[Some races are allowed selections for players who have demonstrated their role-playing skills. In general only humans, gargoyles, orcs, lizardmen, and ratmen are allowed. See the character creation FAQ for details.]

Humans

Humans have dwelt in Britannia back to when the world was still Ancient Sosaria. They arrived in the world several millennia after Zog cast Armageddon, when the world was barely able to renew life again. How they arrived in ancient Sosaria and where they came from is a mystery lost in the mists of time.

Throughout the Millennia humans have been the leaders in civilization and domination, often in bloodthirsty wars. The humans of Britannia (Sosaria renamed in honor of Lord British), have lived under a prosperous and benevolent rule of Lord British for nearly 5 centuries.

[Humans are a playable race.]

 

Dragons

Existing in Sosaria even before the arrival of humans, Dragons have always been a profound part of human tales and folklore. Not all Dragons are evil, as once believed by knights of old, only that the majority we meet happen to be evil, the Good hearted Dragons often avoid humans for fear of reprisal, or being forced to kill paranoid humans in self defense.

Some Dragons are said to be several thousand years old.

 

Gargoyles

Before they were identified, they were believed to be Daemons or Balrons. This falsehood was put to rest when the great War between humans and Gargoyles ended by the Avatar bringing peace between them. It was then learnt that they were merely another race of beings that dwelt on the other side of the world, although their appearance is very Daemonic.

There are two types of Gargoyles, the Winged and the Wingless. The winged are more intelligent, more apt with magic and are the natural leaders of their race. The wingless are smaller in stature and are more suited for tasks of laboring and melee combat. It is often said that the Gargoyles have an unfair class system, but these are thoughts of the ignorant, the Winged Ones love the wingless dearly and cherish them as their children.

Gargoyles have no gender and will only lay 1 to 5 eggs in their lifetime. From the egg is either born a Winged One or Wingless.

Due to the natural low intelligence of the Wingless, they had always been mute in Grail society, but upon their integration into Britannia, some of the Britannian born Wingless had slightly higher intelligence than other Wingless and thus could be taught to speak, although this is still a rare occurrence.

The majority of the Gargoyles are content to live in Britannia, though there are some that still hold hatred for the Avatar and the humans, and would do anything to overthrew the humans to take the world for themselves, although King Draxinusom actively crushes any such rebellions and remains a stern ally of Lord British.

[Gargoyles are a playable race.]

 

Orcs

Minions of the Enchantress Minax. Created by Mondain's Lover during the 2nd Age of Darkness. Orcs bred like rabbits and can be found in various pockets throughout Britannia today.

[Orcs are a playable race.]

 

Trolls

Often resembling a giant Orc, these creatures can be deadly or peaceful. Most overland trolls are hostile raiders, attacking lone parties in the wilds or ambushing travelers whilst waiting under bridges and demanding tolls. Yet there are some who dwell among humans in peace, in fact, Sir Cabirus recruited many peaceful trolls from around Britannia and took them with him to the Abyss colony.

 

Goblins

A magical construct by unknown wizards, being made from humans and part Orc. Goblins in Britannia are very rare nowadays, with the last huge civilization of Goblins being destroyed in the collapse of Cabirus colony. However, there are still a few around, hostile and peaceful alike.

 

Cyclops

Often two to three times the size of an adult human, these huge one eyed beasts are seldom peaceful as their instincts tend to turn toward plundering and raiding. Long before Mondain rose to power, the humans had driven the Cyclops race underground where they remained for several centuries before returning to raid the above world again.

Despite their violent tendencies there are some peaceful Cyclops tribes about, one being Clan Ironheart who have established a village somewhere high up in the mountains, it's location unknown.

 

Lizardmen

Mondain crafted this beast from humans and Saurian swamp dwelling creatures to create the Lizardman. Centuries after the downfall of their creator they have continued to develop their own language and culture.

[Lizardmen are a playable race. There is a dictionary of their language in the Lycaeum, or available for sale from Gorn in the Abyss.]

 

Emps

These small creatures live in Deep Forests, only within the Silverleaf Trees. The Emps have a magical symbiosis with the Silverleaf tree that keeps them alive. They abhor killing and violence of any sort and prefer to eat natural foods like fruit, nuts and honey.

Emps average about 2 feet in height, grey to white fur with a face resembling that of a Monkey.

The emps were believed to have been destroyed by the plagues that devastated their race during the Imbalance Storms.

 

Nixies

First appearing from the depths of the seas during the first age of enlightenment, they would attack ships mercilessly. The Avatar's journals speak of his vessels being attacked by these strange aquatic beings. Shortly afterward, they were never seen again.

Centuries later, adventurers came across a lone Nixie in the moat of Castle Britannia, after several frustrating hours they were able to understand what the Nixie wanted: the Britannian language. From that time on peaceful Nixie sightings became frequent.

After a group of brave adventurers destroyed a terrible creature that had plagued the Nixies, the Nixies vowed to somehow repay this act one day.

Their facial features are like a cross between a fish and frog, they have two upper arms similar to a human and their lower torso can reshape from that of a fish to walking bipedal legs.

 

Kajovakian

It is said in tales that on another world walk a species of creature that closely resemble an eight foot bipedal walking feline. They have large feathered wings and talons that can slash through even metal.

Kajovakians are in a civil war on their world which has raged for centuries with famine, destruction and plague being the result on both sides. The Emperor has called for peace since hearing whispers from the Great Earth Serpent in the void who has charged him with sending one of his servants to a world called 'Britannia' to learn about a strange "power" called Virtue.

 

Icemen

Scholars argue that they are not a race, but are just smaller Ice Golems in human shape. They arrived at the exact same time as Dagger Isle was mysteriously covered in a blanket of snow, glacier and Ice that stays all year around. A group of trappers entering the Isle one night said they observed the Iceman village from afar and give testimony to hearing them conversing, singing and dancing, traits of a sentient race and not those of Ice Golems. Scholars laugh at these claims and dismiss such statements.

Icemen are considered dangerous and will attack anybody on sight.

[NB the scholars are wrong. See the entry for Dagger Isle.]

 

Draconix

There is a race of Celestial Dragons who inhabit another dimension and are pure of heart and truly noble in every way. They became this way due to a serious upheaval in their race's history. A group of Draconix once rebelled against their Elders and amassed quite a following, their rebellion did not last long as they were outnumbered and captured. Instead of slaying their brethren they encased their bodies within a sub pocket of the Ethereal Void and banished their souls hence. The Draconix then made a vow to forsake their great powers in return for immortality. They wove the powers of Ether around themselves and bind themselves to their own vow. They are immortal and cannot be harmed, yet if they themselves to do harm to any other race, they will be instantly slain.

Draconix are quite fond of "bonding" with mortals on physical worlds and taking forms in the shape of beings such as Horses, Dogs and Birds as they accompany their mortal bond. They will bond with the mortal until the mortal dies from age old, at which point they will take the experiences back to the Draconix Elders and then seek out another mortal bond.

 

Ratmen

The journals of the Avatar and his companions sojourn through the Serpent Isle speak of a race of half man, half rat beings, violent in nature and capable of speech that has not been deciphered by any scholars so far, they somehow made their way to Britannia. It is rumored a deranged mage who called himself the "rat master" may have somehow brought these creatures to Britannia, others claim he simply created them from scratch. Whatever the truth, Ratmen are in Britannia, and they are sentient, vicious denizens of the Underworlds.

[Ratmen are a playable race.]

 

Balforian

Once they were noble Draconix, but rebelled against the elders. They were captured and had their bodies imprisoned within the Ethereal Void and their souls banished separately. Unbeknown to the Draconix was that this gave the Souls of the banished ones a direct powerful link to the Ether. Their Souls became physically solid, yet they still maintained the transparent look of a departed Spirit, hence they were called Balforians, which means in Draconix tongue: "Shadow Dragon"

The fact that their bodies were encased within the Void gave them immortality that matched the Draconix, yet they were free to cause harm without consequences.

Balforian's are primarily slavers, traversing the Ether and arriving in physical worlds where they trick mortals into becoming slaves, who are then sold to Ethereal beings for unknown purposes, it is not know who these beings are, nor what type of payment a Shadow Dragon could possibly need. Balforian's have even managed to capture Draconix and sell them into slavery without payment, for revenge is payment enough.

It was discovered in recent Britannian history that the Balforian can only be slain in one way: The merest touch of Blackrock {Shadowthit in the Balforian/Draconix tongue} destroys them utterly when inside a mortal realm such as Britannia, cut off from the Ether.

 

Trilkhai

First encountered by the Avatar upon the Guardian occupied world of Atarka, in the floating citadel of Killorn Keep. They resemble nothing more than normal leopards or cheetahs within Britannia save for beautiful spots and colorings that vary from Trilkhun to Trilkhun.

These sentient felines are telepathic, their only form of communication. They can speak directly to one's mind or read the minds of those who try to keep secrets. Apart from a few individuals who seek release, the Trilkhai serve the Guardian as 'sniffers' to find those among his ranks who may be traitors or rebels.

 

Wisps

Often thought to be nothing more than dancing lights above Britannian swamps, it is found that they are in fact projective manifestations from the dimension Known as Xorinia, ruled by the Undrian Council. Whether Xorinia is a single minded entity or hive mind structure, it remains unknown, but one thing is for sure, Wisps are explorers, watchers and traders of knowledge.

Be wary in dealing with Wisps, as one may never know who's hands the information you gave them may end up in. Wisps will never lie, but that does not mean they will reveal who they are seeking to trade with.

It was learnt during the Gargoyle Wars that the first casting of Armageddon by Zog came about after Zog had learnt the means of casting the devastating spell from a Wisp.

 

Talorians

Talorians, or Talorids appear to be spherical floating balls with some type of membrane in the center. These peaceful creatures were enslaved by the Guardian, their very emotions ripped from their being and slowly being transformed into mindless, yet efficient [from the Guardian's point of view] workers for the Destroyer.

The Avatar liberated Talorus and it's inhabitants during his Sojourn to the netherworlds.

 

Daemons

Extradimensional entities long ago bound away from Britannia after the then inhabitants prevented a daemonic invasion. The ancient spells holding them are the true reason daemons can be summoned so easily by mortals, as the human spells simply manipulate the Ancient's original bindings rather than controlling the daemons directly on their own.

Daemons range from powerful but comparatively dimwitted, to extremely powerful and even more intelligent. They also can learn skills of magic beyond their own innate powers, making them even more dangerous. The nature of their bindings forces them to hold to contracts made with those who summon or encounter them, but the more intelligent ones are extremely adept at finding loopholes in any bargains they make. The tales of fools who were destroyed by their own bargains are many.

Daemons are individuals as much as humans are and their personalities vary. Once in a long while one may even gain respect for a human and be somewhat less than evilly disposed towards that person, but this is rare. The only instance outside uncertain legend is the relationship between the Avatar and the Daemon sorcerer Arcadion.

 

Shapeshifters

Long lived entities whose natural shape is uncertain. They take on other shapes as need and situation suits them, although most cannot take on a humanoid form.

They are extinct in Britannia, the last, Hathan, being slain after he sought revenge on the Companions for the death of Batlin by impersonating them and committing capital crimes including attempted murder. However evidence exists that they also are found in other worlds so the appearance of more shapeshifters in Britannia is not impossible.

In Ancient Sosaria it was revealed that the shapeshifters could pass on a limited form of their abilities to humans as a 'Gift'. One method of curing the 'Gift' inflicted on an unwilling person was to kill the shapeshifter who passed it on. A less lethal solution, a potion including the blood of the shapeshifter who passed the Gift along and ginseng, mandrake, and a plant called king's weed, also exists to cure the shapeshifting. Without either a cure or acceptance of the Gift death was certain.

The shapeshifters of Sosaria too are extinct, having been exterminated by the Rangers of Yew at the orders of their commander Nadia.

 

It is not known at this time whether the following creatures can be classified as sentient or not:

Arachnians

Living weapons of war, crafted by the followers of Chaos during the imbalance storms upon serpent Isle. A cross between a spider and an upper human torso.

 

Nagas

It is believed, though not proven, that like the Arachnians, these creatures were living weapons of war, created by the followers of Chaos, during the imbalance wars on Serpent Isle.

With the body of a giant snake and the head of a human, these creatures mindlessly attack all on sight.

 

Gremlins

Small, fast creatures about 1 foot in height that will often attempt to steal food from adventurers backpacks in swarming numbers.