Race to populate a kingdom

[Blackhawk748]

In my upcoming E8 Gestalt campaign my players will be working to take back their Kingdom from an Empire. This Empire is currently on the verge of a War of Succession between 3 factions. Since i was partially inspired by MtG colors for these factions, each of them gets a color combo

The Frostcrag Mountains (Red/White)
A kingdom of Dwarves and Halflings in the Northwest. The Dwarves live predominately in the mountains with the Halflings occupying the lower slopes and the mountain valleys. The Dwarven Frost King Tormuk is their contender.

The Blightsea Archipelago (Blue/White)
An alliance of Human and Gnomish houses that occupy the large archipelago off the southeast shore of the Empire. The Gnomes live on the 3 largest islands while the humans occupy the coastal desert on the mainland and the smaller isles. The Gnomish High Mage Vorkur is their contender.

The Woodsea (Green/White)
A kingdom of Elves and *insert appropriate race here* that occupy a massive forest in the Norteast. Their contender is the Arch-druid Venlana.

The Fen Mire and the Broken Hills (Black)
The endless swamps of the Fen Mire are home to the multiple tribes of Lizardfolk, troglodytes and other swamp dwelling creatures. The Dark Talon Lizardfolk are the strongest faction in the Mire. In the Broken hills Goblinoids, Orcs and Gnolls fight for dominance. The three strongest factions are, The Bloody Hand Goblins, the Slash-Guts Orcs, and the Black Jaw Gnolls.

The players will be starting in the Fen Mire as Vampires that just woke up from a long sleep. Now, as you can see the Woodsea is missing its second race. I was thinking of Catfolk or Raptorans for the second race, but they dont see to scream "forest dwellers" to me. Any an all suggestions appreciated.

[Gildedragon]

Catfolk and Raptorans are great options, as they can use the canopy to great extent. I'd even venture ditching the elves and keeping the two other races.

Alternatively Hadozee: gorillas are great for forests
Vanara (PF)
Monkeys are great for forests

Spirit folk (Bamboo)

Hegeyonkai

[Blackhawk748]

Catfolk and Raptorans are great options, as they can use the canopy to great extent. I'd even venture ditching the elves and keeping the two other races.

Alternatively Hadozee: gorillas are great for forests
Vanara (PF)
Monkeys are great for forests

Spirit folk (Bamboo)

Hegeyonkai


Hmmm, i could shift the Elves over to the Blightsea faction and have Catfolk, Raptorans, and Hadozee in the Woodsea, wouldnt change their leader. Except then the Frostcrag faction would be down a race. Could just chuck Goliaths in there and call them "Giants"....

[Honest Tiefling]

I suggest plant people of various stripes. Makes sense, right? Also a challenge for your bloodsucking party. Fey people like the Killoren can also fufill this role.

I also suggest that if you are enamored of catfolk and raptoreans sticking them in anyway. Raptoreans make perfect sense on a mountain in the forest. Catfolk are agile and see well in the dark so they make sense for the deepest, darkest reaches of the forest. If you want them to act more like cats, they could inhabit a buffer region of spare forest where prey is plentiful between the elves and their neighbors.

You could also just say it is a unexplored area that even elves avoid and no one really knows what is there. If you need a race later on, that's where they are. The druids have ancient pacts with these tribes, but they avoid contact with all other outsiders. Tales of these creatures are whispered among the other factions and they worry that the inhuman nasties living there will run rampant if the druids rise to power...

If you are going to have a beastfolk faction, you could just say they are altered humans who made a pacts with (or were punished by) forest spirits and were forever changed. The druids keep the peace between elves, beastfolk and forest spirits.

[Blackhawk748]

Good Ideas

You have given me some very good ideas here. Heres the update Faction Race list:

Frostcrag
Dwarves
Halflings
Goliaths
Half-Giants
Skarn

Blightsea
Humans/Azurin
Gnomes
Elves
Changelings
Rilkan

Woodsea
Catfolk
Hadozee
Raptorans
Killoreans
Shifters (doing the peacekeeping thing you recommended)
Dusklings

Id like everyone to have even numbers of races, but i can live with this. I figure Shifters will most likely be a minority populace in the Woodsea.

[Gildedragon]

For the frostcrag put in some fire hobgoblins and/or kobolds, and send the halflings to the swamp into raised villages. Catfolk would also be good in the plainlike hills.

Move orcs and horcs to the blightsea, raft villages sargasso like
Add darfellan there too.
If that unevens things, send the changelings to the swamp.

[Formless Entity]

I would recommend a group of malevolent manipulative changelings as Black/Blue.