short, very sturdy, mountain-dwelling people with a broad frame. They are typically very fond of caves and have excellent manual craftsmanship--they tend to make expert miners, masons and metalworkers, and formidable warriors. They often have expensive taste and a love of luxury, with a particular penchant for gold and jewels. Dwarves have a strong sense of pride in their family, accomplishments, and beard. A Dwarves’ beard is their first impression of pride and strength to another dwarf, thus if a dwarven beard is not well maintained, its owner will not be respected by their fellow members of Dwarven society. Dwarves have a will of iron and a heart of fire. When a dwarf sets their mind to something, there is little that can stop them from accomplishing it.

The tenacity and craftsmanship of the Dwarves have made them a notable military and economic power throughout history, but their greed has caused the fall of many of their great cities, leaving beautiful architecture that remains empty and overrun by nature and monsters.

Ethereal

 

Size: Medium, Average Height: 5’8”

Description: Ethereals look very human-like, with generally pale skin and light blonde-to-white hair. When the wind blows the edges of their skin appear to become transparent. Their eyes are light shades of blue or green. They are a very meek folk; most of them came from a single city in the sky, isolated from the rest of the world. In their city, they knew neither violence nor aggression. When this city fell to the ground just under a decade ago, they were subjected to the violence of the world. Since then they have broken into different groups trying to find their place in this new world.

Oral storytelling is a very important tradition amongst the Ethereals, so much so that even their written texts reflect a form of oral storytelling. It is believed that a story has the power to instill hope, something the Ethereals greatly need in their new walk of life.

Faerleth

 

Size: Small, Average Height: 3’4”

Description: To many, the little Faerleth seem as though they are a part of Claritas itself. These “miniature men” are mentioned as far back as any known history goes, and are mostly known for keeping to their own sheltered valley in which they live out their simple lives for their family and community.

Nevertheless, their kin slowly but surely has spread outside their homeland, as one in a few hundred or so Faerleth is born who naturally yearns to explore. Generally speaking, these rare specimens are the only ones you will find among adventurers.

For most Faerleth, equal parts jubilant and judicious, they warmly and efficiently serve their brethren in whatever profession comes naturally to them, defining what relatively little sense of selfhood they hold. Though they lack all but superficial individuality, it is not that they do not value individuals: It is only that they simply possess no natural inclinations to put themselves ahead of others, and thus introspect only when they must to achieve some end for their community. Due to this dynamic of their nature, those with the self-awareness to glean useful insights from deep thought are those that find themselves in one of the Faerleth’s handful of designated leadership positions, or “Chennaire.” There is no set number of Chennaire, nor a definite list of duties and privileges. Rather, the Faerleth have endured quietly through the ages with no rulers other than the Chennaire and, beneath them, an intuitive hierarchy of parents over children, and children over grandchildren. 

Fairy

 

Size: Small, Average Height: 1’6”

Description: There are four major kinds of fairies; the Shaoothuto, the Ahlookaro, the J’hum, and the Ecall. The Shaoothuto are the most common type of fairy, standing between 1’ and 2’ with an average weight of about 22 lb. Their skin colors vary between varieties of green, blue, purple, yellow, or red. Shaoothuto skin is covered in spots that are a slightly darker hue than their skin in a variety of patterns. Their hair is usually some shade of their skin color. Ecall, the rarest variety of fairy, are shaped like a Shaoothuto but have human coloring. Ahlookaro is a term used to describe a fairy with some animal feature ie. a cat tail, bird wings instead of fairy wings, etc. Finally, J’hum are a large type of fairy. J’hum usually stands between 2’ and 3’ tall and generally has a larger frame than other fairies. Despite their bigger size, their wings remain about the size of most fairies, causing them to appear awkwardly small. All of these kinds of fairy are not exclusive and can be mixed, i.e., a fairy can be both a J’hum and an Ahlookaro.

All Fairies have a heart for freedom and a sense of otherworldliness about them, often experiencing the world from unique perspectives. Coercing a Fairy to do something against their will is a fool's errand.

The Fairy kingdom was separated Into four nations: Earth, Water, Wind, and Fire. All of the nations worked together to try to improve the fairy kingdom as a whole. Each nation had its own temperament. Very recently, the Fairy kingdom and most all Fairykind disappeared as the last of many tragedies. Nonetheless, the few fairies that remain still show echos of their national temperaments.

• Earth - Fairies from the earth nation express themselves through their craft. They take whatever job is required of them and make it their own. They are usually agreeable people; however, it is hard to change an earth Fairy’s mind.
• Water - Fairies from the water nation are observers and learners. They enjoy the freedom to observe the world around them.
• Wind - Fairies from the wind nation are fleety and free. They tend to act on their instinct rather than logic. 
• Fire - Fairies from the fire nation express themselves through controlled passion. They best understand cause and effect.

Faun

 

Size: Medium, Average Height: 4’ - 6’4”

Description: Faun are hardy and believe strongly in a multicultural society. They live primarily in caves that sometimes submerge above ground into multi-leveled cone-shaped homes. They are broad in their scholarly and military pursuits, with an ever-expanding library full of all sorts of knowledge, with focuses on sociology, Mycology (especially in reference to farming), military tactics, and textiles. Due to the range of their scholarly and military pursuits, as well as their humility, they are often found in a wide variety of supporting roles amongst many people groups, kin, and nations. However, very few Faun feel they belong in a leadership role.

Felucian

 

Size: Medium (Large if Fallen), Average Height: 6 ’( 7’ if Fallen), Build: Medium (Large if Fallen)

Description: There are three different types of Felucians and are treated differently depending on their rank, and divinitydivine.

• The Grey Felucian or “The Redeemer”: These Felucian are the privileged, wealthy, well-educated, and are respected and feared by all. They are seen as “The Forgiven’ and are hailed and praised for being so. They are lawful neutral when grey, but as soon as they stray from the path of good, they become darker and lose their “true selves.” They have grey feathers and no Halo.
• The Darkened Felucian or “The Sinful”: With black wings and two little horns on the forehead, the Darkened Felucians are seen as lesser than the Grey but are treated with respect for their power to withhold four attributes of their kin. They are tormented by the “Fallen” for their weakness to the light and fear of the darkness instead of embracing their fate. 
• The Darkness or “The Fallen”: Feared for their anger towards the light, life, and their thirst for blood and death, the Fallen are covered in horns. Like the Sinful, they too have two horns on their foreheads, but theirs are much bigger. They can regain their Health by drinking the blood of their enemies.

Gnome

 

Size: Small, Average Height: 1’

Description: Gnomes are short and stout, and their heads come to a gentle point. They are highly intelligent and creative folk. Other intelligent kin often find them to be quite unpleasant; Gnomes are often extremely prejudiced against non-Gnomes and tend to be short tempered. Not all Gnomes feel like this however, and their incredible aptitude for inventing and tinkering with small, intricately crafted items makes them highly appreciated in diverse societies. In fact, the incredibly fine craftsmanship of their little inventions surpasses even Dwarven technology, in many ways.   

Goblin

 

Size: Small, Average Height: 4’-5’

Description: Goblins are thin with smooth green-to-brown skin. They have slightly pointed ears, long arms, short legs, thin black hair, and large eyes. They are nimble and light on their feet. The Goblin nation has the largest population of any nation. Because of this, trial and error has become their main way to learn and grow as a society. They care very little about death or injury--there is always another Goblin ready to take someone's place should they die during some job or experiment. They often act without considering (or caring) about consequences. They have a tendency to get into bad situations because of their complete and utter lack of foresight. While most people see goblins as silly and simple, they are actually quite accomplished and clever. Goblins learn quickly and pick up on new things easily. This is often overlooked, however, because of their simple, fun-loving demeanor and impulsivity.

High Elf

 

Size: Medium, Average Height: 6’6”

Description: High Elves are relatively uncommon outside their homeland in the Golden Dove kingdom. Often referring to their kin as “True Elves,” they are usually very proud of their heritage, and most of them are hundreds, if not thousands, of years old. The most ancient of the High Elves bear noticeably long and pointed earlobes, along with several less-apparent but similarly elongated features about their frame. 

Because they have no known limit to their lifespan, they are customarily risk-averse. Being such, they often prefer archery to keep danger at a distance. However, this isn't usually necessary, as they are the most magic-affine kin of those commonly found around Wilshire: The majority of High Elves are able to use magic. For this reason, as well as their ever-graceful appearances and suitably haughty demeanor, they are often thought of as obnoxiously prim cowards. 

Nevertheless, the type of High Elf most likely to be met by an adventurer around Wilshire would likely defy this prejudice, since the youngest High Elves (younger than 100) rarely hold to the customs and traditions of their elders, going out of their way to live as “normal folk,” even if it means never developing their arcane abilities.

Jade Imperial

 

Size: Medium, Average Height: 5’3”-5’6’’

Description: Jade Imperials have an average weight of 140 lb. Their hair is primarily brown and black. Their skin ranges between tan and pale and appears slightly translucent similar to the quality of jade. When a Jade Imperial dies, their body is converted into a variety of jade, depending on their lifestyle, which is then crafted into weapons, armor, jewelry, etc. using magic. Most of the infrastructure of Jade Imperial cities is made from jade. Jade imperials are known for their ambition, which shows through in the strength of their central government, strong military, progressive society, and shrewd business dealings. Most Jade Imperials come from a small capital island that is the largest in a chain of islands known as the Jade Isles. The capital island is a densely populated city made almost entirely of jade. Although most Jades come from the Jade Isles, many small Jade Imperial towns can be found along coastlines of various different nations.

Jade Imperials are cohesive in groups. They value ambition, responsibility, and family. They are strengthened by the knowledge that they are a piece of a greater puzzle. 

Kinsman

 

Size: Medium, Average Height: 5'9"

Description: Kinsmen are the basic human type who are strict to their old ways of religion and law. They all serve in their kingdom’s army at the age of 16 for at least four years. Most of their people choose to stay in the military, join the church, or join the church’s army to continue gaining respect and wealth from their Kingdom. Those who have been released still serve when called to arms by the militia master, but mostly they live their lives following what their forefathers did before them: farming, smithing, mining, woodworking, or otherwise. 

Minotaur

 

Size: Large, Average Height: 6'10"

Description: Minotaurs are a humanoid people with characteristics of a bull, including hooves on their feet and horns on their head. They are a simple people with a single general goal: Understanding, mastering, and harnessing all magic has to offer. Being relatively brash and self assured, they can be found in all around the world in pursuit of their goals and are willing to sacrifice most anything to obtain a clue or bit of knowledge to bring them one step closer to total magical understanding. Despite this, Wizards don’t make up a majority of their populace and so their pursuit of magic isn’t all they get done in a day. Many take up smithing to outfit their explorers, become warriors in their army to go claim land or treasure (for use in testing and the like), take up record-keeping to manage discoveries and make field journals, or simply guard their city, as others envy the knowledge they possess. Needless to say, they are a proud kin who are always moving forward!         

Nyad

 

Size: Medium, Average Height: 5’ 8”

Description: Nyads have blue, green, or brown skin and colorful patterns on their skin down the middle of their bodies. Their skin is halfway between human and fish skin. Their feet are webbed and their hands are webbed halfway up the fingers. Their ears have fins/webbing coming off of them bringing their ears to a point. Their teeth come to a point, they have slitted eyes and gills under their ears. Some have a fin coming off the center of their back that can vary in size. Different Nyads can potentially have different colored accents on their webbing or patterns. You can tell geographically where a nyad is from by its skin tone. Darker colors are from deeper ocean or ocean shelves, lighter colors are from the shallows, brighter colors are from reefs, and there are a very small number of river nyads that tend to be a more brown color. River nyads also have a more streamlined body and features. Nyads are easy going, follow clearly set rules well, and are very conscious about keeping things clean and tidy. They also have a knack for exploration and are very good at changing their plans with the circumstances.

Orc

 

Size: Large, Average Height: 6'4"

Description: Orcs basically resemble overdeveloped humans. Tall and proportionally sturdy frames with impressive mass, even by warrior’s standards, they tend to look like and be thought of as, brutes. It comes as a surprise to most then, that their culture is one of peace, forgiveness, and mindfulness of the morality of everyday actions. Reaching middle age between 20-30 years old, death is anything but an abstract hypothetical, and philosophy guided by their Old Church religion is salient to their culture.

Orcs’ trouble doesn’t end with their natural lifespan, however… A truly unfortunate lot, their notorious physical features, which even in the best of cases might be downplayed as ‘rugged’, can be difficult to hide. This is unfortunate because they have been hunted down by Golden Dove for as long as anyone can remember, and disguising their trademark ruddy, knurled skin is the only sure way to stay out of trouble in some places. Indeed, though it has been decades since they were openly hunted with impunity, Orcs still must watch their backs around unfamiliar folk, thanks mostly to the air of uncertainty that surrounds their troubled history, and the myriad interpretations of Golden Dove’s telling of it.

For this reason, they commonly skirt urban civilization when traveling between their secluded settlements which are hidden in remote wilderness or difficult desert or mountain terrain. They live their short, quiet, lives mostly in these little towns, the only places with notable orcish populations, dedicated to the crafts for which their locale provides. Perhaps related to their extremely rapid aging and development, learning manual skills comes with extraordinary ease to them, resulting in some of the world’s finest craftsmanship discreetly flowing from their relatively primitive villages. 

Things aren’t all bleak, though; relative to most of Orcish history, one could even say they’re looking up. With the reduction of pressure on orcs from Golden Dove, many have begun to venture into modern industrial cities, such as Steelhaven, Dresda, Jericho, and of course, Wilshire. Longing to try their hands at urban life, they are bringing a fresh liveliness to the arts, merging their traditional craftsmanship with state-of-the-art techniques and technology, which they learn so rapidly. Their folk music is even considered to be pioneering by prominent chamber musicians. This conspicuous success of Orcs in society has begun to dispel many of the old rumors of their brutishness and unsavory ways. But alas, despite coming to be warily accepted at large, Golden Dove is watching, and some believe that history will repeat itself if allowed to by Wilshire; or perhaps, if only their Baron were to leave again. 

Sanjoran

 

Size: Small, Average Height: 4’-5’

Description: The Sanjoran people are scaly humanoids with typical human facial features and smaller than average physiques. They have slightly thinner and longer fingers and snake-like tongues, and they come in a variety of colors, from darker gem tones to dull earth tones--there doesn’t seem to be any color they can’t be. 

Due to a troubled past, they are a rare people who lack a proper homeland and are nomadic by necessity, seldom traveling with their own kind. Because of their endless travels, they don’t tire easily and are often seen carrying packs full of eclectic nick-nacks. They are known for almost always being gifted with some form of magic, though they don’t always nurture the ability into becoming full Wizards. 

Squirrel

 

Size: Small, Average Height: 11”

Description: Squirrels, often misjudged for their appearance, hold honor in the highest regard. They are small furry knights that strive for an ideal world. Squirrels act in a knightly manner and are generally humble in speech. Although there are many different varieties of Squirrels all across the lands, there are 3 main varieties often regarded as making up the central Squirrel kingdom.

• Brown Squirrels: The most commonly known variety of Squirrel, Brown Squirrels show their honor with their actions. They are generally very accepting of most kin and hold servanthood in high regard. Brown Squirrel nobles are often considered servants to society and are respected as such.

• Red Squirrels: The second most common in the Squirrel kingdom, Red Squirrels show their honor by upholding strict sets of rules and etiquette. Whenever they break this code they mark themselves so that the world can see their mistakes. The more marks the less honorable a Red Squirrel is considered to be. The only way to remove these marks is to fight and die selflessly.
• Chip Monks: The rarest of the Squirrels that make up the Squirrel kingdom, the Chip Monks were originally a family in service to an ancient Brown Squirrel king that had spared them from a terrifying beast. When that king exiled himself, he set up a new government. The Chip Monks act as public servants to this newly governed kingdom. As self-proclaimed servants of the Brown Squirrels, they are held in the highest regard. 

Troll

 

Size: Large, Average Height: 8’

Description: Trolls are a large, lumbering kin that often show more brawn than brain. A Troll’s mind does not fully mature until their average lifespan of 500 years, thus only the oldest of Trolls has much more maturity than that of a human child. Because of this, Trolls rely greatly on other kin to help run their society. Because Trolls are particularly resilient, they are often “rented” for a number of years as slaves. Although their size make Trolls terrific warriors, they have a natural temperament for peace, only becoming aggressive when provoked. Trolls have no written language, and their spoken language is considered equivalent to that of an animal.

Although they are not the brightest kin, their resilience and willingness to work is unparalleled. 

Wastelander

 

Size: Medium, Average Heights: 5’6 - 6’4

Description: Wastelanders appear like normal humans, but upon further inspection, the fine details show different mixes of kin they might have in their family gene: They could have the ears of a fox, tail of a dog, teeth of a Troll, the nose of a lion etc. These features are very subtle, nothing like a half-breed (modifier) mix. The older a Wastelander becomes, the rougher their skin becomes and more bark-like it appears. Normally Wastelanders have a slim build. 

People of the waste are known for their trading and training. They love to collect things and are always selling you something or someone for a price. Some of the toughest people come from the Wastelands; everything in the waste is always trying to kill you. Wastelanders are normally not trusted. They were once a people of great respect and love, but have come to be the most hated and feared of all the lands.  

Wolfsbein

 

Size: Large, Average Height: 6’6”

Description: Wolfsbein are fully furred with all humanoid features, save for their heads, which feature more wolf-like ears and lightly snouted mouths, with nails replaced by claws.

As loyal as they are stubborn, Wolfsbein will fight to the bitter end to protect the things they hold dear. They are especially adept Warriors, Rangers, and Void Knights, as they excel in defense. 

Wood Elf

 

Size: Medium, Average Height: 5'6"

Description: Wood Elves are physically more alike to kinsmen than any other elven kin, despite the fact that the majority of them share the pointed ears and elongated frames otherwise seen only on ancient High Elves. Although they are stereotyped as slight, if not frail beings, they are born with similar diversity in body shape to that of kinsmen. That being said, they do have cultural proclivities for lifestyles that do not create bulky physiques. In addition to passive tendencies, they are also far more likely to exhibit interplanary ability than any other kin, which further rarifies the warrior Wood Elf. This simple fact means that a disproportionate amount of Clerics are Wood Elves, although their contentment to live passively in their deep forest communities curbs this number.

Yo-Na

 

Size: Large, Average Height: 7’4”

Description: Yo-Na are bipedal bear people that come in all different shapes, sizes, and colors, though their fur patterns tend to be largely consistent.

A telling description of Yo-Na is the long-revered adage: “Knowledge is the cornerstone to humble power.” An ancient and wise people, the Yo-Na pass down their knowledge, documents, current teachings, and understanding of things yet to be discovered as a key part to their way of life. They begin their first years in school nearly every day. Each Yo-Na has a thirst for learning, be it about martial arts, engineering machinery, or even culinary skills, to prepare them for their lifelong Pilgrimage. Yo-Na are a kind-hearted and ancient people. They are often found aiding other people, be it an entire nation or an individual--no problem is too small in their eyes.