The origin of the intelligent races of Somnium is constantly under debate. While some scholars believe that the theory of evolution applies to the humans, elves, nagas, etc., the majority of the population believes that the separation between man and beast is much wider. Every religion on Somnium has its own beliefs about the origin of the intelligent races, and most involve divine intervention in some way.
[Humans]
Humans range from about 5-6 feet tall, with round ears and limited magic powers. Their hair and eye colors are limited to a handful of earthy tones, plus the occasional red hair and blue or green eyes. They have no fur, just head hair and varying amounts of wiry body hair. Although the Human race has no physical advantages over the other races, Humans are notorious for their inventiveness and competitive nature.
Through their political structure and scientific advances, the Humans have secured their place as a powerful presence in Somnium. The Human kingdom of Patria is Somnium's oldest continuous civilization to date, and the Human language has been adopted by nearly all the other intelligent races. For example, nearly all the intelligent races make use of the adjective
humanoid to describe upright, bipedal species.
[Elfs]To the untrained eye, Elfs are almost identical to Humans. Indeed, they are remarkably similar in both culture and appearance. However, it's actually easy to tell the difference if you know what you're looking for. Elfs have pointed ears, as apposed to the Humans' round, funnel-shaped ears. Elfs tend to be taller, with slimmer skeletal frames, and more delicate facial features. Their hair and eye colors have a much wider range than those of Humans.
The Elfin culture believes that the Elfin race is subordinate to the natural world it occupies. While many intelligent races strive to master and reshape the land they live on, the Elfs build around it. Elfin homes are specifically modeled to accomodate for the trees and rocks that were already there. Because this kind of construction inevitably requires lots of delicately curved lines and incredible structural integrity, the Elfs have developed an unsurpassed level of craftsmanship. Elfin culture is focused around art, and Elfin art is focused around the beauty of nature. Merchants will travel halfway across Somnium just to get their hands on valuable Elfin luxury goods.
[Faerys]Faerys (also called Fairies, Faerys, Fae, Fay, and Fee, depending on the dialect) are a very elusive race that hasn't been studied nearly as much as the other races. They are rarely visible by non-Faerys, and when they do appear they tend to raise more questions than they answer. Because so little is known about them, the other races tend to blame their misfortunes on Faery magic.
What we do know is that Faerys are very small, Elflike folk, with insectoid wings of various colors and shapes. They possess powerful magical powers and control over nature. The Elfin race is best accquainted with the Faerys, through their mutual appreciation of the natural world, but even the Elfs know very little about them.
[Nagas]Their are two recognized species of Naga in Somnium: the Primal Nagas and the Superior Nagas. Superior Nagas appear Elfin from the waist up, but with long snakey tails in place of legs. Primal Nagas, although they have a humanoid upper body, are predominantly reptillian. One could say that Primals are to Superiors as chimpanzees are to Humans. Primal Nagas are wild and uncivilized. Superior Nagas are a pastoral culture that frequently interacts with the Humans.
The Superior Nagas have a loose, informal ownership of the wide grasslands of Lacerta. They live in small, nomadic tribes that herd Lyre's Minotaur Dragons. The Humans of Patria frequently trade with them for their highly coveted Minotaur leather.
[Unica]The Unica are, or were, human...probably. The Unica race has been isolated from the rest of the world for at least twenty thousand years. They are semi-nomadic hunter-gatherers who primarily hunt the Unicorns that populate their homeland. Nearly everything the Unica eat invovles Unicorns in some way. They eat their meat and innards, use their bones for broth, and even drink their raw, partially-congealed blood. Generations of eating Unicorns has caused the Unica to absorb the Unicorns' magic. Every Unica child is born with some kind of magical mutation. These traits are unpredictable, even identical twins can be born with ridiculously different powers. Most Unica look human, but their mutations sometimes make it hard to tell what's a Unica and what's a monster.
In recent years, the Human language has replaced the native Unica languages completely. Unica often interact with the Humans of Patria, selling them valuable Unicorn horns in exchange for Human technology. Some Humans believe that they can gain Unica powers by drinking the blood of Unicorns, and pay top dollar for the game that Unica hunters bring down. However, it took hundreds of generations for the Unica to become what they are today. No Human thus far has ever been turned into a Unica.
[Po-Kai]The mountain-dwelling Po-Kai intentionally isolate themselves from the rest of Somnium. These birdlike humanoids strive to keep their culture as unchanged as possible. They rarely leave their mountain homes for anything. Some merchants have successfully made contact with the Po-Kai and brought their crops and textiles to Patria, but the majority of outsiders are greeted with a violent reception. It's not really that hard to understand their hostility towards strangers, when you consider that the Superior Nagas have a taste for Po-Kai eggs.
The Po-Kai have feathers and beaks, but they are unable to fly. They live in small horticultural settlements at very high altitudes, where they grow rare crops that exist nowhere else on Somnium.
GhoblingsThe Ghoblings (also known as Goblins) are a race of tiny, chaotic, monstrous troublemakers who plague the island of Maligo. The Ghoblings are intelligent, but their society is primitive. Their leadership is informal and they usually don't acknowledge any kind of authority. A small subculture of Ghoblings has adopted the Human culture. They coexist peacefully with the Humans in the forests of Patria, and call themselves the Hobghoblings.
Ghoblings are about three feet tall, and more or less humanoid. They have large, batlike ears and hooked, crooked noses. Hobghoblings pay attention to hygene and dress as Humans, but normal Ghoblings are dirty, naked little savages.
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