The Ethersea Lives! (Races)

The Ethersea Lives once again!  I kinda left this hanging a few years ago
because I got sucked into Hackjammer.  You can blame Static for this
article; we were talking, and he got me back to reading about the Ethersea,
and I remembered how much fun it was to write this stuff up.  So here's an
overview of the Ethersea races, through the eyes of our lovable, sometimes
cranky, tourguide Halfwrench!

Author's Note: Listed below are the major races of the Ethersea, through the
eyes of Halfwrench.  His information is mostly correct, but he has many
facts wrong.  For example, although most dwarves of the Ethersea are of the
variety he speaks of below, standard dwarves can also be encountered.  All
of the standard races have made their way to the Ethersea, and even more
exotic races (such as Goliaths and Illumans from the Complete series of
books) can exist at the DM's discretion.


Dwarves
If there's a wild bunch in the Ethersea, it's the dwarves!  See, dwarves
love the open sky and hate the underground.  I hear this is actually
completely opposite of dwarves elsewhere, from new arrivals.  I just cannot
see a dwarf as anything other than a sky-lov'n, griffon-riding,
lightning-dodging dare-devil!  Dwarves tame birds, from the flightless Mule
Raptors they use to haul carts around, to the falcons and hawks they use for
hunting, to hippogriffs, griffons, and even rocs they use for travel!

A dwarf is about a head taller than a gnome, and quite a bit stockier.  Men
are most proud of their long, course beards.  Never, I tell you, make light
of a dwarf's beard!  I can not tell you how many bar-fights have started
with an ill-conceived jest about a dwarf's beard!  Dwarves are as wild and
temperamental as the birds they tame.  They are a clannish people, taking
pride in their name and relations.  Of course, younger dwarves want to make
sure THEIR names are the ones remembered, so they're always out there doing
the craziest of stuff!  If a dwarf ask you to join him on a quest, best run
for the nearest departing ship.  They're crazy enough to tackle a
fully-grown dragon with nothing but the skins on their backs and a good
warhammer in hand!


Gnomes
My people are, of course, gnomes!  If I were to describe my people, I would
describe us as vigorous, with a desire to get things done.  Steam-driven
machines are our mistresses, devices we craft and care for.  See, to us
machines are not just functional tools, they are an art.  And as any great
artists, we take pride in our art.  Thus our steam machines are rarely
dirty, ugly, or misshapen, but rather elegant and artful.

My people are pretty short, probably the shortest of the races.  I stand a
good 3' high, and I've got a good inch on most of my family.  Our hair is
usually dark and our eyes bright, but fair hair is not uncommon.  Heck, the
hair on my head is danged near white, though sometimes it's hard to tell
after a hard day's work.  Our noses are sharp; it helps us when working on
machines, because we can smell what's wrong with a device rather than having
to rip it apart to find out what's wrong.


Halflings
Halflings are all right in my book.  While most halflings prefer the simple
life out in the countryside, they do like to the finer things in life.  A
halfling estate is a magnificent affair, with rooms above and below ground.
They can afford such splendor because of all the spirits they produce on
their sprawling farms.  Wheat for ale and beer, grapes for wine, and even
more exotic crops for every bottled sin you can imagine.  Any proper
halfling knows his alcohol, able to identify a vintage with but a whiff.

A typical halfling is just a wee bit taller than a gnome, and have a much
broader girth.  Most halflings I've seen have fair-colored hair and dark
colored eyes.  As a halfling puts high importance on how they look, he is
well-groomed and wears expensive, tailor-made clothes.  Some wear boots,
others are more traditional and wear no footwear at all.  Being friends with
a halfling means never worrying about finding the right tavern!


Half-Breeds
These guys usually come over with humans.  They're humans with a parent of
another race, most often elves or orcs but sometimes something more exotic,
like a genie or a demon.  They look mostly human, but have some feature that
makes them look different.  Like pointed ears, underdeveloped tusks, or
horns.  Just like humans, they're unpredictable, but do pick up a few traits
from their non-human parent.  Just treat them like you would any human, and
you'll do fine dealing with 'em.


Humanity
Humans are an odd bunch.  Of all the many races, they are the most numerous
and varied, yet they don't have an empire of their own.  See, most humans
arrive in towns, all with different origins.  No one group of humans really
having the strength to conquer anything.  They more or less stay in their
own villages, or move into the cities of other races.  There are even a few
fair-sized human-founded cities, though like all places in the Ethersea,
everyone is more or less welcomed.  Overall they are not a bad folk, but
given too easily to greed and scheming.

The average human is about twice as tall as a gnome, usually five or six
feet tall.  Otherwise, it's pretty hard to describe 'em as a whole, as every
one is different.  I've seen humans of all types.  They can be pretty easy
to get along with, or they can be the biggest pain.  Gotta take each one as
an individual and assume nothing.


Elves
Without a doubt, elves are the most polite people I've ever met.  They
mostly live around Ashenroot, which is the biggest danged tree I've ever
laid eyes on!  Elves are a spiritual people, always talking about their
ancestors and spirits in the forest.  They're practical enough to see the
value of a machine, so don't expect them to be all tree-dwelling savages!  A
lot of elves have a good mind for machines, some almost as good as a gnome!

An elf is pretty tall, almost as tall as a human.  They're fair-skinned and
dark haired, with a ting of blue or purple.  They have an eye for decorating
their hair with feathers, beads, and the like.  Tattoos are pretty popular,
too.  They're more comfortable at night than during the day, which probably
has to do with the fact that their home, Ashenroot, is in perpetual twilight
because the branches block all the light from nearby lantern islands.


Trodytes
Though they look kinda funny, being big lizard-looking humanoids, a trodyte
can be the best friend you'll ever have.  These guys are pretty
happy-go-lucky, always smiling and never down.  It's hard to stay mad or
upset at a trodyte, because they're never mad at you.  Pretty nice fellows,
trodytes are, and hard workers, too.  But never really let your guard down;
some trodytes "go wild" and become savages.  It's pretty rare for that to
happen, but it happens enough that some jungle islands are overrun by wild,
savage trodytes that think nothing of toss'n ya into a stewpot!

Trodytes are pretty easy to spot.  They look like big reptile guys, with
brightly colored fanes atop their heads and snaky tails out their rear.
They dress fancy, with bright, frilly shirts and dark pantaloons.  You can
find them just about anywhere.  They use a lot of crystals, has to do with
powers of the mind, I hear.

Meduna
You could probably mistake these crafty women for humans, though that'd be a
mistake that could cost ya!  A meduna is basically a human with snakes for
hair, somewhat like the more monstrous medusas, but without the gaze that'll
turn ya into a statue.  They're a mischievous bunch, using their natural
charms and beauty to beguile every man, and I do mean every man, they come
across.  They can be deadly serious, too.  Best not trust them too far.they
didn't carve out one of the most powerful empires in the Ethersea through a
bat of an eye, that's for certain!  A meduna can be utterly ruthless and
deadly when she wants to be, so best avoid these temptresses.


Wovling
It is said that a wovling can hear the word "gold" uttered a mile away.  A
bit unfair, I might say, but not entirely inaccurate.  Wovlings are obsessed
with gold.  That and religion.  See, they're the new kids in town, and they'
ve got something to prove.  Mainly by trying to carve an empire from every
nearby island they can, and plunder islands they can't conquer.  All the
while wovling clerics run around spread'n the word of their gods.  Lucky for
everybody else, wovlings are all that numerous, and their attempts at
conquest have been pretty unsuccessful.  They keep trying, though.

Some call wovlings "were-wolves", because they look like wolf-headed humans,
although this is not quite accurate.  They do have a pretty good snout and a
coat of fur, they're less wolf and more man than anything.  Some are pretty
noble and all, but a lot of 'em are pretty deceitful and dangerous.  I've
met more wovlings than I care to admit, and I don't have fond memories of
any of 'em.

Adam
Look for my coming on the seventh month of the fifth year.  At dawn look to
the world were the Trio (plus one) that is Untouchable reigns supreme