Races of Iskloft

Iskloft is home to some of the World's oldest races, and is sometimes said to be the cradle of life. The entire country is closely linked to the elemental planes and has been suffused with magic for long periods, leading to diverse races living in proximity.

The Northmen
The Northmen, also known as the Norse, are a comparatively recent addition to the population of Iskloft. Forced north by the expansion of the Aquilan Empire, they are most common in southern Iskloft. Due to human's comparatively rapid breeding, the Northmen have quickly become a significant force across the country. The Northmen often sport a larger build than their southern cousins, and pride themselves on their martial prowess. The concept of weregelt is widely understood and adhered to, with crimes that have been paid for being forgiven.

The Northmen have a strong distrust for magic, and often respond with violence. They have no unified religion, but are often happy to unite under the banner of a powerful leader.

The Dwarves
Dwarves consider themselves the oldest of the World's races, having escaped the clutches of an evil entity somewhere in the outer planes long before even the elves saw Iskloft's skies. They have an affinity for the earth, and quickly found their home beneath the World's many mountain ranges. The dwarves subterranean lifestyle is facilitated by their short, broad stature, though in the thousands of years since their arrival in the World they have spread across almost all of its regions.

Dwarves revere their leaders above all else, and their religion is dominated by the worship of ancient dwarven kings. While many of Iskloft's most powerful magical artifacts were created by dwarves this is largely due to their cities' proximity to sources of magic, rather than any particular innate affinity. They are quick to drop a grudge, but rarely form close relationships with those outside of their family or clan.

The High Elves
Known in their own tongue as the Acrovari, the high elves like to think of themselves as the true first race of Iskloft. Certainly their cities have a more complete history than any others, and their libraries contain knowledge long lost to the other races. From the mighty spires of Firrendas to the coastal fortress of Iel-Nurore high elves were built to last, and few have ever been conquered or destroyed. While they use powerful magic, it is often cast slowly, using artifacts that have been within their families for generations.

While they are undoubtedly of the World, the high elves have undoubtedly traveled the planes. They have permanent portals in many of their temples, and use these to communicate and travel quickly and secretively. Their temples are dedicated to gods the High Elves believe were killed and usurped by the Vaetr, with a goal to reinstate these old gods to their former glory.

The Forest Elves
Also known as the Sylvari, the forest elves haunt Iskloft's deepest forests. They make no permanent settlements, and record no written history, so everything known about the Sylvari is guesswork and conjecture. They stand slightly shorter than their high elf cousins, but carry much more muscle, making them fearful opponents in a melee. They move quickly and quietly through their forest homes, setting ambushes and traps for any that they deem to be trespassing in their territory.

While typically eschewing magic, the Sylvari know more about alchemy than any of the other races, tending secret glades of powerful reagents. It is said that one strike from a forest elf's poisoned blade will spell a slow death for even the most powerful warrior, with no antidote to be found.

Forest elf camps are temporary affairs, with low hide tents scattered around a central tree that has had an elven face carved into it. It is presumed that this is a religious practice, but not enough is known about Sylvari culture to guess at what arcane forest gods they revere.

The Mountain Elves
A violent offshoot of high elf culture, the mountain elves were exiled to the mountains and tundra of Iskloft, never to return. Known as the Orovari, the mountain elves accepted the death of their gods as part of the natural cycle and were quick to worship the Vaetr. This early veneration may have helped to tie the Vaetr to their current forms, and may explain the distinctly animalistic forms these cosmic entities took.

The Orovari live in small, scattered holds and fortresses across the Knifepoint mountains and the Bjornfjall. They are lead by the clan's most powerful warrior, and gladiatorial contests are often held to discern rankings. Their society views armour and shields as the tools of the weak, and delight in wielding two blades to allow them to maximise their potential for slaughter.

While they are undoubtedly warlike, the Mountain Elves are far from uniformly evil. They care deeply for those that help them, and form friendships quickly. It is often said that the Orovari are ruled by their passions, and struggle to rein them in. This often leads to conflicts, as they are quick to take what they want and will fight to the death for their freedom to do so.

Mountain elves are almost uniformly fascinated by magic, and often have a pronounced talent for its use. Their outlook makes them almost uniquely suited for conjuration, and they will often seek to intimidate outsiders with overt displays of their prowess.

The Orcs
Orcs take pride in being Iskloft's youngest race. Their legends tell the tale of how the first orcs were created to fight in a war already lost, sent forth against an unstoppable force to slow its advance. The orcs won, and this victory in their very first days has influenced their culture for the millennium since. They are the largest and heaviest of Iskloft's people, taller than the high elves and stronger than the most muscular Northman. Despite this, they are a largely peaceful people, fighting only when their strict code of honour permits and requires it.

Orcs are keen miners, and tend to inhabit the low hills between the Syrvollr and the Bjornfjall where iron deposits are close to the surface. They use this metal to craft a wide variety of products, but their true speciality is in arms and armour. It is said that there is nothing better than orcish steel when lives are on the line.

This passion for metalwork, combined with their martial origin has lead orcs to a battlefield style unique in Iskloft. Trusting their heavy plate armour, they weild enormous two-handed swords and axes, slicing their way through any obstacle while ignoring the blows of lesser combatants. Many have tried to use this against the orcs, attempting to use transfiguration magic to crush them or limit their movements, but this tactic has always failed. It appears that when they were created, orcs were imbued with an inherent resistance to magic, and any attempt to harm them with it does little more than raise their ire.

The Icehunters
The original human inhabitants of Iskloft, the Icehunters inhabit it's far northern reaches. They live on the tundra and ice floes of the Bjornfjall, hunting seal and walrus along the coasts, as well as caribou and muskox further inland. The frigid climate prevents farming, so the ihunters are purely nomadic, following their prey across the north. This lifestyle of constant scarcity has created a people that value focus and dedication above all else, eschewing the wars and strife of the other races.

Icehunter religion is dominated by totemism: the belief that each of Iskloft's people has a special kinship with a certain animal. Their legends do not mention the ancient elven gods, but appear to be just as old, with stories of Bear, Wolf, and Elk. The icehunters see themselves as Bear's chosen, and show these animals reverence whenever possible.

The Lizardfolk
One of Iskloft's tallest races, though with a very slender build, Lizardfolk are very rare this far north. They can only be found in the Drakenmires' volcanic pools, using the hot springs to incubate their eggs. They breed incredibly slowly, but are even more long-lived that the high elves, leading to a small population dominated by the old.

Due to their unique ancestry the language of the lizardfolk is almost impossible for outsiders to speak. Consisting of whistles, clicks, and short whoops, the language carries over long distances and calls for aid are quickly responded to.

Despite their age, the lizardfolk keep no history. They see the past as dead, and are consistently looking to the future. They plan centuries in advance, hoping to keep their meagre territory no matter what.

This lack of history means that there is no record of where Iskloft's lizardfolk came from. Historians and librarians from across Iskloft would pay handsomely for evidence to support any of their myriad hypotheses.

Goblinoids
Related to Orcs, goblinoids are a loose association of races that are not native to the World. They emerge in places where the barriers between planes are thinnest, desperately fleeing some horrific other-space they refuse to speak about. From the small, scrawny gremlins and svarts, to the mighty ogres, goblinoids have few physical similarities. They are usually largely hairless with a semi-scaly green skin, but even that is subject to wide variation. The one constant is their need for leadership. Goblinoids segregate by size, but within their clans they will always submit to the strongest or craftiest. They seek to build a powerful empire, but their small numbers and lack of creativity limits their success. Even fairly basic metalwork is alien to goblinoids, and their encampments tend to be ramshackle and temporary.

For all their flaws, goblinoids should not be taken lightly. A large rift can cause a sudden explosion in the number of goblinoids, and they can quickly destroy local settlements before dispersing.