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The Races of Alliances

There are 20 known races in the world of Alliances. They will be presented here, in my sketches, as I envision them. I have tried to be as true to their descriptions as possible, and I hope these sketches will help players understand what sort of race they are playing, as well as helping the people making this MUD better determin their abilities, armor restrictions, and inherent status conditions.

They will be shown in this order:

[Aitikkas][Alails][Avians][Drakes][Dwarves][Elves][Gnomes][Halflings][Half Elves][Humans][Lizardmen][Merenthians][Ogres][Orcs][Ratmen] [StoneDwellers] [Silthans][Tigrans][Treants][Trolls]

At the bottom of this page, is a section of the [Extinct, or nearly-extinct] races that once existed in the world, but are no longer available to players to chose from. Not much is known about them to today's generation, and they are mainly known by legends only.

Click here to return to my index of sketches page.

An Ai'Tik'Ka

The Ai'Tik'Ka are an insectoid race that live in community hives. Almost all Ai'Tik"Ka are
of the warrior breed. They have a strong exoskeleton which gives them excellent
protection when they go off into battle. Their size, however, is a limiting factor. If they
grow too large, their exoskeleton becomes too heavy to move with ease. This limits
their size to that of a little less in stature than the humans. With four legs, the Ai'Tik'Ka are
able to move through most rough terrain easier than bipedal races, but they cannot
swim, and thus, stay far from water. Ai'Tik'Ka are very sensitive to movement and
smells, however, they do not have very accurate vision due to compound eyes.

An Alail

The Alail are a small mammalian race that most humans consider cute and
cuddly. They are covered in soft short fur of various shades. Their most
distinctive feature is a dark patch of fur that crosses their eyes forming a
"mask" of sorts. Humans have a hard time telling them apart, but each Alail
is distinguished from the other in subtle way; the shade of their fur, the
shape of the mask, their scent. The Alail are a clannish race. Family and
friends are important to the Alail. The Alail are curious and bright, always
looking for something new to learn. Their size prevents them from being
overly successful as warriors but they are loyal companions.

A male Avian

The elegant Avians are a bird-like race of humanoids. They have a delicate
body, but this serves a purpose, allowing them to fly. Their entire body is
covered in soft feathers in a multitude of colors. Their heads are like that
of a hawk, with forward-centered eyes, and a sharp beak. They have a tall
crest which stands between their strong wings which are mounted on their
backs, near their shoulders. Their legs are bent backwards, as a bird's,
rather than forward, as a man's. Their feet and lower legs are like those
of a bird, surrounded by an armor-like shell. They have four toes on each
foot, two facing forward, two back, each one equipped with a razor sharp
talon. The Avian people are very intelligent and wise, and share good
relations with most intelligent races. Even the High Elves enjoy the company
of an Avian.

A male Drake, in human form.

A male Drake, in dragon form.

Drakes are much like humans, however, their ancestry links them with
the ancient race of dragons. The humans were killing off their kind in
drastic numbers in that era, and so, their wise King Kel-Drumar had all the
dragons in the land gather together. There, they summoned all of their magical
energy together, and they turned themselves into the form of humans. This one
desperate act saved their race from extinction, but they lost their natural
dragon form, and all magical abilities that lied therein. Their kind now
resides in DraKai, where they have been able to harness their inner strength
and once more take on their dragon form, for short spans of time. In human
form, Drakes are almost indistinguishable from humans. Their hair colors
are usually quite exotic, however, and match the most vivid of the colors
of their dragon form. Over time, they begin to grow scales on their skin, but
these scales are hardly noticable until they have grown old. They also begin to
grow claws. Most Drakes wore gloves to hide this fact, lest they be killed by
the humans, however, now gloves are shunned by their kind, for those who wear
gloves are hiding their rich Dragonian heritage. Drakes have still lost
their magical abilities, and they hate magic, since it is what brought them
down from their ancient form to what they are now.

A Male Dwarf

Dwarves are a strong, sturdy race, often as hard and unyielding
as the mountains they inhabit. Larger than Halflings, but shorter
than Humans, Dwarves live in great cities under the ground, waging
war against evil creatures of chaos. They love working with stone and
prize gemstones and precious metals mined from their mountains more
than any other treasure. Dwarves mistrust magic and thus cannot become
spellcasters.

A Female Elf

The Elves, or High Elves, to be precise, are an enchanting race which has lived in
seclusion for ages. They are a beautiful people, usually tall, and slender. Their hair is
usually golden, or silver, and their eyes, blue or lavender. They have
pointed ears, and prize their sense of hearing as they are excellent archers.
They are the embodiment of wisdom and knowledge. Many of their people have
been studying magic in all its forms for centuries. They are well suited to the
magical arts, however, they are physically frail. Seldom do you see a High
Elf in the company of non-elven races. Their enduring race is one factor in
their attitude which most other races know only too well. They are arrogant
and usually do not consider other races to be worthy of their companionship.
This has made them enemies with many races.

A Male Gnome

Gnomes are another underground dwelling race, a smaller, more dexterous
race than their cousins, the Dwarves. They resemble small, thin dwarves with
the exception of their large noses (a source of pride amongst the gnomes).
Gnomes are naturally curious and make excellent thieves and spellcasters.
They also like to tinker with items, sometimes making them better, sometimes
changing their effect in unexpected ways.

A Halfling

Halflings are one of the smallest races in the world. On average they stand
about 3 feet tall and are an unusually jolly race of people. They enjoy their
"comforts" (a pipe, some good tobacco, and a stout ale beside a friendly hearth)
but can be stout companions. Though short, they are quite dexterous
and light on their feeet (which are tough, covered with fur and usually unshod).
Halflings make excellent theives. They cannot become spellcasters.

A Half-Elf

Half-elves are the offspring of humans and High Elves. Though usually smaller than
humans, they are not as fragile as their elven parent. Their elven heritage
shows in their distinctive looks and the tireless pace they can maintain.
Half-elves are not accepted into the elven societies, as they are a mixed
breed, but are able to get along quite well in human society, as they are
very beautiful and charming.

A Human

Mythical beings, only thought to exist in legends,... aw... who are we kidding?

Humans have existed in this world for centuries now. They seem to have
proliferated much more broadly than the other races. This is most likely
due to their ability to adapt to different climates, situations, and other
conditions. The human nations in this world have just come out of a lengthy
period of constant warring under the direction of the wise King Welmar of
Garathorm. The city of Garathorm has become somewhat of a melting pot of
races, and it is here where the great kings of the world gathered for the
momentous signing of a treaty. Humans still reside there predominantly.
Many races are still quite hostile to the humans, as they are not as eager
to forgive and forget centuries of bloodshed at their hands. Humans are quite
average in all respects, and other races are usually compared to them.

A Lizardman

Lizardmen are a reptilian race of humanoids that prefer swamps and marshes
for their homes. They are a savage race, usually surviving by scavenging and
raiding other settlements. They are taller than humans, and quite dexterous
for their size. Their scaly skin and tails make them very distinctive and
frightening. Lizardmen make excellent warriors and thieves, but cannot
become spellcasters.

A Merenthian

Merenthians are an amphibious race. Known to have fins and gills, they can stay submerged
indefinetly, and they have 2 legs, lungs, and sufficient strength to walk about on land.
Since the Merenthians breathe through their skin when on land, and gills in the water, they do
not like to wear much, if any, metal armor. When they do wear metal armor, they obviously
cannot swim with such weight. They are surprisingly strong for their size, but this could
be expected, since it takes a lot more effort to move about underwater. Thus,
their muscles are accustomed to moving effortlessly through water, and when they
come onto land, it is much easier for them to move about without the
resistance of the water. Even so, Merenthians prefer to stay in the water,
where they do not feel the weight of their bodies as much.

An Ogre

Ogres have yellow, brown, or purple, warty skin. Their eyes are deep black,
with white in the very center. They are quite large, with long arms and big,
knobby hands. They have a stooping posture, as though their arms weigh more
than their back can carry, however this is quite to the contrary. Their big,
ugly heads are full of crooked teeth that are usually rotten, as they do not
care for them. Ogre tribes are lead by a chieftain who is usually chosen for
his size and strength. They also have a shaman who advises the chieftan, and
in some instances, carries more power over the tribe than the chieftan
himself. Ogres are known for their beligerance and constant raids on nearby
settlements.

An Orc

Orcs are a carnivorous, tribal people who survive by hunting and raiding.
They are constantly at war with the other races. Any alliances made by
the Orcs are usually broken. They resemble primitive humans, with well
developed canine teeth, stooping posture, low jutting foreheads, and
pointed ears. Orcs are not smart enough to become spell casters, but due
to their strength, they make excellent warriors.

A Ratman

This race of rat people has only recently begun to appear in the lands. They
are of unknown origin. Some say they began to appear when larger cities began
to add sewer systems to their cities, thereby giving the rats places to breed
freely, growing in size. Others though, believe they are the result of an
evil sorcerer's curse, much like the Minotaurs. Whatever the case may be,
these men with rat-like features do exist. Their faces are human-like, but
they have an extended snout area, and extremely sharp front teeth. Their body
is covered in a short layer of brown or grey fur. Their hands and feet have
claws, and they have a long pink tail.

A Stone Dweller

Preferring to live in caves and other dark places, little is known of the
Stonedwellers. From the stories that have been told of them, they are a
savage race which live in small packs, usually led by a dominant female.
They are taller and thinner than most humans, but possess greater strength
in their toned muscles. They are generally tougher than humans, in regards
to both the toughness of their skin, and ability to withstand many attacks.
Some think this is due to how they are brought up, fighting with siblings
constantly. Many Stonedweller children die in combat with each other at a
young age (and the winners are thought to eat the bodies of their siblings,
as is shown by tiny teeth marks on the bones). In appearance, they are
hideously ugly to humans, with a tough, rubbery hide of green-grey, long
ungainly arms and legs and dull-black sunken eyes.

A Silthan

The Silthan are a large, bipedal snake-like race. They stand over 6' tall
and have a slender, powerful build, reptilian faces, and forked tongues.
They are not as dexterous as some races, but their sharp, quick minds are
always working. They make excellent spellcasters and decent warriors. The
Silthan are a solitary race, often prefering to travel alone, but make
formidable allies. Although some tend to see the Silthan as an evil race,
akin to the monsters that terrorize the world, many have proven this
assumption wrong in defending human establisments. The Silthan home town is
in the desert of Ss'shiss'Sa.

A Male Tigran (Cleric)

Tigrans are tall, about avg 5 ft 9 in to 6 ft 1 in. They are humanoid
in appearance with short fur from head to toe. The colors in the fur
range from black and white, orange and black, and any combination of
said colors. They have deep black eyes that can see right through to
the souls of those they peer at. The tigrans are a clerical race by
nature, preferring to be healers and priests over warriors, etc...
Though they have the natural strength to be powerful warriors. The
shortness in the digits of their hands would make them out to be poor
thieves and although they have the stealth and quietness of the
mighty tiger we are all keen too, the brightness in their fur colors
would make it quite difficult for them to hide and thus make them
poor choices as assassins. Although they have the strength to be
great warriors their intelligence and wisdom prevails keeping them
from becoming outright fighters and barbarians. Tigrans would not be
at all happy as knights either. Even though they could perform the
task of such a class. They would much prefer to be Paladins or
Crusaders if they must choose fighting as a lifestyle.

A Treant

Ancient, sentient trees of the enchanted forests. Treants are large, moving
trees with root structures which are pulled up out of the ground. They prop
themselves upon these stocky roots and move around upon them, like a spider
with more legs than it can handle. Treant's arms are thin branches with long
twig-like, leaveless fingers. Their trunk is very solid, and resists peircing
and blunt weapons, as well as shielding the heartwood from poisoning. Upon
the top of their trunk, extend many branches. Most of these are thin, yet
sharp on the ends. Birds and other small animals sometimes climb about in the
branches of Treants, and the Treants are not bothered by this. Treants are
highly magical beings, however, this magic is only useful in the ways of
nature, such as shamans or enchanters.

A Troll

Trolls are always Warriors. They live in small packs, usually
led by a dominant female. They are taller and thinner than most
humans, but possess greater strength and are generally tougher.
Most of the other races can usually out smart them in any mental
confrontation. Trolls are hideously ugly with a tough, rubbery
hide of green-grey, long ungainly arms and legs and dull-black
sunken eyes. Trolls prefer dense forest and subterranean
areas.

Extinct or Near~Extinct Races

These races were once prevalent in the world before the wars broke out. During the wars however, there were many races which were decimated or completely wiped out. These races are no longer available for players to chose from, however, they may still exist as non-player-characters or monsters roaming the lands.

A Minotaur

Minotaurs are are usually over 7 feet tall, with the head of a bull, body of a man,
and hooved feet. They are usually cursed humans or the offspring of Minotaurs
and humans. Thought to be evil, and to bring curses to men, they were forced out of
society, and into sprawling underground labrinths or remote islands.
Minotaurs are not very intelligent, and can barely talk.

A Centaur

Centaurs used to roam the land, usually as clerics who accompanied
warriors on their long journeys. They were welcomed as friends to the
humans, and when the wars broke out amongst the peoples, the
Centaurs sided with the humans. The Centaurs took many casualties
during these wars. So few now exist, that they have become almost
legendary creatures. They will not be easily forgotten.

A Kendar

This race once existed, although, the legends are not entirely clear as to how they looked,
what their customs were, or where they lived. All the legends seem to agree that they were
not prepared for the wars that engulfed them. They tried to remain neutral, but were
still wiped out by the other races.

A Half-Orc

The Half-orcs were rare even before the wars. When the wars broke out, the Orcs turned on
these children of their hated enemies, the humans, and the Humans turned on the twisted children
of their hated enemies, the orcs. With nowhere to turn, and being so few in number, the Half-orcs were quickly
wiped out, or fled into seclusion to avoid being slaughtered.

All Sketches by Cory Helson
Producer
http://www.indigogames.com/

Personal Webpage: www.oocities.org/TimesSquare/2120/