Blackfire - Thou shalt suffer!

Half-Orc

t here are many different beings that dwell in the realm of Blackfire, from dragons hulking in their lairs to the various gremlin broods. Particularly worthy of special note among all these creatures are those we know as the Breeds. These are the races of folk who most often become adventurers in the Empire and each has its own characteristics and distinguished lineage. Some travellers go out of their way to assist others of their own breed, whilst others ignore race entirely in their dealings with others, but few fail to take note of their fellows' nature. (Breeds in Blackfire are purely for flavour and to aid roleplaying. It does not affect game values or balance in any way! If you would like to roleplay a specific breed not listed here, ask a FORGER upon entry to Blackfire.)

All

Amazon

The amazons are a branch of the human race who are ruled by the strongest women among them, priestesses, sorceresses, and warrior queens holding equal place of glory among their numbers. Amazon communities are usually in remote places where other folk can rarely bother the matriarchs of their tribe, and their homelands are fiercely guarded against invaders. Every amazon woman carries herself with the knowledge that she is superior to whatever may confront her, and they have little tolerance for people who show weakness in front of others.

Barbarian

Barbarians are humans who live far away from city life or even the tamed world of country farms or forest cottages. Instead, they disdain a way of life which is 'soft' and 'easy' making their lives by their wits and their ability to bow the world around them to their will. Fierce warriors, often berserkers whose mad rages can strike terror into the hearts of whole armies, barbarians are spoken of by cultured folk with incredible discomfort.

Beastman

No one knows where the beastmen came from. Some think that they were the result of some wizard's experiments into chaos, and others believe that they have always been as they are, but the fact is that they exist and follow their own rules. Blended within their bodies is a combination of traits both human and bestial, sharp claws and fanged snouts or scaled skin being as common amongst the beastmen as black hair or blue eyes in human folk. They are a strong race, naturally equipped to face the world in times of change, and their skillfulness in many trades bespeaks their adaptable nature.

Bugbear

Bugbears are creatures who make for an imposing sight. Much taller than the average man, with cataract-white eyes and gleaming red pupils shrouded in red fur and a hard outer carapace, they are beings of many other breeds' nightmares. With long claws and a snout somewhat resembling a bear, but in many ways not, they are fearsome and dangerous to behold. They are solitary beings, finding freedom in the solitude that troubles many hearts, and with their strength to rely upon, most find their lives to be ones of contentment.

Centaur

Centaurs are graceful beings often spoken of in song and verse. The powerful body of a horse supports an upper torso much like a man's, the two moving together in graceful harmony. Secure in their high vantage upon the world around them, most centaurs are tranquil people with a pronounced awareness of what transpires around them. Fleet of foot, and the incarnation of 'cavalry' on the battlefield, most centaurs like to stay close to their forest homes throughout most of their lives. The centaur who ventures forth into the world of cities and adventures is remarkable indeed.

Daemon

Warpstone is often called wyrdstone, daemonrock or darkore. Regardless of its name it is one of the most feared and coveted of all substances. All manners of powers are attributed to it. The ignorant and the hopeful claim that it heals or transmutes lead to gold, but the greater majority fear the malign powers ascribed to it. Those dreading it declare that it wreaks terrible changes on the mind and body of those near it, it attracts the attention of gods best left unmentioned, and that the stone is actually pure chaos.

Warpstone is a hard black stone that seems to greedily devour light. The evil dark glow of warpstone leeches the light and color from the world around it, and staring directly at warpstone causes the victims eyes to hurt and stomach to twist. Most warpstone is fist-sized or smaller, although pieces much larger than this have been reported.

The true nature of warpstone, remains a mystery...

Dark-Faun

Like their close cousins, the fauns, darkfauns possess the legs and cloven hooves of a goat as well as a human-like upper body. Sharp little horns stick out from their thick curls with a sinister aspect suggestively different from those of their relatives. Darkfauns usually live in wooded places or comfortable caves where they keep their homes, but are distanced from other, carefree, woodland dwellers. Some choose to work with dark and sinister arts, whereas others garner power to ensure that they are simply left alone, but there is an aura to almost every darkfaun that warns of the dangers of overstepping one's boundaries around them.

Dark-Orc

Dark orcs are a breed who have learned the satisfactions of power and are happy to do what they must to gather more to their bosoms. Within hairless orcish faces with tusks often sharpened to razor points, the eyes of a dark orc scans his environment for the next best opportunity. An aura of uneasiness seems to spread about them as they travel, and few things are more horrible than the curse of a dark orc shaman. Dark orc tribes band tightly together, but always compete for supremacy with each other, and woe befall anyone who gets in their way.

Dervish

Dervishes are a branch of the human race who sought ought their homes in the wide open deserts, preferring the harsh dry majesty of these places to any other place they might choose to live. They learn to survive the challenges of their environment early in life, and are reputed as fierce fighters by all who have ever crossed swords with their kind. The ecstatic rites of the dervishes, dances that go on for days, blending with their martial skills until their spinning seems as one with the very winds lend every member of this breed a far-away look that is hard to penetrate.

Drow

The drow are the dark elves, feared and hated by many in the empire for their evil ways. No one would mistake a drow for another elf, with black skin and white hair declaring their heritage as clearly as slight elven stature and almond eyes. Drow society is a harsh one, dominated by the most powerful who struggle to assassinate their enemies before their enemies do the same to them. For all their evil, they are respected for their skills as warriors and wizards, and some few leave their homes to seek adventure either to strike terror into the hearts of surface dwellers or to escape the legacy of evil that they each carry with them.

Duergar

The duergar are the deep dwarves, solid, well muscled, and sinister beings who dwell in the bowels of the earth where even true dwarves fear to travel in small numbers. Pale skinned from aeons spent away from the light of the sun, duergar have rough craggy faces and jewel-hard eyes. Their skills at metallurgy and other crafts of metal and stone are exceptional, and their fierce strength has made it easy to conquer the tunnels where their cities are built. Other beings who dwell in these dark places must be ever-vigilant against the assault of their dark dwarf neighbors, for their might is incredible.

Dwarf

Small and stocky, built like the stones of their mountain homes, dwarves are sturdy folk who can weather life's challenges with fortitude. Their stiff wiry hair and full bushy beards have captivated artists' fancy for centuries, considered symbols of this stolid breed. They are most often thought of as miners and craftspeople, due to their affinity with all things of earth and metal, and dwarven weapons are often sought by adventurers due to their exquisite quality. The ferocity of dwarven warriors is as well known as their love for fine ale.

Elf

Elves are renowned throughout the land as one of the most physically beautiful of all the breeds. Delicately upswept pointed ears, almond shaped eyes, and slight physical forms all form a part of the elven mystique. Elven societies dwell in wild places, usually gathered in spectacularly magical cities built around beautiful woodland glades or other such areas. Some have mistaken their small forms for a sign of weakness, but anyone who has crossed swords with this elder race can attest otherwise.

Faun

Fauns are an elusive people, mostly tending to stay far away from civilization and its complexities when they can. A human torso meets the ground in the lower quarters of a goat, their cloven hooves finding footing with a natural surefootedness. Sticking out from the curly hair of a faun can be seen two little horns almost dainty in appearance. At ease in the shadowed forests where they dwell, fauns love to play music and revel beneath the stars, usually living in harmony with everything around them. The hint of a song drifting on the breeze may be the only sign a traveller ever hears to tell him that he is within a faun's wood.

Felpurr

The felpurr are a breed distantly related to the cats, easily differentiated from their kin by the fact that they walk upright on two feet, with hands capable of being employed in many different tasks. They are very agile and elegant creatures, who often expect that others should treat them with utmost respect simply because of their beauty and obvious talents. Called 'self indulgent' by their critics, felpurr follow their impulses and instincts, doing whatever it is that they are drawn to do at any given moment. Usually felpurr are at heart loners, preferring to follow their own path, although they can and do enjoy others' company, especially if they are the center of attention. Anyone traveling with a felpurr companion soon learns to expect the moments when they turn around only to find their cat-companion has gone off to explore something new.

Gnoll

Gnolls possess the long developed snout and jaws of a hunting hound, acute ears keyed to the wind, as they stride about their lands. Otherwise human in seeming - if one discounts the fur and shaggy tail - gnolls know better than any the power of a pack, and the ways of removing foes who choose not to ally with their packs. Gnolls all learn the art of war from the time when they are barely old enough to crawl, and ingrained in every gnoll's soul is the importance of being strong, never showing weakness. Because of these traits, these beings are much feared for their unyielding tenacity in everything that they do.

Gnome

Gnomes are a weathered brown-skinned people who dwell in deep caverns and shadowy forests. Their small size makes them perfectly suited for slipping down a narrow tunnel others cannot breach, or for sneaking in and pulling off the perfect heist, unnoticed by taller breeds. The mischievous nature of a gnome has angered many people who've been the brunt of their practical jokes or magical pranks, but most can admit that there's no more staunch ally than a gnome as your friend.

Goblin

Goblins are green-skinned humanoids with large hands and feet and broad fleshy ears designed to catch the slightest sounds that move around them, who are renowned tricksters and feared bandits despite their diminutive size. As much at home in underground tunnels as in the broad wilderness, goblins are a breed that knows how to make life pay them well, even if they have to walk on top of bigger folk to do it. In the safety of their homes, people may mock the goblin tribe, but when confronted by one, most people wisely run away.

Half-Drow

The crossbreed children of one of the feared dark elves and a non-drow parent, usually a surface elf or human, half-drow are feared as much as their nefarious ancestors by most in the empire. They are taller than the average drow, but their dusky skin and pointed ears usually announce their ancestry clear enough for people to pass judgment. They possess the nimbleness of elven folk combined with an ability to survive trained into them by years of prejudice and it can be expected that a half-drow has learned to make the best of their hard life, and excel.

Half-Elf

Half-elves are a crossbreed sprung from the union of an elf and another breed, most commonly a human. They almost always possess the pointed ears of their elven parent, and their eyes are reminiscent of the upturned almond shape that elves are known for. Standing taller than the average elf, and with more physical bulk, some would say that they represent the best traits of both their parents, although they are often outcasts from purebred societies of either kind.

Half-Ogre

The children of unions between ogres and humans, half ogres have the strong bony features and prominent upper teeth of true ogres within a slightly more delicate seeming body. Taller than their human parents, but with striking human eyes and a wide variety in hair and skin color, half ogres may appear paradoxical to people unfamiliar with their company. Confronted with others' confusion, half ogres frequently develop keen insights into life that can be surprising given folk's assumptions about their lacking wit and clumsy ways. Coupled with this special outlook, the great strength they inherit from their ogre half makes the average half ogre intimidating to say the least.

Half-Orc

Half orcs usually seem to resemble their human ancestors more than the orcish, with full heads of human hair, and features almost human except for the slightly upturned snout and unmistakable tusks. Beneath this surface, a half orc is hard to anticipate: did they inherit the orcish mercenary spirit and skill for brutality, more of an individualistic human ambition, or more dangerously yet a full allotment of both? Half orcs tend to carve their own places in the world, deciding where they want to be and making that fit them.

Halfling

Halflings are short-statured, jolly folk whose homes can often be found in rolling meadows or close by to the comforts of city life. They are famous for their love of food and comfort, and anyone would be a fool to turn down the hospitality of one of these wee people. Despite their jolly smiles and usually good-natured ways, those who have underestimated a halfling quickly learn to regret it, for the same patience that goes into making a quality feast applies just as well to making sure an enemy gets their just desserts.

High-Elf

The high elves were once the ancient rulers amongst the elven race, standing taller than their cousins and with an innate nobility to their features which is hard to deny. They usually have fair hair, which curls about the tips of their ears in unconscious elegance, and can sometimes have a commanding look in their eye without ever seeming to have planned it so. High elves value refinement in themselves and in others, carefully cultivating elegance in their movements and in the places around them. Their art and music is described as heart-rending in its beauty, and in battle their rage is terrible to behold.

Hobgoblin

Standing as tall as the average human, hobgoblins are fearsome creatures. Leathery skin, flat-faced features dominated by large teeth and sharp horns are what most people remember of their first impressions of a hobgoblin? if they survive the meeting to remember. Hobgoblins are fierce warriors, and are frequently found working as mercenaries throughout the empire. Many hobgoblins are loners by nature, preferring to work alone in pursuit of their various goals. When they band together, it's usually a sign of trouble to come.

Human

The most common of all the breeds in the empire, Humans are versatile and adapt well to almost any environment they set themselves to inhabit. Hair and skin colours vary widely among humans, and they can be among the most unpredictable races. Highly individualistic and driven by their own ambitions, they are a force to be reckoned with.

Kender

Kender are little folk, usually standing only a meter in height, with delicate chiseled features and spritely pointed ears that all accentuate the mischievous glimmer in a Kender's eyes. Free spirited and impulsive, almost childlike in their innocence, Kender are hard to dislike because of their amiable natures, but all of them are renowned as impulsive thieves. If something isn't nailed to the floor, a Kender might feel free to take it - and if it can be pried loose, it's not nailed down. Even when they are innocent of wrongdoing, the nearest Kender is often blamed for pranks or crimes, and they always protest their innocence in the same lilting tone of voice.

Korred

Korreds are the least known of all elvenkin, short of stature with a shining coat of hair over most of their bodies, thinning around their faces to show fine elven features dominated by high cheekbones and a long pointy chin. Tufts of fine hair arise from their long sharply pointed ears, paralleled by two stubby horns that peek through the hair on their heads. A korred will usually choose to dwell near a place of strong magical power where they can dance around faerie fire beneath the fullness of the moons. Because of the korreds' ability to slip off silently and disappear they have a reputation for being shapeshifters. One famous korred even stole away silently in the middle of the night, leaving a frog on his lover's pillow and enjoying the spectacle as she treated the creature as her beloved for the next fortnight.

Minotaur

Minotaurs appear to be men and women with the head of a bull upon their shoulders. They stand at a great height which is only increased by the long horns which are every minotaur's pride. They are considered to be a warlike race, as eager to war as they are to seek other amusements in peace, and are much respected because of this. A minotaur is usually not very subtle about their feelings, for rage or pleasure shows clearly on their faces and is acted upon soon after.

Ogre

Ogres are huge beings, who on average loom above their neighbors from a vantage of two and half meters' height. Strong muscles cover their solid frames, wrapped tightly around strong bones. They have brutish looking faces, with their small eyes deep set in a bony skull. Some people like to assume this means they are stupid, but only a fool would call such a hulk an idiot to her face, especially not one of the dreaded ogre mages. Because of their size and strength, ogres are in high demand as bodyguards for those who like not to be bothered.

Orc

Orcs are a tribal society who are known for their ability to make any situation profitable. Some orc tribes hire themselves out to more powerful beings as protectors and bodyguards, whilst others lay claim to areas of territory which they guard protectively. Often times the orcs of a region are the most feared brigands around, and although they usually band together the most exceptional of them set off on their own to seek profit and fame like their neighbors could never dream of. They are about the same size as a human, but are easily recognizable by their sparse hair and the long tusks which thrust out from their snouts.

Raksasha

The Raksashas are a race feared and respected by all who know them. Short striped fur covers a humanoid body, thickening in the ruff of a neck leading to a tiger's head. A movement of the hand reveals retractable claws in their fingertips, and a banded tail lashes behind them as they walk. Truly as mighty as their bestial appearance makes them appear, raksasha are consummate scholars and sorcerers as well as fearsome fighters. A raksasha's home is usually well appointed with civilized luxury, perhaps decorated with the heads of enemies brought down over the years.

Rawulf

The rawulfs are relatives of werewolves, beings who have learned to be free of their kinfolk's monthly servitude to a shapeshift from human to wolf to instead always remain in a form that incorporates the elements of both. All rawulfs possesses a long canine face and a thick coat of fur that covers a bulky humanoid form, but beyond that they can differ widely from each other. Some revel in their predatory hunter- ancestry, exulting in the pursuit of their quarry and the smell of fear evoked by their battle-howls. Others take solace in the company of whomever they name as their Pack, proving time and time again that no one is more loyal than a rawulf in the toughest of times. Rawulfs deep, expressive eyes show their emotions and thoughts within their glistening depths.

Satyr

Satyrs walk on goat-like feet with an inherently sensual grace, their human upper bodies almost always strong and subtly alluring in nature. Many are the times when a mortal of another breed first notices a pulling attraction to a satyr and only takes note of curled goat horns, and little hoofed feet some moments after. A satyr carries within himself an innate knowledge of his fleshly body, granting grace and strength that is awe inspiring to behold. Very rare is the satyr who will turn down an opportunity to indulge in a wild party, happily reveling in sumptuous joys until the very dawn rolls around.

Skaven

Called the 'rat-people,' Skaven are natural dwellers in sewers or subterranean tunnels. Their short, hunched bodies can scurry through caverns with ease, balanced by their long hairless tails, with their sharp eyesight and sensitive whiskers telling them of things that lie beyond, half-hidden in the darkness. They have a fondness for treasure which they avidly collect, and make a delicacy from foods others would fear to dine upon, and are the ultimate survivors. The Skaven motto is 'When the world ends, it'll be us and the cockroaches left, baby!'

Svirfnebli

The svirfnebli are the gnomes of the deepest caverns and darkest tunnels beneath the earth. Far from prying eyes, these wee folk find delight in working the stone and gems of their deep homes and bringing forth beauty in their ever-darkened realm. They are masters of hiding themselves from those that prey the underground, with skin the color of stone, and blocky bodies that blend into their surroundings. Within their small forms they gather the strength of rock itself, bringing the weight of its fury upon those who invade their domains.

Sylvan

The sylvans are a branch of the elven race who never chose to follow their kindred into their glistening magical cities nestled within dappled glades, instead preferring to stay close to the natural world in most possible ways. Like their elven cousins, sylvans are short and slight of build, with delicate features and upturned ears, but there is something about the way a sylvan moves that tells of a wild strength within them. They tend to live in isolated groups, living off the bounty of the land, and acting as champions for wild things and their beloved trees.

Troll

Trolls are creatures of gloomy swamps and dark caverns, their long-limbed bodies agile at navigating their usual homes. Thick green or black skin not infrequently covered in a coat of slime merges with their long noses and sharp teeth to create a fearsome image. Trolls' skill at ambushing the unwary is uncanny, and most troll lairs are decorated with the remains of victims who have been unfortunate enough to become a meal. When a troll travels out into the world, her presence can cause mothers to grab their children and run behind closed doors.

Viking

People of the cold lands where winter holds sway and the forests are thick with ice throughout winter's season, Vikings are people of fortitude who live by exacting rules. Courage, honor, and bravery are demanded of every one of the Viking breed, whether it be in supporting their people or facing down foes on a lightning raid. Strengthened by their hard environment and rigorous lives, Vikings stand tall above other humans, with frequently fair hair and stern humor glistening in their eyes.

Wemic

Wemics are almost legendary folk, rarely seen in the more 'civilized' portions of the Empire. The most that the average citizen ever sees of a wemic is a fleeting glimpse of a spear-carrying fellow with a lion's mane seen from a distance on some adventurous travel into the wilderness. Wemics are very much real, however, a breed who hold their honor and pride firmly within their leonine hearts, bringing dedication to the wilds they call home. Lithe, with tawny bronze skin that merges into lions' heads and long thick hair that spills down their back like a proud battle-standard, the natural poise and regality of a wemic has inspired sculptors throughout the lands. A wemic who travels abroad in the world soon grows accustomed to the stares and awestruck adoration of those she meets, greeting this attention with the stoic aplomb which is her birthright.