Early in the years of draconic control, the dragon race transformed the amalgamated community of humans and gnomes in the mountains of Genmide into what they wished to be a slave race, bred for mining the vast wealth in the Genmide and Addarack Ranges.

But as soon as they had established their homes beneath the mountains, these new dwarves sealed their doors on their masters and began developing their own culture in the dark beneath the mountain.

Dwarves emerged to find that tribes of goblinoids, ogres and minotaurs had taken refuge in their mountains in the twilight days of draconic control. Years of bloody territory battles ensued with no real gains found. When the Hailene orchestrated the extinction of the goblinoid races, the dwarves allied with the Genmide humans to drive the minotaurs from their mountains.

Covetous and belligerent as their ancient draconic creators, dwarves are a dying culture. Centuries of xenophobia and layer upon layer of social taboo have devastated the dwarf population to the point that less than perhaps 500,000 still live in their ancestral home in Genmide.

As a general rule, dwarves have an instant and intense dislike for all things not dwarven and a greater dislike for all things minotaur, miare or halfling. Dwarven half-breeds are rare and are usually subjected to emotional if not physical abuse is raised by dwarves.

Young dwarves are leaving the subterranean cities by the dozen to learn more of the outside world and perhaps find a way to revive their race – even if it means wresting control from elders too set in their ways to see the danger. These rogue dwarves are far less xenophobic, but still carry a racial proclivity for belligerence and a weakness for material gain.

Description
Dwarves are burly humanoids standing between four and five feet tall with course beards and rough skin covered in body hair. Both sexes have beards, though females tend to have less coarse hair.

Dwarven hair is usually brown, red or blonde, but the young exiles often use alchemical dyes to change their hair color. These rogue dwarves prefer metallic colors like copper, silver or gold as well as matte black and white.

Created by the goddess Hessa from human stock to serve as her personal attendants, elvenkind was eventually became the favored servants of all the Immortals.

During Draconic Control, the well defended Elfholmes were constant targets of dragon attacks, fueling the fighting spirit of the many elven heroes that would emerge. During the War of Ascension, The Elfholm Amon’ru was a pivotal base in the defense of the Vishnari Alliance.

Following what they felt was the ultimate betrayal and aggression on the part of humanity in the Ashing of the Green, much of elvenkind has sought to sever all ties with what the humans and demi-humans called ‘civilization’. These ‘wild’ elves, in Vini Tresolm and the Isle of Nyce are rare sights in the world outside of the Tresolmi jungle or the mists of Nyce.

The only elven bloodlines that remain are those who were deeply involved in civilization before the Ashing. These diluted lines have been bolstered in recent years with exiles from Nyce and a slow reemergence of the Tresolmi elves.

With their stoic nature and their long view of matters, elves have proven to be potent political and economic leaders and advisors.

Description
In later centuries, when the Greater Pantheon sought to abstain from mortal affairs, the elves split into two groups. One sought solace in the ever present attention of Sylph. The others exiled themselves to the islands of Nyce where they continued their reverence to Hessa. Because of this cultural and biological schism, elves come in two distinct types: Mainland and Nycian.

Mainland elves, dwell in the forests of Vini Tresolm or in the larger urban areas on the convenient. They grow as tall as six feet, with slender, agile bodies. Their skin is considerably lighter than most humans, generally a pale pink and their hair runs between black, blonde and stark white. Their eyes are slightly larger and rounder than a human’s, with irises or green, blue or grey.

The elves who exiled to Nyce, are very different from their mainland cousins and boast that their form is closest to the form Hessa originally gave the elves. They rarely grow taller than five feet, six inches and their skin is a rich, sun kissed brown. Their eyes are almond shaped and they have high, narrow noses.

Both types of elves have slightly pointed ears, narrow jaws and thin, delicate fingers.

Most half elven bloodlines can be traced to political marriages and interracial affairs born during the reign of the Vishnari Alliance, prior to the Hailene War of Ascension. This has led them to be regarded as relics of the old days, owing their very existence to demi-humanity standing against the onslaught of tyranny.

In recent years, the population of half elves have exploded and their population, as well as their power in the nations of Ere have grown to rival that of their human forbearers.

A growing segment of the population, half elves of the present day are their own true breeding species instead of the union of human and elf. In recent years, half elves have struggled to define themselves as a race unto themselves more than simply the descendants of interracial affairs. Time will tell is half elves can truly forge their own identity as they become the most populous race on Ere.

Description
Half elves tend to share the physical characteristics of the humans of their region with the almond shaped eyes and pointed ears of their elven progenitors.

Along with humans and hailene, halflings arrived on Ere during Saint’s Landing. It was from halfling populations that the races of gnome, kobold and goblin were created. Halflings possess an ingenuity and curiosity that far outstrips those of humans, but their more easygoing lifestyle lacks the pressures that breed necessity and invention.

Universally, they are regarded as a friendly and jovial people and most halflings of Ere live up to that belief, seeing most other halflings as family (referring to halflings not related to them by blood as ‘cousin’) and being extremely willing to bring ‘strays’ from other races into the family. Logically, however, this means that those who harm one halfling have made themselves a blood enemy of almost every halfling that knows them.

As a whole, halflings have few taboos or cultural restrictions aside from their family ties. This means that they readily accept all sorts of creatures as friends, allies and occasionally mates. Unfortunately for such halflings, most other races do have taboos against such relationships, making halfling half-breeds fairly uncommon. Halfling blooded individuals know full well such prejudices and usually attribute their reduced stature to ‘halfling blood in the family tree’ rather than face embarrassment.

Description
Halflings stand between three and four feet tall stringy black or brown hair. Most halflings have tan skin, but some of the less nomadic families are more fair skinned. Halfling fingers are long for their relative body size and far more dexterous than a human’s.

Humans, along with halflings and hailene are the descendants of the original races brought to Ere from the distant planes by the Greater Pantheon during Saint’s Landing. Its human stock that formed the base for most of the races created after them.

At the moment, the human race remains the most populace, if not the dominant race on Ere, owning in equal parts a high birth rate and an extreme willingness to adapt to the times. It is this trait, in fact, that has led to the ever increasing half-elven population that will overtake humans in population in three or four generation.

The uneducated feel a measure of racial pride at being part of the majority as well as somewhat uneasy at the precariousness of such a title. Those who are grossly uneducated are prone to bigotry and racism; their ire focused mostly on half-elves, who they see as undermining humanity.

Humans lack a distinct racial culture or attitude, as these ingrained traits were placed in races such as elves by the gods that created them from human populations. Despite this, humans do tend to be the most excitable of the races; quick to panic, but also quick to react.

It should also be noted, that in addition to their intra-species fertility, humans are also the most prolific sires of half-breeds among the races of Ere. Examples of mixed bloodlines with sapient beings from dwarves to halflings to dragons and succubae exist in the world, though they are rarely treated well.

Description
Variation on human looks abound on Ere. The southerners in Rizen and Novrom are brown skinned and more often than not lean and sprightly. Calderians are likewise dark skinned, but have a square face and stout body. Black or brown is the most common hair color in the Southern Lands.

Calleni, and Genmidi humans are in general a burlier type, with ruddy, rough skin suitable for cold climates. Chrodini specimens are wiry with a slightly blue pallor to their skin. The hair of Northerners is almost exclusively black.

In the central part of Ere, in Te'ran and Vini Tresolm, light or olive skin and almond shaped eyes are the norm, as are hair colors ranging from red to brown and black.

To the East, on the Plains of Taunuan are the dragon cultists, whose skin is tan and whose bodies are well muscled but slender. Further north are the Formeans, who have had their physiology changed by the persistence of magic in their urban environments are exceptionally tall, and broad shouldered. Brown, red and blonde hair is prevalent in the East.

The island peoples on Illium and Mon Sulus Kime are said to possess heritage from the Hailene who once ruled those islands, because of their lily white skin and raven black hair.