EDRulebook: 5 Major Races of Barsaive

Ork

Dwarfs pay well, but I don't like their attitude. Of course, I don't like most peoples' attitudes.

--Kraeg Yelloweye, ork Cavalryman in service to the Kingdom of Throal
Orks have a powerful build, averaging 6 feet 3 inches in height and 225 pounds in weight. Large lower canines protrude over their upper lip and their body hair has a coarse texture, almost always colored black or gray. Some orks appear nearly hairless, and head hair usually grows in sparsely but with the thickness of fine wire. Common skin colors include olive green, beige, pinkish-white, tan, and ebony. Their ears are pointed, and about a quarter of the population show elongated ears. Natural life span for an ork averages 40 years, though some live 60 years or more. Orks reach their physical maturity in their early teens.

Orks recognize only a loose concept of family, giving greatest loyalty to their tribe. Social organization within the tribe varies considerably, as orks often adopt social structures of the other races with whom they interact. Isolated tribes usually contain only two authority figures, however, the warchief and the shaman. Most ork tribes live as nomads and willingly inhabit any kind of dwelling. They live in tents when with their own tribes.

Troll

Take no back talk from anyone, not even an obsidiman. Stand for your word and make them stand for theirs. I generally make an exception for windlings. They fly like blazes, and their tongues move just as fast. Open confrontation just encourages them. It is best to wait until they sleep, then pop their puny heads off.

-- Larus Baldurion, Crystal raider captain, mak ing his traditional speech to a new crew
The average troll height is 8 feet 6 inches, and average weight is 500 pounds or more. Skin colors range from olive to mahogany-brown. Troll skin has a rough texture, increased by the ridges, spines, or plating resulting from deposits of trolthelia , a substance similar to the material in rhinoceros horn. Body hair is sparse except on the chest, and head hair grows considerably thicker and longer than human hair. Lower canines protrude from the mouths of a slight majority of trolls. The nose is broader than the human nose. Trolls exhibit fierce, aggressive personalities. The average natural life span is 50 years, though some trolls have lived into their seventies. Trolls reach physical maturity in their early teens.

Trolls are fiercely loyal to their family or clan. Multiple clans can organize through the ritual of the trollmoot, gatherings of several clans whose leaders swear the loyalty of their clans to one another, but such unified action remains rare. Troll clans often war among themselves when other enemies are lacking. Trolls prefer to live in caves, ice caverns, or other natural geographic features. They find dwarven or elven settlements more comfortable than human or ork communities, and have been known to camp around obsidimen connected to a Liferock. Trolls find the serenity of the obsidimen calming and deeply moving. Their regard for the obsidimen mountains often prompts trolls to choose those sites for trollmoots.

T'skrang

The name of our people? Well, my Theran friend, there are many stories that tell that tale. For the true one, you must listen very carefully to the sound inside your helmet. What? Oh, that’s just my tail. Listen carefully, for the truth will soon be revealed.

-- From the transcript of the trial of the t’skrang pirate Theormaz
T’skrang are reptilian beings with a flair for the dramatic. They average 5 feet 9 inches tall, and their tails add another 6 feet of length. T’skrang weigh an average of 200 pounds, of which nearly 40 is the tail. T’skrang skin color ranges from verdant green to green-yellow or green-blue, with aqua-blue and even sunset-red variants. T’skrang have cauliflower-shaped ears set into the sides of their heads. The t’skrang mature physically by the age of 10, and often live 80 or more years. The t’skrang talent for tale-telling casts doubt on their claims of a 181-year-old t’skrang, particularly because careful dwarven observations place the oldest known t’skrang at a mere 115. T’skrang scholars blame this variance on faulty dwarven calculations, which of course the dwarfs vigorously deny.

T’skrang give primary loyalty to their families, though like humans, they can transfer this loyalty to tribes and nations. Some individuals pledge their loyalty to other races’ societies, but pirate federations are the closest thing to a nation the t’skrang have built for themselves. Females lead t’skrang society, which is matriarchal in most aspects. T’skrang prefer to live in roofed dwellings along bodies of water, and submerge portions of their homes. T’skrang love to swim and immerse themselves in water, becoming sulky and irritable if unable to do so at least once a week.

T'skrang consider members of the other Name-giver races rather dull and boring. In turn, most other Name-giver races consider T'skrang overly flamboyant and somewhat frivolous. All races agree that each holds a unique and necessary place in the society of Barsaive, and so agree to disagree.

Windling

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

-- Poorht, windling Thief, as he fled for his life after stealing the dagger of Captain Larus Baldurion, troll crystal raider
Windlings are small, winged creatures. They average 18 inches in height and weigh an average of 13 pounds. They fly using two double-wings, similar to a dragonfly’s, made of a tough, iridescent membrane. A windling’s skin color matches the brightest-colored elements of the environment in which it lives: icy white in a snowcap, the yellow and orange of meadow flowers, the glazed blue of the ceramic roof-tiles of the city of Vewbane. Skin coloration only changes after a windling has lived in the same place for two or three months. Then, in the space of three nights, the windling’s skin changes to match its current surroundings. Windlings grow very little body hair, though their head hair can be luxurious. Their ears come to a sharper point even than elven ears. Windlings mature physically over 30 years, reaching a natural life span of 170 years. Their appearance does not age during this time.

Windling society can best be described as haphazard. Windlings often speak of a class of nobles who rule them. Though they will obey a direct order from a noble, the social hierarchy stops there. Windlings acting on orders from their queen cannot wield authority over other windlings by virtue of these orders, but may persuade other windlings to seek out the queen to determine for themselves that the orders are legitimate. Windlings are happiest when living outdoors, taking shelter under or inside whatever nature can provide and windling magic make comfortable. Windlings can tolerate cities, but consider them a colossal waste of time and effort.