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Here's my heartbreaker-type fantasy setting: High Elves - The old conquerors. Architects of a continental empire now on the decline. Their monuments, cities, arcane workshops, and spires are largely now in decay save for the select few that the self-proclaimed heirs hold onto. They are called the "High" elves, not just because their highest nobility live in towering arcane buildings called spires, but also because of their attitudes towards those with magical capabilities lower than their own. Those with higher magical aptitude are treated with at least a modicum of respect, but to the High Elves, Elvish magic is superior. At the highest echelons are those with the strongest magical abilities, and at the bottom are those with none. Those below serve those above and those above make sure those below know it. Wood Elves - Also called Low Elves by their higher bretheren, they too are technically the heirs to a long decayed empire. But where their cousins still try to cling to the old ways until their last dying breath, the Wood Elves have mostly given it up, either because they've been rejected by the High heirarchy or because they refuse to participate in it. The "Wood" part comes from the days of rebellion where guerilla tactics were employed to offset the power imbalance. They carry the heritage of rebellion and rejection. Their old encampments and settlements set the foundations for the cosmopolitan cities in modern times. Despite this, they come second only to humans in terms of population in these hubs. Humans - Compared to the elves and dwarves, Humans are fairly short lived people. They don't excel at much compared to the other races with their own specialties and generally are second best at most in all of them. The one exception that Humans have over everyone else, however, is their curiosity. Humans are curious creatures. Often, to a fatal fault. Where the other races either hunkered down or went into hiding, Humans moved to the edge. They went to the seas, the deserts, the cold wastes, and saw them as their paths of escape and dared the Elves to follow them through these dangerous territories. When the Elves followed, they were beset with strange devices or odd magics whose effects ranged from ineffective to suicidally potent. Nowadays, Humans are largely as the forefront of technology and innovation due to their innately curious and exploratory nature. They also lead the charge in delving into the old imperial ruins and site for treasure and artifacts. If some strange magical creature appears or some other bizarre arcane effect plagues a city, odds are, a Human did it because they're the only ones reckless enough to try. Dwarves - Contrary to the high innate magical ability, Dwarves, are largely poor at using magic, save for one exception. Dwarves are experts at the creation and use of magical tools and devices. During the Imperial conquests, Dwarves retreated into their mines and forges, eventually combining the two. There, they adapted to life in the darkness, but compensated where they could with magical technology. Perpetually besieged by the Elves and resources mostly scarce, the Dwarves developed a culture of communal militarism. Under the surface, every dwarf were expected to do all they could for the war effort and be ready to fight at any time. They lived together, they fought together, and they were expected to die together if it came to it. As an almost reactionary contrast, the Dwarves organized themselves under the idea of equality and communalism among all dwarves. No one dwarf was greater than the other and each would be granted according to their need. Excess was frowned upon as every bit of food must be saved in case the next meal didn't come in. Finery was curbed as everything was needed to support those fighting or building. In modern times, the hard edge to Dwarves who've largely grown up underground hasn't softened much and the culture of communal survivalism is still alive and well. Much of the magical tools and weapons used during the war has been put away for a rainy day, but there's still a lingering paranoia that that rainy day could be any day now and to be ready to go at any time. With the war over, dwarves have started to slowly move back to the surface, but they often tend towards tightly packed settlements or residing in the larger cities as the sense of wide open spaces causes a culturally imposed agoraphobia in them. Halflings - Of the imperial warring by the old Elves against the other inhabitants of the continent, the only peoples left untouched were the Halflings. An early peace agreement was signed and in exchange for vassalage to the Elves as well as a supply of food, the Halflings would not come to harm by the Elves. The High Elves would only say this was a political and tactical maneuver and the "strange, wee folk" would eventually be put under heel as well. To others, it was because the Halflings knew ways to tap into magics older and wilder than the Elves knew and thus feared what would happen if full scale war were invoked against the Halflings. Because of their vassalage, the Halflings have largely known peace and the society in their hamlets reflect that. All visitors are welcomed with open arms, though it's uncommon for most Halflings to venture beyond their home hamlets. Weapons are picked up largely to defend against wild animals or the occasional bandit. As for the magics the Elves feared, it still exists as rumour, though it's noted that despite the lack of any ritual or magic, there's never been a fallow field within the older Halfling settlements and none of them have ever known illness. Orcs - While the Dwarves hid underground and the Humans fled to the most inhospitable periphery, the Orcs packed up and decided that holding no land was best. The Orcs became and remain a largely nomadic people. During the conquests, hit and run warbands would raid and pillage Elven units and proto-spires as both a means to supply themselves an to try and curb the Elven advances. Part of this was enabled by the proficient use of mounted animals to be able to hit fast and escape faster. Different tribes preferred different animals depending on the terrain and conditions, and horse, boar, and ram charges were the most common, though it's been said that even deer were used in combined raids with the Wood Elves. The other part of Orcish survival was the use of divine rituals to support and protect the warbands as well as keep their animals fed and healthy. Of the peoples of the continent, the Orcs are the most devout. Prayer to the gods was and continues to be a fundamental facet of their daily life. At the end of the conquests, permanent Orcish settlements were reestablished at their holiest sites while the remainder continued to live a more peaceful nomadic life. As they are the most well traveled on the continent, what were once roving warbands have now become caravans trading between cities and settlements. Prayers for resilience and strength have now become prayers for safety and prosperity.
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May 16, 2019 15:58
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| # ¿ May 20, 2024 23:20 |
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