Cat Folk

The cat people are a harmonious people, gracing the forests of the wilds with their simple communities and unique gifts. They can range in color and in hair length, as any feline can, but are usually easy to spot. The blood of a cat is strong, and shines through even in the impure races that grace Belariath to produce mixed breed offspring. Look for pointed ears lifted off the skull; ears that turn and twist to locate any sound. Look for dark eyes with varied colored slits that contract and dilate at the merest change of light and can stare down the most hypnotic serpent or sorcerer. And of course, look for the most obvious feature, the long, dexterous tail.

Cat people have an expected feline grace that is demonstrated through their mastery of the physical arts and the more sensual of sexual pleasures. In combat their agility makes them dangerous but they lack the stamina to overcome an enemy who can outlast them. What a cat woman, or man, lacks in stamina, they make up for in desire, agility and creativity. The curse of the cat-people given to them by the goddess when the ritual that created the race failed, the curse that was given effected their reproductive cycles. There are fare more females in any given community than there are males, even outnumbering them 7 or more to 1. thus, when slavers come to the woods to raid and cart away for sale and auction the easily worn down female prey, it is rarely a reason for outcry among this simple and delicate, yet hardy race.

Centaurs

The fighting spirit of humanity is toned down in the wealth and abundantly rich animal blood of the common centaur. Centaurs are half human/half horse by nature, and yet are a race all their own. They can be very tall, and often quite broad chested on both sexes. What they lack in the manners of progress and civilization, preferring to live in the wilds when given the choice, they make up for with determination and hardiness; centaurs often join causes for the good and the just. Centaurs generally roam in family groups similar to horse herds, founding nomadic tribes in the plains and lighter forests. There is little division between the sexes, and most centaurs have a good and honorable fighting spirit within, second only to their serene desire for peace. Oddly for a race so magical in design, centaurs do better in melee than anything. They have strong hearts and make for sturdy warriors and resourceful clerics. Their dedication to the natural world often turns their futures towards the guilds of rangers and druids, giving them a chance to heal the wounds of the earth around them.

Chirot

Chirot, the bat people. An odd race, to say the least, some say primitive, usually stemming from their preferred living environment, however these people are sadly mistaken, the Chirot are as culturally advanced as the high humans. The Chirot live or "nest" as they call it in caves, however not the usual caves. The Chirot inhabit a large mountain range, with entrances high up in the rock, however these entrances lead to their actual "cities", large cavernous spaces cut out within the mountain itself, either by natural forces or the Chirot themselves, these spaces reach 160 feet high in some places. The Chirot actually build homes inside these spaces, from the rock they carve, they in fact do not carve out houses inside the rock, yet use their combined effort to hollow out large spaces and build cities inside them.

Chirot have an intense disdain for those with bird wings, for they are said to be the oppressors of the bat winged ones in the next plane of existence. Their appearance throughout the race is very similar, most Chirot have dark and even black hair, iris and pupils are black as well. They have pale white skin, and pointed shell like bat ears covered in coarse fur, usually brown or grey, then there's of course the leathery wings, ranging from tanned colors to complete black, the rest of their body is surprisingly similar to humans though, save for their teeth, which are sharp for rending flesh.

Drak'Sen

Usually ranging from the height of 5'7" to 6'6" they are mortals borne from the dreams of dragons. Created to serve the great ones in their time of need, to govern themselves and watch the flows of time as the world passed. From times past the Dragon-kin kept a neutral outlook on the world they were created to watch, scribes unto themselves to record all of history as the dragons slept. Now, fully coming into view within the world of Belariath, they too seek to claim a part of history and let themselves be known, only in rarity akin to the Magi, for their first and only duty is that to those who spawned them, the Dragons.

Duessa

"…If anyone unwarily draws in too close and hears the whispers of the Duessa, his wife and children will never welcome him home again, for they sit in a green field and warble him to death with the sweetness of their song. There is a great heap of dead men's bones lying all around, with the flesh still rotting off them. Therefore pass these Duessa by, and stop your men's ears with wax that none of them may hear…"

They go by many names, to the elves they are known as "Whispers" and among the Cat-People they are called "Shades". For the humans, a young and simple species at best, they are referred to quite mistakenly as "Dark Nymphs". Oh, the physical resemblance is there, of that there can be little doubt, but that is where any similarities between these beings and Nymphs end. While Duessa (doo-es'-ah) is the formal name for this race, the more familiar and descriptive term "Whisper" is commonly used and the two terms are interchangeable.

Duessa are Nature Spirits, formed from the first chaotic breath of life, which spawned all of Gaea's Children in the dawn of creation. But somewhere along the line these fragile creatures took a different path, or heard a different, darker voice urging them forth. They are female, delightfully so, taller than their sister Nymphs by a head, but no less beautiful for it. Duessa have a distinctive Elvish cast to them, so that they will appear almost half-Elven, with finely angular features and pointed ears. High arched brows above a narrow aquiline nose. Their hair is luxurious and black as the darkest night. Their flesh pale, often with a faint bluish tinge, as if bloodless beneath their smooth flawless skin. Their full pouting lips as well seem drained of color, touched with the same pale azure of their finger and toenails. Only the Whisper's eyes are warm, uncomfortably so with bright humid colors, primarily reds and yellows, flickering like dancing flames, or a penetrating crimson, like embers smoldering beneath their dark locks.

Dwarf

Dwarves lead lives of rugged splendor in their mountain range communities, where they often spend their entire lives within the stone, mining for gold, silver, and precious gems. These they use to decorate their extensive and grandiose underground cities as well as for commerce. They are a long-lived race, much like the more eye-pleasing elves; but like the elves, they too have their valuable assets, and their secrets. Usually, dwarves are taller than the more slender Halflings, but shorter by far than an average human. Their bodies are stocky, sturdy, their faces ruddy from their mining and mineral extraction processes, and their chins bearded, often on both sexes.

Dwarves enjoy magic and its trickery, but do not use it to rise above other races or to twist the world around their fat fingers. They are a very physical and defensive people, and will take their axes, their preferred weapons of battle, to bear upon anyone who questions their gods or their manners. Never insult a dwarf about his smell or his god or his choice of drink or women. And never cross an angry dwarf. Most of all, do not attempt to cross blades with an angry, drunken dwarf who hasn't been home to his people in some time and desperately needs a woman!

Fae

The Faery Realm, remains distant from Belariath, although it actually exist within. In this mundane time, there are times and places where the two worlds meet, where a traveler may wander into this Hidden Place. Between places are entrances into this Magical Realm: between Land and Sea, between Day and Night, between One Place and the Next. This is why gateways and doorways are a prime ways into the Otherworld. Standing within a doorway, one is neither in one place or the next, neither outside nor indoors. It allows us a passageway into the in between world of The Faeries. The Land of The Faeries takes on many guises. It is the Enchanted Forests. It is the Shadow World. It is the reaches of Heaven and the depths of Hell. Never-never Land. The Dream World. The places where Faeries dance in timeless revelry.

Goblin

Since they first appeared in the land of Belariath the Goblins, also known as Orcs, have been a deep thorn in the side of 'civilized' society almost the world over. Finding little lasting welcome in any one place, they spread rapidly, mostly living in migratory packs, settling only in the fringes; the kinds of places where no one wants the land enough to bother to run them off.

They've gotten a bad rap over the centuries and perhaps rightfully so, for whenever a rogue warlord or ambitious Necromancer with a mind for some carnage needed an army, Goblins were almost always there. Rumor has it they were created by an evil Moriel with Necromantic powers in a bid to destroy the race of elves, a Necromancer who found his creation too inept and unwieldy to see his goals done. When asked if this is true, the average Goblin will only grin toothily and shrug.

Efforts have been made in the past to exterminate their kind outright, but no civilization that made the attempt still stands to tell of its failure. Thus, though hardly viewed as equals by modern society, the current Empire and those communities surrounding it accept Goblins as citizens, even if of a lower caste. Generally regarded as a race of dim-witted misbegots with no culture or society to speak of, few take Goblin kind or the threat they pose to authority seriously. This is a grave error.

Halfing

Halflings are a small and understandably shy breed of people growing normally no more than three feet tall and looking for all intents and purposes very human. They can appear a bit rotund around the belly, having a good solid culture built in wine making and forest crop cultivation. Halflings tend to live in secreted away communities that can be near to impossible to find. They are a long-lived race, and not war born in the least. Given the opportunity, a Halfling will use his or her great agility and cunning to avoid contact with the taller races - more out of respect of differences than of size.

If forced to encounter another taller race, a Halfling is not something to be discounted due to their size or easily frightened nature. What they may lack in height or strength, they make up for in cunning and wiliness. Halflings prefer staves and daggers over large and ungainly weapons, and prefer to catch an opponent unsuspecting by ducking between the legs and slicing the Achilles tendon, rather than fighting head on. However, once a Halfling feels secure enough to approach or even speak to another race, it is very difficult to get them to shut up - I mean, cease in sharing their vast wisdom of the ages.