Notes on the various races of Allendra.
Humans: The predominant race, humans are not the strongest, fastest, toughest or even the most beautiful. But they are intelligent and breed quickly so it is likely they will remain the greatest force in the world for the foreseeable future. Humans are descended from trolls.
Elves: Second to humans in power, elves are long lived and beautiful. However, they lack the human drive to invention and breed only slowly. It has been speculated that elves are descended from trolls that settled along the Radiant Shores and absorbed ambient magic, mutating into a new species. This would explain their fertility with humans.
Orcs: An offshoot of humanity, orcs were created with magic by the Shaoli Empire many thousands of years ago. They were meant to serve as an untouchable caste, doing the worst of the labor, and were created from humans using fel magics. However, the result was not precisely what the Empire wanted and many orcs escaped captivity. Brutish, with dark green skin, devolved facial features, tusks and thick, black hair, orcs are most ugly. Do not make the mistake of thinking they are stupid. The Shaoli wanted them to be unintelligent, but they are often just as smart as humans.
Gnolls: An offshoot of humanity, gnolls were originally the descendants of matings between humans and kitsune demons. Such matings and offspring were considered sacred to the priesthood of the Wolf Lord. In the ancient days of Tistali, approximately ten thousand years ago, the worship of the Wolf Lord became state sanctified and the number of kitsune hybrids became so high that they formed an independent race. Gnolls still show the touch of their demon blood in their toughness and savagery. Appearance wise, gnolls can range from very fox and wolf like to badger and wolverine features. Those who favor the fox and wolf forms can be quite desirable to other races. Gnolls are capable warriors but are generally not as intelligent as humans. However, their cunning should not be underestimated.
Trolls: Primitive and brutish, trolls are truly stupid but can exhibit an animal cunning. They are typically several feet taller than humans, yet have a hunched over appearance and walk partially on their hands but their facial features are disturbingly human. Humans and elves are both descended from trolls. Trolls have stone hard skin and heal extremely quickly from all wounds. They are fertile with humans and elves but not orcs or gnolls. Why is up for debate.
Demon-kin: Not a true race, demon-kin are produced by the mating of a human and a demon. Their appearance varies widely depending on the kind of demon involved in the mating. Occasionally what appears to be a gnoll will actually be a demon-kin from a kitsune. Demon-kin vary as widely in intelligence and ability as true humans, but they will almost always have some special abilities from their demon blood.
Angel-kin: The rarest of the rare, like demon-kin, the angel-kin are not a true race. Produced by the mating of a human and an angel, angel-kin are quite beautiful and powerful. They are usually intelligent and extremely virtuous. Angel blood is considered to be a great blessing for a child.
Now, in addition to the pure races are the breeds. Some people refer to the pure races as breeds too, but technically a breed is someone who clearly displays the blood of a particular race but is actually a hybrid. For instance, the offspring of a human and orc would be an orc-breed. Such matings and offspring are typically not desirable and are shunned by both races. The only exceptions are elf-breeds, who are shunned by elves but desirable to humans, and gnoll-breeds who are shunned by humans but somewhat accepted by gnolls. Gnolls have a very direct approach to parenting and if a child fails to please them, they eat it. But if a gnoll-breed child survives, they are considered fit to be a gnoll.
In most human cities, non-humans and breeds are denied full legal rights. In many, they are confined to only the lowest strata of society. There are very few exceptions, most notably Amateru, the city of darkness that sits upon the shore of the Gulf of Dark Storms…
-excerpted from A Report on the Status of Races in Allendra by P. Sherman of the University of Lusteria
Axel's gaze slowly traveled around, scanning around him as he walked through the fair. Riku was at his side, relaxed and scanning as Roxas and Sora squabbled, confident that their elders were paying enough attention for all four of them.
The Black Jewels were patrolling the fair in force. It was a little odd, in some ways, and had a lot to do with politics. Normally the traveling fair of Yatali would never have stopped in Amateru. There had been some delicate negotiations going on for mineral rights, though, and as part of the deal the Black Queen had requested that the fair make Amateru a regular stop. The Yatali couldn't know for sure how important it was to her, but it had been a trifling request to honor, although the fair employees had thought otherwise. To reassure them, the Black Queen had promised that the Black Jewels would patrol and keep the peace.
Axel wished he could think it was unnecessary, but he knew better. They had a very vital function at the fair, and that was keeping everyone's thoughts focused on the fact that the Black Queen wanted no problems. Leaving aside the fact that Amateru was undeniably full of scumbags, there were other tensions at work. The fair workers had all the attitudes typical of Yatali, which were the attitudes of humans everywhere really. Namely, that non-humans and breeds were scum. They weren't used to the sight of a gnoll in gold chains or an orc-breed in an evening suit so well-tailored and expensive that it made him look good, flanked by two troll-breeds in their own evening suits. Amateru didn't care what race you were, so that meant many of the breeds living in the city were rich compared to breeds anywhere else. Some of it was even completely legitimate, like the owners of the condom factory. The fair workers were staying polite out of fear, but Axel suspected that they were privately sneering at the inhabitants of Amateru. And the non-humans and breeds knew it. That could have led to something really unpleasant, but the Black Jewels were reminded them to all be on their best behavior.
Axel watched without comment as a troll paid for a souvenir doll from a little stall, putting down the coins carefully with fingers that weren't meant to handle things that small. The girl running it was nervous but gave him correct change, and Axel looked away as the troll ambled off, pink, fluffy doll. That was another thing they were looking for. The fair had set prices for items, but it would be all too easy for some of their citizens to be cheated. Trolls were particularly vulnerable to that, since they were partly color blind and had difficulty telling coins apart. They were also very likely to smash things if they figured out they had been cheated, so the Black Jewels were stepping in every time it happened.
"So when do we get off shift? Because I must admit, I'm rather pleased to see Amateru getting some culture. I'd like to experience it myself." Riku commented as they continued their circuit of the fairgrounds. Roxas huffed.
"Culture? Oh come on Riku, the performance last night was Eyes Wide Shut!" Axel grinned as he thought of it. They had gone to see it, and it had been good.
"No one took their clothes off. It was cultural." Riku said firmly as Sora giggled and Roxas rolled his eyes.
"Does that count when the clothes are skin tight and peach colored?" Axel let the conversation roll over him as he spotted another Black Jewel and waved. Xaldin waved back, poking his partner, Xigbar, who also waved before making their way over.
Xaldin was a powerful orc-breed who could almost have passed for human. The only real signs of his orc blood were his thick dreadlocks and the tusks that peeked out of his lower lip. Xigbar was human but had fled his home due to the accidental revelation of his homosexuality. Xaldin favored a nasty looking spear while Xigbar used a crossbow and short sword.
"Hey there! Anything interesting happening for you?" Axel asked cheerfully as the two of them fetched up beside them. Xaldin shook his head.
"Just a little demon-kin girl we caught stealing a pie. Xiggy bought her one and sent her on her way." Xaldin sounded like he disapproved of his partner's generosity, and Xaldin shrugged. He had a soft spot for anyone desperate enough to steal food. He'd been that desperate, back when he'd had to flee his home town. "You?"
"Not a thing. Everything is smooth and civilized on the south side." Xaldin barked a laugh at that.
"Civilized, in Amateru? Well, the day is young, I'm sure we'll have a few murders before nightfall." Axel nodded and Riku sighed to himself. He was sure Xaldin was right, and it was a bit depressing. But with the Black Jewels out and taking the safety of the vendors seriously, it would probably be native on native violence. That was okay. Riku would have liked to make a good impression on the fair workers, but that was probably a lost cause anyway. "You were heading over to the way station?"
"Yeah, want to go together?" Axel nodded and the six of them headed to the way station together. The Black Jewels had set up little staging areas where their people could bring criminals, go to the bathroom and get refreshments. The fair had bathrooms too, of course, but there was typically a lineup. A distressing number of men just found something to pee against, but that was situation normal for every city, not just Amateru.
"Ahh, beer." Axel took a deep drink from a mug of small beer as Riku went to get a cup of tea. Beer and tea were the drinks of choice, since beer was fermented and tea was boiled. No chance of unpleasant, water borne diseases. Roxas, Xigbar and Xaldin all grabbed beer while Sora followed Riku's example and went for the tea. Roxas also grabbed a sausage roll. They weren't great but they weren't bad, and most importantly, they were free. The little demon-kin never passed up free food. They chatted for a while as they rested, and Riku was distressed to find that everyone agreed with Roxas that Eyes Wide Shut was not a cultural experience.
"If the trolls like it, it's not cultural." Xaldin said firmly.
"You've got a point." Riku had to admit. Culture was about as foreign to trolls as regular bathing. "It's too bad, really. I've always sort of wished this place could be a starting point for the other races to really move with the world." Except for elves, the other races were failing. Orcs lived along the shores of Lake Seprella, in tribal groups. They held the land largely because no one else wanted it, but that could change if anything useful was ever found there. Gnolls had a small island nation to their name, but it was nothing to write home about. They had trouble making boats. Most of the gnoll population was living in human cities and getting by as muscle for various things. Trolls lived in the upper reaches of the mountains and the far north, not because they liked the cold but because they had been driven there. Riku thought it was rather sad. A lot of the breeds who came to Amateru were scum, but that was at least partly because in other human cities breeds could only be laborers or various types of scum. No one with any intelligence wanted to be a laborer. Xaldin looked disgusted as Xigbar laughed. Axel just shook his head with a sad smile.
"You and your dreams. You never change, Riku." Riku blushed and shook his head. Axel had a point though. Wishing for orcs, gnolls and trolls to develop something like a real nation was probably even more futile than trying to clean up Amateru and the last thing he needed was another futile quest.
"We should get back to our patrol." Sora noted, and Riku nodded.
"Right." Finishing his tea, he took it over to the sink for a quick rinse, then hung it up to dry. A salamander in the base of the water tub kept everything hot, so it was even sanitary. A quick trip to the bathroom and they were ready for another circuit.
It didn't take them long to run into trouble this time. A doughnut vendor was clearly having a problem with an orc-breed, and they walked over to see what the problem was.
"I'm sorry sir, but extra sugar costs extra." The vendor had a frozen smile on her face as she tried to explain, and Axel caught the underlying fear in her voice. The orc-breed did too, and leaned forward in a very successful attempt to intimidate.
"You didn't say that and I shouldn't have to pay it!" She flinched back but clearly wasn't willing to take anything off the price.
"It's on the board sir." Axel glanced up and saw that yes, it was written on the price board.
"She's right." The orc-breed turned to glare at him, agitated, and Axel met his gaze calmly. The orc didn't seem the least bit fazed by his Black Jewel badges, and Axel frowned as he caught a whiff of alcohol. The fair served plenty of alcohol so it wasn't surprising, but still not pleasant. Orcs and orc-breeds could become utterly insensate when they had a few hard drinks in them. "Extra sugar is extra, if you ordered it you pay for it."
"Stay out of this, human!" The orc-breed snorted as Axel tensed. "Human filth always sticking together." The lineup behind the orc shifted uncomfortably as Riku gave the orc a thoughtful gaze and Roxas growled. Axel was beginning to feel a little alarmed when the troll behind the orc suddenly spoke up.
"I no can read but I get. Sugar cost a lot. Extra sugar cost extra. Why you no get? You stupid." The orc-breed turned an alarming color and Axel was relieved to see the rest of the lineup was agreeing with the troll. There was nothing like being told you were stupid by a troll to let you know you were failing.
"Look, you're blocking the line and these people want to order. So you can leave now, or you can come with us. You're choice." Axel said calmly and the orc roared, grabbing at his sword-
And screamed as Riku stepped forward and hit him with a carefully calibrated lightning spell. That spell was the reason why they were a foursome. It wasn't in the Black Jewels usual repertoire since they weren't typically policing things, and Axel, Roxas and Sora hadn't mastered it. But Riku had, and the orc-breed went down like he'd been kicked by a steer. The doughnuts he'd purchased went flying everywhere, and Axel winced a little at the waste. Shaking his head, Riku gripped the orc by the shoulders and Sora took his legs as the lineup cheered. They were all quite impatient to get their own doughnuts.
"Axel, you stay here and keep an eye on things while we get him to the way station." Axel nodded and leaned against the wall as the vendor quickly took the trolls order. He noted with a small grin that the troll got a very full cone of doughnuts. The fair workers could appreciate a bit of help in a hard spot. As people started getting their food, a small, hungry looking troll-breed child darted in to grab the fallen doughnuts. Axel just looked away. If the child was hungry enough to take doughnuts off the ground, he wasn't going to deny her them. Orphans and street children had a very rough life in Amateru.
"Hsst! Angel-kin." Riku paused, startled and Sora looked over curiously. They had delivered the orc-breed into the custody of the holding pens and were making their way back to Axel when he heard the whisper. "Over here."
"…?" Riku hesitated a moment, glancing at Sora before cautiously venturing between two tents. This could be a trap, although it would take a fool to try something here. But the world was full of fools. Then he blinked as he caught a faint hint of divinity in the air.
"Angel-kin?" Riku said uncertainly. He didn't think he was right. The hint was too faint, almost what he sometimes felt from Axel. The man in between the tents was a young, handsome man with light blue hair and crossed scars between his eyes. He shook his head.
"No, my master is an angel-kin." Riku nodded thoughtfully, and eyed the man carefully, finally deciding he was likely an elf-breed. The ears and eyes were a giveaway, although he otherwise appeared to be human. He was wearing the mail of a traveling warrior and would have fit in fairly well if it weren't for his elf blood. Elf-breeds very rarely came to Amateru. "My name is Saix, and my master would like to meet you." Riku hesitated, then took the offered piece of paper. "He has a proposition for you. Meet him there tonight if you're interested." Riku glanced at the paper and saw an address in the bad part of town. He considered it for a moment, then nodded.
"We'll be there." Saix glanced at Sora for a moment, then clearly dismissed him as inconsequential, nodding and walking away. Riku gazed after him for a moment, feeling unsettled.
What was this about? And how would another angel-kin react to realizing Riku was tainted with demonic energy? He wasn't entirely certain he should go. Riku blinked as he felt Sora take his hand and looked down into worried blue eyes. He knew the brunette had the same worries he did. But if he didn't go, Riku knew he would be curious forever.
"We'll talk about it later." Riku promised, and Sora nodded. "Let's go back to Axel and Roxas."
"Right." They would have plenty of time to discuss it later.