DMing Chemistry

 Ei-Lanteans are a people rarely seen. Their homeland is to the West, but not on the islands, rather under the sea. For the Ei-Lanteans are a curious breed indeed, as they can breath water just as easily as air. They, however prefer to stay close to water, as their skin can dry out very fast, which is not only very uncomfortable, but can even lead to their death, if serious enough. Thankfully about one long bath a day is sufficient to stave off the worst. Ei-Lanteans are quite tall, almost all of them taller than 2 meters, but they are usually quite thin. Their skin colors range from deep blues to vibrant greens, with different colored markings that evoke the light glistening on the ocean waves. They have sharp, needle-like teeth, small noses and piercing eyes. They have gills on the sides of their torso, which are left open to the air (or water, as the case may be) in traditional Ei-lantean clothing. They have large, pointed ears, which they often decorate with piercings. They com...

Chiropterans are large, humanoid bats. They have a long history, and their culture is generally considered the most ancient one by far. Unfortunately not many of them are left, and the few that do remain are quite secretive. They build their settlements on top of sheer cliffs, where those unable to fly can’t get to them, and their culture ephasises the virtues of staying home, accepting one’s place in society and continuing family traditions. Unsurprisingly quite a few young chiropterans consider this quite suffocating, so while a rare sight, they can be found among other peoples, usually in the largest cities, as their appearance can be quite frightening, so it’s not unheard of to have them be driven out of smaller, more superstitious communities. While chiropterans can, when unencumbered, fly on their own power, they are much more suited for gliding. This ability, however has eared them a reputation as heads-in-the-clouds dreamers, and more prone to thinking than action. While this...

The Invaders come from the west, from the sea. Mostly they are orcs and humans , but all peoples are represented in their ranks. They travel with their women and children, and they attack boats and coastal settlements indiscriminately. According to eyewitnesses, they seem to be from different cultures, united by a common purpose. Those captured speak of fleeing from earthquakes, great famines and diseases, taking their families and plundering the eastern lands to keep themselves alive. Unlike more affluent polities, the Invaders do not use chariots. Instead they they use swords and shields, charging at their enemies in waves, sometimes surging forwards, sometimes retreating. This is actually a quite viable tactic, often catching careless charioteers off-guard, and since chariots are slow and expensive to make, they are able to inflict great casualties not in the number of men they kill, but among the imperial treasuries, most of which cannot keep up with the losses. An ever-growing...

As the name implies reptilians are large reptile-looking humanoids. They have small, fine scales that from a distance gives the illusion of leathery skin. They also possess integumentary filaments, especially on the head, that gives the impression of fur and hair. They have short faces and forward-looking eyes. Coloration varies a lot, but its mostly greens and browns, sometimes with stripes or other patterns. Reptilians mostly live to the South-west of the former Ippur Empire , concentrated along the banks of the river Hapy, whose regular floods provide a reliable basis for agriculture, but many live in diasporas elsewhere, even in the far north, as they are in fact warm-blooded. They are skilled architects, astronomers, and their mathematicians are without peer. They also have a flourishing shipping and shipbuilding industry which focuses on ferrying goods up and down the river. They are also the civilization least ravaged by the current crisis, even being able to stop a foreign in...

Wood elves mostly inhabit the huge stretches of untamed forests that cover the northwestern part of the known world. They have a complicated relationship with the mostly human settlements, as they despise cities, industry and farming, but some of the local tribes still hold to the old ways of hunting and foraging, or are actively working to preserve the woods, and nature more generally. They are around two meter tall humanoids, which are seemingly made out of wood. The color of their bark ranges from the stark white of birches to the deep brown of oaks. Their faces resemble masterfully carved masks of beautiful faces, and their eyes glow with the colors of leaves, ranging from brilliant greens to striking reds and mellow yellows. Perhaps the most unsettling thing about them is that their faces and mouths never move, their voices coming out muffled and echo-y, as if coming from a hollow tree. They usually communicate mood and emotions using exaggerated body movements. No one knows ho...

Bronze elves are tall, pointy-eared humanoids. Unlike some other elves they can grow facial hair, which they take great pride in. They use sesame oil and elaborate rings to style and maintain their facial hair. Their skin is quite reflective, giving it an almost metallic shine. Skin colors range from almost totally black to shining copper, or even brass tones. Most bronze elves live in the East, in the heartland of the old Ippur Empire. They are said to have an innate talent for astrology, poetry and soothsaying.  Image by perseomedusa Humans are said to have originated on a different world, where the gravity was higher. While some dispute this theory, it is undeniable that humans can reach a much higher muscle mass than other people, and their physical strength and stamina can reach heights where others struggle to follow. Of course most humans who are just living their everyday lives don’t reach the top of their potential, being about as strong as anybody else. In fact humans ...

There are a multitude of different peoples in the known world. Most are quite similar, sharing a basic bodyplan of one head, two arms and two legs, but some can be quite different. In the age of great empires one could travel and trade all over the world, so it’s no wonder that all kinds of people exist basically everywhere. It is true, however that certain peoples are more numerous in certain parts of the world. Of course people aren’t a monolith, and even among, say the orcs, there are multiple ethnic groups, different languages, and multiple kingdoms, each with their own history, friends, foes and agendas. And of course an orc living in Nashat-Ippur will have more in common with their bronze elf neighbors than with their kin living on the western islands. The following are just some of the various peoples one can meet. Orcs are thought to be masters of combat, on account of having four arms and fearsome tusks. This allows them to fire two bows, if rather inaccurately, to wield a ...