Other Races in Orbis

Written by Janto

These are other races that adventurers might encounter on Orbis:

Dragonborn

Hailing originally from the jungles south of Pezzlio, Dragonborn are rare outside of the large cities of the Commonwealth. There they are mainly travelers, merchants, and sailors. The Kingdom of Pezzlio has a strained relationship with the dragonborn lands.

Firbolg and Eladrin

In the dark, primordial forests of western Ederim, the firbolg and eladrin live in secluded settlements. They rarely venture east into the human lands, so it's very unusual to see them in the Commonwealth (and super rare to find any in Pezzlio). In Orbis, eladrin are a race separate from elves.

Gnomes

Gnomes make their homes in deserted wild spaces, shunning human settlements. Gnomish communities reverently follow strict rules that seem weird and byzantine to outsiders. If a gnome is encountered in a human city, they are probably a merchant, an adventurer, or an outcast.

Goliaths

According to Pezzlian legend, ancient Pezzlians called Goliaths out of the earth and enlisted their aid in their wars. According to goliath legend, the earliest goliaths taught the Pezzlians everything they know about warfare. There are several goliath settlements throughout Pezzlio and all-goliath cohorts in the Pezzlian army.

Genasi, Aasimar, and Tieflings

Through magic means, some ancient humans and elves were able to bind themselves with elemental, celestial, and infernal creatures to produce offspring. We call their descendants genasi, aasimar, and tieflings and they bore the physical markers of their ancestors. Some markers are subtle others are dramatic. Generally, genasi and aasimar are regarded with curiosity and tieflings with mistrust in the Commonwealth. In Pezzlio, some genasi, aasimar, and tiefllings have been bred to become military commanders.

Half-Elves and Half-Orcs

Elves and Orcs are the only races able to breed directly with humans. The offspring are always sterile. They are also treated very differently. In the Commonwealth, half-elves are relatively common, as are marriages between elves and humans. Most half-elves however prefer to remain within human society. Half-orcs are almost always the product of violence, and often are abandoned or put up for adoption. Half-orcs are viewed with suspicion. In Pezzlio, on the other hand, half-elves are considered polluted stock, and half-orcs are pressed into brutish jobs such as bodyguards, gladiators, and thugs.

Kalashtar

In Pezzlio, in very rare instances, when a zet child reaches puberty, they gain the ability to speak telepathically as well as some other psychic powers. This marks them as claimed by benevolent dream spirits who will use them to fight evil. If identified, the Pezzlians take kalashtar zets into custody and train them for combat. Often, kalashtar keep their powers a secret and masquerade as human.

Warforged

The Pezzlians are currently experimenting with producing warforged to give them an advantage in the war. There have been rumors of warforged prototypes smuggled into the Commonwealth to try and reverse-engineer them for their war effort.