ASAGThe Asag are civilized cousins of the Verdene, living in great stone cities on the banks of the Clay River. Their culture is based on a system of feifs and lords. Each city is a state unto itself, and the Asag feifdoms are not unified.
Asag are curious people, and thanks to the easy life afforded by the river's fertile soil, the tend to have more free time than others. Asag are known for their insight and open-mindedness into philosophy and ethics. It is not uncommon for Asag to delve into the arcane arts.
ASH FOLKThe Ash Folk inhabit the Lehu Islands off the coast of Verde. They are small people, rarely standing five feet high. Males have black or grey skin, females brown. Full-blooded Ash Folk have red eyes, but this is a recessive trait. The Lehu Islands are actively volcanic, a land of fire and ash.
Ash Folk live in a theocratic monarchy ruled by a royal family. Though heirs to the throne are bound for kingship or queenship, other members of Lehu society are free to pursue their own goals as they wish.
The economy in Lehu is based off fishing and mining. Ash Folk are enamored with jewels and precious stones, perhaps as a subconscious rebellion against their dreary homeland. They are naturally drawn towards "shinies," and as a result have garnered a reputation as theives.
The Ash Folk worship six dieties, one for each volcano in the Lehu Islands. They believe their gods dwell inside these volcanos, and any damage caused by volcanic activity is a sign that the gods are displeased. Animal sacrifice to appease the volcano gods are common, and during extreme circumstances people may be sacrificed as well.
RIVER MOTHThe name “River Moth” is not entirely accurate, as these creatures hardly resemble moths. Their real name, however, “Weklnsdklf,” is too difficult for other races to pronounce.
In describing a River Moth, one may start with its appearance. It is basely humanoid, but a head taller than a man. It is completely hairless and has white, leathery skin. Two long antennae protrude from the top of its head, while its eyes are catlike and the size of rabbits (not the size of a rabbit's eye, the size of a whole rabbit). River Moths have long proboscises instead of mouths, which they use to drain the blood of cattle and other large animals for sustenance. As a result, they cannot speak the Market Tongue, and must communicate with outsiders using sign language. Each of its four arms is covered in tiny spines that may be used for self-defense. Two pairs of scaly wings (which are the only anatomical excuse for it being named a moth) are affixed to its back, and are fully functional. The River Moth’s legs bend backwards and end in long reptilian claws.
Legend holds that the River Moths were created when the mythical Verdene hero Moyamoni killed the demoness Wi-Na-Go. Upon being impaled upon Moyamani’s spear, Wi-Na-Go burst into millions of pieces, two of every harmful insect species. Thus flies, mosquitoes, locusts, and all other tiny pests were born. Moyamoni fought valiantly to destroy the insects, but could not stand against their numbers. The insects pushed him aside and released themselves upon the world.
Moyamoni returned to his lodge that night with a bittersweet taste in his mouth. While he had slain the demoness that had been poisoning his people, he had released a greater evil upon the world. Still, he undressed to lay with his lover in bed. When he did so, she pointed in surprise at his shirt; a moth from Wi-Na-Go had clung to it. Moyamoni’s first instinct was to kill the moth, which was demon-spawned, but his lover wisely counseled him not to. Instead, they raised the moth as a son. Over the years, it grew more and more human, standing as tall as a child and able to use its hands to wield tools. The moth was never truly human, though, and it knew deep down that Moyamoni had killed its mother.
One day, it fled its human caretakers and flew south along the Clay River. It stopped when it reached the marshes of the Agam Lowlands, a land of many small rivers which was then uninhabited. In the marsh it felt at ease and was surrounded by its insect kin. It found a wife among the mosquitoes and the two of them settled down to raise the first family of River Moths.
THRÖNGIIThe Thröngii are native to the continent of Elkhrryndor, far south of Ungadali. Other races usually reffer to them as "Bronzeskins" after their amber-hued skin and the bronze armor worn by their warriors, the Crusaders of Peace. When Thröngii first came to Verde, they were offended by this name, but have come to accept it. It is simply too difficult for non-Thröngii to pronounce their true name properly. (One Verdene commentator described the Thröngii language as "a mad garble of nonsense which can only be spoken by a dog with a mouth full of syrup.")
They have no noses, but two snake-like slits in the middle of their face. Most males have some sort of facial hair.
The Thröngii have colonized the southern coast of Verde. They are long-lived and reproduce quickly, so many leave Elkhrryndor to escape overpopulation. Others come out of a sense of adventure, wanting to see this strange new land. Still others are missionaries or crusaders, seeking to preach the teachings of their four Time Gods to the Verdene and Asag.
The official Thröngii church aknowledges four Time Gods: Dawn, Day, Dusk, and Night. Each Time God takes turns ruling the universe, and this is reflected in the Thröngiis' caste system. They are divided into four social classes, which each individual is born into:
The Dawn caste consists of nobles, holy men, and crusaders. It is the second smallest caste, in terms of how many people it includes.
The Day caste consists of merchants, infantry, engineers, architects, and servants. It is the second largest caste.
The Dusk caste consists of the Dusk Nights, an elite group of warriors and agents who do the secret bidding of the Dawn caste. It is the smallest caste.
The Night caste consists of laborers, artists, farmers, and craftsmen. This is the largest and lowest-ranked caste.
Because of this highly organized system, unemployment, homelessness, and lack of direction are unheard of among the Thröngii.
VERDENEThe Verdene are the native men and women of Verde Valley and the surrounding foothills. Their five tribes are united in a loose federation, and representatives of each meet regularly in the city of Gadhuvi on the shore of Lake Vedali. Each tribe is further divided into several clans, effectively extended families that compose small villages.
Though they are ultimately one people, the various Verdene tribes often fight amongst themselves for rescources.
Verdene have jet-black hair and pointed ears. Most of them have brown eyes.
They consider themselves monotheists, worshipping an abstract creator God. However, they also revere many lesser spirits, and the distinction between reverence and worship is often blurred in Verdene tradition. Many Verdene in the south have also been coverted by Thröngii missionaries to the worship of the four Time Deities.
Though there are six different Verdene dialects, every Verdene is fluent in "the Market Tongue," a language developed by the Adsa Tribe to facilitrate trade.
The Adsa TribeThe Adsa is the most politically powerful of the Verdene tribes. They inhabit the shores of Lake Vedali and the few islands within. Their location is ideal for trade with Verdene and Wolf tribes living farther up the many rivers that flow into their lake. As a result, their culture has come to greatly value entrepreneurship and keen business sense. They are heavily exposed to the cultures of outsiders, and as such have developed a liberal and accepting attitued towards foreigners.
The Awiutsi TribeThe Awiutsi live in western Verde, on the warm plains. They are an agrarian people, but are also war-like in tradition. Their braves are the most skilled in Ungadali, having need to defend themselves from both River Moths and Thröngii crusaders.
The Talda TribeThe Talda live in the foothills north of Lake Vedali. They are woodland people, skilled in crafts and hunting. They are wary of outsiders, but still trade with the Adsa regularly. As it is difficult to chase game across their rolling, forested territory, Talda hunters and warriors must be among the greatest archers in the land.
The Uwadigi TribeThe Uwadigi inhabit the eastern costal plains of Verde. They are a simple, conservative people, living off the land. Though they still live the Verdene way of life, Thröngii missionaries have great influence among them. Uwadigi are hospitable and polite, and unlike the other tribes they see the missionaries as interesting teachers rather than dangerous invaders.
The Waya TribeThe Waya live deep in the Odalivi Mountains, and have learned to hunt and travel like their Wolf neighbors. They are a conservative, almost xenophobic people, but understand the need to cooperate with other Verdene. (ONLY other Verdene, though)
WOLFOne thing first of all: the Wolves are humanoid wolves. They were born wolves. They will die wolves. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES can a Wolf transform into a human. They are Wolves when they sleep. They are Wolves when they are awake. They are Wolves when they are eating. They are Wolves when they are hunting. They are Wolves when they are working. They are Wolves when they are playing. They are Wolves when they are fighting. They are Wolves when they are getting their furry uh-uh-oh-yah on. They do not transform. Ever. They have no "human form."
*puff, puff* Anyway....
The Wolves are the nomad hunting tribesmen of the upper Odalivi Mountains. Like their less intelligent counterparts, they are cunning warriors. Wolf society is built on a military heirarchy where one's authority is based on one's ability to fight.
Wolves are generally poor craftsmen, lacking the dexterity of other races. As such, they rely heavily on trade with Verdese tribes.
Wolf religion is shamanistic. The Alpha of a clan is also the Shaman, and carries a magical wooden staff that allows him to communicate with the spirits of nature.
Wolves live in the moment, rarely thinking about the past or future. In their rugged homeland, there is no time to think about philosophy or ethics; one simply survives. Most of them are practically incapable of abstract thought, leading outsiders to stereotype them as idiots. This is false, however: Wolves are capable of great feats of logic, as long as it suits their immediate needs.
