* Raptorans - Races of the Wild
* Catfolk - Races of the Wild
* Spellscales - Races of the Dragon
* Illumians - Races of Destiny
* Goliaths - Races of Stone
I'm sure there are others I haven't mentioned.
Catfolk are the tabaxi of Chult and Katashaka, or in Nathlekh, the City of Cats
Spellscales, they're a respected minority in urban areas in Chessenta. Also in the continent of Katashaka, it's is somewhat like Warhammer's Lustria and Nyambe, there are non-draconic serpentine Spellscales who focus their meditations on deities of the Serpentfolk like Shekinester, Sseth etc.
Illumians aren't a race but a blessing of Deneir, such blessed people are most numerous in the Shining South, particularly among Carmendine monks of Halruaa.
Goliaths already have a presence, check the novel Depths of Madness, and http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=10647
Raptorans - Races of the Wild
-Don't know what this one is, so I can't help.
Catfolk - Races of the Wild
-Catfolk already have a presence in the setting, having been in the Forgotten Realms comic book. If I am not mistaken, they had wandering tribes in the Shaar.
Spellscales - Races of the Dragon
Illumians - Races of Destiny
-Don't know what these two are, so I can't help.
Goliaths - Races of Stone
-Goliaths also exist in the setting. They live as nomads, who wander deserts such as the Anauroch, and the Raurin.
--Catfolk already have a presence in the setting, having been in the Forgotten Realms comic book. If I am not mistaken, they had wandering tribes in the Shaar.
.
Yup. And what a cool comic that was
-Goliaths also exist in the setting. They live as nomads, who wander deserts such as the Anauroch, and the Raurin.
And there was one in Depths of Madness and what a cool book that was
And there was one in Depths of Madness and what a cool book that was
-Yes, they were the ones in the Raurin desert, I believe.
-Check out Champions of Valour for the Raptoorans, Illumans, and Goliaths. It has info on those races. I hope that helps.
-Returns to lurking.
18DELTA
-Leaves lurk mode.
-Check out Champions of Valour for the Raptoorans, Illumans, and Goliaths. It has info on those races. I hope that helps.
-Returns to lurking.
18DELTA
You know you're like the worst lurker ever
-Don't know what this one is, so I can't help.
-Don't know what these two are, so I can't help.
Did I miss something, or does lord Karsus not know what not only one race, but two?
I thought LK was all-knowing about the Realms.Kidding of course, no one knows all about the Realms except for maybe Ed Green Wood and Ao.
Did I miss something, or does lord Karsus not know what not only one race, but two?
-They're not necessarily in the Forgotten Realms, hence the poster asking how to add them in in a smooth way...I never made any claims about knowing much about D&D in general. I don't have most of the books, and those that I do have, I don't use all of the rules...Yeah...
Raptorans- They are the remains of the Aearee-Syran. The most devastated of the three branches of the Avian Creator Race, they banded together with Sprites and Avariels who were also greatly decimated by the Dragon Realms. They have passable relations with the Uldra though the Uldra still blame the Aearee-Syran their decline over 30 millenia ago.Their most populous rookeries are hidden throughout the Spine of the World, having never had the strength to reclaim earlier holdings further south or east. There are a few shared rookeries with the Avariels and Sprites in Spell Mantle warmed peaks. A small population have found a home for themselves in Faerie.
Catfolk- Various tribes throughout the Shaar and Chult. Tabaxi as someone else has said. I have also considered adding a tiger breed of the race in Kara Tur.
Spellscales- Haven't used these. I have used Dragonborn as presented in Dragons of Faerun, and small lines of Draconic humanoids scattered throughout.
Illumians- Never put much thought into them, but I have considered using them as a secret cult of Deneirans.
Goliaths- I placed these as a young race in the Icerim and Sunrise Mountains north and east of Rasheman. They sprang naturally from high peaks during the Time of Troubles when ancient Raumathari magic still dormant in the peaks interacted with local Thomil spirits in a surprising way. Though I never got around to really using this so I might as well use the way already depicted.
Elan- An ancient Jhaamdathan ritual could convert humans into an Elan. It was never popular and barely survived past the catastrophe that befell the empire. Most of the Elan that outlived Jhaamdath lived at the furthest reaches of the nation. A rare few of the surviving Elan that personally could perform the ritual made a living in secret among the various migrations that followed. Passing from master to student the secrets of the Elan people nearly died out. Centuries past before the merchant savvy Chondathan peoples led disparate lines of Elan to come into contact with one another. As new lands, opportunities and wealth continuously offered themselves the edge that the Invisible Art granted was a closely held advantage. The Elan grew and formed into small communities that were a mix of merchant guild and family. These guilds currently are spread as far west as Calimshan and as far east as the Kara Tur. Still not numerous in number, each guild tightly controls the gift of becoming an Elan. A guild claims territory over a wide region and works amicably though warily with the closest other such guild(s). Every 13 years the guilds hold a grand council consisting of the heads of each. As often as not the guilds have figureheads because of this. At best, the Elan Council can be seen as a vast conspiracy with the goal of advancing the Invisible Art in general and the Elan in specific.
Uldra- I have thought about the Uldra fey but have not actually put much work into them. They are mentioned as having warred with the Aearee-Syran and lost due to the world's climate shifting back to normal more than anything else. It might also be interesting to shift them to the worship of Ulutui instead of their lost deity Hleid. Another idea is that the beneficial aspect of Auril that the Sossrim venerate comes from Auril attempting to devour the remains of Hleid divine essence. She is forced to act as "Hleid" would but does so in her own name until the time she has fully consumed Hleid.
Aventi- I've toyed with the idea of the Aventi being humans who lived in parts of Faerun that sank during the Sundering. The god that changed them would be the Batrachi god Ramenos in a bid for continuing power.
Elan- An ancient Jhaamdathan ritual could convert humans into an Elan. It was never popular and barely survived past the catastrophe that befell the empire. Most of the Elan that outlived Jhaamdath lived at the furthest reaches of the nation. A rare few of the surviving Elan that personally could perform the ritual made a living in secret among the various migrations that followed. Passing from master to student the secrets of the Elan people nearly died out. Centuries past before the merchant savvy Chondathan peoples led disparate lines of Elan to come into contact with one another. As new lands, opportunities and wealth continuously offered themselves the edge that the Invisible Art granted was a closely held advantage. The Elan grew and formed into small communities that were a mix of merchant guild and family. These guilds currently are spread as far west as Calimshan and as far east as the Kara Tur. Still not numerous in number, each guild tightly controls the gift of becoming an Elan. A guild claims territory over a wide region and works amicably though warily with the closest other such guild(s). Every 13 years the guilds hold a grand council consisting of the heads of each. As often as not the guilds have figureheads because of this. At best, the Elan Council can be seen as a vast conspiracy with the goal of advancing the Invisible Art in general and the Elan in specific.
And an occasional pain in my incorporeal ass, they feel that since they are technically the "eldest" that they have some authority over one who was not only a master of the premier academy of the mental arts, but an actual member of a Noble house of Jhaamdath. There is a sort of leadership to the council in Amn, by the way.
Also are you claiming to be a rogue Elan? If so its time to reign you in!
Ah, to clarify they don't hold direct temporal power over their regions. It is more like merchant or thief guilds claiming territory. Territory as far as their specific interest are concerned and only recognized (at best) by each other. Especially since they are not announcing themselves to outsiders.
Also are you claiming to be a rogue Elan? If so its time to reign you in!
No, not a rogue Elan, actually I am one of the rare Elan that was born as one, rare even in Jhaamdath. Read my description in my sig. I see myself as outside of their power, and most of their interference has stemmed from their lack of belief that I am truly who I say I am. I am trying to reinstitute the Udoclian, and many of them think that they should have some say over my Academy.
And I think we came at the Elan from slightly different, but not mutually exclusive directions. I had the highest ranking Elan survivors of Jhaamdath form a council a few hundred years ago (pre-spellplague) in an attempt to reign in the other Elan survivors who were doing much as you stated. They view themselves as the inheritors of Jhaamdaths knowledge and lore, and feel they should decide who gets to have near immortality. Most are far removed from Jhaamdath now, being more modern Realms citizens empowered by the ritual. Only 2 were actually citizens of Jhaamdath, and one was an ally of Emporer Dharius, the other was the First Lord of House Tesarnian. Those two have recognized my actual rank, but still feel they rank higher than me, and that I should work for or with them.
Elan: For my Elan character and Psionics In FR game, I borrowed from the Time Lords of Gallifrey, from Doctor Who. The Timeys are a near-immortal, slightly psychic and time sensitve upgrade of the basic Gallifreyan, they gain the ability to regenerate and become the upper crust of leaders and thinkers. The finest students are selected to be upgraded.
So for Jhaamdath, I imagined something similar, though the elan aren't quite as dominant, and the process isn't particularly popular. It's like lichdom for psions.
Since the Killing Wave, some elan survived, but they were scattered. Maybe there's a secret society, but they're mostly independent. Some have kept their memories alive, others are amnesiac (ala Wolverine?), and some can be natural born (shades of Highlander). My own Elan has kept most of his memories, but periodically had to recreate (regenerate
) himself to adapt every time the rules for psionics changed, to explain why he's not Epic. ***
Half-Giants: Since seeing a half-giant mentioned in Neversfall, I considered that all the proof I needed for the existence of half-giants in the Realms. The presence of a LG only-8ft tall giant NPC in the ancient Desert Of Desolation module supported things. So...
Legend has it that in ancient times, the Imaskari Artificers sought a strong and hardy slave-race suited to the hot desert conditions, and to this end they crossbred their Mulan slaves and a type of giant (possibly a Sand Giant) to create the half-giant. Without arcane magic or gods to pray to, the half-giants eventually developed psionic powers and escaped, and survived the downfall of their oppressors.
Half-giants inhabit the hot desert lands of the south, particularly around the Beastlands of Veldorn and in Raurin, the Dust Desert, and may roam as far as the Old Empires and the Utter East. Little is known about their communities or their cultures, but they are probably similar to the surrounding human nations - like the Shining Lands, the Raurindi nomads, or the Utter Eastern peoples - or giant kingdoms of the Dustwall and Giant’s Belt mountains. They may live and work amongst them as well. A shaven head is a not uncommon fashion for male and female half-giants.
I tried to maintain a lot of potential communities and culture for the half-giants. I like the idea of a half-giant with turban and falchion. I also tied them into the worship of Memnor, the giant god of mental prowess, who I viewed as being open to psionics.
***
Maenads: I thought the racial rage thing fitted the destruction of Jhaamdath quite handily.
Maenads are thought to be a human variant, spontaneously born or following a bloodline, and descendants of the refugees of Jhaamdath. They have a great race memory of rage, grief and hatred, resulting from the decimation of that empire, its people and their culture. This is usually directed at elves, but anyone and anything will do if the maenad is upset enough. They are suspected to live in Chondathan communities all around the Sea of Fallen Stars and Vilhon Reach, usually in coastal villages, perhaps formed from the refugees who gathered on the coastlines seeking flotsam and jetsam and survivors of Jhaamdath.
***
Xephs: I was confused as to what to do with Xephs, until I checked out Thindol. The people there are famously swift. The Yuan-Ti influence is strong too, as well as the resulting psionics. And the Black Jungles make for a good stand in for the Xeph shadowy forest realm mentioned in the XPH.
In the land of Thindol on the Chultan peninsula, the people are famously fleet-footed, and can walk or run for incredibly long distances before needing rest. While some suspect they gain their speed from yuan-ti blood, they claim it is just the result of exercise and healthy living – the Thindoleans despise the yuan-ti and persecute anyone suspected of being their kin. Snakebloods were killed in the past; these days they are usually exiled. It is theorised that some people of Thindol are born as Xephs, snakebloods with serpentine quickness. Other xephs may appear across the peninsula, from Chult and Tashalar to Lapaliiya and the Shaar, for similar reasons. Those who are exiled may make their way east into the Black Jungles, where a xeph community might have formed in the shadowy depths.
***
Forgive the vague language, I tried to maintain an air of mystery in my write-ups, due to it not being exactly canon and not wishing to tie the hands of potential PCs. I try to keep things as close to the core backstory as possible, whilst linking them into existing Realmslore without contradiction.
I'm stuck on Dromites though. They're are curious race who often explore the outside world, so logically they should be not unknown in the outside world. Short of slapping them on another continent (Anchorome, probably) or retconning their existence somewhere, I'm not sure where they ought to appear.
-At a Disco place. Elan, to me, would probably like Disco.
No, definitely house/trance.