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Races of Areth
Humans
The human race, although of a medium stature and with statistics
the other races find dreadfully mundane, is the most prolific of
the races on Areth. Its strength is that, although not truly
outstanding in any given statistic, neither does it have any
particular weaknesses. Humans also gain levels faster than any
other race, a product of their relatively short natural lifespans
and resultant drive to learn and better themselves.
Elves
Elves are a nature-loving species of humanoids who normally dwell
in forests or other highly natural settings. Although adept at
magic, intellectually gifted, and particularly nimble, elves are
comparatively frail and not physically strong. Anyone who's
faced an Elven mage, however, will attest that they more than
compensate for their physical frailty with magical ability.
They have an innate ability with projectile weapons, which makes
them formidable foes with a longbow in their hands.
Halfelf
Half-elves are the product of a union between a human and an elven
parent. Almost as hardy as a human, half-elves retain much of
the benefits of their elven heritage. The nimble half-elf is
hardy enough that many of them serve as warriors.
Dwarves
Short but extremely hardy humanoids, Dwarves generally live in
caves and such. However, they do occasionally sally forth in
search of gold, adventure, and such. Although at a marked
disadvantage in the field of spellcasting, Dwarves' physical
strength and stamina make them deadly fighter classes.
Gnomes
Often characterized as dwarven nerds, Gnomes are shorter than
dwarves, but more inclined towards magical disciplines. They're
strong for their size, but their size is quite diminuitive.
Klingons
Klingons, although new to the world of Areth, fit in well with
the older races. Slightly taller than humans, Klingons tend
to have greater strength, dexterity, and physical hardiness.
Their disadvantage is a near-total inability with regards to
magic, and a general uneasiness about them on the part of
the other races. Klingons arrived on Areth due to a time/space
distortion which resulted in a mirror of Gauron's entire
warship being both dimensionally and temporally displaced. The
duplicate's warp core had to be ejected, and the cruiser crashed
on Areth, never to fly again. Power for the ship ran out within
a year, and the only remnants of Klingon technology are the few
metal weapons created from high-tech alloy before the cruiser's
systems became completely non-operational. Klingons now roam
the world of Areth, freely mingling with the natives.
Drow
Often characterized as "dark elves", Drow are a society of
elves who live in caves much like dwarves. Although they
strongly dislike sunlight, some Drow have learned to deal
with it and surface in order to seek adventure. Their race's
warlike nature has bought them a worldfull of enemies, but
Drow consider that more of an opportunity for further carnage
than an impediment to their success.
Dragons
Dragons are 12' tall winged reptiles, capable of breathing
fire on their foes but still able to wear normal humanoid
equipment. Their magical nature and imposing physical
presence make them exceptional members of any class, be it
combat or magically oriented. Their scaly, tough hides
are capable of absorbing a great deal of damage.
Great Dragons
Great Dragons are the dragons of ancient myth, the 20' tall
beasts too large for humanoid equipment and capable of
breathing a near-infinite stream of fire. Their physical
strength makes them imposing foes, even with their bare
hands, and their immense forms are capable of shrugging off
damage which would rip a smaller being to ribbons. When
a Great Dragon studies the ways of the mage, it becomes
possibly the single greatest threat one could imagine.
Predators
The Predators, or Yautja as they call themselves, are a race
of nomadic hunters who roam the stars in search of prey which
poses a sufficient challenge. Often, they bring their own
prey in their starships. The Yautja decided that Areth was a
perfect hunting ground for this prey - kainde amedha, which
we know as Aliens. Unfortunately for the Yautja, as the
Aliens first began to hatch and the Yautja hunt was noticed
by the nations, a society of high magi decided to deal with
the situation by casting a mass summon spell to transport all
living matter in the ship to Areth's surface. Seperated from
their technology, the Yautja found themselves disoriented - but
the alien queen had been summoned as well, and was now free of
her restraints. Most of the magi died at the hands of either
the escaping queen's blind rage, or the equally infuriated
Yautja. With no way to reach their orbiting mothership, the
Yautja were forced to adapt to facing real danger in combat.
Without their masking devices and technologically advanced
weaponry, they found themselves on a physically level playing
field, pitted against foes whose magical ability often included
the ability to cast spells as devastating as their now-vanished
arsenal. Indiscriminate hunting of anything they could find was
no longer a viable option; they still sought combat and the
hunt, but as adventurers or mercenaries. Yautja, possessed
of an unrivalled physique among the humanoid races, make
exceptional fighters. However, they are completely inept
in the magical arts and learn little to nothing from killing
prey which does not present a formidable challenge to them.
Sprites
Magical beings of a miniscule stature, sprites are the frailest
of Areth's races. They are, however, the single most powerful
race when it comes to spellcasting. New players are strongly
disadvised from playing sprites, and experienced players will
know to accompany sprite characters with multiplay alts,
preferably equipped with the guard skill.
Kzinti
Felinoid and highly aggressive, the Kzinti are one of the more
interesting races of Areth. Players looking for a housecat to
role-play had best look elsewhere; the Kzinti are best imagined
as a massive hominid endoskeleton covered with layers of rippling
muscle and a tigerlike coat of fur. Equipped with a keen sense of
smell and retractile claws, Kzinti are fearsome even when unarmed.
Although magically disadvantaged, their handicap is still workable
in a spellcaster. Psionic aptitude does run in the Kzinti blood,
however.
Protoss
The single most psionically empowered of Areth's races, the Protoss
arrived on Areth as a battalion of zealots summoned by an Arbiter's
recall ability. Unfortunately for the Arbiter, it was struck and
destroyed during the process by a scourge, causing the zealots to
become lost in interdimensional space. Without psi emitters, the
zealots' armor lost power and became inoperable junk. After
struggling free of their useless armor, the zealots took stock of
their situation. With no way back to Aiur, their only option was to
carry on fighting for the Khala in whatever manner they could. They
find themselves at a disadvantage in the practice of magic, and their
natural regenerative abilities are limited in comparison with other
races, but Protoss do posess above-average durability, average combat
ability, and extremely powerful psionic ability. Most Protoss choose
the Psionicist path (the closest they can come to Templar training
away from Aiur) or any of the fighting classes.
(MOB) Aliens (MOB)
Introduced to Areth by the Predators, Aliens still occasionally pop up
in localized outbreaks. Predators prefer to deal with the infestations
themselves, more from desire for a challenge than from any twinge of
conscience. Aliens, or kainde amedha as the Predators call them, rip
their way out of living hosts (killing them in the process), then grow
to their full adult stature. Adult drones are deadly, but pale in
significance compared to Queens. An alien queen is the size of a Great
Dragon and lays hundreds of eggs, each of which can hatch into a
facehugger, which will attempt to implant another alien embryo inside
a living host.
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