Terata

Species that have "monstrous" forms.

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Ateixco

• Taxonomic Order: Terata
• Alignment: Celestial
• Lifespan: 200 years
• Diet: Meat-heavy mortal fare
• Habitat: Tropical rain forests
• Socioeconomic Status: Oppressed

Jaguar-headed species who are renowned for their bravery. They stand about 6' tall and have spotted fur all over their bodies. They have the heads of jaguars and prehensile tails, but other than the fur, the rest of their bodies are human-like. Their eyes glow scarlet when they are up against an enemy more than 6 points higher than them in PRO, ATH, or STR.

When their eyes glow scarlet, they can see an enemy's weakness.

They are skilled fighters, hunters, and climbers. They have a keen sense of smell. Their prehensile tails can wield weapons or be used as an extra hand.

When up against an opponent who is more powerful than they are, and if that opponent is a true enemy - infernal or oppressive - they also gain powers based on their enemy's powers. This varies by opponent. It only takes effect once the enemy has used an active but innate ability.

Most ateixcos are born into sets of twins.

Ateixcos come from the far west where they live in a dangerous area dominated by foreign empires. Their culture is one of resistance and deep faith. They have a complex cosmological view that posits them as defenders of the world against great evils.

Twins are considered sacred in their culture, and those born into twins are granted special names, gifts, and celebrations, but also given much, much heavier responsibilities.

They pride themselves on their bravery and consider that there is nowhere too dangerous for them to go. As such, they have many legends of going into the afterlife, going into infernal realms, and so on. Those who are enslaved or immigrated to Endruin, therefore, view the oppression they face there as a challenge to be faced bravely.

PRO 11 ATH 11 STR 10 AWA 9 Smell 10 WIL 8 PRS 8 STH 9

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Citigrade

• Taxonomic Order: Terata
• Alignment: Celestial
• Lifespan: 200 years
• Diet: Seed-heavy mortal fare
• Habitat: Tropical skies
• Socioeconomic Status: Oppressed

Feathered beings who glow and fly on celestial winds. Citigrades are 6' tall feathered reptilian figures with massive wings that stretch beneath their arms. They have tails with stingers. Their feathers, which cover their bodies, are bright and colorful. They have fangs and claws.

Citigrades fly on celestial winds. This means that even when natural wind isn't blowing, they may still be able to fly if magical winds are. Celestial winds are the winds of liberation, of victory, of resistance, and of uplift. Citigrades can call them with their voices, like a rallying cry.

They also have the ability to bring encouragement and morale to others by giving them a feather. Their stingers stun the infernal.

When they touch a rainbow, the rainbow shines brighter and empowers those near it.

Citigrades are from sky islands and the tropics. In these areas, they live in small nomadic groups that seek out others in need and help them. They are often guerrilla forces agaisnst oppressive empires. Their constant harrying of imperial forces means many of them are captured and enslaved, and so some of them have ended up in Endruin.

Those few who have freedom in Endruin try to continue their work, usually, and end up being criminals.

PRO 9 ATH 10 Flight 12 STR 9 AWA 9 WIl 8 PRS 9 STH 7

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Corniog

• Taxonomic Order: Terata
• Alignment: Infernal
• Lifespan: 120 years
• Diet: Meat-heavy mortal fare
• Habitat: Temperate forests
• Socioeconomic Status: Ruling class

Horned folk who are relentless hunters. They stand about 9' tall. They have green skin and dark, velvety fur, and their heads are animalistic with huge horns. Their eyes glow yellow. They have claws and a tail.

Corniogs have natural hunting abilities. They can sense non-intelligent mammals, reptiles, birds, or amphibians within 50' of themselves. They have keen senses of smell, and they have heat vision. They have an aura of fear around them when they hunt at night, and an aura of shadow when they hunt during the day.

If they eat a pregnant animal, a child animal, or a breeding adult, their sense for that animal will extend tenfold.

If they take part in a hunt to extinction, they gain powers from the animal they wiped out. This applies only to those who took part and their descendants. Thus, many distinct nations of corniogs are known by the powers they have taken from extinct animals.

Some powers include but are not limited to the following:

• Water-breathing
• Fire resistance
• Cold resistance
• Electrical resistance
• Hibernation
• Metabolism control
• Increased athleticism
• Increased strength
• Improved vision
• Improved olfactory
• Improved hearing
• Heat regulation
• Venomous bite
• Acidic spit

And so on. Consult with the GM if you have other ideas.

Corniogs are a ruling class nation in forested empires and kingdoms west of Endruin. There, they dominate other species with brutality and tyranny. They are mostly a feudal society, but they also trade in slaves. They are known for their massive feasts and excesses.

There are those among the corniogs from "lesser" nations who do not take part in extermination hunts. These are oppressed, and they are considered inferior, weak, and unworthy of life. They are usually serfs and peasants in the corniog kingdoms.

Corniogs have many crafts made from the animals they kill, including clothing, weapons, armor, tools, and of course, food. But their biggest export is a wine mixed with animal blood that is popular throughout the continent.

PRO 10 ATH 10 STR 10 AWA 8 Smell 10 WIL 8 PRS 7 STH 8

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Cyclops

• Taxonomic Order: Terata
• Alignment: Fey
• Lifespan: 500 years
• Diet: Fish-heavy mortal fare
• Habitat: Temperate, often volcanic islands
• Socioeconomic Status: Oppressed

Cyclopes stand about 12’ tall. They have a single eye in the middle of their foreheads. Their skin tone and hair color ranges the normal range of human skin tone and hair color.

Cyclopes are supernaturally strong. Their eye can see through any illusion. They have the supernatural ability to know when something is subjective.

There are seven ancient secrets that all cyclopes are taught. They are empowered to wield them by the learning of their truth. The secrets are as follows:

• Forging of raw electricity into solid form
• Forging of the currents of narrative into metallic form
• Crafting of fabric that, when worn upon the head, grants invisibility
• Crafting of bows made from special wood that can allow for silent hunting
• Crafting of arrows that are almost impossible to see
• Building of massive walls that remain together without eroding
• Catching of fish without making sound when breaking the surface of the water

There are several cyclops nations around the world. None are from Endruin, so those who end up there are either immigrants or the enslaved. They are often used for their strength or for their building skills, though they never betray their secrets to others.

They tend to prefer to be alone.

PRO 8 ATH 7 STR 17 AWA 8 Hearing 11 Sight 7 WIL 8 PRS 8 STH 9

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Cythreulig

• Taxonomic Order: Terata
• Alignment: Infernal
• Lifespan: 300 years
• Diet: Meat-heavy mortal fare
• Habitat: Cities and towns in formerly forested areas
• Socioeconomic Status: Ruling class

Furred forest beings. Cythreulig appear to be 6' tall on average. They have yellow, red, or orange skin. They tend to be hirsute, with hair that is usually straight and shimmering in various colors, from blue to green, yellow to white. They have three eyes. Their mouths have teeth like that of a snake, and their bite is venomous.

Each cythreulig nation is attuned to a different domesticated animal that their family, community, or nation has dominated for Ages. This attunement allows them to control, influence, and command that animal, and if they eat it, they grow temporarily stronger and briefly have horns or antlers. These are always a kind of domesticated ungulate; their horns or antlers will reflect the horns or antlers of that which they devour. If the animal has none, they will simply have stubs or bumps.

Cythreuliaid have sharp senses of smell. They are innately skilled at reading peoples' reactions. Powerful cythreuliaid can steal souls with their gaze if they have devoured enough of their attuned animal.

The touch of a cythreulig will cause a target to lose control of their muscles temporarily if the cythreulig has eaten enough of their attuned animal. They will need to replenish soon after.

Cythreuliaid began as a nation in Deseria where they were a ruling, oppressive nation. They dominated other nations, cultures, species, and forged an empire. They were called the Arweinwyr, or rulers, and they were ruthless. They keep a strict, hierarchical system of society. At the top of their system are the ruling family, the Ymffrostgar dynasty, with a powerful ruling noble class around them. Below the nobility are the warrior caste and the esoteric caste. Everyone else is a slave.

In Endruin, they are among the ruling class species, for Deseria is a neighboring and allied empire.

If a player chooses to be a cythreulig, they must be one who has abandoned their privilege to be a criminal.

PRO 11 ATH 10 STR 10 AWA 11 WIL 10 PRS 11 STH 10

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Gedhesuri

• Taxonomic Order: Terata
• Alignment: Celestial
• Lifespan: 200 years
• Diet: Common mortal fare
• Habitat: Arid savanna
• Socioeconomic Status: Oppressed

Large, maned beings with sharp fangs and claws. Gedhesuris stand 8' tall. They are broad-shouldered.

Gedhesuris are empowered by honorable behavior. They define this differently depending on culture, but once defined, it is imbued in them when they come of age. After this, their honor is known to all by the mane they grow (regardless of gender).

The longer their mane grows, the stronger, faster, and more formidable they become.

The main culture of the gedhesuris is one where honor is defined by living with honesty, integrity, and care for others. Most other gedhesuri cultures have some variation on this, ranging from codes of chivalry to complex spiritual beliefs, but in none of them is oppression, exploitation, abuse, sexual assault, or cowardice allowed.

If they lose their manes, they lose their powers, regardless of their honor.

They do not have to live by these codes, but if they don't, they won't grow more powerful.

In Endruin, they are usually there as slaves or the descendants thereof, and they face deep oppression. Resistance to that oppression is a matter of honor there, and thus, the Endruinite ruling class often shaves off their manes to weaken them intentionally.

PRO 9 ATH 9 STR 9 AWA 8 WIL 8 PRS 9 STH 7

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Geliqurofi

• Taxonomic Order: Terata
• Alignment: Unaligned
• Lifespan: 200 years
• Diet: Hardy mortal fare
• Habitat: Arid mountains
• Socioeconomic Status: Privileged oppressed

Cerosian stoics. The average geliqurofi stands about 7’ tall. They have the heads of rhinoceroses, but they are far more expressive. They have large snouts with three keratin horns. They have broad frames with stocky arms and legs. Their hands have bone spurs on the knuckles. Their skin ranges from ruddy brown to dark grey, and they have pitch black eyes.

Geliqurofi have supernatural size, strength, and endurance. They can curl up into a ball and appear to be craggy rocks.

The horns of a geliqurofi are infused with magic. Every impact makes them stronger. They can shatter solid rock, rend metal, and break muscle and bone with ease. If they strike each other, the impact will cause both geliqurofi to temporarily have an aura of invincibility (about 15 seconds).

Non-geliqurofi in the presence of a geliqurofi can be overwhelmed by them, neutralizing them and their powers.

Geliqurofi are immune to one each of celestial, infernal, poioumenonic, and aetherial energies. Each geliqurofi has a different set of immunities.

In the arid mountains on a southern continent, the geliqurofi live in small cities carved into the terraced heights. They fashion great aqueducts, tunnel systems, and massive walls and catwalks that create stone fortresses out of their cities. They have a complex culture surrounding several ruling families and the industries they have influence over. They try to remain neutral in the world, but that is often not an option. All geliqurofi come together once a year for the Great Games, a series of combat games where they fight only with their horns. This festival is the biggest day of the year.

In Endruin, they are privileged but still oppressed.

PRO 10 ATH 8 STR 12 AWA 8 WIL 9 PRS 8 STH 7

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Goblin

• Taxonomic Order: Terata
• Alignment: Infernal
• Lifespan: 120 years
• Diet: Meat-heavy fey fare
• Habitat: Temperate to subarctic
• Socioeconomic Status: Privileged oppressed

Small, nightmarish beings. Goblins vary in appearance, but usually have bat-like, pointed ears, fangs, claws, and green or grey skin. They stand about 4' tall, and often have pig-like snouts. Some are furry, some are not. Many are piebald.

Goblins produce a toxin that causes nightmarish hallucinations. This toxin comes out of their skin as sweat, is in their saliva, in their phlegm, and in their tears. They collect it and use it in their weaponry and magic.

They have powerful fey magic that is fueled by this toxin (called uafan toxin), and they sprinkle it on anything while chanting or making rhymes to make horrible illusions more real. Their different rhymes and chants may have other effects, and these vary by culture and nation.

There are many, many goblin nations around the world, and they all come with their variations. Some of these nations include alux, bauchan, bugbear, chaneque, coblyn, dokkaebi, douen, dunnie, duende, ettin, farfadet, gudrobonga, hobgoblin, iratxo, knocker, kobold, kuttichathan, menninkainen, muki, nuno sa punso, ponaturi, pukwudgie, shishiga, and trasgu. Consult the GM if you wish to play one of these specific ones.

Goblins are an elite ruling class species in their homelands, but in Endruin, they are treated poorly because of their rituals of nightmare and their small size. They are still privileged compared to other species, however.

PRO 9 ATH 9 STR 6 AWA 9 WIL 7 PRS 7 STH 9

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Lampiada

• Taxonomic Order: Terata
• Alignment: Celestial
• Lifespan: 300 years
• Diet: Light mortal fare
• Habitat: Sky islands
• Socioeconomic Status: Oppressed

Beings covered in eyes. Lampiadas have eyes on their arms, legs, shoulders, hands, feet, bellies, chests, backs, faces, necks, foreheads, and the backs of their heads. They otherwise look human.

Not all lampiadas are completely covered in eyes. Most have eyes in about half of the locations listed, though all have at least four eyes on their faces. They are always in pairs, though the pairs are not always next to each other. If they are not side by side, they will be on complementary locations, such as on each elbow or each knee, or each foot or each hand.

Other than their primary two eyes, all of their other eyes see on different spectrums. Some examples include the following:

• Heat to cold
• Sound to silence
• Low light vision
• Infrared
• Ultraviolet
• Gravitational
• Infernal to celestial
• Infernal to elemental
• Fey to elemental
• Fey to unaligned
• Celestial to unaligned
• Infernal to unaligned
• Emotion
• Thought
• Soul
• X-ray
• Microscopic
• Telescopic
• Bent (around corners)
• Relationships

And so on. Consult with the GM if you have other ideas. The only visions they cannot have are evil ones. Players will pick up to four different visions to have.

Lampiadas live on sky islands and keep watch for dangers to the world, along with other powerful species dwelling there. They live in small, egalitarian communities led by elders and spiritual leaders. They are quiet, studious, and introspective by culture, though they are also known for having colorful, translucent clothing.

Most of them living in Endruin have ended up there as slaves, used to advise powerful beings by using their visions.

PRO 8 ATH 8 STR 7 AWA 14 WIL 8 PRS 9 STH 7

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Lapina

• Taxonomic Order: Terata
• Alignment: Celestial
• Lifespan: 120 years
• Diet: Vegetarian
• Habitat: Grasslands
• Socioeconomic Status: Oppressed

Rabbit-eared, friendly folk. They stand about 4' tall, not counting their ears, which are usually between 3" and 12" more. They have buck teeth, rabbit's feet, and bushy tails. Their eyes glow blue, and they have two hearts.

Lapinas can magically bond with anyone who is a friend. They cannot do this without consent, but they can do it even if the friendship is unequal or one-way. However, it may be more difficult if the other person is insincere in their friendship. The bond allows them to know when their friend is in danger, wounded, sick, or lonely, and to gain bonuses to speed to go to them in these situations.

Lapinas have sensitive hearing. One in seven have supernatural good luck.

Lapinas live in small communities in wide grasslands. Their communities are tight-knit and bonded, and they use their bonds to keep the whole community safe and close together. They are friends to any who come to them, and they are known for being helpful to travelers. However, they are also easily tricked and exploited, and thus, they are often targets for enslavement and conquest.

In Endruin, their undefeatable good spirits are taken advantage of. They are deeply oppressed.

PRO 7 ATH 14 STR 6 AWA 9 WIL 8 PRS 10 STH 9

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Mgeli

• Taxonomic Order: Terata
• Alignment: Elemental
• Lifespan: 200 years
• Diet: Meat-heavy mortal fare
• Habitat: Forests, mountains, and grasslands
• Socioeconomic Status: Oppressed

Wolf-headed hunting folk. They stand about 6' tall and have fur-covered bodies. They have lupine fur, tails, and heads, but they are otherwise human in appearance.

Mgelis have supernatural hunting abilities. They have keen senses of smell and hearing, and they can howl to communicate over vast distances. They can see in the dark, and they have the ability to bond with others in their "pack" that allows them to communicate silently and see through each other's eyes. The other members of their pack must also be mgelis.

If they violate one of the laws of the hunt, they lose one of their powers. If they lose all of their powers, they die.

The rules of the hunt are to never kill a pregnant animal, to never kill a child animal unless it is in unhealable pain, to never kill a breeding adult, to never kill more than is needed for the pack, to never use poison, to never over-hunt an area, and to never leave an animal with a debilitating injury.

They live in nomadic, egalitarian tribes. They honor the hunt as a force of nature. They are protectors of their territories, which they tend closely.

In Endruin, they are stereotyped as aloof, murderous, and animalistic, and they are extremely oppressed.

PRO 9 ATH 9 STR 10 AWA 9 Smell/Hear 10 WIL 8 PRS 8 STH 9

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Minotaur

• Taxonomic Order: Terata
• Alignment: Fey
• Lifespan: 200 years
• Diet: Meat-heavy mortal fare
• Habitat: Large structures
• Socioeconomic Status: Oppressed

Bull-headed protectors of places. Minotaurs stand between 7’ and 9’ tall (not counting horns). They have the head and tail of a bull and the body of a human. Their feet are hooves and their bodies are hairier than most humans’. Minotaurs are not to be confused with bovine folk, who often have a similar appearance, but different inherent powers.

Minotaurs are supernaturally strong. They have sharp, non-bovine teeth.

Minotaurs are bonded to the place they live in. If they have settled somewhere for more than a week, they begin to have senses that allow them to know what is happening within the structure they dwell in. They also gain the power to alter where passageways and portals within the structure go - i.e., they can open a door and step into a room it isn’t connected to.

The form of the place they dwell in, the structure they bond to, imbues them with specific powers. Some examples include the following:

• Amphitheatre: performance skills
• Arena: presence bonus
• Castle: toughness bonus
• Catacomb: resistance to death magic and undeath
• Fortress: prowess bonus
• Labyrinth: stealth bonus
• Lighthouse: awareness bonus
• Mausoleum: hard-to-kill edge
• Prison: guarding skills
• Pyramid: resistance to death magic
• Tower: building skills
• Ziggurat: faith bonus

And so on. Form influences power. Other energies present also influence the powers.

Long ago, early minotaurs were enslaved by other mortals and kept imprisoned in labyrinths. Eventually, their resistance to enslavement forced these mortals to make a deal with them - they would remain as warriors in these labyrinths where they would work for the mortals as jailers, but they would be fed and supported. However, not long after, these minotaurs learned that the meat they were being given was from other mortals, and in their outrage, they smashed the labyrinths, slew their masters, and captured entire islands as their own.

Though the minotaurs rebelled, they retained tutelary powers as they returned to their labyrinths and other prisons and reformed them into homes. Now, a labyrinth is not a prison but a palace to the most powerful minotaurs. They turn them into ceremonial dancing grounds at their centers, with vast rooms, galleries, and living quarters. There are observatories to watch the stars and study the sun. They keep other mortals as slaves, and they are masters of their islands.

Minotaurs may rise in class through combat. Trial-by-combat is the heart of all Epanastátean society. Instead of court systems, social advancement, or measures of wealth, they resort to violence. These trials always involve rituals, intricate rules, and agreements beforehand. It is always known whether, for example, killing is allowed. Usually, the goal is first blood or clipping of horns (if the combatants have horns). Sometimes the goal is merely a tap or sometimes even a number of parries or dodges. Other times, death is the only acceptable end. There are many, many variations, and the complexities of what is allowed and when are all social norms and not written down.

Though their diet is meat-heavy, they do not eat beef. They prefer mutton and goat. This is supplemented by wines, oils, and spices, heavy grains, and goat’s butter, cheese, and milk. Their primary art is architectural - ornamentation on buildings is complex. They enjoy other arts, especially poetry and music, but structural art is their greatest passion. They play many combat and contact sports.

Every community has multiple annual festivals. These are feasts and games hosted by the local nobles, who fund them in order appease the masses. Slaves draw lots to see who must work and who may rest on these days. Those who may rest are allowed to join in the games, and if they perform well, they will be given special advantages if they engage in trial-by-combat for freedom. There are other prizes for nobles or free minotaurs who play in the games, which are always combat-oriented.

In Endruin, they are slaves or the descendants of slaves. They were kept kept as slave-soldiers, hard laborers, or gladiators.

PRO 11 ATH 9 STR 12 AWA 8 WIL 8 PRS 7 STH 7

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Napash

• Taxonomic Order: Terata
• Alignment: Elemental
• Lifespan: 200 years
• Diet: Meat-heavy mortal fare
• Habitat: Mountains and rock flats
• Socioeconomic Status: Privileged oppressed

Fire-breathing tusked folk. They are 7' tall and have porcine faces. Their skin is red and orange, and their eyes are blood-red. They are often confused with the baleful, though they are fierce enemies.

Napash breathe fire. Their fire breath is fueled when they eat hot coals. Other than being strong, they have no other special powers.

The original culture of napashes is a warrior nation on a southern continent. They are enemies of the baleful, magically created beings whose blood boils and gives them tusks and other porcine features. This rivalry for territory and resources has them locked in a long, brutal war, and the napashes are often on the losing end of it.

They worship volcanoes as powerful nature spirits and believe in fire as a symbol of their ferocity and strength. They are led by war-leaders chosen in trials by combat. They have great ceremonies around bonfires where they dance and throw themselves into the fire to gain strength. They paint themselves in ash and enter battle screaming and spitting fire.

An enemy defeated but unburnt is not defeated. They mark their prisoners of war with burns and scars, and enemy leaders are sometimes sacrificed to volcanoes.

Those who do are not warriors are still considered vital parts of their nation. They are expected to contribute to the community, and they are not lesser than the warriors.

In Endruin, they are treated as a privileged oppressed group. They are stereotyped as monsters, conscripted into the military, but also courted for their skill in battle.

PRO 10 ATH 8 STR 14 AWA 8 WIL 8 PRS 7 STH 7

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Ogre

• Taxonomic Order: Terata
• Alignment: Infernal
• Lifespan: 120 years
• Diet: Meat
• Habitat: Temperate hills and forests
• Socioeconomic Status: Ruling class or oppressed

Child-eaters. Ogres stand between 7’ and 9’ tall. They have a disproportionately large head. They tend to be hirsute and have skin ranging from palest white to dark green in color. They find it easy to maintain muscle mass.

Ogres are always hungry, and they are capable of eating almost any kind of meat without fear of poisoning (see Weaknesses for exceptions). What meat they are eating may give them other powers. If they eat the meat of a mortal child, they gain bonuses to their strength. They do not need to eat mortal children to survive, though they often claim this is so.

For any meat that they eat, they may gain other powers. If they eat a child of that species, they gain more bonuses than if they eat an adult. Consult the GM for the powers different species might give them.

It is said ogres originated from a group of either humans or giants who ate their own children and were cursed with voracious, cannibalistic appetites. The original nation is a powerful ruling class nation who encourage this origin legend as well as many other legends depicting themselves as tyrants, killers, and overlords to frighten the local populace into serving them. “Serve or your children will be eaten” is the message they send, and it is very effective.

In truth, most ogres don’t each children or even other mortals. They eat meat-heavy diets and tend to live in squalor due to the horrific reputation of the ogrish ruling class. They face extreme repression in other parts of the world because of this undeserved reputation. Only the powerful among the Mauditien engage in such horrific practices.

The ogrish lords live in luxury off the tithes and tariffs and taxes they levy upon the serfs they control. The serfs of Vieux Terre are of many different species and usually identity generally as Galdish and with the wider Galdish culture, while the Mauditien embrace a narrower, more grotesque culture. There is a gap between the culture of the lords and the serfs.

The culture of the lords is dominated by ensuring their power and frequent feasting. Most feasts do not involve mortal flesh, but every month, there is one feast that involves the eating of a mortal child, almost always a non-ogre. Different families have a different preferred species to devour, usually taken from the local serf stock or imported as slaves. Many breed slaves.

In Endruin, most ogres are visiting nobles with a lot of wealth and power. If a player chooses to be an ogre, they must be a lower class one or one who has abandoned their power to be a criminal.

PRO 9 ATH 8 STR 11 AWA 8 WIL 8 PRS 7 STH 7

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Servulian

• Taxonomic Order: Terata
• Alignment: Elemental
• Lifespan: 300 years
• Diet: Fish-heavy mortal fare
• Habitat: Rivers
• Socioeconomic Status: Oppressed

Servulians are ickthyoid figures who dwell in rivers. They have blue-green scales all over them, bulbous eyes, and webbed hands and feet. They stand about 6' tall.

Servulians have the ability to breathe under water and on land. They can swim against current without penalties, and they can hear the words of the currents as they swim against them. This brings them information from around the world.

They also bond to any river they live in for more than a year and a day. This bond allows them to teleport within the river system anywhere within three miles up or down stream if they are in the waters.

In Endruin, the servulians of the Ruftrike are wretched and sickly because of the pollution. Most of them are covered in sores caused by the chemicals in the water. They work as fishers and foragers in the waters, and they are hated by locals as "scumsuckers".

PRO 8 ATH 9 Swim 11 STR 9 AWA 8 WIL 8 PRS 7 STH 8

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Sionnach

• Taxonomic Order: Terata
• Alignment: Fey
• Lifespan: 200 years
• Diet: Meat-heavy fey fare
• Habitat: Forests
• Socioeconomic Status: Oppressed

Sionnachs are vulpine beings. They have fox-like faces and tails, red or grey fur, claws and fangs, and a third, glowing white eye in their foreheads. They stand about 5' tall. Sometimes, they have extra tails that end in glowing orange flames.

Sionnachs have magical hunting abilities. They can understand animals, teleport through the forest by entering one tree and exiting another (3 mile range), vanish three times per day, and create illusory selves by twitching their tails.

They have the ability to throw their voices and the ability to see through trees via their third eye.

They gain extra tails after a century of life, and it gains a flame after another 50 years. This extra tail extends their illusory powers, and the flame allows them to vanish twice more per day.

Sionnachs are protectors of their forests. They view interlopers as potential prey and will kill them without conversation unless the person brings them an offering. They live in small families that are devoted to their patch of forest together, with the parents being the default leaders. If there are multiple generations, the eldest lead.

Their culture is one of ritual and story. They treat the hunt as a special ritual of birth, death, and rebirth, and they base their entire culture around it. They know the story of every being they hunt, and they honor that story by telling it before, during, and after the hunt.

The prey is reborn after death by being used by the hunter. If it is improperly used, the prey will return to kill the hunter.

In Endruin, sionnachs are seen as monsters and hated. They are often enslaved or criminalized.

PRO 9 ATH 10 STR 8 AWA 9 WIL 8 PRS 9 STH 10

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Troll

• Taxonomic Order: Terata
• Alignment: Fey
• Lifespan: 200 years
• Diet: Meat-heavy mortal fare
• Habitat: Bridges and liminal spaces
• Socioeconomic Status: Oppressed

Troll children are small, round, and hairy. They have are born with a lot of fat to keep them warm in the mountains. As they age, they become leaner and taller (usually). Their faces are always a little animalistic, usually having features of predators (sharp teeth, pointed snouts, big forward-facing eyes, big ears). The hair on their head is often kept long and unkempt. Some are more human-like in appearance than others. Their arms are slightly longer than proportional. They range from 5’ to 8’ tall.

Trolls are beings of liminal land spaces. They have some influence over these spaces while in them. This can be as narrowly defined as a small bridge to as widely defined as a border region or disputed territory or untamed wilderness. The space determines their other powers: if the area is a windswept plain, they will have influence over the winds while within it. If the area is a bridge, they will be able to sense when people near it and tumble them off without touching the bridge. The longer they are in a space, the more profound their influence over it is. A troll living in the edges of a forest may become master of all animals there, for example.

When they are not in the place they have connected to, they will still have influence over similar places. A bridge-dweller will be able to sense bridges nearby. A border-dweller will know when they are on other borderlands.

Trolls are supernaturally strong, good climbers, and can leap long distances.

Troll children are often given a stone to play with that they shape and craft until it is perfectly round. This stone becomes the troll’s “heart”, which allows them to hide weaknesses, thoughts and feelings, and some lifeforce temporarily. As children, they carry the stone with them always, being more free. As adults, they hide the stone in a place near their liminal space, usually some unusual spot, such as a fish’s belly, in a nearby cloud, or atop an ancient tree.

Trolls develop weaknesses based on the liminal space they connect to. Many bridge-dwellers live under the bridge and adapt to where the shadows are, and thus, they dislike bright sunlight. This weakness is very common, for many liminal spaces are in shadow.

All trolls fear lightning and dislike the distant ringing of bells.

They live in small clusters, usually one or two extended families to an area, dwelling near bridges in the high mountains, near tunnels, or amidst rocky slopes and cliffs. Most families are single-child homes. They are very territorial and not welcoming to strangers.

When a stranger approaches their space, one of the trolls will be there watching, ready to question them aggressively. This is done to judge the person’s worth and wealth. If they are deemed able to pay, the troll demands payment for passage. If they are deemed unable to pay, the troll decides if they want to let them pass based on attitude, mood, or whim. An important part of their exchange is the how the mortal responds to the troll’s boasting self-description, which is how they announce themselves. If the mortal responds in kind with their own boasting self-description, they are often seen as equals. If they are more meek or afraid, the troll will try to figure out if they do so because they have wealth they seek to protect or if they are truly a fearful sort. The latter will often be allowed to pass for free, sometimes with a small gift.

Their territoriality often leads to conflict with others nearby. They have reputations as raiders, kidnappers, and saboteurs. This is not always unfair, though the kidnapping is always done for ransom and the victims are often treated relatively well for kidnapping victims - and they never engage in kidnapping of innocent children, as they are often accused of. They kidnap warriors or leaders in the community, and they are just as often victims of the same in the area. This is a custom called bergtagning. Their acts of sabotage and raiding are usually to drive people away from building too close to their territories and are part of land disputes. They are known for their ability to hurl boulders.

Trolls live in small extended families. Since they usually have very few children, they tend to have small families. Each extended family is led by the eldest, no matter who they are, unless they are in mental decline due to senescence. Even then, they are consulted by the next oldest and interpreted through them. The matriarch of these families is the tröllkona, the troll-wife. The patriarch is the tröllherra, or troll-lord. If they have some other gender, they are still referred to by these gendered roles.

Trolls have a fondness for working with stone and often make things out of it that others would not - stone boats are common, stone wagons, stone armor, and so on. Living in the mountains, they become attuned to stone. Sculpture, masonry, and quarrying are common among trolls.

Every year, trolls in an area gather for a trolla-þing, or troll-moot. During this, they come together in flatlands and perform ritual dances. This always happens during the annual windstorm season, which they take advantage of to dance within whirlwinds. It is the custom that the women let their hair loose from their braids, put on heavy skirts, and stand in the center of the whirlwinds, letting their hair be whirled about and their skirts to kick up dust. This dance is performed by unwedded troll women; the men watch and choose their future brides.

After the dance is over, the men seek out the women they were most attracted to, asking them out. If the troll woman accepts, they lift their skirts and go into the mountains to sleep together, coming back the next day married. If they do not accept, they whip their hair at the men and wait for another year. If two troll men ask the same woman, it is up to her to pick one, the other, or neither. If they fight over her, she will usually reject both for being too foolish to marry. Thus, if they fight, they do so somewhere in secret, and explain away the bruises as “lightning strikes”. Though this is an obvious lie, the custom helps them save face.

Trolls are often shepherds, but they hate goats, which they view as untameable.

Most trolls in Endruin connect with bridges, crossroads, or border areas within cities.

PRO 9 ATH 9 Climbing 11 Jumping 12 STR 11 AWA 8 WIL 8 PRS 8 STH 7

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Vaettir

• Taxonomic Order: Terata
• Alignment: Unaligned
• Lifespan: 1,000 years
• Diet: Offerings
• Habitat: Temperate to subarctic
• Socioeconomic Status: Oppressed

Vættir appear to be broad-shouldered anthropomorphic figures who stand about 4’ tall. They are similar to gnomes and dvergars, but they are broader and have animalistic features in their faces. Most have goat-, cat-, fish-, deer-, lizard-, or dolphin-like features in their faces.

Empowered by ancient laws (though not Divine ones), vættir are bound to rules that give them powers and have great consequences if broken.

Individually, they have the ability to vanish twice daily, calm or panic animals twice weekly, shatter or mend objects twice monthly, exert extra strength (+9 for 30 seconds) twice yearly, and bind a mortal to the laws of the vættir twice in their lifetimes.

The rules that dictate the powers of a vættir:

• A vættir cannot be washed in warm liquid. This will cause their magic to be weakened or taken away for up to seven weeks.
• A vættir may not use or suffer the likeness of a dragon on any structure, vehicle, or statue within their community, lest their strength be lost until the likeness is removed.
• A vættir must remain in their domains (earth, mountain, forest, sea, lake, or house) and shall not move to a new location without performing the proper rituals of protection, lest they lose all of their powers, which derive from the laws of the domain.
• A vættir must exchange gifts with visitors and neighbors at certain times of the year, lest they lose their connection to their domains, causing terrible things to happen as the protections fade.
• A vættir dwells in a domain - an earthen area such as a mound or hill, a great mountain, a forest, the sea, a lake, or a home belonging to another kind of mortal - and may place protections upon it, usually for prosperity and health. There is a limit to their protections, of course, but they are generally able to provide adequate protection to be worth the offerings they require.

If they fail to live by their rules, the protections will weaken, and bad things will begin to happen within a week: livestock will sicken, crops will wilt, children will go missing, fields will fallow, adults will grow ill, objects may vanish. If they follow the rules meticulously, the opposite tends to be true: livestock remain healthy, crops and fields yield good harvest, children remain safe, objects are found easily, and adults remain hale.

Vættir must exchange gifts eight times per year:

• The first day of the year
• On the two equinoxes
• On the two solstices
• On Samhain
• On the first day of harvest
• On their birthday

The vættir are offered porridge with butter, apples and pears (preferably sliced into eight pieces), mulled wine, cider, warm bread, a fresh slaughtered pig, and so on are examples of offerings, but any offering of food or drink made politely will be accepted, so long as it is not poisonous to the vættir. Respect and politeness in offerings is of the utmost in importance. In exchange for these offerings, the vættir provides a song that promises protections, except on their birthdays, when they would instead perform chores around the house or do minor services for those making the offerings.

Vættir are bound to their own rules, which they are taught from a young age. They do not have to follow the rules until they understand them or until they reach the age of seven, whichever comes first. They dwell in small hollows under the ground or in shallow caves under the water, often under trees or houses or large rocks.

Each vættir family is headed by the parents, who share duties around the home and the domain. All vættir are expected to learn domestic skills, fighting, hunting, gardening, and more, for they never know which tasks the rules may require of them.

A vættir child is considered an adult by the age of 21, at which time they are tested by their family on the rules. If they do not pass the test, they are punished with a birch stick to the head and given a week to correct. They do this every week until they pass or run away. If they run away, they violate their own rules and die within a year and a day unless they find some supernatural means to survive.

As an adult, a vættir is expected to find their own domain and start a new family elsewhere, though in places where there are not many other vættir, they may remain with their original family for a long time. Their adulthood is spent taking on tasks and seeking someone to build a new family with. If they must find a new domain and not take one over, they must also make friends with the local mortals and share with them the laws, which the vættir learns from the domain itself after staying there for a fortnight.

Vættir make friends by making offerings, usually of food, and doing small tasks around the land, water, or house.

The main differences between national cultures is what kinds of spots they live in, the offerings they prefer, and their relationship with local mortals:

• Landvættir: they dwell in burrows and hollows under mounds; they tend goats and prefer offerings that can be shared with their herds (apples are a favorite); they mostly work with farmers and ranchers and try to be good protectors of the livestock and crops. If things go sour, they are quick to be driven off. They have a mischievous streak that sometimes gets them in trouble.
• Fjallvættir: they dwell in mountain caves near small towns or passes; they protect bridges and roads and keep them clean; they engage with travelers and locals alike; they prefer offerings of warm foods. If things go sour, they get blamed for avalanches and missing travelers, but this tends to enhance the locals’ desire to keep good relations. They tend to be very serious folk.
• Sjóvættir: they dwell in caves next to or under the sea; they protect sailors and fishers; they engage with locals from nearby fishing communities; they prefer offerings of fresh fruit and vegetables. If things go sour, they get blamed for shipwrecks, poor fishing seasons, and bad storms. They tend to be equally loved and feared. They tend to be jovial and like a good, bawdy song.
• Skogvættir: they dwell in great hollows within trees; they protect travelers and rangers and others in the forest, as well as the forest itself; they engage with the locals and travelers and also the animals of the wood; they prefer offerings of freshly butchered domestic animals such as pigs, for they will not hunt in their own wood. They tend to be respected greatly by the locals. They tend to be quick-witted and love riddles.
• Vatnavættir: they dwell in caves near or under lakes, rivers, and ponds; they protect travelers on rivers or those who live near lakes and ponds; they are often blamed for local drownings. They are feared and disliked. They prefer offerings of fresh fruits and cold meats. They tend to be a little romantic and love their stories.
• Húsvættir: they dwell under homes, usually in farming communities or small towns; they protect those who dwell in the homes; they do tasks around the house and protect from fires and illness; they usually have very good relations with those in the house and are considered part of the family. They prefer offerings of buttered porridge and warm bread. They are very serious about the rules of the house.

What is always made clear between vættir and those they dwell with or near is that they are not slaves. If ever there is not an equal exchange of gifts and services, they will exact payment or make clear the consequences. Furthermore, consequences are made clear beforehand, and if no agreement can be reached, the vættir will either relocate (after casting appropriate spells) or force the mortals to leave, depending on who has ownership. The laws follow the vættir.

Most in Endruin are slaves brought from other parts of the world or their descendants.

PRO 8 ATH 9 STR 7 AWA 8 WIL 9 PRS 8 STH 9

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Yeti

• Taxonomic Order: Terata
• Alignment: Elemental
• Lifespan: 400 years
• Diet: Meat-heavy mortal fare
• Habitat: Mountains
• Socioeconomic Status: Oppressed

Yetis stand between 5’ and 15’ tall. They are ape-like but stand upright. They have sharp teeth and larger than proportional feet and longer than proportional arms. Their fur can be brown, reddish brown, grey, black, white, or in rare cases, green.

Yetis are heavily resistant to the cold because they can regulate their body temperatures through releasing or storing heat via their fur. They can walk on snow, climb sheer cliffsides, and jump extraordinary distances in the mountains. Their whistling can start and stop snowslides. They are always stronger in the colder months or deep in the night.

If they migrate to warmer areas, their temperature regulation works the same - they can survive in high heat despite their fur. They do often develop a musk in warmer areas. Regardless, they still have greater strength when it is cooler out.

Yetis in other parts of the world go by other names, distinguishing their different nations: almas, amomongo, barmanou, chuchunya, esti captaki, hibagon, joogabinna, kalanoro, mande barung, mawas, nittaewo, nyalmo, rang shim bombo, sasquatch, sisimito, or yeren. Their original nation, in the high mountains of the southeastern continent, are called the Chuti.

Their homeland is a series of city-states atop the highest peaks, snow-covered secret cities. In the highest mountains, they craft cities of ice, stone, and bone. They form walkways between peaks of solid ice that only they have the sure-footing to walk, and they build solid-stone dome houses with windows of thin, clear ice. They form great statues from rock and bone that are said to capture heat, glowing frosty blue, and the walls around their cities are carved straight into the mountains. They live communally as hunters and foragers.

Other nations have some variations on their cultures, but they are almost all hunter-gatherers.

PRO 10 ATH 9 Climbing 15 Jumping 15 STR 15 AWA 9 WIL 8 PRS 7 STH 7