General Background Info

The Kingdom of Blume:

	Over a thousand years ago Blume was a peaceful fertile valley that was nestled between two mountain ranges.  All of the races fought over this land for over a century.  Within each of the races there were groups that were tired of the conflict.  These groups banded together and fought off all of the races.  They then formed the Kingdom of Blume within that valley.

	The leaders of each group agreed to vote amongst themselves for who should be king or queen.
Whenever the king or queen would die, they would vote again for who amongst their heirs would become the king or queen.  The heir of the current ruler is disqualified to prevent back to back rules of the same race.  This tradition has lasted to the modern day.  The leaders of the eight groups turned their families into 8 noble houses.  Currently King Archibald, a Human, is the ruler of the land.  He is 93 years old and every noble family knows he can't live much longer.  They would all love to have their heir rule the kingdom.

	The capital city is Baum.  It is where the royal throne resides and where the nobles spend most of their time.  Most of the noble families do have homes throughout the country though.  The city of Baum resides on an island in Lake Cath.  This lake is in the center of the country, where all of the river of the land meet.  These rivers flow down from the mountains, making them and the lake very mineral rich.  The city of Baum takes advantage of the lake by having the city fitted with a complicated series of canals.  There is a bridge from island to the shore on the other side.

Wood Nymphs:

	The average Wood Nymph stands at 6ft for males and 5'8” for females.  No Wood Nymph has ever been seen without a slender build.  They are exceptionally light despite their height, topping out at 120 pounds.  Most of their skin resembles bark.  The chest, crotch, butt, and face are all covered with skin that possess a light shade of green.  Wood Nymph hair comes in every color imaginable and grows rapidly.  Most Wood Nymphs, particularly the women, prefer to let their hair go past their shoulders.  Wood Nymphs are capable of living up to 400 years.  However, those who live outside of the woods tend to live between 100-150 years.  The nature of most Wood Nymphs is to be pacifistic unless their woods are threatened.  If their woods are threatened then they will respond with great prejudice.  And they are more than capable of responding as Wood Nymphs can speak to the trees and command them to attack.  They can also enter the trees and instantly flit from one to the other.  While within their trees they also experience tremendous regenerative properties.  It is speculated that this is why those that live in the woods live so much longer.

	The forest of Neherli, in which the Wood Nymphs reside, once extended around the mountains into the land of Blume long before the country was formed.  This part of the forest was even more magnificent than the woods outside of it.  It is believed that within this fertile land the trees and the Wood Nymphs were first born.  All of the other races coveted this land.  A bit over a millennia ago a massive war was waged to take control of the land.  The trees were chopped and burned down until almost none remained.  The war lasted a century until groups from all eight races came together to take control of the land.  This split the Wood Nymph population in two.  The majority live in the woods of Neherli while the remainder live in the country of Blume.

	The Wood Nymphs of Neherli do not understand their brethren in Blume.  As a whole, they do not despise the Wood Nymphs of Blume for living outside of the woods.  For those of Neherli, it's a matter of confusion because to live outside of the woods is their greatest punishment.  The highest penalty for a crime is not death but to be exiled from the woods.  Those who live in Blume are divided over this.  The majority are happy living outside of the woods, even within cities.  It is all they, their family, and their ancestors many generations back have ever known.  Yet it is not uncommon for them to wonder what they are missing.  Particularly amongst the youth there is often the desire to return to the woods.  Some do choose to leave and they are happily welcomed in Neherli.

Aly:

	The Aly are an extremely tall and thin race.  They reach up to 10 feet in height without their tallest ever going past 200 pounds.  Their other most distinctive feature is their large, completely bald heads.  Alyiens have skin that ranges in tone from light to dark gray.  The average life expectancy for Alyiens is 80 years.  The Aly are known for having incredible intelligence paired with frail bodies.  It takes the average Alyien half the time to learn something it would normally take.  They can get wrapped up in their studies and ignore others but the Aly are not emotionally inept.  In fact, they are rather empathic.  They just forget to pay attention to those around them sometimes.

	Alyien culture revolves around two things, knowledge and money.  From the age of 6 the Aly begin their schooling.  At the age of 8 they pick a simple spell.  When they have learned it so well they can cast it at will they are considered an adult.  There are even the rare recorded cases of 8 year-olds having accomplished this and despite their age they were consider fully adult.  If anything, the younger an Alyien becomes an adult the more respect they are given.

	The Aly turn their intelligence towards inventing.  Almost all of the worlds major inventions have come from the Aly.  From the Alyiens in Blume came revolutionary techniques in agriculture and irrigation.  They designed the canal system Baum, the capitol of Blume.  150 years ago they invented firearms and have been improving them since.  And the Alyiens in Alyeta are behind almost every nautical invention.  The only other race to contribute were the Mer and the Mer had little interest in these endeavors when they could just swim.  Recently the Alyiens of Alyeta created the world's first airship.  And these are just a small sample of the Aly's important inventions.  They are far too prolific to name them all.

	The Aly are not greedy.  They are not misers.  But they do value money.  Many see it as their reward for furthering the pursuit of knowledge.   So, upon completing their inventions an Alyien looks for a buyer and sells it.  This has turned the country of Alyeta into an economic powerhouse only rivaled by Blume.  Yet, you will never find an Alyien in a merchant's guild.  Alyiens only sell what they made themselves.  They have no interest in buying and reselling others wares.

Drogar:

	The Drogar are only behind the Aly in height.  Drogar tend to be around 8 feet in height when fully mature.  Unlike the Aly the Drogar's frame completely supports this height.  The average weight for a Drogar is 400 pounds.  Most Drogar keep in good shape so their bodies are almost all muscle and no fat.  A Drogar's skin is light orange and the hair is dark red.  They have a second set of arms located underneath the first pair.  They are equally adept with all of their arms.  What they have in an extra pair of arms they're lacking in a pair of eyes.  All they have on their face is two holes for a nose and a large mouth.  On the sides of their heads they have no ears, just ear holes.  Despite this, they have the best sense of any race.  The average Drogar life expectancy is 50 years old.  However, Drogar are perfectly capable of living past 100.  Most Drogar just tend to get themselves killed before then.

	The Drogar are hunters.  It is at the core of their culture and traditions.  At the age of 10 Drogar boys and girls are brought out on their first hunt.  By age 12 they are expected to be able to hunt on their own.  The Drogar's natural senses and physical capabilities make them the world's most most effective hunters.

	The Drogar's inclination and talent for hunting attracted the Tok.  The two races began to hunt together.  The Tok's speed paired well with the Drogar's talent and a lasting partnership was formed.  That partnership turned into the Great Union.

	In Blume, the Drogar hold a different opinion of the Tok.  They see the Tok as fat and disgusting.  Most Drogar despite the Tok.  Drogar from Baum have a particular distaste for the Tok.  The Baum Drogar are in general more aggressive and prone to bursts of anger as they are incapable of hunting while in their urban environment.

Tok:

	An average Tok is 5'8” and 350 pounds.  Their average lifespan is 80 years.  They have a very leathery skin and toad like heads.  Their skin comes in multiple colors and patterns but they all tend to be more muted and dark.  The Tok possess four stomachs and several unique organs that assist with digestion, energy storage, and energy use.  As a result the Tok have an incredibly high metabolism.  The Tok consume three times as much food as other races.  In most cases it would barely take more than a week without food for a Tok to starve to death.  A fat Tok is a sign of a Tok in good health.

	The Tok are the fastest of all the races.  They convert all of the food they eat into energy that they rapidly expend.  A Tok often has great difficultly keeping still, always wanting to be in motion.  They also have difficulty keeping their thoughts still, having low attention spans.  A common joke from the Baum Drogar is that the only thought a Tok can hold is when they're thinking of their next meal.  The Tok have the reputation as the hardest working race because they hate to sit still so much.  Almost any Tok would rather be at work than sitting around doing nothing.

	The Tok from the Great Union were once nomads.  Just as much as they individually move around, they moved around as a group.  The only thing that could make them stay in one place was a good source of food.  Food was one thing in abundance in the land of Blume, leading them to fight for it.  It was then, during that great war, that the Tok first witnessed the Drogar's ability hunting.  And when the war was over the Tok sought out the Drogar.  Those Tok never had to move again with the bounty of food the Drogar helped them obtain.

	The Tok that remained in Blume saw the success of the partnership between the Drogar and Tok.  The Tok approached the Drogar with the same offer.  The Drogar refused.  They were incensed over the first election for king.  The Drogar were runner-up in that election and the Tok voted against them.  They were enraged that they would dare come to them for a partnership after.  So they refused and made snide comments about how the Tok were so scatterbrained that they were always changing their minds.  This was the beginning of a rivalry that would last a thousand years.

Mer:

	Female Mer average at 5ft tall while male Mer average at 6ft.  The lifespan of a Mer is typically 90 years.  Like most other races, they have two arms and two legs.  Unlike the other races, those limbs are covered in fins that aid the Mer in swimming.  The Mer are well adapted to the water.  They have gills and lungs, allowing them to breath above and below water.  The Mer are capable of breathing both salt and fresh water.  Their eyes can see perfectly underwater, even with little light.  Mer can even handle water so frigid that the surface freezes.  The Mer manage this by being in-tune with the element of cold.  They can harness cold to the degree that they can apply it to their attacks.

	A Mer's skin is rubbery and can be almost any color, often multiple colors.  These colors make a pattern on the skin.  Amongst the Mer, it is considered attractive to have more colors, more elaborate patterns, and more vibrant colors.  Some Mer use waterproof paints as makeup.

	The Mer live next to, but not within water.  They live on the shore and build houses out of wood.  The Mer also build some facilities underwater out of stone.  Mostly the Mer only go underwater to fish, relax socially, or for the children to play.  This is because while the Mer are waterproof, their amenities are not.  The Mer could not do so much as write a letter if they were underwater.

	The Mer are a race divided in three.  In the ancient conflict over the land of Blume, the Mer formed a military base around Lake Victori (which they named for their believed impending victory.)  When the war eventually concluded the Mer from their homeland of Mostra in the south were separated from the Mer at Lake Victori in the north.  The land of Blume stood in the middle.  Both sides felt the betrayal of the Mer who joined the newly formed country of Blume.  They despised the Mer of Blume.  Life went on for the Mer at Lake Victori.  They eventually considered themselves separate and formed the country of Victori.  The Mer from Mostra considered this a great betrayal.  They felt that they were betrayed twice.  Over time the Mer from Mostra even began to look down upon those from Victori and Blume for living by fresh water.  For hundreds of years the three nations have had bad relations.

Shadai:

	An average Shadai stands at 5 feet and 6 inches, will live to about 70, and weight 160 pounds.  Shadai are predators, stalkers.  They are nocturnal and have eyes that can see perfectly in the darkness.  Their scales are pitch black and cover them head to toe.  They blend in perfectly with the night.  They are extremely dexterous and lithe, allowing them to creep silently.  They have an elongated mouth filled with sharp teeth and a strong jaw that can rip though flesh.  Their fangs excrete a poison that puts their prey to sleep.  They can strike silently this way and put their prey to sleep before they can alert the rest with their struggling.

	The Shadai are very close knit.  There are many speculated reasons for this.  A popular guess is that they are so close knit because the other races don't trust them, so they are driven together.  Whatever the reason, Shadai communities are extremely close.  Even the Shadai from Blume are still close with those from their home country of Eche.

	The country of Eche is rather large.  It was once only half the size.  Hundreds of years ago the Shadai attacked their human neighbors of Alana.  The Shadai won decisively.  They slaughtered many of the humans and drove out those that remained.  This has caused a great deal of tension between the Shadai and the Mer of Mostra.  The country of Mostra remains paranoid that their neighbors to the north will attack them as well.  As a result Mostra has had a significant military force ever since.

	While the Shadai in Eche are nocturnal, those in Blume need to operate in daytime due to the other races they live with.  Many Shadai have difficulties with this and are known to be rather groggy during the day.  Some Shadai are known to nap during the day as well.  Due to this, if there is a job with late hours it is almost certain to be filled by a Shadai.  Many citizens of Blume, including the Shadai, take humor in the fact that a race with a poison that puts others to sleep has difficulty staying awake.

Chiten:

	The Chiten vary wildly from male to female.  They have a 1 to 99 gender split.  Only 1% of their population are females.  These females are much smarter and stronger than the males.  They also live longer.  Chiten females live up to 100 years while Chiten males only live to their 30s at the latest.  It takes the females until their early 20s to become fully mature while it only takes 10 years for the males.  When the Chiten need more children the females pick the strongest warriors of their race to breed with and then lay eggs in the hundreds at a time.  The most noticeable difference between male and female Chiten are the light green transparent wings on the females backs.  What all Chiten have in common is a hard dark green exoskeleton.  They all have two arms and two legs.  The Chiten are all also rather light, weighing only 60 pounds despite their bulky frames that can reach up to 6 feet in height.

	Male Chiten are broken up into two distinct types, the worker and the warrior.  Both share one important trait.  They are suicidally loyal to the Chiten that birthed them.  Worker Chiten are born with the races collective knowledge on engineering.  They also possess great dexterity and have a natural ability to quickly shape stone into whatever they desire.  The workers use this to construct their races homes, or as they call it the colony.  They colonies they build are taller than they are wide.  They build massive skyscrapers that are many hundreds of feet tall.  These buildings are all gray and uniform.  The only distinct buildings are those in which the females reside.  Most workers also learn some sort of other craft in order to be useful to the colony.

	Warrior Chiten are exactly what they sound like.  They have harder exoskeletons, greater strength, can regrow lost limbs, and are born with the Chiten's collective knowledge of weaponry.  What the warriors lack is intelligence.  Even the smarter warriors prefer not to think for themselves.  A warrior is happiest when he is following orders, even when he knows that the orders will get him killed.  The warriors think of themselves as expendable.  These traits make them well in demand within Blume's army.  Chiten warriors make up 40% of Blume's army.  The army also has some workers for their logistical support and female Chiten as commanders.

	There exists only one colony outside of Blume.  However, this colony is so massive that it is the size of a country itself.  It is a massive sprawling cityscape within the forest of Neherli.  This colony was once very small but it has slowly expanded over time.  The Wood Nymphs have done everything they could to halt their advance but they have failed.  The Chiten keep slowly coming.  They chop down the forest and replace it with their cities.  The Chiten have no name for their colony but the Wood Nymphs call it the Blight.

Human:

	Humans are the most versatile of all the races.  The come in all shapes in sizes.  Their skin varies from white to black.  They can have several different kinds of hair and eye color.  They live on average to 70 but some have lived past 100.  Above all else, they are adaptable.  Humans are said to be able to survive anywhere.

	Hundreds of years ago, the Shadai of Eche attacked the Human homeland of Alana.  It was a swift war that was over in a month.  The Shadai burned down many towns and slaughtered the residents.  The surviving Humans were banished from their homeland.  They sought refuge in the country of Blume with the rest of their kin.   They were famously refused by King Serti, a Shadai.  The only place they had left to go were the Wild Lands.

	Monsters are rare throughout every country.  They had all been hunted and driven away.  The Wild Lands were a different story.  The Wild Lands run amok with monsters.  It was never cleared out because it is a barren land where it is very difficult to grow anything.  This is what the humans are now forced to call home.  They live surrounded by all of the monsters of the world while being barely able to grow anything.  Yet despite this, they survived.