Bloody Peasant!
2014-10-28, 06:18 AM
Hey y'all. Apologies if this isn't too easy to read through but I've been awake for nearly 24 hours. Aaanyway, in my spare time I've started working on a campaign setting to use at some point- just for gits and shiggles. One thing I've decided to do for this setting is to have the 10 "primary" races grouped in "families" of two, each with their own unique character and backstory/creation myth. Here's an extremely abridged version of what I have so far, in order of origin, and without all the unpronouncable fantasy jargon I'm using. Mind you these are the story as the races themselves tell it.
Dwarves and Gnomes- "Firstkin:" The Firstkin were the first mortal race to populate the world, living in small agrarian communities, living in oneness with the land and worshiping two earth spirits known as Damp Mother Earth and Father Stone. However, during a great drought which wiped out a large part of the Firstkin's population, three dragons offered the Firstkin salvation by sharing with them their blood, in return for the Firstkin's worship. Most took them up on the offer, and became the dwarves, who, with the dragons' support, built a great and bountiful empire. Those few that remained rue to the old ways became known as the gnomes. Tensions between the two races have been great for as long as can be remembered, with the gnomes seeing dwarves as decadent heretics and the dwarves seeing gnomes as primitive heathens.
Elves and Orcs- "The Wild Folk:" When the Dwarves' empire was dawning, the dwarves took no qualms with exploiting the land in the name of progress. Spreading throughout the continent, they eventually began raiding the jungles to the north for lumber and food. In order to protect this sacred land, the six gods created their own races of mortals to drive the dwarves away. From the trees came the elves, who like the trees were tall and serene and ever-patient, and from the beasts came orcs, who like the beasts were strong and brash and full of passion. The wild folk drove the dwarven invaders from their sacred lands, and in time established a society of bounty to rival that of the dwarves. Orcs and Elves get along much better than Gnomes and Dwarves; while the elves admire the orcs for their courage and creativity, the orcs respect their elven cousins for their talent and insight.
Hobgoblins and Goblins- "Goblinkin:" In the wars that raged between the dwarves and the Wild Kin, there was one warlord amongst the Wild Kin of incredible tactical genius- one who was born of an elven father and orcish mother. After his family was slaughtered in a dwarven raid he lead a bloody campaign against them, driving the dwarves out of the vast steppes between the dwarven homeland to the south and the jungles of the north. After the campaign was finished he received a vision from the chief of the six gods telling him not to return to his homeland and to instead establish a kingdom of his own on the steppe. The warlord and his host followed the god's commands, and settled the steppe in order to secure the sacred lands from further attacks. However, the warlord was betrayed by his right-hand elf, who was jealous of his power and wished to claim the kingdom for himself. The traitor and his supporters led a revolt against the crown, and slew the new king on his throne. However, on the king's death he ascended to become the seventh god, and while those who stayed loyal were reshaped into his image, becoming hobgoblins, those who had turned against him were turned into horrid shrunken creatures- goblins-, and were made to serve the hobgoblins forever more in penance for their treachery. Today goblinkin live in a slave society in which goblins are forced to work for wealthy and influential hobgoblins.
Those are the backstories I've got so far, but I haven't been able to think of anything interesting for the other two "families-" one of which will be humans and halflings, the other being lizardfolk and kobolds. I want the humans and halflings' origin not to be mythological in nature like those above, since they're supposed to be fairly recent arrivals, but at the same time I want something more interesting then "the showed up on a boat one day." As far as lizardfolk and kobolds, I have absolutely 0 ideas, though I would rather stray away from the draconic connection since that's already been done to death and besides the dwarves kind of have dragons as their "thing." Anybody have any ideas? Thanks much!
Dwarves and Gnomes- "Firstkin:" The Firstkin were the first mortal race to populate the world, living in small agrarian communities, living in oneness with the land and worshiping two earth spirits known as Damp Mother Earth and Father Stone. However, during a great drought which wiped out a large part of the Firstkin's population, three dragons offered the Firstkin salvation by sharing with them their blood, in return for the Firstkin's worship. Most took them up on the offer, and became the dwarves, who, with the dragons' support, built a great and bountiful empire. Those few that remained rue to the old ways became known as the gnomes. Tensions between the two races have been great for as long as can be remembered, with the gnomes seeing dwarves as decadent heretics and the dwarves seeing gnomes as primitive heathens.
Elves and Orcs- "The Wild Folk:" When the Dwarves' empire was dawning, the dwarves took no qualms with exploiting the land in the name of progress. Spreading throughout the continent, they eventually began raiding the jungles to the north for lumber and food. In order to protect this sacred land, the six gods created their own races of mortals to drive the dwarves away. From the trees came the elves, who like the trees were tall and serene and ever-patient, and from the beasts came orcs, who like the beasts were strong and brash and full of passion. The wild folk drove the dwarven invaders from their sacred lands, and in time established a society of bounty to rival that of the dwarves. Orcs and Elves get along much better than Gnomes and Dwarves; while the elves admire the orcs for their courage and creativity, the orcs respect their elven cousins for their talent and insight.
Hobgoblins and Goblins- "Goblinkin:" In the wars that raged between the dwarves and the Wild Kin, there was one warlord amongst the Wild Kin of incredible tactical genius- one who was born of an elven father and orcish mother. After his family was slaughtered in a dwarven raid he lead a bloody campaign against them, driving the dwarves out of the vast steppes between the dwarven homeland to the south and the jungles of the north. After the campaign was finished he received a vision from the chief of the six gods telling him not to return to his homeland and to instead establish a kingdom of his own on the steppe. The warlord and his host followed the god's commands, and settled the steppe in order to secure the sacred lands from further attacks. However, the warlord was betrayed by his right-hand elf, who was jealous of his power and wished to claim the kingdom for himself. The traitor and his supporters led a revolt against the crown, and slew the new king on his throne. However, on the king's death he ascended to become the seventh god, and while those who stayed loyal were reshaped into his image, becoming hobgoblins, those who had turned against him were turned into horrid shrunken creatures- goblins-, and were made to serve the hobgoblins forever more in penance for their treachery. Today goblinkin live in a slave society in which goblins are forced to work for wealthy and influential hobgoblins.
Those are the backstories I've got so far, but I haven't been able to think of anything interesting for the other two "families-" one of which will be humans and halflings, the other being lizardfolk and kobolds. I want the humans and halflings' origin not to be mythological in nature like those above, since they're supposed to be fairly recent arrivals, but at the same time I want something more interesting then "the showed up on a boat one day." As far as lizardfolk and kobolds, I have absolutely 0 ideas, though I would rather stray away from the draconic connection since that's already been done to death and besides the dwarves kind of have dragons as their "thing." Anybody have any ideas? Thanks much!