Races of Caelea

Righ-o! So... these are, at the moment, the current civilized races of Caelea/Newumberland, a wee bit updated from the last time as stuff got worked on et al.

For those who haven't been following everything that I've worked on here (which would be... everybody but dd and Silber ), Caelea is my current big worldbuilding project, a fantasy/Victorian-era imperialism/Gothic/steampunk setting, while Newumberland is a nation therein with very strong Gothic/ Victorian Horror overtones, where my current writing projects/ world building efforts/ DnD campaigns are focused. (And yes, I am overusing /... so shoot me!)

Humans are as per normal: Dominant race numerically, politically, and militarily. A number of diverse cultures, the ones being focused on in Newumbria are the Flansh (Celts), Umbrish (English), Holt (Dutch), Castillian (Spanish), and Normund (French), though there are of course a myraid of other cultures that also hold significant influence (Portorans, Caelens, Qaliz, Bernovites, Roenlanders, Vestrians, Halashi, etc.) The largest human faith is the Caelean Church (great big overview of it here [link] ), which has become the dominant religion amongst the other humanoids living on the Caelean Peninsula

Dwarves are the other race which were not significantly modified,still the hardy folk with the accent, pride, and love of the strong stuff. However, there are four distinct branches of the Dwarven peoples within Caelea, each with their own languages. The Durnic Dwarves, who rule the Union of Khazad Roens and are found throughout the Dragonrest Mountains and the other ranges of central Caelea are your standard mountain-dwelling folk. The Hurig live along the coastlines of northern Caelea and Rimegaard, and have a reputation for being master shipwrights, while also ruling the small Republic of Vale. The other two cultures are the Ghar who make their homes in the plains of southern Berenov-Rus and western Vestria, and the Valen, who reside in the uplands of Great Flans and other western Caelean nations. Dwarves or all stripes were always known for their craftsmanship, but recently they have made some drastic innovations in the field of steam-based technologies, and dwarven inventions like the steam-train and steam-boat are rapidly gaining acceptance among the other races.

The Fayn are a humanoid race with a deep, intrinsic connection to Faerie and it's arcane energies. They have long been integrated into the larger human populace, using their natural skills and talents to even out the feild. The homeland of the Caelean fayn is currently divided between Norundy, Castillia and Portoro, though Fayn can be found throughout the peninsula and the greater world, fitting into a myriad of roles within humanoid society .

Cyrans are the final remnants of the ancient elves, having had their ancestral ties to Faerie severed ages ago in a brutal civil war between several factions. Cyrans were the remnants of the faction exiled to the mortal world, and in the process lost much of their natural grace, resilience, and longevity, as well as having the magic-absorbing metal Etherium magically grafted to their bones. No longer able to access magic with the ease that was their birthright, they sought an alternative, and into that void, they placed technology. Over the centuries they have become the masters of magi-, or arcano-tech, creating such inventions as the bulky but widely useful Telecommunicator, a two-way scrying device, and the Personal Transponder, which allows transmission of voice over a great distance between two linked devices. The Cyran's homeland is now part of Berenov-Rus, but nowadays most have moved into western Caelea, with forming communities of significant size within Roensland, Korlund, Khazad Roens, and Holtland.

Shange, aka the race whose name I can never settle on, are a rather reclusive and secretive race, despite living within communities of other races. They have kept much of their pre-Caelean traditions, while simultaneously adopting many of the customs of their neighbouring peoples. The Shange homeland was a series of isles within the inner sea that were sunk in a great cataclysm nearly a millenia ago, the exact nature of which is still hotly debated among academics. There are significant Shange populations in Hala, Andaria, Caelea, Qaliz and other south-eastern Caelean nations, though a small enclave of Shange is present in most Caelean cities of significant size. Most Shange are either blind or other forms of vision loss, and though that was not a problem when they lived amongst themselves, forced integration with other races necessitated the invention of items that enhanced or even restored sight, which explains the bindings found over the eyes of most Shange.

Hurg are a people from the western extremes of Berenov-Rus who have invaded and settled within Caelea numerous times over the past three thousand years, forming significant communities within Qaliz, Dasnia, and Vestria. There are many different cultures and traditions among the hurg, from those completely integrated into western Caelean society, to those recently brought to Caelea by slavers to serve as labourers and servants. They are typically looked upon as dull and savage by the other races, and thus even the free members of the hurg race have largely been regulated to the lower rungs of Caelean society.

Finally are the four kithkin races: the kith, the brun, the bead, and the halling. They possess a number of significant biological differences when compared to the other civilized races, causing the division of the races into the separate humanoid and kithkin classifications. Most strikingly are their appearances, as kithkin appear more bestial than humanoids, possessing short muzzles, thick fur, broad wings, and semi-prehensile tails. The pads of their feet are thick enough that most kithkin don't bother wearing shoes, and indeed, thanks to their fur, kithkin clothing tends to be more geared towards modesty and utility than warmth and protection from the elements. Kithkin possess three separate genders, compared to the humanoid's two, and are marsupialoids, parents of all genders capable of carrying around their young, known as pouchlings, in a pouch situated in their lower abdomen. Kithkin blood is pink, a result of their blood's high resistance to freezing, and they posses two hearts which facilitates the flow of blood to their wings during flight.

Along with physical similarities, the kithkin races are extremely similar culturally, being the decedents of the fallen extraplanar civilization of the Verel'syth. The isle of Nohn, along with a dozen smaller cities and islands, were planeshifted to Caelea a thousand years ago via a great act of technological prowess, though it left the kithkin survivors stranded on Ardous, barely escaping total extinction. A few hundred years later, a resurgant Cyran kingdom drove the kithkin off Nohn and claimed the isle as a new homeland, leaving the kithkin as a fractured, nomadic remnant. Over the years, the brun and later the halling have largely settled down and formed introverted communities within human kingdoms, but the kith and the bead are still largely nomads, functioning as a living link between nations and cities. Despite their difference in racial attitudes, many humanoids would be hard pressed to find differances between kithkin, as they share a language, script, religion, history, and oral tradition, but as the kithkin remnants were largely of divergent castes within the Verel'syth empire, kith being the merchant and administrator caste, brun the academic caste, the halling were the tradesmen and artisan caste, and the bead were the priestly class. There were apparently several other castes, such as the labourer and warrior castes which all served under the Verel'syth nobles, but they are not present in modern Caelea, as the cities that were transported were largely the academic and scientific centres, home almost exclusively to kith, brun, and halling, with a few bead here and there. However, despite the lingering influences of these ancestral castes, which leaves the kithkin largely unable to form a self-sustaining kingdom of their own, the kithkin have, over the past several centuries, begun to branch out from their traditional roles, adapting to their new world to the point were they are no longer at risk of extinction.

Righ-o! Ten races done up here! Hope you enjoyed it