An open source repository for all things Devastations (homebrew D&D campaign)
This is a list of all races that players can use in Earauth. If a race is not listed here, playing the race is at the DM’s discretion.
Humans are the primary occupants of Earauth and act like humans usually do: conquering, destroying, crushing, and ruining. Rich forests have become vast wastelands in the name of militant progress, sludge has flooded fertile plains, and, ultimately, other races have been violently relocated over time.
There once were grand elvish empires. They are a thing of the past. Only remnants remain in far off hidden lands, carefully guarded by dwindling populations.
Major wars have been financed by first invading, destroying, and maliciously raiding elven holdings, stealing all precious materials in addition to physically enslaving the elven people. The population of elves has, historically, been moderated by repeated purges.
Elves are generally born into slavery, owned by high families across the globe, and are valued as teachers and personal guards. With a deep magical intuition and a genetics-based memory, small wars have been fought over the few remaining fair folk. The occasional elf is sent to die in fighting pits or mines; but, usually this is as a last resort, a means of making an example of an unruly slave so that others will heed warning.
Although they are slaves, elves are also feared creatures. Most individuals give the fair folk a wide berth, especially as they are the favored servants of powerful families.
Elves are common anywhere wealth exists. They live to serve – literally. The Yellith Empire and other peoples maintain working populations of elves as skilled slaves. These slaves often become trusted companions of the family and are passed down from generation to generation as a token of recognition.
All elves have masters, but they have been so dominated that it’s common to see an elf alone, performing the duties of their lord.
If you wish to play the elf slave of a lord, choose your lord, your purpose for being outside of the household, and what value you add to the lord’s holdings.
They exist. They are extremely rare. Players that wish to play a “free” elf and still participate in society are encouraged to “dock” their ears (cutting the tips to more correctly match a human’s).
An escaped elf is hunted relentlessly and killed on sight. There is no room for disobedience in the Yellith Empire.
Elves are gender fluid. They choose a new gender to become and over the course of several years their bodies adapt and evolve to that gender. They may also choose to remain in a state of transition. Often times, owners of elves will demand they become or remain a specific gender. Some elves prefer one gender to another while others prefer frequent transitions.
Dwarves are free and live in strongholds set in the sides of mountains; but, freedom comes at a cost. All dwarven populations owe fielty to the Yellith Empire and must allow their young men to be conscripted for war (usually as skilled labor). After a tour of duty, dwarves are allowed back to their communities to do what they do best: produce the much needed arms, armor, and items required by the Yellith war machine.
While dwarves are not slaves, their ancestral activities are restricted:
Occasionally, dwarves have rebelled against the restrictions put in place by the Yellith Empire. Among these rebellious communities, the Yellith have instituted a policy of first born sons being “donated” to the Empire for its needs. These dwarven boys are kept clean shaven, taught only of the Yellith Empire, castrated so they may have no children, and trained as advanced shock troopers.
Every dwarven community knows that rebellion means facing their own blood.
Almost all half-elves are killed at birth. How do you create a half-elf? Well, a master must reproduce with a slave. While interactions between slaver and slave are expected, the inevitable outcome is an embarrassment to any respected house.
The occasional elvish parent or human lord may spare the child; but, this type of compassion is rare in the Yellith Empire.
How have you come to be? What do you do to conceal your ears (less pronounced than an elf, but still very visible – are they docked?).
Any half-elf found is killed or brought before a lord for judgement (which will involve painful execution). Any lord found to have fostered and cared for a half-elf can expect equal treatment from their fellow lords.
They live in hills and forests, keeping away from the violence of the world. Many exude a level of innocence. Most humans would mistake a halfling for a child or perhaps a human with dwarfism. Ancestral homes have long ago been abandoned in favor of further and further homesteads, often fracturing families and disrupting happy lineages.
Almost extinct in the world, there are no communities of gnomes left. They tend to live in cities, trading their skills for a modicum of respect.