In the grim and blood-soaked world of Vaelor, the races that walk, crawl, and fly across its scarred surface are all children of the Shattering — forever marked by the agony of creation. Some rose from the spilled blood of the Primordial Ones, others were twisted by ancient magic, and a few were born from bargains with powers best left forgotten. Below is a detailed accounting of the known peoples and beings of Vaelor.
Humans
Humans are the most numerous and adaptable race in Vaelor, yet also the most fractured and self-destructive. Short-lived and ambitious, they spread like a plague across the continent, building kingdoms only to watch them rot from within through corruption, betrayal, and endless war. Their cultures vary wildly — from the grim, militaristic folk of Skarnheim to the decadent nobles of Eldoria — but all share a desperate hunger for power and survival. Most scholars believe human blood still carries the taint of the Primordial Ones, making them especially susceptible to corruption by magic and ancient artifacts like the Broken Blade. In this grim world, humans are both victims and villains: capable of great heroism and even greater atrocities.
Beastmen (Homens-Fera)
Beastmen are savage hybrids born from ancient blood rituals and the twisted experiments of fallen empires. They possess animalistic features — wolf-headed warriors, bear-like brutes, fox-tailed tricksters, or worse. Towering over most humans with corded muscle and primal instincts, they are often treated as second-class citizens or living weapons. In Skarnheim they serve as mercenaries, dock laborers, and pit fighters, prized for their strength and ferocity but feared for their barely-contained bloodlust. Many still worship old beast gods that demand bloody offerings, and some tribes roam the wilds as nomadic raiders, viewing “civilized” races as soft prey.
Dwarves
Dwarves are a stubborn, insular race of master craftsmen and hoarders of ancient secrets. Short, broad, and incredibly resilient, they are born with an innate connection to stone and metal. In Frostheim they dominate the Artisan District, forging rune-etched weapons, intricate mechanisms, and cursed artifacts in smoke-filled forges. Centuries of delving too deep into the earth have left many clans tainted — some by primordial corruption, others by greed. Dwarven society is rigid and clan-bound; betrayal within a clan is punished by ritual exile or worse. They distrust surface-dwellers but respect those who can pay in gold or rare materials.
Elves
Elves are ancient, fading, and deeply untrustworthy. Tall, graceful, and unnaturally beautiful, they carry the lingering arrogance of empires that fell long before humans rose. Most remaining elves dwell in the verdant south of Eldoria, where they manipulate nature through blood-druidism and cruel pacts with forest spirits. Rare in the north, they are viewed with a mix of awe and suspicion — many believe their immortality comes at the cost of stolen lifespans from other races. In the grimdark world of Vaelor, elves are rarely benevolent; most are cold, calculating schemers who see shorter-lived races as mayflies. Their forests remember every slight, and they never forget.
Orcs
Orcs are hulking, gray-green skinned engines of war and destruction. Bred (or cursed) during the ancient wars of the Primordials, they embody brutal strength and barely-restrained rage. Standing well over six feet with jutting tusks, heavy brows, and bodies scarred by constant battle, orcs live for bloodshed. In Skarnheim and Valdris they serve as elite shock troops and mercenaries, while wild tribes raid from the eastern steppes. Their shamanic traditions involve blood magic and spirit-binding, often leading to horrific mutations. Civilized folk consider them little more than monsters, yet many warlords secretly rely on their raw power.
Goblins
Goblins are small, wiry, green-to-gray-skinned scavengers and vermin of Vaelor, rarely standing taller than a human child. Born from the corrupted blood of the Primordial Ones that seeped into fetid swamps and refuse pits after the Shattering, they are a cruel, cunning, and endlessly numerous race. Their bodies are malformed by design — hunched backs, oversized heads with jagged teeth, long arms ending in clawed fingers perfect for digging and throttling. Most live in sprawling, filth-ridden warrens beneath ruins, inside hollowed hills, or in the underbellies of port cities like Frostheim. They serve as cheap mercenaries, poison brewers, and disposable thieves for the Hand of the Port. In grimdark Vaelor, goblins are a plague that delights in sadistic ingenuity and spreading misery.
Lizardfolk
Lizardfolk are cold-blooded, reptilian humanoids descended from ancient serpent empires that ruled the southern swamps long before men. Tall, powerfully built, and covered in thick scales ranging from deep emerald to obsidian black or sickly bone-white, they move with predatory patience and lethal grace. Their elongated snouts house rows of razor teeth, and their eyes are slitted and unblinking. Many possess vestigial tails and can hold their breath for inhuman lengths of time. In the north they are increasingly seen in port cities as mercenaries, dock enforcers, or guides to submerged ruins. They follow a brutal, primal code rooted in ancient blood rituals and the worship of forgotten serpent gods. Most view warm-blooded races as soft, noisy prey.
Seraphim
Seraphim are rare, majestic, and terrifying. Humanoid in form but crowned with massive, feathered wings of pure white, gold, or blood-red, they claim descent from the celestial fragments of the Primordial Ones. They inhabit the sky-island of Fajula, a xenophobic realm of marble spires and divine hierarchy. While some mortals revere them as lesser gods, others whisper that their beauty hides cruelty and cold indifference. In recent years more Seraphim have begun descending to the surface, often as harbingers of omen or agents of hidden agendas. Their presence inspires awe and fear — for where Seraphim walk, divine judgment (or divine hunger) soon follows.
Half-Giants
Half-Giants are towering abominations of muscle and primal fury, standing between 8 and 12 feet tall. Descended from ancient unions between giants and humans (or worse things), they wander the icy mountains and frozen wastes of northern Skarnheim in nomadic clans. Their massive frames are covered in thick skin that resists cold and blade alike, and their strength is legendary. Most live as fierce warriors and raiders, selling their services to whoever can feed their enormous appetites. In the grimdark north, they are both feared protectors and walking disasters — many berserk in battle, becoming unstoppable forces of destruction that care little for friend or foe.
Tieflings
Tieflings are the accursed children of mortals who bargained with entities from the Veil or the lingering essence of dead Primordials. Marked by horns, tails, unnatural skin tones (deep crimson, obsidian, or sickly violet), and eyes that glow with infernal light, they carry the visible stain of their ancestors’ sins. Widely despised and feared across Vaelor, Tieflings are often driven into criminal guilds, shadowy cults, or solitary lives. Many possess innate blood magic or minor infernal gifts, but these powers slowly erode their sanity. In Frostheim, some find uneasy refuge within the Hand of the Port, using their reputation for wickedness to their advantage.
Ashborn
Ashborn are humans mutated by prolonged exposure to the volcanic Ash Wastes. Their skin is cracked and blackened like cooled lava, with glowing veins of magma-like light beneath. They can withstand extreme heat and possess minor pyromantic abilities, but they slowly burn from within. Most serve as guides, miners, or fanatical cultists in the southeast, worshiping the fire that consumes them.
Veil-Touched
Veil-Touched are pale, ethereal beings who were once human but were permanently altered after too much exposure to the Veil. Their bodies are semi-translucent, their eyes pure black, and they can phase briefly through solid matter. Shunned as abominations, many become seers, assassins, or mad prophets who hear the constant whispers of the dimension between worlds.
Deepkin
Deepkin are pale, blind, and fish-like humanoids that dwell in the deepest submerged ruins and coastal trenches. Descended from the survivors of the Sunken Empire, they serve ancient abyssal gods and trade strange artifacts with surface dwellers — often at a horrific price. Their presence in Frostheim’s harbor is growing, bringing both opportunity and creeping dread.
Tamed Monsters
These creatures were once wild and fearsome terrors of Vaelor — apex predators, ancient horrors, and twisted abominations spawned from the blood of the Shattering. Yet through a variety of means — some cruel, some rare and almost tender — many have been brought to heel and now serve as companions, mounts, and living weapons. While the majority are broken by ritual scarring, blood pacts, iron collars, and relentless magical domination, others have been tamed through genuine bonds of loyalty, long years of mutual respect, harsh but fair domestication, or strange friendships forged in shared survival. In the grimdark world of Vaelor, Tamed Monsters remain dangerous and unpredictable. To command one is to walk a razor’s edge between power and oblivion.