The Races and Cultures of Stonegate
Within the land
area of the Kingdom of Stonegate as well as on its borders exist many
sub-cultures.
Below is a listing of several native people and the
commonly known traits of each of them.
To explore each culture in depth, follow the link to its individual Culture Packet
by clicking on the group's name which will open the package in Adobe Reader
(.pdf) format.
Amironian Biata
A few small clans of
Biata inhabit the Wastes of Amiron in southern Dyllaria. They are tribal
and barbaric in nature.
Their culture consists primarily of hunting and gathering
activities, and tribal clan mothers dominate this matriarchal society.
Burrow Gnomes
This elusive race is
commonly thought to be mere legend by most Dyllarian commoners. They reside
east of the Ogre’s Den in a small chain of foothills that border the Plains of
Hadran.
The Burrow Gnomes get their name from their resemblance to
a race of extra-planar beings.
This community is actually
composed of several clans of Mole Scavenger, and they live primarily underground
within an extensive complex of tunnels and caverns.
Dyllarian Dwarves
This group is easily
the most important race in the region’s history. Dyllaria is named for an early
Dwarven prospector who supposedly discovered True Silver in the Beard Mounds. These people
inhabit the Beard Mounds and are known for their mining, smithing, and drinking
of strong ale.
Dyllarian Dwarves are often cranky, sometimes greedy, but
always willing to fight against evil and chaos. Their
history with the Erlunn Elves has been streaky at best, and many Dyllarian
Dwarves are distrustful and sometimes downright mean toward Elves in general.
Emuri
These Aboriginal
tribesmen were apparently the original human inhabitants of Dyllaria and Emuria. They are
hunter/gatherer communities and most call the Forest of Tears their home. Some clans also
also migrated into the Trun Wood many years ago, and a few still reside there
today.
In recent years they have dwindled to such small numbers that it is rare to find
them outside of the deepest part of the forest. They often
call other humans “Death Speakers”.
Erlunn Elves
The North Wood has
been the traditional home of this proud and noble nation of Elves, but the
recent magical changes in the area have caused this woodland to cease to exist. It has now
become a southern outcropping of the Forest of Shadows, and the Erlunn have
spread northward into this larger forest.
Renowned magic-users, the Erlunn have played an
important role throughout Dyllaria’s history. The recent Horde War has seen much
change in their culture.
King Pylarius III sacrificed himself and much of his
family in order to help defeat the Dark Horde, leaving the Erlunn Crown
unclaimed.
The return of a long-dead Prince and a forgotten heir to
vie for the inheritance of the throne has made the Erlunn re-evaluate their
place in Dyllaria.
They have recently become a little
more open to outsiders and change than in the past.
Fallandran Dwarves
These Dwarves are
more commonly called Dark Dwarves, or Dark Brethren. They are
relatively few in number, but they are quick to join any effort that is against
the Dyllarian Dwarves.
Fallandrans are more driven by greed and hatred than their
cousins, and are accordingly mistrusted by most. They live
beneath the earth in caves. The largest population of Fallandran Dwarves comes
from the Green Mountain area.
Gandielean Cyclopes
The Cyclopes of the
Gandiel Valley are a small group of farmers and herders. These people
have descended from a clan of one-eyed Half-Ogres, and after years of isolation
have developed as a distinct stock.
Less than a dozen small villages of Cyclopes dot
the valley, and each of these send representatives to sit on a yearly council of
leaders.
The council sets the laws of the region and passes
judgment in matters of extreme importance.
Overall the Gandieleans are very distrusting of
outsiders, and many visitors will often be turned away from their valley. They have
reportedly been able to refine a special type of crystal by means of a secret
process.
The properties of this crystal are widely exaggerated, and
it is often reported to be exceptional in several different ways.
Gimmonite
The people known as Gimmonites are actually a small
community of Goat Scavengers that can be found within the foothills near the
Emurian town of Vargus. These mild-mannered herders live within familial
clans and are extremely docile and non-violent. Most Gimmonites have difficulty
using weapons because their hands resemble cloven hooves. Only about one
in every six can actually wield weapons, and those that can are generally looked
upon as potential clan leaders. Although violence is not in their nature,
the Gimmonites are quite capable of defending themselves, and they can become
downright nasty if pushed beyond their boiling point. It is commonly said
among Emurians that it is easier to teach a Kobold to read than it is to appease
an angry Gimmonite.
Gypsies
Throughout the Kingdom there are several different clans of gypsies that roam
freely. These people often live on the fringes of society, observing their
own laws, and meting out their own punishments.
Highlanders
Within the bounds of Dyllaria and Emuria are several clans
of Highlanders. The largest of these in Dyllaria are the Green Mountain
MacLaggats who make their home west of the Khala Sarr village north and west of
River’s End, and the MacInnit and Whiteshadow clans that reside within the
northern section of the Ogre’s Den near the Red Vale. In Emuria, there are
a group of Highlanders living within an area known as Sarum. The Sarum
Highlanders are composed of many small clans, and a king rules them.
Hoblings
A small community of
Hoblings occupies the area around Lumberton Shire. The Hoblings have no permanent
site and roam around the northern part of the Forest of Tears lumbering. They have a
long-standing treaty with Stonegate Keep that pre-dates the Kingdom. As part of this
treaty the Hoblings maintain their autonomy, and they will provide lumber to the
people of Stonegate in return for protection.
Iridanian Half-Ogres
This extremely small
group resides in the southern Ogre’s Den.
They are constantly battling their neighbors to
stay alive.
They claim a small territory known as Iridan.
This group is very warlike, and their small towns and
villages more often than not resemble armed forts.
Ja’Nat
The Ja’Nat are a
large group of Rat Scavengers that live in underground caverns in the area
around Galavast.
The Ja’Nat are notorious raiders and they attack nearby
communities under the cover of night.
They do not trade, but instead get all of their
goods from this raiding activity.
They prefer alchemy as a
primary form of attack, and are rumored to use several odd types of gasses.
Khala Sarr
Dyllaria’s close
proximity to Myrr, the Sarr homeland, makes the occurrence of this small
community not unusual.
This group is small and secluded. They trade only
with their neighbors, and they do not generally involve themselves in politics. Rumor tells
that they practice necromancy as a primary form of battle magic.
Since this group is autonomous, their homeland rests
outside of the scope of Kingdom law.
Marobai
The
Marobai are a secretive and very magical group of humans that live in the Green
Mountains in the north-central part of Emuria. The Marobai culture is
based on a familial caste system, and each family specializes in its own form of
magic. Marobai have special tattoos that mark their family ties, and each
member of the culture must wear these markings exposed so that all will know
their place. Members of this group have also spent time studying the
Valley of the Stars, and Marobai sages are often considered experts on both the
nature and history of this mystical place.
Minotaurs
Dyllarian Minotaurs make their home on the southern
Battle Plains, just north and east of the Pass of the Blade. These humanoids
appear as stout men and women with the head of a bull. They are a
crude warlike people who prey upon their neighbors mercilessly. They are widely
renowned as the most aggressive and combatant race in Dyllaria. They are
excellent warriors, but rarely do any of them cast magic or use alchemy in
combat.
Horned heads mark the males of this culture, while females
generally have comparatively small horns.
Miydrandan Drae
The Dark Elves who
inhabit the Slavers’ Peaks are known to be slavers and thieves. They generally
conduct raids on the Biata and Plains Barbarians, and have hunted the Emuri into
near extinction.
Despite their less than reputable image and habits, this
group is also known for their honor-bound ways, as are all Dark Elves.
The Kingdom of Miydranda (my-id-ran-dah) predates the
settlement of Lord Garic within the realm of Dyllaria, and the Miydrandans
themselves are very secretive. Their society is thought to be controlled
by a rigid caste system that dictates the rights and privileges of each and
every individual.
Plains Barbarians
The Battle Plains
are home to several small Barbarian tribes. Most exist as hunter/gatherer
groups, but a few are herders.
These sporadic clans are at war with each other
constantly.
They have played a part in most Dyllarian wars, and have
sided inconsistently throughout these conflicts. Similarly, the Karani
Barbarians have existed on the fringe of civilized culture as well. In the past,
the various Karani clans have been bullied and bent to the will of powerful
masters such as the Tarandok and the Empire of Emuria.
Both of these peoples have managed to maintain a culture
that has changed little in the last one hundred years or more.
Shanduin Humans
Shanduin Humans
inhabit much of north central and western Dyllaria, as well as northeast Emuria. The Erlunn gave
this name to them long ago and it has stuck. They are the descendants of
immigrants who came into these lands from the east many years ago. Many of them
can trace their bloodlines back to the original settlers who arrived with Sir
Garic Lorne.
Their characteristics and personality
types are widely varied, and they adapt to adverse conditions well, as most
humans are prone to do.
Sha-Raad
The Sha-Raad (shah-rod) are a group of Horse Scavengers who live as nomadic
hunters within a sprawling grassland known as the Sha-Raad Steppe. Named
for one of the culture's first leaders, members of this group are renowned for
their fighting prowess and their running ability. A common thread among
the Sha-Raad clans is the ceremony for coming of age. When the time is
right, the young must battle and race against the oldest of the clan's members.
Those youths that lose are outcast forever, leaving the clan in utter disgrace.
Many such outcasts choose to take their own lives rather than face living apart
from their people. About one in every ten Sha-Raad child born has hooves
instead of hands. When such a child is born it is killed immediately
rather than force it to grow up as an inferior to the other Sha-Raad of its age.
Hoofed feet are viewed as lucky however, and when a child is born with this
trait it is considered a promising sign.
Stone
Deep Dwarves
The Stone Deep
Dwarves of Emuria can be found living within the Valley of the Stars. A relatively
small community, this group is thought to have originally started as a colony of
the Dyllarian Dwarves that gradually lost contact over the years. Ruled by a
council of elders, these people make their home in a great underground city
along the shore of the Lake of Stars beneath the enormous and beautiful
Hammerhandt Citadel.
This great fortress is built of stone from the surrounding
valley, and it shines with an eerie glow at night. Even more
taciturn and isolationist than their eastern cousins, this group does not look
kindly upon outsiders. They are easily recognizable by their tanned,
glittery skin tone.
Tarandok
The Tarandok are a
group of primitive Drae that reside in the southern part of Emuria. The main
economic activity of this culture is raiding the eastern and western tradeways
near Freeport along the Khala River.
The ruling body of this group
is known as the Tarandok Coucil, and the society is very loosely organized into
a sort of clan-oriented confederation.
Trun Elves
The Whispering Woods
of Emuria are home to many small tribal communities of Wild Elves. These groups
are collectively known as Trun (troon) Elves, and they exist in a sort of
communal hunting and gathering state.
War between clans is not unheard of, but in general
these people are very peaceful and the clans get along well with one another.