Ancestries

Brannochs

Brannochs are stocky, quick-footed caprine folk with curling horns and tufted cheek-fleece. They are commonly known for satire on their tongues, turning campfires into stages and strangers into revellers.

Colourings: skin and fur slate‑grey, tawny ochre or rich russet; curls charcoal, russet or honey‑gold; eyes amber, hazel or gold.

Build: 1.3–1.7 m tall; muscular and sure‑footed.

Lifespan: 75–95 years, reaching full strength by 18 and staying spry until 60; fleece greys and joints stiffen soon after.

Offspring: Single births are the rule, and agile youngsters walk early, topping out in height by twelve.

Visual Hallmarks: goat‑like muzzle • long ears • cheek fleece • curled mane • tough dark nails

Drakes

Drakes are tall, scaled reptilian folk with elongated muzzles, brow ridges and neck frills. They are most commonly known for mastering inner flame, breathing fire only through strict civic discipline.

Colourings: scales obsidian, ember red, molten gold or sunset orange; eyes slit‑pupilled amber, topaz or jade.

Build: 1.8–2.1 m tall; broad‑shouldered yet agile.

Lifespan: 110–140 years, scales hard and power steady by 20, vigour lasting to ninety; frills stiffen and colours dull past 110.

Offspring: One leathery egg every few years; hatchlings crawl within weeks and attain adult stature by 14.

Visual Hallmarks: cranial spines • brow ridges • clawed hands • flexible neck frill

Dwarves

Dwarves are compact, broad-shouldered folk with stepped brow ridges and calloused stone-browned hands. They are commonly known for carving duty into granite and forging kin-pledges on anvils of glowing steel.

Colourings: skin granite pale, tan or iron‑black; hair slate, silver, deep black or steel‑blue; eyes green, amber or chestnut.

Build: 1.2–1.5 m tall, broad‑shouldered and muscular; built for pick, forge and tunnel.

Lifespan: 100–150 years, adulthood comes near 22 and forge stamina endures to a century; beards silver and backs stiffen beyond 120.

Offspring: Usually one child each decade; sturdy youngsters wield tools early and finish growing around 16.

Visual Hallmarks: stepped brow–nose ridge • thick brows • plaited or sculpted beards • calloused hands

Elves

Elves are slender, long-limbed folk with tapered ears and keen almond eyes. They are most commonly known for millennial memory and patient artistry, weaving magic and diplomacy into enduring wonders.

Colourings: skin ranges from deep black through warm copper to porcelain; hair silver‑blonde, ebony or chestnut; eyes jade, ice‑blue or amber.

Build: 1.7–1.9 m tall; slender and flexible.

Lifespan: 170–200 years, fully grown at 25 with a creative prime to 160; senses dull as the second century closes.

Offspring: Single births are rare, perhaps once a century, and children match human growth until 10, reaching height near 20.

Visual Hallmarks: tapering ears • high cheekbones • slender digits • almond eyes

Gnomes

Gnomes are small, spry folk with tapering ears, downy hair and beak-tipped noses. They are most commonly known for restless inventiveness, hatching clever gadgets and ideas faster than dawn birdsong.

Colourings: skin peach to cocoa with rosy nose blaze; hair copper, ash or teal‑streaked chestnut; eyes gold, amber or hazel.

Build: 0.9–1.2 m tall; springy and quick‑fingered.

Lifespan: 100–150 years, inventive energy peaks from 20 to 110; hair thins and focus drifts past 130.

Offspring: Twins are common; quick-tongued kits chatter by two and hit adult height by twelve.

Visual Hallmarks: beak‑like red nose • down‑textured hair tufts • wide, sparkle‑eyes • tapered ears

Goblins

Goblins are small, angular folk with oversized ears and quick golden eyes. They are most commonly known for flipping discarded scraps and social gaps into sudden profit with fast-talking guile.

Colourings: skin jade, cobalt, ember red or rare earthy brown; hair charcoal, russet or soot‑black with copper streaks; eyes amber to chartreuse.

Build: 0.95–1.25 m tall; slim‑muscled and exceptionally agile.

Lifespan: 60–90 years, ready for rigours at 18, keen daring declines after fifty; skin dulls and teeth blunt past 70.

Offspring: Litters of two or three every few years; young scurry by one and finish growing about 14.

Visual Hallmarks: oversized ears • sharp teeth • angular nose • keen yellow eyes

Gorgons

Gorgons are living statues with polished stone flesh, gemstone eyes and carved marble curls. They are most commonly known for austere poise, cloistered scholarship, and guarding ancient secrets behind unreadable faces.

Colourings: alabaster marble veined gold, burnished sandstone, or obsidian black edged silver; eyes molten gold, clear quartz or deep jade.

Build: 1.55–1.8 m tall; lean yet powerfully carved.

Lifespan: 80–120 years, marble sets by 20 and gleams to 90; vein-lines darken after 100.

Offspring: One stone-shelled infant each dozen years; juveniles harden fully by 14.

Visual Hallmarks: reflective marble skin • sculpted stone curls • gemstone eyes • fine vein‑lines

Govari

Govari are towering, barrel-chested folk with bovine muzzles, tufted tails and flowing leonine manes. They are most commonly known for unerring underground sense of direction and patient stonecraft that steadies remote passes.

Colourings: fur earthy brown, slate grey, marble white or golden tawny; eyes amber, topaz or dark hazel.

Build: 1.9–2.2 m tall; massive‑shouldered with barrel chests.

Lifespan: 100–120 years, growth finishes at 18 and strength runs to 90; manes grey beyond 105.

Offspring: Single calves every 8 years; they stand within hours and reach full height by 18.

Visual Hallmarks: bovine muzzle • mane‑like hair • thick legs • tufted tail tip

Halflings

Halflings are compact folk with round cheeks, bright eyes and thick-soled feet. They are known for generous hearthcraft and communal grit, turning any soil into a warm, well-fed home.

Colourings: skin ranges from pale cream to deep chestnut, often ruddy or sun‑blushed; hair wavy or curly in shades of straw, bronze or jet; eyes gold, hazel or brown.

Build: 0.9–1.15 m tall; compact and broad‑limbed.

Lifespan: 90–120 years, adult vigour from 18 to 80; hair silvers after 100.

Offspring: Two children per decade; toddlers talk early and reach height by 14.

Visual Hallmarks: round cheeks • large ears • slightly upturned nose • wide palms • thick-soled feet

Humans

Humans display a kaleidoscope of heights, hues and builds, adapting to nearly any climate. They are commonly known for boundless ambition and ingenuity, remaking realms and fortunes with remarkable speed.

Colourings: skin ranges from deep brown to ash-pale; hair textures include tight curls, waves and straight locks in shades from jet and chestnut to platinum; eyes appear in amber, hazel, blue, and more.

Build: 1.6–1.8 m tall; builds vary widely from slender to stout.

Lifespan: 70–90 years, adulthood near 20 with most careers peaking by 60; greys deepen and strength wanes after 75.

Offspring: Families average 2–3 children; youngsters reach full height in their late teens.

Visual Hallmarks: varied skin tones • diverse hair textures • adaptable physique

Kobolds

Kobolds are slight folk with hooked noses, flared ears and sparrow-quick hands. They are known for weaving salvaged scraps into cunning contraptions, collaborating in maze-like warrens with tireless, chittering focus.

Colourings: skin slate-grey, clay-brown or pale taupe, often marbled or speckled; hair sparse, in soot-black, copper-red or sandy tufts; eyes ember, brass or moss-green.

Build: 0.8–1.0 m tall; slight, wiry and flexible.

Lifespan: 55–75 years, limbs harden by 16 and mining zeal fades after 40; ear ridges erode past 60.

Offspring: Four children across a decade; they walk at 1 and reach adult size by 14.

Visual Hallmarks: flared ears with etched ridges • hooked or bulbous noses • uneven or keeled ear shapes • sparse hair tufts

Nefani

Nefani are lean mortals bearing marbled skin, metallic eyes and subtle curling horns. They are most commonly known for wielding ironclad contracts and poised rhetoric to bend conflict into orderly accord.

Colourings: skin midnight‑blue, charcoal black or oxblood red; hair black, grey or crimson; eyes silver, copper or amber.

Build: 1.6–1.85 m tall; lean and sinewy with an agile frame.

Lifespan: 100–130 years, horns settle at 20 and influence peaks to 100; marbling dulls past 120.

Offspring: Single births roughly every 12 years; children mirror human growth, standing full height by 18.

Visual Hallmarks: short or spiral horns • marbled skin • thin tail ridge

Nuthari

Nuthari are sap-blooded tree-folk with bark skin, root-woven hair and branchlike fingers. They are known for guarding sacred groves and weighing decisions with seasons-long, rooted patience.

Colourings: bark pale birch, rugged oak or veined tan, sometimes mossy or in bloom; hair twiglets, root tangles or flowering strands; eyes amber, bronze or green‑gold.

Build: 1.6–1.95 m tall; willowy or gnarled.

Lifespan: 110–150 years, bark thickens by 22 and bloom cycles thrive to 110; sap slows after 130.

Offspring: Twin seed-pods sprout each decade; saplings root-walk at 3 and reach canopy height by 20.

Visual Hallmarks: bark skin • rootlike or twig hair • branchlike fingers • subtle seasonal changes in colour or bloom

Ogres

Ogres are towering sun-marked giants with bronze skin, heavy brows and long, sturdy limbs. They are known for radiant hospitality and patient wisdom, weaving sunlight into song, feast and oath.

Colourings: skin ranges from pale bronze to ochre or copper shading; hair sun‑bleached curls or braided midnight locks; eyes topaz, amber or honey‑gold.

Build: 1.85–2.15 m tall; broad and strong‑limbed yet graceful.

Lifespan: 110–130 years, bodies fill out by 19 and strength holds to 90; bronze skin dulls beyond 110.

Offspring: One child every 15 years; infants grow slowly, then mature by 17

Visual Hallmarks: sun‑marked skin patterns • heavy brow and jawline

Orcs

Orcs are broad-shouldered nomads with wind-scoured skin and jutting tusks. They are known for forging ironclad clan oaths, beating labour and drum into hardy frontier strongholds.

Colourings: skin sage‑green, gravel‑grey or russet‑brown; hair coal‑black, iron‑grey or chestnut; eyes amber, jade, or hazel.

Build: 1.7–2.0 m tall; muscular and enduring, built for long marches.

Lifespan: Lifespan: 75-95 years, muscle sets by 18 and lasts to 60; tusks wear after 80.

Offspring: Families raise 1-2 young; children spar by 6 and stand adult height by 16.

Visual Hallmarks: weathered skin • short outward or upward tusks • strong brows • ritual scars or tattoos

Sidhari

Sidhari are tall, star-flecked folk of midnight skin, luminous hair and constellation-bright eyes. They are known for translating celestial alignments into firm judgements, weighing mortal disputes with distant, cosmic calm.

Colourings: skin deep violet, midnight black or charcoal, all dusted with nebula flecks; hair platinum, dark silver or gold; eyes electric blue, bronze or gold.

Build: 1.8–2.1 m tall, slender and poised with fluid, airy movement.

Lifespan: 120–140 years, growth completes at 23 and vitality shines to 120; skin flecks dim past 130.

Offspring: Births are rare, one every 30 years; children grow like humans but slow after 10, maturing near 20.

Visual Hallmarks: luminous star‑flecked complexion • tapered, elegant ears • radiant eyes

Sirens

Sirens are sleek, scale-clad aquatic folk with finned ears, dorsal fins and hair like seaweed strands. They are known for tidal harmonics, guiding ships and trading coasts with navigation blessings.

Colourings: scales pearl‑blue to turquoise flaring to fiery orange, or sea‑green speckled foam; hair green, red or white; eyes teal‑silver, bright amber or sky‑blue.

Build: 1.5–1.8 m tall; slender and hydrodynamic, built for dives.

Lifespan: 75–95 years, fins firm by 18 and songcraft peaks to 70; scales dull after 85.

Offspring: One or two children every 6 years; fry swim within days and reach adult size by 15.

Visual Hallmarks: iridescent facial scales • broad or swept‑back ear fins • floating hair strands • faint sea‑salt sheen

Spriggans

Spriggans are slight, quick-footed fey with soot-flecked skin, amber eyes and thistledown hair. They are known for darting along rooftops, bartering garden pickings and secrets for favours.

Colourings: skin gunmetal‑grey, soot, and violet lightly furred; hair snowy tufts, russet thistledown, or crisp white fringe; eyes of amber.

Build: 1.25–1.45 m tall; wiry and agile.

Lifespan: 70–100 years, adult agility fixed at 17 and energy vibrant to 60; speckles fade past 85.

Offspring: Two or three young every 7 years; children sprint by 2 and stop growing around 14.

Visual Hallmarks: faint facial fur • soot or silver speckles • tufted or thistledown hair • sharp amber eyes

Tharns

Tharns are towering, stone‑skinned nomads with granite flesh, fissured brows and quarry‑hewn muscles. They are known for patient mountain strength and unbreakable oaths, raising monumental stonework that anchors empires.

Colourings: granite grey, slate blue or earth‑brown; hair coal‑black braids, iron‑grey crests or dust‑coloured crops; eyes forest green, pale steel or rich amber.

Build: 2.3–2.8 m tall; immense yet lithe, carved for cliff climbs and glacier marches.

Lifespan: 90–110 years, massive frame stabilises by 20 and peak power lasts to 90; fissures widen after 100.

Offspring: One child a decade; youngsters climb cliffs by 4 and at full height by 16.

Visual Hallmarks: fissured stone skin • broad brow ridges • small lichen flecks • rope‑like or cresting hair

Trolls

Trolls are towering, long‑limbed folk with stone‑veined skin and rune‑braided hair. They are known for twilight patience and deep lore, carving bridges and riddles alike while quietly guarding mountain passes.

Colourings: slate‑grey skin, pine‑green, or heather‑purple; coarse charcoal, russet or ash‑blond manes; silver or green eyes.

Build: 1.9–2.3 m tall; lank‑limbed yet sinewy, built for heavy strides.