Last time, I was creating a basic framework for the Wardens (the five gods of the setting) and their worlds and preferences. I want to build on that by getting a solid list of playable races and their basic qualities and relations to the Wardens.
Now, we have some basics laid down. The first thing I decided is that each Warden will have created two races of sentients on their world, but these have spread out over time such that all races will be more or less present in all five of the worlds. This is common knowledge. I assume they have made other races and perhaps other powers have meddled too, but those will be mysteries for the players to unravel if they ever want to. The second is the basic name and type of the five worlds or planes. The setting is really Welkin, but I want to know some things about the other worlds, who came from there, how long ago (if known) and why they left.
Now I will look at what we have so far and extrapolate out what that means for playable races of Welkin. We won’t have much of a hard timeline for Welkin as that doesn’t become very useful for players, but I will have things occur in the distant past or antiquity, the medium past, and the recent past just to give an idea of how recent an event is. We will also decide if an ancestry (race or subrace) is common, uncommon, or rare.
Kith of Welkin
I start with Skrion as she is the Warden of Welkin itself. Her morality is centered on just authority, and respect of authority. She created two races of beings for her world: Tengu (for which we will use aarakockra or maybe kenku stats or both?) and Murine (this will be a homebrew race to play mouse folk and rat folk).
Tengu have been created in Skrion’s own image. They are carnivorous, birdlike, and prefer to live in matrilineal clan groups which occupy a territory. In the ancient past, the murine were created to be a subject people and source of meat for the tengu. The tengu can fly and so they could trap murine populations on earth motes where they could be hunted.
When crag maya elves (for which see below) appeared on Welkin they befriended the murine and told them about the other gods. As news spread, the murine rebelled and aided others in rebellion and escape. Since that time in the distant past, most tengu have rejected the practice of eating sentients and instead cultivate other types of herds: most likely horseclaws, ostrich, and wind riders (jellyfish of the skies). The murine formed their own society of interdependence between the mousefolk and the ratfolk, but sometime in the medium past (i.e. before the present age of global exploration), most of the ratfolk will have rathered and departed in a great exodus.
In the present day Tengu will be uncommon outside of their eyries. Tengu found in the cities or at least outside the influence of their clans will most likely be individuals who have forsaken the old ways and learned to integrate into society as an equal. They may instead be clanless exiles. Tengu rarely get involved with other races, except for commonly making alliance and communities alongside crag maya elves. Mousekin and halflings are liable to maintain a healthy distance.
Mousefolk live in communities with the other kith and make consummate diplomats, couriers, and envoys, and have recently gotten into the banking business, usually in partnership with halflings (for which see below). While on duty they are courteous and often refined, but on their personal time, they can be quick to take offense and love to settle disputes with duels. Skrion has a personal vendetta against them and they are the arch rebels of her creation.
The majority of ratkin declared war on the gods and all other kith and disappeared in a great exodus. Those who remain behind are mostly integrated into mousekin society and have a reputation for ferocity and surliness which is not wholly unearned. Mousekin may employ ratkin as muscle, bodyguards, spies, or sentries.
Kith of Reverie
In the distant past humans and halflings fled Reverie and made their way to Welkin. We don’t need to know why at this point, but we know they have been in Welkin for a long time. Perhaps they were among the first kith to migrate. Humans will say that there are no people left in Reverie besides those who visit in dreams and visions. Halflings believe that the nightmare that chased them is still there.
Because of their connection to Reverie, humans and halflings will display vast creativity and value the arts of all kinds.
Some halflings settle down in an urban or rural area, but most prefer to take their home with them and see the world. They like to travel in large troupes of players, merchants and artisans. Halflings are usually welcome when they arrive in a town or village. Their expertise in animal rearing and training is highly regarded, especially with horseclaws and riding dogs. When a troupe of halflings arrive in town, some will warily guard their coin purse, but most will joyfully call for a three day holiday. Because of their inherent ability to mind-speak other halflings, those who settle into towns and cities have begun to involve themselves in banking and messenger services.
Human architecture, song, theater, books, fine arts, cooking, and other arts are varied, thought provoking, and always changing. For some reason unknown to scholars, this creative drive of humans has caused human societies to constantly run afoul of dragons and draconic interference. Individual humans may exhibit many different qualities.
Humans are unmatched in their drive to share knowledge with anyone who will listen, and to learn. The material and cultural style of humans can change wildly from region to region. Human physical characteristics, though, vary according to the ancient migrations of the earliest humans and the forced relocations of various empires, so that humans anywhere in Welkin have every possible variation of coloration and features. Present day humans of Welkin are the dominant group of kith, even outnumbering mousekin. Humans from northern continents are likely to speak Saxonne, the language of the post-aquiline peoples, as a lingua-franca and humans from the southern continents are likely to speak Jin Yu 金语, the language of the Golden Empire, as a lingua-franca.
Kith of Ashen
Changelings are known to have been created in Ashen by the Raven Queen but little is known of their natural state. They were brought to Welkin as slaves of dragons and are pressed into service in the dragons constant infiltration of human society. A few changelings have been fortunate enough to escape their enslavement and find others of their kind to live with and build a future. Others are
convinced that dragons would go to any length to recapture them, or the populace would kill them if their secret was revealed, so they live in constant fear of discovery. Trust is a difficult thing for changelings.
It is unknown whether the driven are a creation of the Raven Queen meant to live in Ashen or if they are a recent sign of her efforts to affect change in Welkin. Death comes for all in many ways. The Raven Queen hates all undead, but she has mysterious plans. Since about 150 years ago, driven have been accounted different from other undead. A Saint of the Circle of Ten was once a human who came back as a driven and she is the most famous and hallowed of all. Therefore, reactions to driven may vary from complete horror to welcoming acceptance in a community.
Kith of the Weald
In keeping with the splitness inherent in the personality and background of Ecbol!, I want to reflect that splitness in the kith originating in the Weald.
First will be the cousin enemies of the elves. I will draw the split down the lines of leaning towards either wisdom or intelligence. The crag maya elves value wisdom above all else, followed by living in harmony with the wilds and cultivating a deep understanding of life. In the ancient pre-history of Welkin, the crag maya appeared. They were fleeing a conflict which drove them apart from their cousins the eladrin.
Eladrin honor intelligence above all else and strive for deep understanding of esoteric magicks and engineering. The eladrin did not appear in Welkin until about 100 years before the previous time. They terrorized the peoples of the main continents from their sole floating fortress city and caused the final downfall of many governments during a ten-year reign of terror. After their city was forced down, the remnant of the eladrin mostly stayed in their Fallen City and plotted their revenge. The few eladrin that have left the Fallen City have sparked a magical and mechanical revolution over the past few generations.
Another recent arrival, fleeing the Weald at the same time as the eladrin are the sylva. Sylva, often named “Green Ones,” or “Arbre Knights” are a young race of tall, elegant, humanoid plant people. They come from only the greatest forests and jungles-the only places that can support their mother trees. Sylva biology is very different from other kith. The sylva do not merely look like plants - they are plants. They do not need to consume food to survive, but they wither when they are without water and sunlight for a long period of time. They can consume food, but they prefer to get their nourishment from photosynthesis. Sylva say they escaped certain destruction at the hands of something taking over the Weald called the Blight. They believe the mother trees that were brought with them are the last remaining untainted progenitors remaining to them.
Kith of Lambent
Goblins may be found anywhere kith have settled on Welkin.They live underground throughout the continents in tribal groups and some have even moved into the upper floating islands. Because of their similar love for life underground, goblins are often the first to discover infestations of insane ratkin and are always at the forefront of the campaigns to fight them. Goblins like to supplement their normal diet with a kind of rock they pound into bits and call “grit.” Eating this magic-infused stone has given the goblins resistance to the maddening psychic emanations of the ghosts that that ally with ratkin from time to time. As an added benefit, it toughens their skin, protecting them from the elements and physical danger.
Shardminds are living only in the loosest sense. Their crystalline bodies require no sustenance, and they don't breathe. They don't need sleep, though they must still rest for four hours to gain the benefits of an extended rest. They don't have gender, but may choose a gendered appearance. Also, the Shardminds alive today aren't the same ones that appeared originally. There must be processes at work in their lives unknown to outsiders. Shardminds may come from anywhere they appear. They may make their homes in an abandoned mine or underground cavern, where they can feel the vibrations of the floating continents and earth motes. Although shardminds are extremely rare they do not encounter prejudice.
That’s ten main player ancestries with some interesting possibilities for players. But I want to add a few more. These will be ancestries that appear for other reasons in the world than the creation of a god.
Other Kith
Dragonborn
Dragonborn are created by dragons wherever they live. Many have escaped from service to the dragons. As warriors and engineers they excel but they have free will and sometimes chafe at being forced into service. When an opportunity presents itself, they may escape and attempt to make a life for themselves. Dragonborn search for the secrets of their creation, so they may make a true community. Until they have control of their own creation and reproduction, they can be little more than refugees. Dragonborn usually have direct and forthright personalities and have a reputation for telling the truth, whether the truth will aid them or not. As servants of the dragons, they are only used openly in war and diplomacy, so a dragonborn attempting to live freely is accepted in many communities in a way that a changeling could only dream of.Genasi
Genasi are the mysterious elemental offspring of mortals. Although rare, they may be born to any parents. Scholars posit that genasi exist because of the influence of baleful elementals in the world, but most people do not ascribe inherent evil or destructive intent to genasi. They didn't ask to be born this way, after all, and legends say that in the past genasi have been powerful allies against evil elementals.Genasi inherit something from both sides of their dual nature. They resemble humans or elves but have an unusual skin color (red, green, blue, brown, or gray), and there is
something odd about them. The elemental blood flowing through their veins manifests differently in each genasi, often as magical power. Seen in silhouette, a genasi can often pass as human. Those of earth or wood tend to be heavier, while those of air, water, or fire tend to be lighter. As rare beings, genasi might go their entire lives without encountering another one of their kind.
Warforged
Freedom is wonderful, but it can also be terrifying. Warforged were created by an alliance of goblins and humans (with captured eladrin consultants) to fight ratkin in the Lacuna War and were released from service after the continent ofKaruvasha sank into the clouds below. Trained to follow orders and now lacking a war to win or a leader to follow, many warforged are intimidated by the possibilities of freedom and seek comfort in roles where expectations are clear. As the warforged strive to find a place in society for themselves after the Lacuna War, they simultaneously struggle to find ways to relate to others. Throughout certain lands they have freedom, but sometimes find themselves thevictims of discrimination, hard-pressed to find work or any kind of acceptance. Most warforged, not being particularly emotional creatures, accept their struggles and servitude with equanimity, but others seethe with resentment against all other races as well as those warforged whose only desire is to please their “masters.”
Here is our completed list of player ancestries:
Changeling: rare
Dragonborn: uncommon
Driven: rare
Elf: Crag Maya, common & Eladrin, rare
Genasi: uncommon
Goblin: common
Halfling: uncommon
Human: common
Murine: Mousekin, common & Ratkin, rare
Shardmind: rare
Sylva: common
Tengu: uncommon (needs subraces)
Warforged: uncommon
Addendum: What about other races?
If a player wants to play a race that is not one of these choices, have a conversation with them. Could their character concept be covered with another race? Is there a specific ability they want to play with that is not available among these choices? Reskinning is always a possibility also. Here are some examples.
If a player wants to play a gnome, I would make gnomes a subrace of halflings that spent a millennium in the Weald before emigrating to Welkin, then just use gnome as it is in the PHB. If a player wanted to play a dwarf I could say they were from below the clouds- from the planet core and they are the only dwarf. Or make them a subrace of humans and use the dwarf from the book. Or you could make the character a mixed-race half-human and half-haling... a three-quarterling. Well, they would need a better name. I'll say people call them tetrarchs as a joke but the name stuck.
