Peoples of Kaleth

What follows is an overview of the peoples you are most likely to encounter in Kaleth (and at the Ram's Head Tavern).

I have divided the rarity of the peoples of Kaleth into three categories. In each category the entries are listed in order of population so the first is most represented and each that follows somewhat less.  

• Common: Human (Arethi), Hearthlander 

• Uncommon: Human (Iash), Wyldling, Uruk, Human (Nord), Dwarf (Durgen), Dwarf (Hulvad)

• Rare: Elf, Fey, Hellspawn

RAM'S HEAD REMINDER: All visitors to the Ram's Head are expected to treat all of those in attendance with courtesy and respect regardless of how they may feel or how they would behave elsewhere. It is neutral ground because it must be where guests are encouraged to leave their prejudices at the door in order to work together for the common good.  

ROLE PLAYING REMINDER: The preceding reminder does not mean "don't play your character" or "your character has to get along with everyone".  It is an in game way to allow for misaligned characters to interact in a civil fashion without reduced risk of conflict escalating to combat. Go ahead and have string opinions, preferences and even prejudices but as with everything else - be cool about it. It makes for better scenes anyways. :)

Human 

Kaleth is one of the human homelands. The native humans of Kaleth, sometimes called the Arethi, tend to have a moderate build, tan skin, brown hair and facial hair which grows thick but seldom long. There had already been Dwarves and Wyldlings in Kaleth long before the first Arethi began recording their history. 

There are humans in every part of Kaleth. Like in many places, they began in scattered tribes and as their society evolved they came together then eventually tore themselves apart as various leaders struggled to seize control. 

Humans from other lands can be found in Kaleth as well. 

The Nords of Norvald are larger in all dimensions than the Arethi. They are sturdy people who tend to have pale skin and long blonde hair. They can be found in largest numbers in the Freehold of Newvald, which was founded by a Nord Warlord who calls himself Storm Mane. There are also Nords in many of the northern holds. They are also drawn to Aeorid but tend to stay close to the northeast coasts there. Culturally, they have a lot in common with Wyldlings but are a superstitious people with a healthy fear of the Fey. 

The Iash of Cereborn tend to be shorter than the Arethi, with darker skin and hair. Those with facial hair find that it does not grow long and tend to trim it close and neat. They are a seafaring people who have come to Kaleth at various points in their history to escape their own wars or to seek their fortunes in what to them is a younger land with more opportunity. Pockets of Iash can be found everywhere but  Celedon and Stegan have the most people with Cereborn heritage.

Dwarf 

The Durgen Dwarfhold was already ancient when the first Arethi village was founded. There have always been dwarves on the twin islands that are their local home and there are Holdfast Gates on both. 

At one point, before the Emrik Kings, there was a second Dwarfhold in the mountains in what is now northern Omal called Hulvad. There was a brutal war between the peoples of Durgen and Hulvad which resulted in the Holdfast Gates of the Hulvad Hold being destroyed

Durgen Dwarves have dark beards of various shades and never cut them. Fortunately the growth slows as they age but the eldest of the have beards so long they braid them and wrap them around their own necks like a scarf. 

The dwarves of Durgen keep to themselves. There are exceptions of course, but their culture is isolationist. "The Dwarves for the Dwarves" is a common saying.  The descendants of the Hulvad dwarves love among the other peoples of Kaleth, mostly in Omal but there are pockets of dwarven craftspeople and merchants in Stegan.

Hulvad Dwarves have a wide range of colorful beards and unlike their Durgen cousins they are quite skilled and trimming, shaping and adorning them. Length is not the the goal for them - it is impact. As they say - "Your beard says hello before you do." 

Their is some bad blood between the Durgen and the Hulvad but many of the younger dwarves have put it behind them. 

Elf

The eldest of the races who dwell on the mortal plane, Elves were celestials sent by the gods to act on their behalf in struggles between the divine and the diabolical where they could not act directly without inviting repercussions. Not quite angels, in any ways the eldest elves are paladins who watch over the "lesser races" and the natural order. 

Over the course of eons these celestials made mortal developed their own culture and their numbers slowly grew from an original "Circle of Circles" of 144 to thousands, most much younger and significantly less enlightened than the elders who still lead them from the Ivory Towers in Paralor. These days the guidance of the elders is informed less by the gods than what they call the "Higher Powers" whose omens they read in the stars themselves. 

"Young" elves (anything less than a century which presently is most of them) are raised in an aesthetic meritocracy. Individuals are encouraged to excel and to share what they learn with their people as a whole. 

Most of the elves in Kaleth live in Miralor, which is a smaller sale version of one of the cities in Paralor. It is closed to all non elves who do not have specific business there. In effect it is a colony that serves as an embassy. 

There are also quite a few elves in Iandir working for the Acadamy Arcane.

Elves are seen as aloof and arrogant but their motives are usually pure. 

Fey 

There are endless varieties of Fey in part because the Lords and Ladies shape and reshape their minions to suit their mood like an aristocrat may change a scarf or a hat. In Kaleth there are many portals to the Fey Otherworld in the Wyldling Wood, so that is where the Fey are most often encountered but there are a few who, taken by wanderlust, can be found elsewhere.

The Fey barely have a culture. They are curious and mischievous. They delight in games and puzzles. They all have an elemental reverence for and fear of the powerful Lords and Ladies who seem to have more in common with Arch Demons than anything in the mortal world. 

Fey are all bound by endless rules. Scholars believe that this is part of a deal called "the Concordance" struck with the Gods that allows Fey to interact with mortals at all. Without the Concordance the Gods would have sealed off the Mortal Realm with a Forbiddance that would keep the Fey out and away. 

Humans are almost as suspicious of the Fey as they are of Hellspawn but because they are seen as mischievous as opposed to dangerous they are more likely to try to appease them with small gifts and warding words.    

Hearthlander

The first Hearthlanders immigrated from Ohira (the Hearthlander Homeland) by invitation of Vasha the third Queen of Volosh - long before the emergence of the Emrik Kings. Vasha devoted herself to improving Kaleths cultivation of crops, an effort which still benefits her descendants and would have been impractical without the eager expertise of the Hearthlanders. 

Hearthlander was a name given them by Queen Vasha herself when she couldn't pronounce the name they call themselves or understand quite how they weave their family name and history into every recitation of it. Among themselves they are just "us" or "the good folk" or more formally a contextual construct that is time consuming and makes little sense to outsiders. They were delighted to have been gifted the name and have used it when dealing with others ever since. 

Hearthlanders have a sterling reputation as charming, humble and loyal people who are hard workers with modest needs. They are welcomed and valued everywhere they go. This is what it is because it was not always the case. Their history is dark and bloody. They made a choice as a people in a previous age to change the course of their destiny and over several generations managed to set the stage for what they have become. They credit the gods and many are devout pantheists who "live in grace and gratitude". 

There are as many Hearthlanders as humans in Omal. There are also quite a few Hearthanders in Aredor and small groups in Aeorid, Marglis and Stegan. 

Hellspawn

This is not a species as every Hellspawn is unique, few can bear children (or sire offspring) and there aren't enough to have formed a culture. These are individuals who are often misunderstood. As a result, most people fear Hellspawn and are deeply suspicious of them. 

It is true that all demons are evil. Some scholars believe that they were once a mortal race and may have in fact been the first (which is heresy of course) and that they somehow offended the gods who cast them into hell and cursed them to "dwell in darkness" meaning metaphysical darkness rather than the mere absence of light.   

Hellspawn are "tainted" by the curse that their demonic parent bore and are forever tempted by it but they are not defined by it and unlike demons they have the mortal privilege of free to make their choices - moral and otherwise. This means that while many lack the strength of character to rise above the temptation of their demonic taint, there are those who do. In fact, there are Hellspawn heroes. 

There are very few Hellspawn in all of Kaleth. A few dozen maybe, but so many live in hiding that it is hard to tell. They avoid Celedon, where they are hunted and Iandir, where there are more mages that have the ability to detect them than anywhere else. They are the most welcome in Gharash because the Uruk don't have the same prejudices against them that most other cultures do. 

Uruk 

Because of a culture the other peoples of Kaleth consider barbaric, Uruks are often dismissed as monsters. Terms like Goblin, Orc and Ogre don't help but nether does a history of savagery. 

Uruk culture is simple - might makes right. The strong lead, the weak serve the strong. They also believe in honor and have a reverence for beauty that often go overlooked. Combat is the Uruk life blood but they are guided by a code they call "The True" that offers guidance such as "warriors fight warriors - warriors who fight makers are cowards" and "to take the life of a healer is to beg for death". The Uruk love music (preferring war chants to all else) and value art (as brutal as Uruk art may seem to others). 

Most of the Uruks in Kaleth are in Gharash or elsewhere in the Shatterbone Isles. They have been at war with the Dwarves of Durgen for as long as anyone remembers and occasionally with the humans of the mainland. 

There are relatively few Uruk anywhere else but the kindly Hearthlanders of Omal have been known to put those who no longer wish to make war to work as have the merchants of Stegan.

Wyldling 

Like the Dwarves, there were Wyldlings in Kaleth long before the humans. There is some disagreement over this point but most scholars agree that the Dwarves of Durgen predate the emergence of the Wyldlings of the Wyldling Wood. These same scholars theorize that the Wyldlings were originally Fey but when enough of them crossed over and started families and ultimately a new society in the mortal realm they became mortal and could not return home. 

Wyldlings are found in the greatest numbers in their home in the Wyldling Wood where they consider themselves guardians not only of the wood but of the many portals to the Fey realm there.

As far as anyone can tell, Wydlings are native to and unique to Kaleth. 

There are many Wyldlings in Aeorid and small groups in Omal, Aredor and Margelis. Individuals can be found most other places on the mainland but in recent years stay mostly clear of Celedon. 

A deadly cohort of mercenary archers who call themselves the "Blood Thorns" has been selling their services to human commanders for decades and can usually be found working somewhere in Aredor.