Dwarfish

The Dwarfs or "at-Ekku" are a race created at the beginning of the Second Era by the God of Craftsmen, Thakan. Originally tasked with building the first city in Halaran, Thakantal, their homeland was lost during the War of Devouring. The Dwarfs who were not outright killed in the invasion fled to the deep mines, where they either migrated along the vast stone highways to greener pastures or stayed and put up a resistance beneath their old home. Thakantal was destroyed, yet its ruins remain. The walls surrounding the city became the mountains surrounding the Marblight, and its central tower became the volcano of Malektal.
Biologically, Dwarfs are very different from the other intelligent species of Halaran. The at-Ekku reproduce via parthenogenesis by cutting their beard off and then combining it with a certain object to create an "egg." Gnomes are born from gemstones, Dwarves are born from stones, and Duergar are born from slag. While Dwarfish language and society has little concept of gender,

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Brevenni (Dwarf)

The Brevenni first came into during the Archaic Age, created by Thakan, one of the original Thirteen Gods of Halaran, for the purpose of constructing the first city: Thakantal. The Brevenni lived in the great city for centuries, until it fell during the War of Devouring. The city of Thakantal became the modern region of Marblight, and the Brevenni were displaced further south. The sturdiness and long memory of the Brevenni race is obvious to anyone who has spent any time with them. Even millennia later, the Brevenni still yearn to reclaim their ancient homeland from the Shadow.

The Brevenni are a hardy people, and are able to ignore magical effects that would be dangerous to other races. This effect is a double-edged-sword, however, as they are unable to touch the Worldfont and therefore cannot use magic. In addition to their unique physical nature, they all come with an innate knowledge of how to use tools due to their intended nature as city-builders and craftsfolk.

Race Lore: Dwarf
Race Perk Page: Dwarf Perks
Inherent Racial Ability:

• You have advantage on all Wisdom, Intelligence, and Charisma saving throws against magic.
• You gain Proficiency and Expertise with a set of Artisans Tools of your choice.
• You are immune to the effects of Alcohol, although you experience similar effects from Capsaicin.
• As a Dwarf, you are hardly touched by the Arcane. While this gives you extra resistance to certain spells, you also cannot touch the Arcane well enough to play most casters. You may not play as a Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard, Arcana Cleric, Arcane Archer Fighter, Arcane Trickster Rogue, Elder Tree Blood Hunter, Eldritch Knight Fighter, Profane Soul Blood Hunter, Way of the Four Elements Monk, or Wild Magic Barbarian.

Point Balance: 22 Points
Size: You may choose between Medium or Small
Speed: 25 ft.
Language: You know International, Brevenni Dwarfish, and Brevenni Handtalk.
Age: Brevenni are mature upon hatching, and live up to 120 years after.
Physical Description: The Brevenni appear similar to Humans, although they are far shorter and wider. Most Brevenni have black hair, although those born on the surface often have brown or reddish hair. The Brevenni get their skin tone from whatever rock they were born from. For example, those born from limestone are light-skinned, those from slate are dark-skinned, and those from granite have a pinkish skin tone.
Social Difficulty: 1. Dwarves control the majority of Isan's underground, meaning that Dwarvish strongholds are relatively commonplace. They tend to have good relations with Humans and Elves, whom they often trade with.

Kallidstam (Gnome)

Meaning “Quick-Folk” in Einaran, the Kallidstam are an early offshoot species of the Brevenni. Known commonly as the Gnomes, the Kallidstam were an offshoot of the Brevenni created early in the history of Halaran. After the loss of Thakantal, many Brevenni hid in the massive mines directly beneath the city. This greatly changed the survivors, who lost their resistance to magic and the ability to reproduce using rocks. This would have spelled the doom of the survivors, if it were not for the martyrdom of Thakan. When the Deceiver breached the walls of Thakantal and slew the inhabitants who refused to flee, he ripped the heart out of Thakan, whom he captured. He then dropped the heart into the deepest pit of Thakantal, where it shattered. The Brevenni hiding in the mines used the shattered gems of his heart to create a new generation of Dwarves. This new generation became what we recognize now as Gnomes. All Gnomes have the spark of Thakan in them, although their desire to create manifests much differently from the same desire in Dwarves. Gnomes wish to understand and master both the physical and magical worlds by creating a Theory of Everything. With the drop of a God's blood inside every one of them, they can briefly manipulate the physical world, and are much more in touch with the arcane than their Dwarvish brethren.

As the millennia passed, the Gnomes were pushed out of their mines and were forced to flee to Einar by the denizens of the Marblight. They sought refuge among the Humans, whom they then repaid by sharing the secrets of their technology. In the modern day, most Gnomes live among the Einarans, who protect their gem mines in the Worldrim mountains in exchange for technology.

Race Lore: Gnome
Race Perk Page: Gnome Perks
Inherent Racial Ability:

• Whenever you make an Intelligence-based skill check or use an Artisan’s Tool, you may add 1d4 to your roll.
• You know the Prestidigitation cantrip, and the total number of its non-instantaneous effects you can have at once is increased by an amount equal to your Spellcasting modifier (minimum of 1)
• You have advantage on checks to determine how a nonmagical device functions.
• You are immune to the effects of alcohol, although you experience similar effects from Capsaicin.

Point Balance: 22
Size: Small
Speed: 25ft
Language: You know International and Gnomish.
Age: Gnomes are mature upon hatching and live up to 90 years.
Physical Description: Gnomes appear similar to their Dwarvish relatives, but are shorter and skinnier than either. Gnomish skin tone is random, with it being not too uncommon for brothers to look almost unrelated. Their hair color, on the other hand, depends on the gemstone that they were hatched from. Gnomes hatched from lapis or sapphires have blue hair, rubies have red hair, jade or emerald have green, and so on.
Social Difficulty: 2. While Gnomes are well-respected for their inventions, many Gnomes in Einar help outfit and even join pirate crews, who go on to terrorize eastern Isan and even as far as Neldorand and the Seabreaker islands. Gnomes aren’t a rare sight for most people, especially in cities.

Ninsuni (Duergar)

The Zahanbi, also known as "Duergar" or "Underdwarves," represent a recent branch of Dwarvenkind. In the midst of the War of the Shadow, the Dwarves of Ninsun-Tharag, located in the northern region of Jangai, were renowned as exceptional Runesmiths. Among them, Zahanbi, a skilled smith, collaborated with an unnamed Elder Vampire to combine runesmithing and blood magic in an attempt to turn the tide of the war against the Shadow. Zahanbi achieved this by utilizing a forgotten ritual that also incorporated magic from Alkar. Through this ritual, he successfully removed his own and his Dwarven followers' inability to use magic.

At that time, the High King of the Dwarfs, Shamash II, demanded that they cease their use of this dark magic. However, the Nirsuni, as they were known, believed that this sacrifice was necessary for all Dwarfs to break free from the image their god Thakan had imposed upon them. Since the Nirsuni refused to lay down their weapons to address the High King's concerns, he severed all contact with them, leaving them vulnerable to potential attacks from the Army of the Shadow. Dwarven history eventually presumed that they had vanished, but the Nirsuni have recently resurfaced from the deepest depths of Halaran. Their goal is to reclaim their homeland on the Oathbound Coast and to convert all Dwarvenkind to their way of thinking.

Their time spent in the Deep Underdark has molded them into pragmatic and merciless killers. In Duergar society, the value of a Duergar life is as low as the worthless slag that flows from their ever-burning furnaces, and even lower for outsiders. Those who possess magical abilities hold the highest positions in their society, and Zahanbi, or “the Runefather” as he is now known, still alive and ascended to semi-divinity, rules the Duergar with an unwavering grip.

Race Lore Page: WIP
Race Perk Page: Duergar Perks
Inherent Racial Abilities:

• You learn one Blood Curse, except for ones with Level or Subclass restrictions, of your choice but cannot amplify it (unless you also learn it via Blood Hunter). Once you use this Blood Curse, you may not use it again until after you have completed a Long Rest.
• You have advantage on Intelligence saving throws against magic.
• You have proficiency and Expertise with an Artisan’s Tool of your choice.
• You have a Darkvision radius of 120ft.
• You are immune to the effects of alcohol, although you experience similar effects from Capsaicin.

Point Balance: 21
Size: You may choose between Medium or Small
Speed: 25ft.
Language: You know International, Duegar Dwarfish, and Undercommon.
Age: Duergar are mature upon hatching and live up to about 90 years, although blood mages among the Duergar can live for more than three centuries.
Physical Description: Duergar share the same fundamental body structure as their Dwarven kin. However, the key distinction lies in their skin pigmentation. The ritual that resulted in them becoming Duergar restricts their birth from slag instead of solid rock, resulting in a grayish skin complexion and white hair tone. The shade of the slag involved determines the range of their skin tone, from lighter to darker variations.
Social Difficulty: 3. Duergar have had very little interaction with the surface world, but their brutal ways increase your social difficulty with Underdark denizens, such as Drow, Dwarves, Gnomes, and Hivers, to a 4-5.