Race list and descriptions

Humans possess exceptional capability for adaptation in both mind and body, and as such they are among the faster advancing races. Currently confined to a land mass roughly 1/3rd the size of the main continent they do not yet have the ability to cross the ocean. Humanity is best characterized by its quarrelsome nature yet simultaneously their cooperative actions.

Human society is primarily five groups: Haudenosaunee, Niedrigster-Herrscher, Meerah, Dau-tangl, Hill-Shah-Yann



A people who have reverted back to the ways of their ancestors, those ways being hunting, gathering, tending animals, sleeping in tents, making totems. This confederation of Mohawk, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga, and Seneca tribes are run in a Matriarchal system combined with an elaborate voting system that ensures efficiency and that minorities are protected.



This tribe was the most incorporated into Coven culture and as such is the largest nation. The population is 1/3rd Hoher-Politiker and 2/3rds human, the Hoher-Politiker keep a tight grip on the Humans living under their rule, Humans are considered serfs and second class citizens with only a few select families allowed to participate in internal politics.





A king, surrounded by politician-generals, rules this aggressive state. Having taken a page from a Coven rule book they believe the strongest of mankind is the rightful heir to all the Coven built. This ambition can sometimes be at odds with the sovereignty of other human nations but generally human prisoners are treated fairly, while non-humans are practically seen as livestock and Hoher-Politiker are treated with a particular hatred.







The nation is ruled by an elected official selected from a few key villages. Divided between groups of sheep herding horse-nomads and people living in settlements unity is often an issue. Each group of nomads has its own Chief and is entirely autonomous. In times of war they usually fall in line and form one large army but any given Chief can refuse such a summons.


History
They were once a simple hunter gather race with a few groups having broke the barrier to animal husbandry, that changed when Madam Argis, or Madam Rose as the humans named her, discovered their land. Madam Argis' agents traveled across the western sea for 46 days in an attempt to establish a better, shorter or faster trade rout between varying houses. What the Hoher-Politiker found instead was humanity.

Description
The largest humans are six feet tall, though this is rare and the average height is in the 5 foot range. Males typically weigh around 130 pounds while females around 100. They have highly adaptive skin making keeping track of one over any length of time difficult.


Anatomy and Physiology

Like most races humans are warm-blooded mammals who give birth to live offspring, and nourish their offspring with milk. They have five fingers, one being an opposable thumb. On each hand on each finger is an ineffective claw or talon, these are almost harmless not even being a viable option if left without a weapon. Their circulatory system is closed and consists of one heart and a network of blood vessels and red blood due to the iron-based hemoglobin of humans, as well as two lungs which breathe mainly a nitrogen-oxygen-based atmosphere. Their eyes have more pinpointed pupils allowing for excellent vision, and their sense of hearing can detect very low pitch sounds. However, their sense of smell is fairly poor. They are omnivorous, meaning that they will eat both meats and plants, as well as consume high calcium foods, such as the milk of other animals, in great quantities. They have a sturdier bone structure for protecting organs when compared to most races.

Humans are lean and possess little muscle tissue but it can become very dense given enough exercise, like all races consistent exercise is required to maintain them, interestingly compared to other races Human muscle takes far longer to degrade due to dis-use. The relatively low power output of the human anatomy translates into a low upkeep for their sustained bodily functions. With a metabolism well-suited for the moderation of internal body temperature, less recovery time is required from physical exertion compared to other species, this is partly attributed to their almost total lack of body hair making the process of fluid used to make sweat highly efficient. Though potential prey easily out paces them at first, by pure stamina alone, humans can wear out every single race making them dangerous trackers and hunters even to thinking fellow races. Humans don't need to overpower their prey, merely back off when confronted and attack when opportunity allows it.

Intelligence
While it is true humans once and sometimes still do live in grass huts, what is also true is that Madam Argis' attempt to elevate them was incredibly successful with humanity catching up with the rest of the world in a short  6 generations. The Great Betrayal did mean a loss of experts available to mankind, it set them back in a similar manner to everyone else however they are wasting no time trying to recover these lost secrets unlike the rest of the world. The most likely cause of this is the fact that humans did not fully adopt the "survival of the cunning" that most races under Coven Occupation did as such political and domestic betrayals are far less common. They skillfully utilize technology such as windmills and waterwheels to automate tasks or have work animals do the more difficult parts of work. Diplomatically there are easygoing relations between the different sovereigns. Tactically they have little trouble organizing themselves into larger groups, be them war parties, construction efforts or basic government

They most often favor Nature, Air and Earth magic paths with the more intelligent using Astral the path.

Culture
As previously mentioned humanity did not fully adopt a Coven mindset but instead maintained their "survival of the fittest" mindset with a few hints of cunning. Wars between leaderships are not rare as they each wish to expand their sphere of influence however such conflicts never last more than a year at a time, there are often more prisoners than there are dead, and in a display of kinship survivors are almost always let go when that conflict is over.

Combat Harness
The primary advantage humans bring with them into fighting is their durability, not toughness but their ability and willingness to fight for long periods of time. Additionally they can lose half their total blood and still make a full recovery given mild attention. Their skin is inadequate for everything short of sharp bushes and even then they prefer material layering, it seems the roll of their skin is more temperature regulation than it is protection. Humans are fully aware of this and have no issues wearing cloth padding or styles of layered copper, bronze or iron, which they ingeniously have crafted a large variety of for different tasks and dangers.


The great ruiners, they held the world in their palm and let it all go up in flames. Hoher-Politiker are a people gifted in the proclivities of lies, murder and tactical deception.

History
This race has a long and chaotic history filled with usurpers, civil wars, double crosses, triple crosses, genocide, horrific acts of cruelty and infighting. This somewhat changed when the Council of 13 stepped up and either destroyed or bound every other House creating for the first time a united Hoher-Politiker race. This of course meant the end for life as it was known at the time, every single nation in the world fell before The Coven's might. But how did this happen? Tempers were high, slaves were in revolt, separatists rampant, personal slights between royalty were too-prevalent. The entire world was on an edge and fell into a massive thirty year war that in the end left everyone exhausted of manpower, in massive debts, alliances shattered, fields left unsown. All at the behest of Council. In this weakened state the Hoher-Politiker took advantage of everyone. Thirteen armies, thirteen Houses, supplemented by their lesser subservient houses had the world to heel in just seventeen years.
That Coven has been gone for 50 years now but it has no shortage of successors.

Description
The Hoher-Politiker average height is in the 5 foot range. Males typically weigh around 100 pounds while females around 120. An individual's skin can be from any 'normal' shade of grey to a few of brown shades depending on how often they are in the sun.

Anatomy and Physiology
Hoher-Politiker are very similar to humans, they both have two legs and two arms. The arms end in five digits that are used for fine motor skills, Hoher-Politiker motor skill capability seem to be finer compared to humans. Testosterone is lacking in both genders, this leads to smaller average muscles compared to other races. There is a distinct lack of body hair with it only growing on the head, also facial hair in males is rare.

Intelligence
Hoher-Politiker often weave webs of intricate plots and lies, as such are generally very intelligent as well as charismatic. Before the days of the Great Betrayal the greatest Hoher-Politiker Houses were patrons to the sciences in efforts to make their slaves more efficient, have superior weapons, build better defenses and improve their magical potency. If a modern house has the resources to spare it is common for them to hire experts to improve their knowledge.

Culture
Hoher-Politiker culture is matriarchal, exclusively women run varying “houses” and participate in politics. Hoher-Politiker society is based upon violence, murder, cunning, and the philosophy that only the strong survive hence, the females of the race are almost always larger and stronger than their male counterparts. Most Hoher-Politiker plot endlessly to murder or otherwise incapacitate their rivals and non-Hoher-Politiker with equal zeal. Hoher-Politiker, particularly in higher positions, are constantly wary of assassins, which by their loose set of rules are completely legal, who wants a weakling in power when someone smarter or more cunning could kill them and replace them? As you might expect infighting and worrying acceptance of day-to-day violence means the race has a reputation for stress-based heart problems, oh and being murdered. The lifespan of the average Hoher-Politiker is shorter than that of most races however certain blood rituals are popular as they can be used to restore one’s youth almost indefinitely. One of the contributing factors as to why they do not murder themselves to extinction is because if one wishes to advance in one’s station only the person directly above them is a valid target, this keeps things from being too chaotic. Any governing body is likely to be a wealthy landowner or powerful witch. Proportional to their wealth these governing bodies field armies, then feud with each other often for land, wealth, reputation, slaves and a plethora of other reasons.

Combat Harness
Unlike the other races the Hoher-Politiker have no serious physical advantages in combat, the danger of an Hoher-Politiker opponent is instead their mind, exceptional intelligence allow a warrior to quickly gain skill and possess the motor skills to use them. But as mentioned before their natural lifespans are shorter than that of other races so this results in more useful individuals being subjected to blood magics, which among other things can be used to instill youth in someone, this results in exceptionally old and skilled Hoher-Politiker. If a Human and Hoher-Politiker of equal age were to fight the Hoher-Politiker would have the advantage due to the race developing skills faster.





History
At first the Syvend nation was not a nation at all but a large number of tundra steppe clans that fought for territories where their herd animals could graze. Eventually however as the need for more permanent structures grew they formed a pseudo feudalistic society where clans were still controlled by a chief but their nomadic tendencies stopped. Buildings were primary built around naturally occurring hot springs. The conquest of the Syvend people by Coven strength rocked them to their core however, House Zauar came to control their society and centralized it creating an early form of their modern government.

Description

These are humanoid flightless bird creatures greatly resemble owls, if owls had arms and were five feet tall and greatly enjoyed using saunas. 

Anatomy and Physiology
The overall body of the Syvend is designed to allow it to stay very warm in the colder regions it calls home. The feather padding might at first give the appearance of overweightness one will find that the feathers themselves are in fact oversized and the body itself is thinner than what you might expect. The two legs are also have fur on the talons that help it to retain body heat. They average about 66 inches tall when they are fully grown. They have two arms which also grow massive flight feathers the wings are however non-functional. The body and arm feathers are pleasingly detailed with patterns that help to camouflage the owner.
They have very large eyes that help them to be able to adapt to a variety of changes in their environment. Even though they have very small internal ears they have amazing hearing that is better than most.

Intelligence
These people developed rudimentary tools relatively early in their evolution and quickly learned to build permanent settlements to protect themselves from the harsh cold of their hilly northern homeland. Their language is also complex but also similar to that lesser avians to the point that taming other birds is an easy task and even giving them complex tasks, such as finding a moving formation of troops, allows for easy communication between commanders and said troops.
Their coordination with mages skilled in air magic shows that they are capable of advanced tactics, thought high coordination is typical for small groups and it should be considered that Syvend tend to operate in such ways.  

Culture
The Syvend society venerates a High King, which is seen as a divine being that is a single part of a larger astral presents characterized by constellations. Additionally the aristocracy is particularly well built, the religious order has investment in all noble houses and in-turn the noble houses use the the religious order to advance themselves and have near-total in society.
After being conquered and occupied by Coven the relatively peaceful Syvend people had a radical change in their culture, adults while having an unrelated job most of the time are subject to compulsory recruitment by either the military or the church. Soldiers, or "Euless", spend around 20% of a year serving as garrisons and militia. The more pious roll is referred to as "Nicaea", the tithes or yearly workers, mostly preform chores around churches or act as aids to more dedicated individuals. While it is obvious the primary mission of these orders is militaristic, relatively few members are actual combatants. The others acted in support positions to assist the dedicated combatants and to manage the financial infrastructure. Both the Euless and Nicaea Orders, though its members were sworn to individual poverty for the extent of their service, was given control of wealth beyond direct donations. A nobleman who was interested in gaining power might place all his assets under Euless or Nicaea management while he was away. Accumulating wealth in this manner not only enriches the church but gives nobles more authority than one would see in other cultures.

Combat Harness
Hollow bones come as a mostly negative mixed blessing, their lack of weight means they have poor staying power in line formations which is why as a race they rely on hit-and-run tactics as well as ambushes
As individuals they generally more fragile but that does not mean they should be taken lightly.




The Sau'pa are a lizard like people well suited for combat, such is their ferocity, strength, and natural toughness. These scaled people are divided into three main racial and geographical groups: Scale Coast,Great Valley,East Valley

Scale Coast
A tropical cosmopolitan area that draws traders from around the world thanks to its central location, protective Sau'pa hosts, fair deals and exotic goods. The jungle surrounding the city allows for a diverse and large amount of natural resources. The wealth Sau'pa traders and nobles accrue is only matched by their desire for more wealth and new things.

Great Valley
A temperate grassland surrounded by mountains, Sau'pa cites are partly built into mountains they also use this area to graze Yak-like creatures for their meat, milk and fur. There are tunnels in the mountains serve as a safe, if not long, routs to the Scale coast.

East Valley
This area is a cold methane peat, the Sau'pa here are superstitious savages that attack outsiders on sight.


History
Nearly nothing is known about Sau'pa civilization before Coven Subjugation, as the area we call the Great Valley is not only massive but was home to enigmatic Dragons, their seemingly static numbers were bled out by slowly by a number of races whenever one left the safety of their homeland as well as pre-world dominating Coven raids. Unfortunately like all races during the Great Coven War of Subjugation the Sau'pa were brought to heel, the local Dragons while mighty in no position to help, the Hoher-Politiker House Cobune took ownership of the Great Valley, which at the time held the entire Sau'pa population, in year four. The low numbers and relatively primitive culture made the entire campaign last a mere seven months. For the duration of War of Subjugation Sau'pa slaves were used as arrow fodder and used in twisted experiments that changed their appearance to that of multi-headed four-legged mindless beasts that spewed toxic clouds of venom. When the Great Betrayal occurred Sau'pa populations were much greater than they were before and had extensive urban development in the Great Valley and Scale Coast. During the fighting that occurred between most of the Council of 13 after the betrayal the Sau'pa served as heavy infantry but were quick to turn on Madam Cobune as they compromised 2/3rds of her army. Two military leaders lead the revolt for freedom, Lur "Blue Snout" Ont acquired the Lordship of the Great Valley and Ughes "Three-Horn" Ethro claimed the Scale Coast Lordship. To this day their Grandchildren are still in control of their respective areas. Sau'pa in the East Valley are a different story however, these lost souls are the descendants of House Cobune troops, presumably still loyal to Madam Cobune, or at least some kind of god-figure that is based off of her. They attack anyone who enters their bog. This bog has numerous ruined fortifications that once protected a laboratory belonging to Madam Cobune.

Description
Sau'pa can measure over six feet if you measure the horns some have, males typically weigh around 200 pounds while females around 160. Sau'pa reptilian appearance has a primitive tone, with backward knees and horns. Their natural strength, scales and sharp teeth allow the Sau'pa to be dangerous warriors, winning them the respect and fear of allies and enemies alike.

Anatomy and Physiology
Sau'pa are bipeds and bear a superficial resemblance to humans from a distance, an illusion shattered upon closer inspection. Standing between 5'5 and 6'10 if the horns are measured, their head is somewhat triangled coming to a point at the chin. As previously mentioned this race has horns, horns themselves are like what of any genetic feature, dominant and recessive traits from both parents determine the shape, length, number and 'hardness' . The torso of Sau'pa are similar to the those of a human, although the chest and abdomen are much wider, almost twice that of a well-muscled human. Sau'pa also appear to have a double set of pectoral muscles and a more muscular back. Their shoulders are nearly identical in structure to human shoulders, only shorter in length and thicker. The feet of Sau'pa are digitigrade, which allows them to jump greater distances and run much faster than most other races through climbing is somewhat more difficult for them. Their toe configuration is usually odd-numbered with a primary large toe in the center of the foot. While it is a common misconception that the knees of the Sau'pa, as well as the knees of other well known bipedal animals such as dinosaurs "bend backward" as opposed to forward, this is not an anatomically correct description. In fact, the configuration of the legs and feet of such creatures are essentially identical to that of humans, except that the toes play the role of the whole foot, and the so-called "backwards knee" actually corresponds to the heel and ankle joint in a human foot. Typical scale coloration is a blend of dull greens and oranges, seldom members of this race are singularly colored. Reportedly certain members of the race have a natural ability to breath fire, this trait is exceedingly rare but lends credence to a claim that Sau'pa are in some way genetically related to Dragons.

Intelligence
Sau'pa intelligence is dependent on different factors than that of humans, so a direct comparison is difficult. Due to their recent skilled utilization of technology, diplomatic skills, rational behavior, and ability to logically calculate situations in battle, their intelligence appears to be comparable to that of humans.

It is also notable that Sau'pa lack in magical skill, while it would seem like they are completely capable and indeed have some users, the demographic is no-where near as large as one might expect for such a wealthy state, the lack of stigmatization of magic combined with abundant resources and relatively large number personal freedoms afforded to non-slaves the low mage population truly bizarre.

Culture
Sau'pa have a strong honor culture conjoined with a sense of community. Well defined social hierarchical boundaries are respected with those who produce food, either tending animals or growing plants, are greatly respected while land owners are expected to be gracious to those serve them. Wealthy individuals such as traders are expected to be generous with their wealth and often willing to donate wealth or slaves to city projects or welfare.

In military matters Sau'pa are typically promoted on the number of enemies they have killed and casualties inflicted on an opposing force, additionally particular soldiers will be rewarded with extra wadges and food if they have preformed difficult or important acts. The weapon of choice for the race is specialized curved axe that is designed to tear shields from their users. Typically any given warrior will buy his own armaments though it is normal for the military to loan weapons and armor. Respectful but authoritative commanders, Sau'pa rarely fail to elicit a strong bond of loyalty with their troops.

Combat Harness
Sau'pa wear leathers with metal plates sown into the layers, which covers the torso, arms, thighs, shins. The head will often have fitted iron caps for protection. Armor comes in a variety of dyed colors as embellishments are common and encouraged, feathers from native birds are a popular choice. Wealthy Sau'pa will often have full suits of iron fitted to their bodies and have gold or bronze edges. Extravagant patterns and details are also common.