Other Races of Iourn

Elves and Half-elves

No human has seen an elf in living memory; they haven't been noted anywhere on the fractured continent in a thousand years. That is the received wisdom of the human population, that is what they believe, and to all intents and purposes it is perfectly true. Legend says that there are elves out there, but they are so well hidden that no-one ever finds them. That's the way it's been for as long as anyone can remember, and that's the way it's set to remain unless something remarkable happens. The reaction to the appearance of an elf after all this time would be a mixture of amazement, awe and fear. The religions of all the moon gods teach a healthy distrust of elves and although this doesn't mean that every cleric would be immediately hostile to an elf, it does put them automatically on their guard.

Since the beginning of the Notoriety of Kings campaign, players have discovered that the elves do still exist, and that one thousand years ago they left Iourn for a parallel world they have created called the Greymere. However, despite the players' best attempts to disseminate this information, no-one believes them and elves remain a closed mystery. The Chosen of Narramac know that that elves do exist and the reason behind them hiding themselves away. However, almost every other PC will not know this. Elves remain creatures of legend and fable and they are definitely not available as player characters.

Which brings us to half-elves: although liaisons between humans and elves are unheard of, half-elves (aka changelings) are still occasionally born. Sages speculate that elven blood is very strong and a human who has an elf somewhere in the dim distant past of her ancestry has a chance (however small) of giving birth to a half-elven child. How these half-elves are received depends on the society. Often the mothers of half-elves are executed after being accused of straying from the marital bed by their husbands; the baby maybe taken out and left in the forest for the elves to come and collect; or, occasionally, the half-elf is brought up amongst humans. In this case the half-elf's outlook is human, but there is a longing in his lyrical soul, and something missing from his life. Such half-elves are restless individuals, sometimes spending their entire lives searching for their elven heritage. To the population at large, half-elves are the only evidence that elves even exist so they are sure to make an impression where-ever they go. This impression may be less in non-human societies; among the orcs (the natural enemies of the elves) they would be well advised to keep their heads down.

• Elf Game Rule Information
• Half-elf Game Rule Information

Dwarves

Although the dwarves of Gunstadtan only been trading with humans since 172 LE, the dwarven nations of Urova have an old and proud tradition of mining, smithing and warring. Battle and greed are seen as the two things that drive dwarves, and it isn't too far from the truth. There are two main dwarven nations in Urova: The Gunstadtan hills that run to the north of Norandor, and the massive Auld Kingdom that encompasses six different kingdoms to the west of the central sea. Dwarves are effectively unchanged from their description in The Complete Book of Dwarves and Races of Stone. The inhabitants of Gunstadtan are divided into many fortresses, clanholds and deep underground fortresses. Dwarves do not live within human lands in any numbers. With the exception of the adventuring population, the only dwarves who are known to live side-by-side with humans are the handful that dwell in Timberlake on the northern border of Norandor. Dwarves are still unusual in the lands of man, but they are no longer seen as a curiosity since the first man to laugh at a dwarf is still looking for his ears.

• Dwarf Game Rule Information

Gnomes

There are three kingdoms of gnomes in Urova, all are some distance away from Norandor. Stonebark and the Five Colour Kingdom border the central sea, whereas the traditional gnome-stomping ground of the Pits of Walhoon is way down south of Junos. Gnomes aren't terribly common in Norandor, but most people will know one when they see one, if only for the reason that its nose appears in a room five seconds before it does. The Complete Book of Gnomes and Halflings gives a wonderfully accurate interpretation of Urovan gnomes.

• Gnome Game Rule Information

Hobbits

Halflings do not have a land of their own. They subsist either in human cities or, more commonly, in small semi-autonomous principalities. The largest of these is The Wold in central Norandor. Halflings keep themselves to themselves, eat, sleep, smoke and generally bimble their way through life. Their congenial appearance and good-natured humour is far from a façade, but it is never a good idea to rile one. Halflings that turn to adventure are few - the desire to set out and explore is against almost every tenant of hobbit society. However, there is an appreciable number who decide that life on the road is for them. These hobbits are usually young and inexperienced; the wanderlust never lasts more than about forty seasons and then they're back, sitting with their feet up and discussing genealogy as they should be. The Complete Book of Gnomes and Halflings is a good source for these little bleeders.

• Hobbit Game Rule Information

Half-orcs

Half-orcs are the results of unimaginably painful unions between orcs and humans. As the thought of any human wilfully having sex with an orc is too foul to contemplate, these creatures are almost always born as a result of violence. Half-orcs have a leaning toward the barbarity of their non-human ancestry but many can rise beyond that. Half-orcs are mistrusted where-ever they go, but aren't openly persecuted. They just have to go that little bit further to prove themselves in the eyes of others.

• Half-orc Game Rule Information

Genbassi (Mongrelfolk)

The mongrelfolk of Genbasson are an odd breed. The accepted account of their origins are as follows: long ago, before the Hadradan occupation of Urova the great Úngorn and other smaller woodlands stretched much further into the heartlands of Man; encounters between various fey races were more common. Equally, the orcs, goblins and their ilk were significantly more widespread and often encroached into the more civilised areas. The proximity of all these various folk led to a great deal of interbreeding. Half-orc/half-dwarves became intimately acquainted with half-dryad/half-gnomes and all manner of freakish deformity was loosed upon the world.

The Hadradans were a racially pure group of humans. They didn't breed with other races - such a thing was strictly forbidden by their Vandanian beliefs. However, while other races such as hobbits and gnomes were openly persecuted, executed or shipped off to the Isles of Lareth, the Hadradans couldn't quite bring themselves to do the same thing to half-breeds. A part of these creatures, no matter how small, was still human and this caused a fair amount of philosophical debate and posturing among the conquerors of Urova.

In the end as many of these half-breeds, or mongrelfolk, that could be found were rounded up and placed upon the penninsular directly to the south of Urova. There the Hadradans kept them, and used them for slave labour. They were called the Genbassi which roughly translates as "less than a man" from Hadradan. When the Hadradans left Urova the Genbassi were left pretty much to their own devices. They were persecuted by many of the remaining humans, but they also prospered in the bleak moorlands of their home, building a functioning society.

However, there is a growing opinion held by certain rogue scholars and philosophers in Calclafique that the Genbassi have a more dramatic and supernatural beginning. Theorists state that there are simply too many breeds and racial types of Genbassi to be explained by natural inbreeding. They believe the Genbassi were created by magic - either by accident or for a deliberate purpose that may not have yet come to fruition.

Whatever the truth of their origins, the Genbassi of Urova are quite different from the race described on p98 of Races of Destiny. They are not integrated into other societies, they do not feel as if they have a place with all races - Genbassi are outsiders where-ever they go. Each Genbassi is a race of one with no obvious ties to even his closest kin. They band together for protection, they experience love and companionship but they never truly belong. Even Genbasson itself is but a loose confederation of small townships and individuals who band together for mutual protection. Only in Farragopolis - the largest and most properous town in the country - is there any sense of unity and purpose.

Player character Genbassi are extremely rare. Few Genbassi venture outside Genbasson because of the prejudice and violence they suffer. Even in enlightened countries such as Norandor, Genbassi are commonly used as slaves. Players are encouraged to build their Genbassi from scratch deciding upon a unique appearance and abilities that may differ from those printed in published sources.

• Mongrelfolk Game Rule Information
• Gazetteer of Genbasson

Other Races

Much to the alarm of many players, dragons are significantly more common on Iourn than they are on almost any other prime world. Why this is the case is a secret lost to time, but these vast creatures (of all colours and hues) can be found occupying their native terrain. It is estimated that, with the exception of heavily fortified human cities, there is not a square foot of Urova that isn't within the territory of one dragon or another. Verifying the truth of such a statement has not been a priority of sages. Priests of the moon gods look upon dragons as the naural enemies of civiliation and will often sponsor dragon-hunting expeditions. Vast hordes of orcs and goblinoids dwell in the Land of the League of Tooth and Claw, and enclaves of these marplots also exist in the Cullbarren Peaks. They are constantly waging wars with the dwarves, barbarians and anyone else who looks at them oddly. Beneath the surface of the land many fell creatures lurk. Such tales are told that most children won't even venture into a cellar let alone go pot-holing - dark elves, illithids, aboleth, troglodytes and more are feared to be just beneath one's feet. In the vast sylvan forests creatures such as centaurs, satyrs, pixies and dryads dwell - it is said that none but the druids and the rangers may enter these places and emerge unchanged. With the exception of the orcs and their kind, no other race has the numbers of humans, dwarves, halflings or gnomes but do not assume that there is nothing else out there.

The new Dungeon Master's Guide presents rules for PCs to be of more exotic races. These include subraces for the major PC races as well practically any creature from the Monster Manual. It goes without saying that the selection of any race must be agreed by the DM. If the DM doesn't want player character leprachauns in his campagn (and what sane DM would?) then he doesn't have to have the. The rules laid down for selecting non-standard races seem a little hazy to me, so I have ammended them:

• Playing non-standard races