Available Races

The Kvells

The most brutal and warlike of all the people of Raskia, the Kvells, or "Northlanders" are a sea-faring race much like our own world's Vikings. They are hardy and strong, tending towards the tall and wide in appearance. Along with a fairly light complexion, most Kvells have blonde or red hair and light-colored eyes. Kvells are known to ally with the fearsome Giants who live in the unpopulated wilderness areas of the north, and often a Kvell band is accompanied by one or more of these brutes.

Most Kvells are located in the northern parts of the continent, and many Russks and Visany haven't even seen a Kvell before. Stories about their bloodthirsty berserkers and wild, hairy warriors have spread to even the most remote corners of the world, however. What the inhabitants of Raskia are discovering is that the Kvells have a good side, as well. In the past couple of years more and more Kvell merchant ships have made their way to such large cities as Anteel, Tannik, and even as far up the river as Elg. They bring fine wool, weapons, amber, and artwork carved from ivory and wood.

To the Kvells, a warrior is not a warrior unless he can boast of his prowess and feats in long, vivid poetry. Kvell poetry is often exceedingly graphic in its descriptions of violence and combat. The Kvells worship their own pantheon, detailed here.

Most Kvell characters will be Barbarians, Fighters, or Rogues. They very rarely become wizards, and those who do follow the path of arcane magic are said to be cohorts of Vendhai and treated thusly. Clerics are an integral part of Kvell life, but rarely leave their home villages.

At the beginning of the campaign, a new character may have never seen a Kvell before, and probably thinks of them as fearsome barbarians that eat their own children and adorn their crude huts with the severed heads of their enemies.

The Russks

One of Raskia's oldest races, the history of the Russks is lost in legend. What is known is that they were originally brought to the continent by the Raskim as slaves, and lived that way for centuries. These days the Russks make up most of the population of the southern kingdoms. Compared to the Geirlish and the Kvells, they are peaceful and pastoral. However, this doesn't mean that their culture is any less interesting.

Unmarried Russks tend to wear their hair in long braids, and the women usually accompany this with a red ribbon or headband. Married Russks usually wear a green sash, which is exchanged as part of the wedding vows.

Russks have a great reverence for the gods and tend to be a superstitious people. Hadwn, Pykano, and Bryonia tend to be their most frequently honored deities. They tend to be leary of followers of Kuthra because of his ties to the Geirlish throne.

Your typical Russk has a great deal of national pride and has strong feelings about pretty much any subject one can think of. As a rule, they get along fairly well with gnomes and halflings, are friendly but uneasy around Visany, and resent Geirlish immensely. They also tend to fear magicians, magic, and Kvells.

Russk characters tend toward every class, but it is very rare to see a Russk Paladin or Barbarian. Those Paladins who do exist usually belong to the very small cult of Elgoth, as no Russk will ever be accepted into the Knights of Kuthra.

Ancient Russk ruins still litter the countryside, many of them rumored to be haunted or cursed. Several Russk cities have existed since ancient times, and on their walls can be found paintings of forgotten legends and gods.

The Geirlish

Without a doubt the oldest surviving race of Raskia, the haughty attitude of the powerful Geirlish is the one thing that keeps them so separate from the rest of Raskia's people. Descended from the legendary Raskim, the Geirlish have a sense of racial pride and "divine" destiny which virtually demands that they control the entirety of Raskia. The Geirlish kingdoms have been on the decline for the past few centuries, as demonstrated with the recent conquest of Geir by the Kvells.

Unlike their southern neighbors, the Geirlish have a long history of slave labour. Most of their slaves tend to be prisoners of war, either Russk or Kvell. They have had very little contact with the Visany.

Geirlish characters tend towards all classes, but it is rare to see a Geirlish Barbarian or Druid. Druids follow Nunea, a deity worshiped almost exclusively by Russks. Most Geirlish adventurers will tend to belong to a religious or martial order of some sort.

Your typical Geirlish is tall and stately, with angular features and pronounced cheekbones. They tend to have dark hair and fair skin. A large majority of adult Geirlish are bald and keep thick facial hair. They passionately hate Kvells, elves and dwarves, and tend to look down their nose at everybody else.

The Visany

Outwardly carefree and fun-loving, the Visany are a complex and interesting people. They bear some resemblance to the Gypsies and Romany of our own world. They are nomadic, and their travels revolve around caravans of wagons. Their wagons, or vardos, are colorful works of art, each bearing plenty of decoration and adornment. Much more information about Gypsy vardos is available on the web.

The Visany tend to have darker skin and hair than Raskia's other races, and get along well with elves, dwarves, and gnomes. They dislike the haughty attitude of the Geirlish and are confused by the distrust they receive from the Russks. Regardless, these nomads have moved across the southern parts of the continent and have made themselves quite at home in Anar, Holwich, and Russkland.

Visany clans are led by a Manus, usually a male ranger or thief. The Manus in turn is advised by elders and elderly priestesses called Phuros. They idolize cunning and clever ways to solve problems, and like the Russks are more pacifistic than violent. The favored deities of the Visany clans are Yvyx, Pykano, Nunea, and Hadwn.

Visany characters are never Paladins or Barbarians. The religious fervor of the former and the disregard for human decency of the latter are foreign to the Visany way of life. The rest of the classes are fairly common among these people, however.

The Hossacks

A southern people decended from the ancient Russks, the Hossacks preserve many of the noble and ancient traditions of that lost race. They dwell in a secluded land south of Kuthra's Spine and hold commerce with many strange races to the south, including the Orcs and Rosvany.

Hossacks worship many of the same deities as their northern cousins. Elgoth is considered by them to be the king and father of the gods and the originator of their race, but both Shastania (their name for Chastaine) and Pykano also hold important places in their culture.

Like the ancient Russks, they are primarily a peaceful people, leading a remote but neighborly existence with the Æruth and southern Gnomes. Their political structure is lax. The land is governed by a king, with each city-state governed by a duke or a council of wise men.

Hossacks view magic as a sacred gift from Elgoth, particularly divine magic. Arcane magic is seen as the gods' way of revealing the inner workings of the world to mortals, and such sciences as alchemy and astrology have long obsessed their most brilliant sages. This view leads them to treat divine healing as a blessed and sacred event, and they consider it somewhat distasteful to seek such when more "mundane" alternatives are available, such as that offered by arcane healing.

Hossack characters are very rarely Monks, and are never Barbarians. Their Paladins worship Elgoth and are usually part of a military order. Hossacks can also take levels in the Arcane Healer class from the Occult Lore book.

The Æruth

To the Hossacks they are known as the northern barbarians, but the Æruth are an ancient nomadic people who have roamed the southern lands since before the Hossacks arrived. They are short and sturdy and seemed to be bred to ride horses. Æruth wander in tribes, speak their own language, and have little desire to traffick with outsiders. They are mysterious and secluded people. "Æruth" is an ancient Russkish word meaning "horse-rider". They call themselves the Tumengai.

Each Æruth tribe is led by a khan, or warlord, who is supported by a shaman and a collection of fierce warriors. Their religion is animistic -- they believe that everything around them, be it rock, river, or cloud, possesses a spirit. It is said that they also worship their ancestors. The Æruth are very warlike, and constantly lead raids against each other for horses, wives, and goats.

The Æruth use weapons and armor which may be considered strange to other races. For armor, they prefer leather scale, brigandine, and lamellar from the Oriental Adventures book. They are also fond of small wooden shields. Their weaponry typically consists of scimitars, heavy lances, compound shortbows, and daggers, but as they are a war-loving people other weapons are not unknown. They do, however, eschew weaponry which may not be used from horseback and they tend to laugh at those who are foolish enough to fight on foot. It is rare to see an Æruth without his horse.

Æruth characters cannot be Wizards, Druids, Paladins, or Clerics, but they are allowed to take the Shaman class from the Oriental Adventures book. They tend toward the warlike classes, with Barbarians and Fighters being the most common. Sorcerers are uncommon, but not unheard of.

The Rosvany

Bringing wonderful tradegoods and horrifying piracy to all the lands they visit are the enigmatic Rosvany, a swarthy race of sea-loving nomads from the south. They travel in ship-bound clans from one port to the next, speaking their own strange language and keeping mostly to themselves.

The Rosvany dress in brightly-colored clothing and seem suited to warmer climates. They are so similar in appearance to Visany that most mistake one for the other. Some think this is no coincidence. Many Visany words seem to have Rosvany roots -- each Rosvany ship is led by a manoi, and their priests are called baboi. Rosvany love their ships like the Æruth love their horses. Very few have managed to come between the two of them and live to tell about it.

Yvyx is the most revered of the Rosvany gods, followed closely by Goag. They seem also to have some strange form of ancestor worship which has not been seen in other lands, and have also been known to utter oaths to strange gods in foreign tongues.

Gnomes & Halflings

Raskian gnomes and halflings are nearly identical to their normal D&D counterparts. The only major differences are the deities they worship. Halflings are nearly all devout followers of Pykano, while gnomes prefer Bridgebuilder (their name for the goddess Chastaine).

Both races exist across the continent, but tend to keep to themselves. Gnomes are viewed as others as a curiosity by most humans and are known as clever engineers and artists. In fact, recently gnomish peddlers have been trying to sell a curious device they call a "crossbow".

Halflings are jovial homebodies and efficient farmers, as usual. Their merchants sell pipeweed, pottery, and woodwork in all of the major cities and trade routes passing through their secluded towns usually trade metal tools for grain, beer, and wine.

Elves, Dwarves & Others

While other playable races do indeed exist, they are all very reclusive and should not be considered for player characters without an extensive background and very good reason.

The elves of Raskia are very, very reclusive. They live in hidden, forested valleys in the mountains south of Kuthra's Spine. After being driven from the mainland in the early history of the Raskim Empire, they have been very reluctant to return. It is unknown which deities they rever, and has been suggested that they may even worship their own pantheon of deities. In game terms, they should be considered Grey Elves.

Raskian dwarves live in mountain cities in the most impregnable parts of Kuthra's Spine. They worship Kuthra, Hadwn, and harbor an odd sect of Aggrek which places value upon honor in combat. In game terms, they should be considered Mountain Dwarves.

As for other races, half-elves, half-orcs, and half-ogres could also possibly be considered. They should be extremely rare, however, and will often be viewed with superstition and fear by the people of Raskia.