Reference Chapter 3 - Common Beasts and Races of the Terrapian World

Compiled by Magenta Pearl, Lecturer at Anemone College, for the instruction of children

Humans:

Humans come in all shapes, sizes and colors and can be found most places across the continent. They tend to settle in the fertile plains where they can build the cities they are so proud of. They generally have a lifespan of fifty to seventy years, although some few live considerably longer with the aid of magic.

They tend to be arrogant towards the other races and incline towards being greedy and selfish people, this author having found but few redeeming individuals in her travels. They also frequently break out in war over the slightest concern, and the other prime races always try to ensure the war is contained within the human nations, having long since tired of the squabbling children that humans devolve into at a moments notice.

Humans also boast the most numerous population, numbering some two hundred million split between the seven kingdoms, as of the last census taken at 6900 A.D.

Dwarves:

Dwarves are stout and smelly folk who hide away underneath the mountains. Short of stature and with grim personalities they are hard to find and harder to befriend for us merfolk. However they are widely renowned as artists of metal and stone, their fanatical devotion to their crafts and skill therein worthy of our respect.

While once they were a mighty people whose kingdoms stretched across and under every mountain, now their people are shattered and few. Their lifespan is greater than humans, being some hundred and twenty to a hundred and fifty years in breadth. Their population numbered is unknown but estimated at around fifteen thousand souls, based on accounts from the few wandering dwarfs that can be interviewed.

Many fascinating ruins have been left after they have retreated to their strongholds after the third great war. See my other work entitled 'Ruins of the Ancients' for great or detail.

Elves:

Known as woodland people, the elves stand with willowy figures near a head taller than the average human or merfolk. While omnivorous they do not partake of meat save that which is obtained through their hunts that are held sacred. They are strong in magic, more so than any of the other races, yet in return there have always been fewer elves in existence.

Elves have always been aloof but never more so than now, perhaps the hardest hit by the last great war their population dove steeply, they now treasure every child born, as rising infertility puts their very culture and race at risk. I have it on good authority that they currently number just one thousand and thirty seven.

Indeed each elf is known to carry a carved amulet, which matches another held in their hall of the living in their now singular city, both amulets are rent in twain at the event of their owners death. These deaths are jealousy investigated by Elvish Justicars, an elite group of warriors and hunters, and revenged upon if found to be unnatural.

The long lives elves are blessed with are as coveted as their beauty, being some four to five hundred years, this length coupled with their youthful appearance throughout their lives has even lead to myths of elvish immortality in centuries past.

While there have been occasions where slavers have attempted to capture elves to sell, their attempts, even if initially successful, all ultimately fail. The Justicars see to that.

The descriptions of the cruel punishments inflicted on the savers, once caught, shall be omitted from this account.

Merfolk:

Other races do not have the gills we possess, they cannot both breathe on land or in water as we do. While humankind look similar to us, merfolk are more slender of build, having a far denser and superior musculature then the soft humans.

Most races do not share our sense of humor either, getting easily annoyed with the way we show our natural affection, the many pranks we pull. They also view our magics' of illusion and weather control as unnatural and are often distrustful of them, so be careful when using our magical gifts amongst the races, as it can incite fear, hatred, and even violent responses from unenlightened minds.

Our lifespans are also well placed, averaging 100-120 years. And the other races know not of our true population of over 10 million, split between the 12 tribes and over the seas as they are.

For we are the free folk, wanderers, explorers, and artists. Foolishly the other races call us tribal and savage, for how can their cities and lands possibly compare to the beauty of the ocean's depths that we experience? Or the beauty of the morning sky as light crests over the horizon after a typhoon? Few indeed of other races visit our centers of learning and culture, or commune with the denizens of the seas as have our beast masters.

Our superiority as a species is apparent, and discussed in more detail in my other work titled 'The Shaping Hand of Magic'

Dragons:

These noble beings once thrived on this world, we know this not only from our mothers of wisdom, but from the ruins and nests of the creatures that many of our best explorer and archaeologist cadres have discovered on their journeys.

Yet empty nests and ruins are all they have found. What happened to the dragons? None here know for certain, we have but precious little knowledge that has been passed down.

Their lifespan is estimated to be around 2-3 thousand years, and while their historical population is only guessed at, we have found none alive to converse with, despite exhaustive searches from many of our best explorers.

What stories we have tell us that each dragon would choose one of the twelve aspects of magic upon reaching maturity, and forever after their scales would be tinged with the color of their prismatic magic.

The only exception to this rule was their Kings. Depicted in murals as albino crystal dragons, only one such was born each generation, their birth color heralding their eventual rule.

Uncovered murals seem to suggest that old dragons communally raised the young, while all the dragons in their prime left to wage some war, returning only to lay their eggs and entrusting them to the care of their elders, before leaving once more.

Most knowledge about dragon's culture and life has been lost in time, and the world is lesser for it.

BeastKin:

Being the three races created by Galafel the Insane, Mother of Monsters.

Orcs:

These creatures are the most prolific of the three, with a lifespan of a mere 3-4 decades they are the shortest lived of the sentient races. However their reproductive cycle can outstrip any other. As such their population is carefully controlled by the human bureaucracies, the entire race was enslaved by the human's after the third great war.

They are used as heavy labor in the fields and cities of the humans, or as meat-shields in their many skirmishes, and their large dusky bluish grey bodies ripple with muscle as they go about their tasks. Orcs stand as tall or taller than elves, and could snap us in two with naught but their bare hands. Now I do not personally agree with slavery, but I am grateful we do not have to deal with the potential threat the orcs pose to our people.

Indeed the slavery of the Orcs is a testament to how pride can destroy a species, for in their wild ambitions during the last great war the great orc chief gambled, and lost. Now the average orc barely considers each day as it comes, moving about with dull eyes in their mundane and simple tasks. Their people have long been leaderless, and cowed as they are orcs think of little more than their next meal, having been reduced to little more than animals.

I have watched them go about their labors, eyes hollow and filled with a weary pain I could not fathom. I was forced to turn my head else my own heart break for them.

Lycans:

Not much is known of this reclusive species, hearsay states that they live to 120 years like our people, with their population estimated in the tens of thousands. Lycans have never been numerous, yet records of their feats and physical prowess are enough to make one wish to never cross one of their kind.

After the third great war they took up residence in the northern parts of the Terrapian continent around a massive tree, dwelling in small scattered tribes that roam with their domesticated herds of Boola's.

According to scholarly accounts they look much like human barbarians, large of stature and intensely muscled, but with the ability to transform into massive bipedal creatures of fur, fangs and claws.

Unlike popular tales people bitten by them do not turn into a similar being, instead they inflicted with a magical curse that sends them berserk on nights where both moons are full, killing all around them in a mindless rage unless restrained. But I digress...

They are also said to hold immense regenerative powers and an immunity to most diseases and poisons. As for their sociality, all I have managed to find was that they love their pack members ferociously and can hold a grudge their entire lives, a passionate people if ever there was one.

Calgaree:

These beastkin are bipedal with fur, claws and fangs, but are far smaller than the Lycans. Also, unlike lycans they are permanently furry, unable to shift between a human and beastkin form.

Their population numbers approximately 10 million with a lifespan of 4-5 decades. They can be found wherever humans can, living in a form of symbiosis throughout the seven kingdoms. They are also far shrewder than their beastkin relatives and possess great talents in commerce and clerical work.

Due to past conflicts with the humans they take a differential role as a species, even going so far as to abstain from meat for a millennium after the last great war in order to prove they were no threat to humankind.

While they have pawed feet on which they wear no shoes, wearing instead cloth wrappings at most, their hands have humanesque fingers with nails that they carefully trim. This enables them to use most of the tools and devices that are designed for humans, allowing them greater integration into human society.

The political structure of the Calgaree is simple, but complex to follow, they are ruled in the shadows by a matriarchal council much like our own, something we can take as a sign of their maturity as a species despite its relative youth. Yet despite it's simple structure, appointment to these positions and the complex balances of power between the reigning matriarchs make it difficult to predict the outcome of their councils at times.

I have even heard whispers of a shadow group called the Calgaree Line. These Liners, or enforcers as we would recognise them, are not for external threats, but to keep the calgaree populace in line with the laws set by their council of matriarchs. History has proven them to be effective, almost never is a calgaree convicted of a crime, most guilty parties or dissidents simply disappear.

Halfs

While there are some few half breeds amongst the races they are quite rare due to a high chance of stillbirths, and the fact that often the birth will prove fatal for the mother, leaving many unwilling to take the chance. They are also discriminated against, and few welcome their company. While they will bear a random mix of traits from both parents, it has been observed that they predominantly lean towards the maternal line.

Animals:

While there are many varieties of monsters on land and in the oceans, these are the most commonly seen and domesticated animals of Terrapia.

Chur`ka:

An equine animal of which there are many breeds, possessing six hooved legs with four at the front and two at their rear. They are also scaled, with an abundance of hues and are omnivorous. The owners have to take care to always keep them well fed lest their mounts turn on them in a feeding frenzy.

They are used in many spheres including agriculture and war. Loyal to their owner, they are social animals when well trained.

Suk

A canine animal commonly found amongst the human population. While they are little more than tame worgen, they bear some traits of civilization, such as being smaller and friendlier than their wild kin. Unlike their cousins however they have evolved with four eyes and a far shorter snout, resulting in them being more visual hunters unlike like worgens who hunt on scent. Their powerful front bodies and large paws allow them to leap a surprising distance relative to their size.

Worgen

A canine beast. Wild packs of worgen roam every forest of the continent. Ferocious and cunning, a pack can easily take down the unprepared. Unlike their tamer relatives they are endurance hunters based on scent and sound.

Mako:

An extremely rare mammal. Honored by the Calgaree and Elf populations who hold them in pseudo religious awe, the animal featuring highly in their mythologies. Mako come and go as they please and have been known to accompany historical heroes and sages.

Boola:

A common bovine animal, bred for its meat, milk, leather, and its long hair, the later two used in a number of textile industries. Variants of Boola exist across the continent and are perhaps best known for releasing a foul stench and playing dead when feeling threatened. A fact young locals sometimes abuse for entertaiment.

Zugzug:

A very fat lazy animal, bread for meat. Orcs, Calgaree, Elves and our own Merfolk people refuse to eat its meat. Variants can be found throughout the continent.

Balicog:

An annoyingly silly looking hoofed animal that comes to one's knee, their flocks are bred for their soft wool, nutritious milk, and especially succulent meat by the herders of Galaga and Bailash. These animals are fiercely territorial and aggressive; and it remains unknown how the local herders survive them for injuries, and even death amongst the herders is not rare. Yet their job is lucrative, for the high quality of their products is sought after by traders across the land.

Murgoat:

A four legged scourge of an animal that will eat just about anything, including your paint, brush, and tapestry, bred for their pelts, meat and milk. Males have two sets of curved horns while females have one forward facing set.

Clukie:

Small avian animals that cannot fly, quite stupid and can literally be a pain to take care of as the use of their serrated beaks can be quite vicious. Domesticated for their meat, eggs and feathers.

Luppie:

Small rodents that abound in fields and cities.

For in depth discussions on a variety of magical beasts and their histories see my other works, Beasts Magical and Mundane Throughout the Ages, Volume One through Fifteen.