The Mortal races

Man is not a body, but a soul.  He is a mind, an idea, a consciousness. At the dawn of Creation, the spirits of Men became flesh, and took on forms befitting the spirit the world on which each came to dwell. The races of today are descended from the forms these souls took so long ago. Though each race originally inhabited only its native planet, a Golden Age of commerce and cultural exchange saw to the dispersing of people groups from one far end of the Sphere to another.  On their worlds of origin, the native races are typically the most populous people group, though a great number of other races have also come to call each world home.
 
Described here are generalities regarding the various races; their customs, attitudes, and physical appearance. It is important to remember that each person, especially a hero, is unique and there are bound to be more than a few individuals who deviate greatly from the norm.

Aen Sidhe

Elemental spirits and petty gods who watch over the natural world can pass between the material and ethereal realms with relative ease. However, when nature is ravaged and destroyed, these beings lose their purchase on the realm of spirit and become stuck in the material world as refugees and outsiders. These elusive beings call themselves the Aen Sidhe ("The Lost") and struggle to understand their newfound mortality, embracing life with the innocence of a child. Many eschew cities, preferring to live among nature in remote, unspoiled communities of similarly disaffected spirits deep within the heart of the wilderness.

Aldorei

The Aldorei are natives of Evenar, a cold and distant world far from the warm center of the Cosmic Machine. They are a calm and mysterious race who genetically pass key memories and knowledge on to subsequent generations. Aldorei are knowledge seekers, observers who watch at a distance with impartial eyes as events unfold. Rarely do they involve themselves in the affairs of other races, preferring isolation even among their own kind. Those who do leave the solitude of their research often do so in pursuit of knowledge they cannot attain by any other means.

Cyrean

The seas, islands, and shoals of Astora are home to the Cyreans, a race of semi-aquatic Mortals whose glistening cities of pearl and coral rise as shining towers above the waves. Cyreans are a passionate, adventurous, and highly social people who value cooperation and their vast, intricate web of family ties. They are well adapted to life on land or sea and are accustomed to leaving behind familiar waters to follow the trail of adventurous discovery.

Drow

A genetically distinct off-shoot of the Quendi, Drow are, in many ways, the antithesis of their high-born cousins. Contrarian and conniving by nature, the Drow exhibit a dark and troubled sort of beauty, at once both flagrant and seductive. Drow are drawn into schemes and political intrigues as a way of life, their homes within the mushroom forests of Fal Gorsihka rife with rumors and dark drama played out as a matter of regularity.

Dryad

Every planet within the Sphere has a World Tree which helps direct Mana's life-giving flow on that world. Every World Tree spawns seeds that grow into mortal servants called Dryads. Dryads that grow from a World Tree all share the same appearance, personality, and identity which comes from their World Tree, and all work in tandem to balance the flow of Mana and remove any disruptions that could threaten the life of the planet. This inevitably leads many Dryads to the realms of Mortals where fight and advocate for all living creatures.

Elan

Born from the ethereal loam of Varion, the Elan are a serene and beautiful race of healers, heroes, and idealists who value life in all its complexity. All Elan are born as male/female pairs of fraternal twins and share a close psychic bond with their twin throughout life. Elan are natural idealists and often each twin gravitates towards the opposite extremes of an ideal they espouse. Their world is technologically and magically advanced, upheld by a rigid and complex social structure. Many Elan leave the intrigues of politics, the drama of family, and the tangles of their fractured empires for life and adventure elsewhere.

Eldar

On the world of Arcadia, the floating isles of Zu are inhabited by an ancient and magically gifted people of elvish descent known as the Eldar. The magical energies which run rampant through their home have transformed their minds and bodies through the ages, causing the Zuvians to become naturally attuned to its flow; even the most humble Eldar naturally boast an affinity for magic to rival a seasoned magician of any other race. The responsibility to contain and manage the chaotic energies of the Maelstrom (a magical scar left over from the Apocalypse) sees many Eldar take on strange assignments, both in their homeland and as adventurers in lands afar.

Fomorian

During the First Age of Creation, a great number of Mortal souls were stolen by the Raksha. These souls were subjugated to unspeakable tortures that twisted their essence and forms into the Fomorian people, a mockery of the gods and their works. For countless eons the Fomorians wrought havoc upon the children of Men. At the end of the Apocalypse, the Fomorians were freed from the control of the demon princes and found a free will of their own. Ever since, they have been fighting for their place on the Sphere, at once striving against and seeking to reconcile with their ancient enemy; Mankind.

Goblin

Ages ago, the diminutive Goblin people split from their Orcish kin and established a vast empire of wonders within the mountains of Mul Z'orrah on Helios. But for all their strength and technology, Goblinkind was overthrown and enslaved. Even so, a resistance fed by the Goblins endless capacity for cunning and invention has seen many of their kind freed to live out their days as inventors, explorers, and heroes in lands far from their ancestral homes.

Halfling

Though small in stature, few of even the largest folk can match the average Halfling in courage, wits, and passion. These diminutive folk often live out simple lives in small, pastoral communities, uncomplicated by the concerns of the big folk. Yet some yearn for more. Driven by a love of excitement or a heart full of compassion for those in need, some Halflings leave the prosaic life of their fellows behind and strike out in search of adventure.

Human

Natives of Thera, Humans are a clever, creative, and versatile people blessed with an abundance of curiosity, a boundless sense of adventure, and the resilience to overcome any challenge. Due to their ambitious and audacious nature, Humans are the most widespread race on the Sphere and large populations of their kind can be found living on almost every world.

Kindre

The many tribes of the Kindre each physically resemble both the bipedal traits of Mortals and those of a particular wild beast. These tribes hold values and ideals much in line with those creatures whose likeness and instincts they bear. Their world of Tendale is a wild land of untamed beauty and the Kindre are a brave and curious people who inhabit many far-flung corners of the Sphere.

Mechan

From the ruins of the Golden Age, a miracle has awoken. Machines in the shape of men and women have begun to walk the face of the Sphere once more, brought back to an artificial semblance of life by some mysterious force. Though fashioned in the likeness of Mortals, Mechan are of a mind all their own; cold, logical, and mechanical with only the faintest echo of a soul. None remember much of the Golden Age, their memories fractured by the Apocalypse and an Age of death-like slumber. They reside in the nations of the Sphere, among Mortals but never truly a part, always in search of their lost memories and the purpose behind their awakening.

Noldor

Known to many as Dwarves, the Noldor are a stout, diminutive race of craftsmen, merchants, and skilled workers. Some say the Quendi asked Arcadia to bring stones to life, and this request gave birth to the Noldor. In truth, the Quendi used long-lost Mysteries at the height of their power during the Golden Age to create the Dwarves, shaping their stout bodies and skilled hands as befitting a race of slaves and soldiers. Eventually, the Noldor won their freedom and settled in the mountains, caves, and deep clefts of earth, establishing rugged kingdoms of their own far from the reach of their former masters.

Nubari

The Nubari belong to the land of Nod, a surreal realm of hyperbole and fairy tales ruled by the god of laughter, chaos, and dreams. They are a strange and eccentric people who inspire, disrupt, and revolutionize the worlds and people they encounter. Some embody the fantastical qualities of a dream while others personify the (often benign) terror of a nightmare. None are content with the predictable mundane and spend their whole lives acting in the role of protagonist of their own epic story.

OLUXAR

A race of insectoid craftsmen native to the planet Diodes, the Oluxar are feared in many cultures for their frightening appearance, alien mindset, and reputation as raiders and scavengers. The Oluxar were once an advanced and peaceful race. But centuries of consumption and pollution during and after the Apocalypse has taken its toll upon their world as Diodes fell to war and ruin. While many Oluxar have turned to raiding other worlds for resources in hopes of reviving their once-thriving world, others have left for good in search of a new life elsewhere.

Orc

Full of fiery passions and savage nobility, the Orcs are a warrior race that prize strength in battle, discipline in work, and honor in conduct. Their world of Helios is in a constant state of conflict as mighty warlords clash across its red plains, jagged mountains, and churning seas. It is said that all Orcs descend from the sons of the True Khan, the legendary conqueror of all Helios and are inheritors of his ferocity, skill, and spiritual devotion.

Quendi

Known to many as Elves, the Quendi are tall, slender, and possess an otherworldly beauty. The native people of Arcadia have a strong connection to the natural world and the living force that runs through it. Though gifted and beautiful, Elves are also quite aloof and inscrutable, even hostile to those they deem their social lessers. A prideful pursuit of power has led Elfkind down dark roads in the past and will do so again should it remain unchecked.

Zoan

The elemental spirits who watch over Creation are beings of both flesh and ether, able to interact with the tangible world around them as well as the unseen world of wind and ghosts. Occassionally, a Medicon will mate with a Mortal and the result of their union is a Zoan, a child of both worlds. Zoa are strange beings full of passion, contradiction, and ingenuity. Feared by Mortals and cast out by spirits, Zoa are forced to live between two worlds, finding a place in neither. Many become wanderers and adventurers to slake their fervent curiosity and bottomless hunger for glory.