Races

Human

Year of first colony: Unknown, before recorded history

Humans can be found in every walk of life. It is less common to see Human slaves, but not altogether impossible. Humans are proficient farmers, artisans, military officers, and politicians.

Origin

The Book of Beginning documents that Humans were the first intelligent race to colonize Veldus. The first successful colony of Humans was established by Korick near modern-day Dynntium, and are responsible for the Calendar system used on Veldus.

Elves & Aarakocra

Elves

Year of first colony: 42

Elves are similar to humans with regards to their standing in the world, but they usually aren’t found joining either The Cult or The Order. They have a natural affinity towards magic and will often set up schools of magic throughout Hlorn’s Praise. Elves typically enjoy a privileged life, so will try to find their way to positions of power and wealth.

Elves are natural naval captains and can be found on trading ships or as naval officers in the military. They are rarely made slaves, but on the rare occasion they are it is usually as a house servant rather than manual labor.

Aarakocra

Year of first colony: 42

The Aarakocra never made a formal alliance to end the war, like The Great Alliance of 598 between the Humans and Elves, because they felt no need. Aarakocra are rarely seen in civilized society despite having a large population throughout Veldus, still preferring to keep to themselves, and remaining a mystery to many.

Shared origin

The Book of Beginning documents how Elves were brought to colonize Veldus. The first colony of Elves was established when Lothina and Selwin allied together in response to the first Human colony splitting into a second colony.

The siblings traveled to Faerun in the original Material Plane and brought back both Elves and Aarakocra to fight against the expanding Human colonies. Due to the short lifespan of Aarakocra, the decendents of the original colonizers soon abandoned their pact, preferring to live in Veldus and not return to Faerun. Soon, they migrated all around Veldus.

The Elves eventually accepted there was no convincing the Aarakocra to return to Faerun and gave up their war against the Humans in the year 598. The Great Alliance marked the end of the original pact made infront of the Grandfather Tree between Lothina, Selwin, the Elves, and the Aarakocra, and the beginning of Humans and Elves living in harmony.

The Book of Beginning records the arrival of the Elves and Aarakocra as follows:

When the group of men and women left Belrdium on a mission to find a new home far away, it took Lothina and Selwin by surprise. They were not expecting the Humans to migrate so far, and establsih a second strong colony so quickly. Desperate, they both realized they needed to ally together to stop to Humans once and for all.

Feeling betrayed by their mother and having completely lost paitence with their father they decided this extraordinary moment called for drastic measures. They knew the Humans and Korick were not from Veldus, so they looked beyond the confides of Veldus to find a power to defeat them. In the year 40, the siblings discovered how to travel to the Material Plane and found themselves in Faerun, within the High Forest near the Grandfather Tree.

At the base of the Grandfather Tree the siblings made a pact with a group of Wood Elves and Aarakocra they had made friends with since arriving. They agreed to travel back with the siblings, help them wage war against the Humans, then return to Faerun once they were eliminated, and pledged servitude to Lothina and Selwin while they remained in Veldus.

When the groups arrived to Veldus they found themselves deep in Lothina’s Forest. Each group established it’s own colony within the forest in the year 42, and avoided detection from anyone outside the forest until the year 216 when Elves made their first contact with Humans cutting down trees on the southern edge of Lothina’s Forest.

Humbly recorded by, Lance Buiron - Hyrda 39, 222

Halfling

Year of first tribe: 222

Halfings are often found as house servants in major cities, but many free Halfling tribes are found throughout Hlorn’s Praise. It is very rare to see a Halfling in a position of power in a major city or as an officer in the military. Because of their heightened ability for stealth and access to sensitive information as house servants, The Cult often recruits them into their ranks.

Origin

Sometime in the spring of the year 222, Korick brought the first tribe of Halflings to Veldus, specifically to Dynntium, in response to the arrival of Elves in Lothina’s Forest (Aarakocra were still undiscovered at this point).

Korick’s plan was for Halflings to assimilate to Human culture on Veldus, making them natural allies against the ongoing struggle with Lothina and Selwin, and once again his plan was successful.

Dragonborn

Year of first brood: 746

Dragonborn were the first native intelligent race of Veldus.

In the year 742, a powerful Elf wizard named Erevan Ebonywood discovered how Lothina and Selwin were able to travel to Faerun, and was able to teleport himself back to The High Forest where the siblings found the Elves and Aarakocra that would migrate to Veldus.

While there, he met another Elf who knew of the Old Pact made between two strange gods and the local Wood Elves and Aarakocra. The Elf was able to convince Erevan to bring her back to Veldus. When they arrived, the Elf revealed herself to actually be an ancient green dragon, Zyrsith, who disguised herself. Zyrsith kidnapped Erevan and left Lothina’s Forest, eventually settling in the White Peaks in the year 746. Through misdirection, trickery, and disguise Zyrsith was able to keep her true identity as a Dragon a secret from Veldus.

In the year 746 there was virtually no life occupying the White Peaks, with Elves favoring forests and Humans favoring anywhere else but the White Peaks. In this solitude, Zyrsith was able to nuture the first Dragonborn brood on Veldus. The size and strength Zyrsith’s brood quietly grew, unbeknownest to the rest of Veldus.

Around the year 800 Zyrsith notice the presence of a small Dwarf clan in the White Peaks near a new brood she was starting. By this time, Zyrsith had planted dozens of new Dragonborn broods across the White Peaksin with hopes of one day ruling all of Veldus under her the might of a Dragonborn horde, once they had enough time to mature. But this was the first time she had noticed any Dwarfs in the White Peaks.

Before she knew it, the Dwarves began multiplying faster than her Dragonborn and she was eventually slain during the Last Dragon War of 924. The Dwarves slaughtered 90% of all Dragonborn in the White Peaks, enslaving the rest.

Eventually some Dragonborn found their way out of slavery and made a life as either a mercenary or adventurer. Still, it is extremely rare to see any Dragonborn in a position of power, whether it is politics, military, captaining a ship. Politicians will often hire Dragonborn mercenaries as body guards.

For these reasons, Dragonborn are also looked down upon by the other races. Dragonborn adventurers find themselves not welcomed at many taverns and inns, and have a hard time interacting with society.

Dwarves, Goblins, and Orcs

Dwarves

Year of first Dwarf clan: ~800

Dwarves are mostly found in the White Peaks, but some do leave their clans to adventure outside of their mountains. On occassion, a Dwarf is banished from their clan and forced to join the rest of the world. Similar to Humans, Dwarves are fond of many different walks of life and careers. They hold grudges far longer than any other race, and are responsible for the near extinction of the Dragonborn.

The Dwarves are at constant war with Goblin and Orc tribes in the White Peaks. Filled with too much pride, and untrusting of outsiders, the Dwarf clans have never asked Belrd or Dynnt for help when dealing with Goblins and Orcs.

In return, nobody has asked the Dwarves for help since they keep the Goblins and Orcs mostly preoccupied, giving little need for their savage tribes to venture into Belrd and Dynnt lands.

Goblins and Orcs

Year of first Goblin and Orc tribes: ~800

Goblins and Orcs were first encountered by local villages settled near the base of the White Peaks around the year 800. Their first encounters were savage raids that left villagers massacred and all buildings in burning shambles. For a long time these raids went ignored by Belrdium and Dynntium because they were infrequent and left no survivors. But eventually, in the year 927, expeditions were sent into the mountains to hunt and kill them at the source.

During these expeditions first contact was made with the Dwarves. To the locals of Veldus, the link between the Dwarves, Goblins, and Orcs was undeniable, but all knowledge of those races had left the collective Veldian memory. They were completely alien to them.

It had been several years since the Dragon Wars ended, and the Dwarves were itching for a fight. They agreed to help vanquish the Goblins and Orcs, assuming they would make short order of them since they seemed no match compared to the mighty Dragonborn. But this was a different enemy, and far more formidable than they first seemed. No matter what advantage the Dwarves gained it was quickly countered by the Goblins and Orcs.

The war rages to this day.

While the Dwarves have never found success eliminating the Goblins and Orcs, their efforts distracted them from raiding villages outside of the White Peaks. Lost in their lust to dig deeper, and themselves preoccupied warring with Goblins and Orcs, the Dwarves never followed up with the original expedition of local Veldian after their first visit. Likewise, no one every went back to talk with them since the Goblins and Orcs raids stopped.

Shared origin

No one is exactly sure how Dwarves, Goblins, and Orcs came to be on Veldus, with even Korick denying involvement and openly despising their presence. Korick finds Dwarves too stubborn in their traditions and loyal to their clan for his dirty schemes, while Goblins and Orcs are too savage.

It is commonly accepted that Dwarves were born from the White Peaks, in natural response to the arrival of Zyrsith and her Dragonborn, to serve as its protectors. They warred with each other for decades, but never a clear victor.

The Last Dragon War of 924 was a series of major military manuevers by the Dwarves against the Dragonborn that resulted in Zyrsith’s death. With Zyrsith dead, the Dwarves were finally able to overwhelm the Dragonborn and slaughtered 9 Dragonborn for every 10 they found. The few survivors that remained were enslaved.

With their mortal enemy defeated, the Dwarves had nothing left to distract them from their insatiable greed and desire to dig deeper. Goblins and Orcs seem to be a natural manifestation that counters the Dwarves unnatural discipline, greed, and loyalty, and fills a void left in the aftermath of the Last Dragon War of 924: a mortal enemy.

The following entry in The Book of Beginning is the first time Dwarves, Goblins, and Orcs are mentioned:

None of the gods claim responsibility for the Dwarves, and they do not know of their own origin either. They claim to be Children of the Mountain, so we can only assume it is the mountains that brought them.

The goblins and orcs too! Never had one been seen until the Dwarves arrived, and they share the same home in the mountains. Whatever their origin may be, it remains a great mystery.

Humbly recorded by, Quarion Buirune - Sphinx 11, 950