Races of the Cradle

[KyleG]

Hi All,
Here is my current thinking of the races in The Cradle my home campaign setting, a garden of eden or shangrila approx 2500km wide.
Ive headed each with the race that we are most familiar with even though i have altered their origins. Would love your thoughts.

It might be worth mentioning (as well as getting critiqued) that the Old Ones, the 'Gods' whom seeded these races are akin to some races from the series Stargate, a combination of the Ancients and the Asgard. Most moved on to another state of existence but around a dozen remain (changelings) throughout The Cradle, perhaps having returned from outside its vast walls (2500km in diameter surrounded by near impenetrable mountains). They are unable to reproduce and seek to find away to create themselves new bodies or return to their old state thru the magics of Life and Time within the Cradle, or perhaps move on themselves.

Elves
Alcrys: The Great Alcrys forests are wonders to behold. The fruit they bear is picked and provided as food across the lands. Those who consume the food magically transfer their knowledge to the tree it was picked from and after 50/100? Years a humanoid emerges fully grown and with worldly knowledge. Although some remain with the Alcrys forests many will continue to seek knowledge while others will find their homes amongst other forests.
V’Alcrys: When the fruit of an Alcrys falls to the ground unpicked and rotting this creates dark entities with a thirst for knowledge only temporarily sated by the blood of mortal creatures. These long lived creatures grow only as long as their list of victims gaining some knowledge and physical traits from those they consume and because this most often happens in the depths of forests they shun the light.

Gnomes and Halflings
Farmers: When the Alcrys forests were first created by the Ancient Ones another of their kin created the Farmers as a gift to her to aid her in the upkeep of her great forests. When the Ancient Ones moved on, the Farmers, with a fundamental drive to farm and cultivate spread far and wide no longer just tending to the great forests. Some would say they have neglected their purpose but no matter where they have settled the small folks generous spirit and gifts with cultivation have made them welcome beings across the cradle.
G’nomies - The Thinkers: Are a splinter breed of the Farmers of the same size but of a more lithe shape better suited to tinkering and creating objects. All are considered small folk but for the most part the two subraces keep apart.

Dwarves:
D’War: Another of the Ancient Ones carved this race from Great Chunks of Rock. They were created as a show of power, a huge army of stone carved warriors (D’War comes from Daven’s Warriors). Hearty and Strong both physically and mentally more often than not they keep close to the mountains where they strive to craft as well as he who crafted them, but ready to be called upon to fulfill their ancient purpose. Although some would have features we would associate with either male or female the D’War actually have no sexes. When a D’War (of sufficient size) finds a partner whom craftsmanship impresses them both they will enter a union where one of the two will turn into stone. From this stone the other will craft usually one or two smaller D’War who will begin this new life upon completion. Thus D’War can range in size quite a bit. The Halls of the D’War carry no politics, each look after their own and for the most part they work on their craft or look out for themselves.
The Unborn: Sometimes a D’War statue is not completed. In rare circumstances both partners become rock, or perhaps the D’War craftsman is killed before completing their work. Left unfinished but with life infused these monstrous blocks of earth live a half-life of eternity in constant torment of life unfulfilled. Tales say that an Unborn freed from their imprisonment is not freed from their insanity and are hulking monstrosities whose desire to destroy is only matched by the D’War desire to create. The grounds where the original D’War were carved is said to contain several Unborn left unfinished when the Ancient Ones moved on. These oldest unborn have spent an eternity in the half life.
Giant D’War (Giants): A D’War who grows too large will not be able to craft well, and therefore unlikely to find a partner. Agelessly immortal these creatures forget much of themselves becoming far less intelligent, prone to violence they fight amongst themselves

Dragonkin:
Unos Draconis: The Unos Draconis were not tribal but rather a large nation with no strong directed leadership. Leaders would come and go but life was fairly stagnant. This all changed when 11 of their kin started to gather a horde of treasure letting nothing stand in their way, least of all each other. So began the Horde Wars and the now named Horde Lords fought ruthlessly and without caring about anyone else in their pursuit of all the riches they could get their hands on. When the Draconis were almost decimated by the constant war for treasure the Horde Lords gathered and in a rare moment of agreement decided to take their lust for treasure beyond the lands of the cradle. With no means to traverse the mountain tops they turned to the D’War craftsman to craft them a vessel to leave this place and the D’War sought only the finest of treasure as payment from each. In their strongholds the D’War craftsman created magnificently crafted beasts with the treasure received and when they were done the Horde Lords came and shed their old body for their new.
Side note: The heart of an Unos Draconis grows harder as they age and should it be removed upon death it will harden fully into a precious stone.
Dragonkind: The original Dragonkind were the 10 Horde Lords who received new bodies from the D’War. They flew across the mountains and that is all we know. But it is believed the 11th Horde Lord also received a new body and using this he watched of the Draconis and Dragonkind of the cradle. The dragonkind are likely the descendants of those original Horde Lords. Dragonkind for all their power are also physically sexless the D’War not knowing better crafted them as such. But the power to give life was not lost and in time the Dragonkind would learn that the heart of an Unos Draconis (when birthed in Dragonbreath would harden and become a Stone egg until it was sufficiently incubated.
Neo Draconis: After the Horde War the few remaining people gathered and set forth to create a new era for themselves. Treasure for the purpose of having was shunned and any prosperity should be shared. A very enlightened age of Draconis began (akin to Marvels wakanda).
Side note: 4 or 5 Guilds/Casts - not sure what they are yet?. Council made up of 2 or 3 members of each with the ‘champion’ acting as a tiebreaker. ‘Champion’ - contest every 4 years to determine this from all those who put themselves forward. 3 trails, Intelligence, Charisma, and Martial prowess. ‘Champon’ acts as a judge, diplomat and face of the nation. Can not participate in consecutive contests. No one Guild/Cast seems to hold sway it seems governance here is quite apolitical. But what 5 guilds/castes?


Tiefling and Aasimar:
Touched: Creating using energy from the negative Plane (mirrorverse). The energy that courses thru their bodies forces additional changes to what appear to be human children upon reaching puberty. Whether skin colour, or tails, wings or horns the dramatic shift can be both painful physically and mentally. Children raised around the other races are usually kept away from others during this time which only adds to a lifelong feeling of isolation, even when they choose to live within the greater world. Small conclaves of Touched therefore are not uncommon near more populous areas, where those undergoing the change can do so without fear or ridicule.

Humans, Goliaths:
Humans:
Goliaths:

Tabaxi, Aarakocra, Goblinoids etc:
Moreau: The most chaotic of the Old Ones cared not for the other races his kin had created but took each of them (as well as animalkind) for his own means. Quick and ‘messy’ experiments yielded a number of new species from beastial abominations to more humanoid creatures. But like all those created they were left to fend for themselves once the Old Ones left this world behind. Some have progressed to a level akin to the other races whilst others have remained feral, uncivilised or just animalistic. The worst of them a combination of both.