The races of the world

The races of the world

-Man
It is said of men that they are not native to the continent of Argalis. Instead, they immigrated and settled there about thirty thousand years ago. What cannot be denied, however, is the ability of humanity to set up and expand its states. Aided by their high birth rate and adaptability. Because of this, man has dominated the continent since the time of the ancient King Mithridates, a status further cemented by the rise of the Isidorian empire, which introduced the idea that one did not need to be of one's race to live in a state. Today, man still holds sway over the continent, if not the world.

Lifespan: 60–90 years

Common insults: umie, pinkie, lanklets, downy hairs, fleeting ones, round-ear

-Dwarves
The Dwarfs are by nature miners, and they have extolled that profession quite well. Famous for their cities inside mountains. They are not merely mine; of course, other traditional dwarven professions include things such as shepherd, brewer, smith, mason, and mushroom farmer. Although they were, according to their history, once united through a system of underground highways, today the dwarven holds lay disunited. The largest among them still spans a few mountain ranges, but most stand alone. Much like the elves, some of them swore fealty to a human overlord for protection. Some of their customs rubbed off on some of their human neighbours, like in Abadonia, where the humans copied the local clan system. In the south of Tautenland, they formed a confederation with the human cities in the mountain valleys to protect their autonomy from both their neighbours and the emperor.

Lifespan: 100–120 years

Common insults: hairy ape, manlets, stuntie, beardie, goatmen, walking lard

-Orcs
Of the Orc, it is said that one can divide him into two subgroups, the western Orc and the eastern Orc. The Western Orc was allegedly created when the Isidorian empire conquered their homelands and hired their inhabitants to act as shock troops for its wars. After years of human colonists and retiring Orc veteran legionaries intermingling, the western Orc had been created. Referring to them as half-orcs, although technically true, would also be inaccurate. As the western Orcs managed to make them distant enough from the offspring of any Orc and non-Orc, They are generally slimmer and taller than their eastern cousins, with a smaller underbite and smaller tusks.

The eastern Orcs, on the other hand, are still closer to their original selves. Living in their traditional way of life and considering the Orcs in the West as weaklings. These orcs are shorter in length but bulkier. This makes them a valued labour force for the Dwarven holds that haven’t banned slavery, and they pay handsomely to anyone who can acquire them for them. Of course, on occasion, a slave or two escapes deep into the earth.

Today, if you want to hire mercenaries with vigour and a mix of savagery and discipline, the Orcs are more than happy to provide themselves for such a task.

Lifespan: 60–80 years

Common insults: boarface, walking pig, mining equipment, green savage, bat-ear

-Elves
The elves are the longest-lived race known. They consider themselves to be the custodians of what they consider the last vestiges of the ancient woods; the largest Elven realms are based around these forests for their procession. However, they are not above using these resources to earn money. The few Elven states left over prefer to remain neutral in most affairs on the continent, fearing that a great war is something they can never recover from. However, these are not the only Elven settlements in existence. Some of their cities and tower-manors chose to swear fealty to a human king (much like some Dwarves did) rather than abandon their ancestral homes. Due to their long lifespan, they are usually hired at the court of human kings to administer the archives, among other things.

Lifespan: 150–300 years

Common insults: knife-ear, tree-hugger, the great hesitators, hairless ones