Racial descriptions and notes

[GM Fenrir]

The races of Tirhen are quite diverse but this is an attempt to provide insight on the basic and more common of the characteristics shared by the same people or race. Truly unique or exotic features differing from the descriptions provided can and do exist but are extremely rare as can be expected. In certain lands or kingdoms, features too different or exotic would not be tolerated as so such a person would likely find themselves in a new land if they wished to survive. However in some lands such a uniqueness would be celebrated as a good omen or similar.


HUMANS are by far the most diverse of the races. The humans along the Shining Coast and the Kingdom of Immater are a strong and proud people. They have bronzed skin and rich, thick brown or black hair. Eye colors usually are browns or hazel. Men tend to wear their beards long and both sexes favor wearing longer hair, especially the ruling and magical classes. Young men traditionally must remain clean shaven until they pass their initiation period within the guild, military or religious order they are a member of.

The humans of the Kingdom of Barivain are a hard working people. They are typically deeply tanned and tend to have hair color ranging from the palest blond to the deepest brown. Eye colors of blues, browns and greens are all common. Hair styles vary but tend to be shorter as their lands stay warmest the longest. Men typically don’t grow beards in this warmer region except the sailors along the Shimmering Sea, so any male encountered with a beard is assumed to be a sailor.

The humans of the Kingdom of Maletar are a more relaxed and friendly people. They have normal skin tones and most hair colors range from light brown to black with some reds and blondes. Their eye colors are blues, browns and greens; all being quite common. Hair styles are varied with both short and long being seen regularly. Men often have beards although they are typically close cropped or braided if they are worn long.

The humans of the Kingdom of Rhidhelmark are a strong, honorable and close-knit people. Any wrongdoings or slights occurring are quickly spread throughout the settlement so much that the offender often has no where welcome to turn. Paler skin is common in this northern region and hair is the lighter shades of blonde, brown and the occasional red. Eye color is blues or greens and both sexes wear their hair long. Males grow beards and do not trim them, seeing it as a status symbol. The oldest of the males tend to have beards that reach their waist and rarely are these braided, instead allowed to remain wild. Younger males have a hard time growing anything more than stubble, so it is difficult to make oneself appear to be older and wiser then they truly are. Ritual tattooing is also popular and involves a painful process of putting dyes beneath the skin. Great leaders, advisors and warriors often possess numerous such symbols and sigils and many children daydream of how many such tattoos they will earn.

ELVES are also a diverse race but tend to have less variation in the different “subspecies”. Therefore when an exotic feature does manifest, it is taken as a very good sign. The high elves live primarily in the forested lands of the south and east with the most dwelling in the Deep Wood. They have light complexions and both sexes wear their hair long with colors ranging from the lightest blonde to a deep, rich brown. Hair of silver is considered an extremely strong omen and any born with it find their lives instantly changed as they draw the attention of the leaders and advisors of their people. Eye colors are greens and blues and both sexes are easily as tall as the humans with some males reaching over six foot. Still they retain their slight builds and graceful movements.

The wood elves only reside in the Deep Woods and rarely venture out. They are a strong and diligent people and most prefer to live on the ground instead of the lofty residences in the trees like the high elves do. Their skin is darker but hardly as deeply tanned as some humans can achieve. Their hair colors almost always are a shade of brown and styles tend to be on the longer side, but within reason. Eyes colors are browns and greens. They are tend to be about five to five and a half feet in height and even the tallest males do not reach six foot. Although slender, most are visibly muscular.

The reclusive grey elves were once the proud leaders of the elven race, but that mantle has shifted to the high elves. Their skin is paler than the high elves and they wear their hair long. Hair colors tend to be black with some dark browns, gold and reds occurring. Eye colors are primarily blues and grey. They are tall with many males peaking over six foot and are slender and graceful.

The aquatic elves are a proud but struggling race. Nearing the brink of extinction, these elves have little left that brings them the joy and happiness that so many of their other elven cousins enjoy. They have skin tones of various blues and the occasional pale green. Their hair is worn in various styles although long hair is braided to be kept out of the way and colors range from blues, greens and rarely blonde. Eye colors are blues and greens and tend to shine brightly like a well-polished gem. They rarely reach a height of more than five and a half feet and nearly all have defined muscles visible on their slight builds.

HALF-ELVES are as varied a people as their human and elven parents can be. Hairstyles and color of eyes and hair can be nearly any combination. However most half-elves seen are those with a high elf parent as they have been the most accepting of the humans of late. Others do exist but are not nearly as plentiful. The half-elves as a race have no specific homes of their own although many of them live in the settlements of the Kingdom of Maletar. Many are also found in the Kingdom of Barivain and to a limited extent in the elven Kingdom of Daeyshir. They almost all have the elven features of pointed ears and angular faces, but many of the males can grow beards and can hide their facial structure easily enough should a desire to do so be needed. Most tend to be slighter of build but can produce muscle mass more prominently than full-blooded elves can.

DWARVES are not very diverse and it can easily become confusing to someone new to dealing with their people in telling them apart. There are enough differences though if one knows how to look for them like the style and braiding of a beard or hair, which is a big status symbol and can tell a lot about a particular dwarf and his or her achievements. The mountain dwarves of Stormfist Hold are a strong, honorable and proud people. They have a complexion almost the color of the rocks they live amongst and both sexes wear their hair long and braided depending on their station and profession. Hair colors tend to be browns, grey and black. Eye color is a varying shade of brown or rarely grey. Stocky and powerfully built, the mountain dwarves tend to be between four to four and a half feet in height. For males, beards are more important than hair on the top of their heads. It’s far better to be bald and have a beard that nearly reaches the floor then to be clean shaven. Punishments for many heinous crimes tend to be the simple shaving of the offender’s beard, which is often times worse than being put to death. Women can grow beards but most do not or only allow the side burns to grow so they may braid those, but the occasional great leader or warrior will let her beard grow out so that it may be braided properly and commands great respect among the males.

The hill dwarves are a strong and friendly people. Most make their home in the hills in and around Steadfast Hold. Their skin is deeply tanned and they are quite stocky. Their hair is worn long by both sexes and braided depending on their status. Hair colors are shades of brown with the occasional darker blonde appearing. Eye colors are blues, browns and hazel. Hill dwarves are slightly shorter than their mountain cousins, but the tallest of males can still reach four and a half feet. Males grow their beards long but rarely will they be so long as to get in the way, even among their greatest rulers. Braiding remains equally as important to them although none of the women seem to have any desire to allow facial hair of any kind to grow.

GNOMES have a bit more diversity than dwarves but not nearly as much as the humans. Rock gnomes are the most common of the race and are a friendly and outgoing people and are found primarily in the hills of the southern part of the continent although many reside on the foothills of the mountains as well. Few take up permanent residence in Mell’s Folly which only adds to that town’s struggles. They wear their hair in a variety of styles and lengths and colors range from grey and white to very light blonde. Eye colors tend to be the paler shades of blues and greens. They have a lighter complexion and tend to be slighter of build with the tallest males reaching three and a half feet in height. Their nose is the most prominent feature and the larger it is generally the more notable the particular gnome is likely to be. Males wear beards as often as not although they never reach the complexity of the dwarves, tending more to keep them close-cropped and never braided.

Forest gnomes are a very secluded people but when encountered they are as friendly as their cousins. They are only found in the Deep Wood and rarely venture out, although some can be found dealing with the elves of the Kingdom of Daeyshir. They have no large central community or settlement, and instead their homes and businesses stretch out sometimes for miles along the forest floor. They tend to be a bit smaller with three feet being more the average and are plumper then the rock gnomes. Complexion is more of a tan although hints of green can be detected in many of the race. Hair is usually worn on the longer side by both sexes and is found in shades of browns, black and the occasional darker green. Eye colors are browns and greens. Males tend to wear their beards longer than their cousins and are often times wild and untended unlike the gardens that surround almost every home. Their noses tend to be more on the pudgy side but can still obtain notable proportions.

HALFLINGS are thought to be extinct be many since their homes and settlements were in the hills that lay in the path of the goblin hordes as they moved south to wipe out the ancient human empire. In truth quite a few remain but they have no home of their own anymore and are found in the southern settlements of the kingdoms of Barivain and Maletar. A few more may reside in the Deep Wood near or among the wood elves, but that is pure speculation. Those seen tend to be richly tanned and wear their often curly hair short. Colors range from dark blonde to a rich, deep brown with eye colors of blues, brown and greens. Since most all are at best three feet in height and possess thick tufts of hair of the tops of their feet, they are believed to be all of the hairfoot subspecies. If the stories of halflings in the Deep Wood are indeed true, this might be where their taller cousins the tallfellows migrated to. The hairfoot males will sometimes wear beards but they are well kept and trimmed. They tend to be of normal to slightly-plump builds and are generally a peaceful and friendly folk but many have faraway looks in their eyes that put off some people as being inattentive.

ORCS are a strong but struggling people driven out of the lush forests of the elves and into the harsh environment of the northern part of the continent. They have made their settlements among the sparse conifer forests of the region and all belong to the only tribe that survived; the Frostaxe. Once of a darker brown complexion, subsequent generations have begun being born with slightly light skin tones. Their hair is usually worn in styles on the longer side and color ranges from browns to black and eye colors are typically browns. Their teeth are much sharper than most races and many have quite pronounced canines. They average about five and a half feet with the tallest males able to reach six foot in height, although as a race some stooping occurs so their true heights could actually be one to two inches taller. Beards can be grown by the males but are not nearly as full as those of other races although a few great leaders and warriors have grown them to be quite long. Those with beards make no effort to tend them and they remain as wild and untrimmed as their hair does. Ritual scarring and primitive tattooing are widely practiced on the male warriors of the population and so it is very easy to tell combatants from the others. It is only on rare occasions that females will join the warrior caste although many are very proficient in hunting and trapping out of sheer necessity for survival.

GOBLINS were poised to be the dominant race of the land but once the human empire was destroyed they splintered, losing their common focus and drive. Now the only major tribe remaining in the land is that of the Foul Spear who reside in the hills under the shadow of the continent’s massive mountain range. Goblins don’t have a lot of hair but those that do manage to grow any tend to be black or the darkest browns and are kept braided. Their eyes are yellows and reds and often seem to glint or glow on their own in low light or darkness. They are of darker complexions with some being the color of earth or stone. They average a height of about four foot with some males obtaining another six inches. Their noses tend to be flattened in appearance and their canine teeth can be quite pronounced, similar to the orcs. Although they are but a shadow of their former glory, they remain warlike and arrogant. Recently many of the leaders emerging have been the female of the species, especially since their hobgoblin masters were overthrown and all but wiped out. The boldness and frequency of goblin raids have been growing and so with these new female leaders the race could be foretelling another great era coming for themselves.

There are many other races, some quite numerous, in these lands. Most do not have large or even permanent settlements like the nomadic centaurs of the hills and rolling plains. Others are near extinction like the hobgoblins or not community-minded in general like the dryads and slyphs. There is not enough information on most of these races to easily categorize them and so no attempt to do so will be done here.

[GM Fenrir]

As I'm sure the question will arise before I get the chance to add all the other pages, here is the list of playable races in this campaign:

Humans (all cultures), Elves (all), Half-Elves, Dwarves (all), Gnomes (all), Halflings (all)

The humans of Immater will be the hardest to incorporate into a multi-racial group given their intense dislike and intolerance towards other races. Any PCs would therefore be under some sort of social stigma.

The aquatic elves would also be challenging to play due to their limitations for being out of water for too long but might make a good secondary character for someone wanting to play two or for a player that perceives having to be away from the game for extended periods at times.


The other non-player racial information was provided as background flavor and represents someone's common, or easily obtained, knowledge in the world.