The Shadow of Yesterday
written by Clinton R. Nixon
copyright 2003 Anvilwerks
updated 03/27/2003
2.2. Geography
The world of Near is large - much larger than the characters will probably ever cover. (Near is a Zaru word made up of two zu: "ne" and "ar" and is pronounced like the two English words "knee" and "are" crammed together. It literally means "not far away," and the only term for the world. Most people are not aware of any world outside their own, or even most lands outside their own for that matter, and are unaware of any term outside "the world.")
Only a certain portion of this world, also called Near, is detailed in The Shadow of Yesterday. Near is a large subcontinent, separated from the world by ocean to the east, burning deserts to the north, an enormous mountain range to the west, and the frozen end of the world to the south.
2.2.1. Qek (kek)
Qek is the northernmost known land in Near, and one of the most forbidding. Filled from coast to mountain with thick rainforest and jungle, Qek is a place of mystery and legend.
People and family: The people of Qek live among the jungle in small family units. Short, thin, and brown, the Qek (as they call both themselves and their land) hunt wild birds, boars, and reptiles and gather wild fruits for their sustanence. The people of inner Qek are generally unknown to outsiders; the families along Qek's shores that live on fishing are the few that generally speak with non-Qek. The boats of these people are legendary - small one-man kayaks made of jungle wood that they use to surf on top of the waves of the Border Sea, easily outrunning any other ship.
Government: Qek has no government, but each family unit is part of a larger family unit. As sons and daughters grow to maturity, they leave and form new family units, deferring to their old one when they meet.
Culture: The Qek have no written language, at least not since the Year of Shadow. Because of this, their art revolves around painting and oral storytelling. A great majority of their art is utilitarian in nature: ornately carved spears and staffs; beautifully crafted clay jugs; shields painted with intricate camouflaging patterns. Without cities, traditional sculpture is almost unknown, although carved frescas in rock are relatively common, used to tell ancient stories.
The music of Qek is unearthly, and most outsiders have a hard time appreciating it. Their language is made up of a multitude of hard consonants, which lends a gutteral quality to it, whether spoken or sung. In addition, the music has no traditional rhythm, instead alternating between discordant rhythms frequently. While a large part of their music - all based around stories - is sung, it is sometimes accompanied by a churang, a guitar-like instrument made of dried innards strung across a hollowed-out armadillo shell.
Qek's jungles are full of succulent fruit and spices, and are used liberally to season their food. A speciality that has reached out to be eaten elsewhere in Near is wild boar glazed with mango and coca, a plant native only to Qek. Coca (in the modern day, chocolate) grows in huge pods within Qek's jungles, and is used to make a hallucinatory beverage called huesca of dried coca pods, fermented bananas, and hot chiles.
Trade and industry: The Qek do trade with the people of Khale (and to a lesser degree, the people of Oran), exchanging wild fruits and coca for tools of metal, which they do not have the craft to make themselves. In addition, Qek is known for its precious gems. The people of Qek find these stones useless except for tools (they tip their own spears with diamond, which slip through armor as if it were butter, for example) and they are often traded for goods or services. Men from other countries that do not respect the sanctity of Qek often attempt to sneak into the country and smuggle out gems and coca pods, although few return.
Religion and magic: The people of Qek speak little of religion, but when they do, they speak of the spirits of all things. They ask the spirits of animals for forgiveness when they kill them; they pray to trees for a bountiful fruit-crop; and chant to the seas for tall waves for them to surf. Large natural phenomena are sometimes worshipped as gods: for example, there is a supposed volcano in northern Qek that the people refer to as "Father Fire." Deep in the jungles of Qek, old monuments rise, stone pyramids stained with blood and gleaming with jewels. The people of Qek shun these temples from their past, however.
Families will often take huesca, especially during eclipses, in order to gain visions and spiritual guidance.
The Qek are no strangers to magic, and do not fear it. Their magicians, however, are not part of any family, and live as hermits in the jungles, usually painting their faces black and white and spending a large majority of the time in a huesca-induced haze.
Other species: The Qek have little problem with other species in their land: elves are known to travel through Qek on occasion, sometimes coming from the wild deserts of the north as escaped slaves. Dwarves are also found in Qek; an entire tribe of fire dwarves is native to the volcano Father Fire, and water dwarves find refuge on Qek's shores. Goblins infest the hills at Qek's northern borders and run free through its jungles. Ratkin are rare in Qek, and Vulfen are unknown.
Sample character ideas: A jungle monster-hunter; an elven explorer; a fierce fisherman of the untamed Border Sea; a reclusive magician on a quest for knowledge; a warrior whose family has been killed by jewel thieves; a wild monkey-like goblin.
Sample names:
Male: Ahexotl, Camaxtli, Cocoza, Ecatzin, Guacra, Hobnil, Huemac, Itzcoatl, Maxtla, Mutex, Ocelopan, Rimac, Pusca, Tangaxoan, Tlaloc, Yaotl, Zoltan
Female: Atzi, Centehua, Chantica, Cusi, Itzel, Ixchell, Malinche, Metztli, Nhutalu, Ocllo, Quispe, Runti, Tlaco, Xoco, Ysalane, Zafrina
2.2.2. Khale (kale)
Across the Border Sea, the deep green peninsula of Khale is an echo of Qek's lushness. Once a stone's throw across the Border River from Qek, the earthquakes of the Time of Shadow have split it away as the river was ripped into the much larger Border Sea. The forests here are as wet and thick, but move from jungle to evergreen woodlands, dappled with sunlight. Khale is a harsh land in which to live, though: its many rivers flow with the blood of its people.
People and family: Khaleans (ka-le-ans) are a hearty and strong people, Caucasian in appearance, with generally black, brown, or red hair, and green or brown eyes. They claim heritage with the people of Qek, although they speak different languages, and maintain good relations with the few Qek that emerge from the jungle. Khaleans operate in tribes of two to four dozen people and consider all tribe members to be their family, not just blood relations. In fact, blood brothers from different tribes are not considered to be related at all. Upon marriage, males join the tribe of their wife, becoming part of a new family.
Government: Each tribe governs itself in Khale, making its own laws and staking its own territory. Since the Year of Shadow, these tribes have made ruthless war on each other over parcels of land. Ammeni, however, has declared war on Khale in the past few years and several tribal leaders have attempted to unite the tribes in order to strike out at the foreign warriors. None have succeeded thus far, and Khale grows smaller and more fragile each year.
Culture: Khale has one of the most vibrant artistic cultures in Near, most probably because of their belief that creating art is a form of worship. While their painting and sculpture are beautiful, their real excellence is with their music and stories, which are intertwined. Their stories and songs are usually about the tales of ancestoral heroes, although they are usually embellished or even completely made up, depending on who you ask. (Khaleans insists that all their stories are true, although one of their favorite proverbs is "a story should be told the way things should have happened.") Often, an entire tribe will dress up and act out a play written by one of their bards (see Religion below), even getting other tribes to participate.
Trade and industry: Khale trades metal tools with Qek, and their longships sail to Jalna and Goren to trade spices which do not grow in those countries' colder environments. Within tribes, farming and hunting are both respectable jobs and craftsmen and artists are well respected. The ability of Khalean craftsmen to forge sharp swords and carve strong tools and weapons from wood is legendary.
Khaleans have a taste for drink, and import beer from Maldor and Goren and wine from Oran in large quantities. They also are known to grow marijuana, a plant which is smoked for mild hallucinatory and relaxative effects. This drug is said to bring out epic tales in heroes and increase sexual desire.
Religion and magic: It is hard to distinguish between ancestors and gods in Khale. Khaleans speak of their dead as if they exist as spirits that affect their life, and speak of their gods as if they sired their tribe. All Khaleans claim to be descended from King Khale, a ruler that united all of the peninsula and lands beyond, even though this king may have never existed.
A large part of their religion centers of the telling of great tales done by their god-ancestors, done ritually around a bonfire. These rituals are competitive as tribal priests or bards try to outdo each other with fantastic stories. The bards, part priest and part artist, are given a special place in Khalean culture, as they are immune to normal tribal conflicts. When two tribes clash, the bards of each tribe will meet to write down the story of the conflict, narrating it as the battle flows. Killing a bard is a criminal offense, and usually results in the death of the killer.
Magic is fully accepted, and is part of most people's lives. The bards and druids (magicians and diviners) of Khale are highly respected and use magic freely. It is said that each bard learns three Perfect Chords in his lifetime: one to bring tears of sorrow; one to change tears of sorrow to tears of joy; and the last to put listeners to sleep.
Other species: Like their claimed brethren, the Qek, Khaleans have little problem with other species. Elves are especially welcome and are often adopted into a tribe, and sometimes even worshipped as reincarnations of fabled ancestors. Water dwarves often enter Khale from their pirate ships, and Khaleans are often found in the dwarves' pirate crews, especially off the coast of Ammeni; strange reclusive forest dwarves are sighted in Khale. Goblins form tribes throughout Khale, and are called spriggans by the locals, who find them more amusing than annoying. The occasional Vulfen makes his way into Khale and is usually respected for his woodcraft and fighting abilities. The Ratkin are not numerous in Khale, preferring the cities, but there is the rumor of one Khalean tribe composed completely of Ratkin.
Sample character ideas: a shamed warrior, cast out from his tribe; a bard full of tales and looking for more; a lost Vulfen adopted into a tribe; an elven druid; a pirate of the high seas.
Sample names:
Males: Pwyll, Nevins, Bowdyn, Gwawl, Aonghus, Morvyn, Dwayne, Kelvin, Keaghan, Brasil, Cathair, Hueil, Donat, Eoghann, Newlyn
Females: Maeveen, Isolde, Elsha, Aphria, Evelina, Moyna, Deirdre, Jennifer, Wynne, Yseult, Africa, Violet, Donella, Grania, Merna
2.2.3. Ammeni
Ammeni stretches from the intersection of the Belhor River and Absolon's Way to the Zaru Delta, although it controls only the eastern portion of that land well, with the west fallen into barbarism and savagery. While the most prosperous of nations, it also contains the poorest of people, the conquered Zaru.
People and family: Ammenites are known outside their country for their cruelty and decadance. The appearance is misleading, however: only the richest of Ammenites have the opportunity for cruelty and the ability for decadence. The rest of them are merely opportunists, making the best deals they can in a colonial society. The upper class of Ammenites, however - and there is little lower class in the east as the Zaru toil - are decadent to an extreme, clothing themselves in the finest silk and eating bizarre delicacies grown only in the fertile delta soil. Ammenites are the descendants of Maldor, although they do not like to be reminded of this fact. Their language is much like the language of Maldor, but is filled with pops and flecks in between words to convey connotation.
Family is important in Ammeni: inheritance is determined by family, and the Houses of Ammeni are family-based (although adoption of a person into a House is not entirely uncommon.) However, within families, competition for favor can be ruthless.
Government: The Ammenites are the most prosperous of people in Near, and rule the Zaru Delta, the pinnacle of agriculture, with an iron fist. Their plantations span across miles as they work the natives of the delta to the bone. Their government is, strangely, an electoral trade-based monarchy, as the six largest plantation owners, or Houses, convene to set the policy of Ammeni, with one among them elected as monarch.
While small groups of Zaru dissidents try to speak out for their liberation, few men aid them. The blame for the Year of Shadow is laid at their feet, and the Ammenites perpetuate this, whether true or false. In recent years, Ammeni has attempted to expand into Khale, but this has worked out poorly for both sides: the Khaleans strike in small groups and have eradicated every excursion into their land by Ammeni military.
Culture: The Ammenites collect art of other cultures more than they create their own: the acquisition of art is a hobby for the upper classes. Native Ammenite art is bizarre, focusing on themes of oppression and the inevitability of death. The most famous Ammenite painting is of a rice patty, red with blood, with tall stalks rising to the sky; the most famous book is the story of the last 24 hours of a rich, mad man. The Zaru do create art as well, although mostly ritual chants made of gibberish that manage to convey emotion. Their funeral dirges are known to bring even the strongest men to tears.
The food of Ammeni, however, is considered a delicacy. Hot and spicy, full of cream, rice, and noodles, as well as odd ingredients such as slugs, uncooked quail eggs, and fish-eyes, it evokes either love or disgust in most people. They make a rice wine that is similar: either astounding or repulsive, depending on the taster, and take large amounts of poiture, the pollen of a gleaming white flower that grows wild in the rice fields of Ammeni. Poiture puts people into a deep relaxed state much like slumber where the sense of time becomes elongated.
Trade and industry: Trade and culture are intertwined in Ammeni: the richest and most powerful families all run plantations in the Zaru delta, growing rice and farming fish and water buffalo. These staples, plus the chiles grown further in the west, make up the majority of their exports. Their navy is powerful and is used for shipping, as the government and the rich are the same. In addition, their navy is available for hire as armed shipping, and makes a tidy profit on the deal.
Religion and magic: The Ammenites eschew religion, worshipping only gold and riches. In addition, the Council of Houses has outlawed magic (although they all have a master of the arcane in their employ.) The Zaru do congregate in religious ceremonies, although they appear to worship no god. Instead, they meet to sit in silence. During the ceremony, which has no leader, each member stands to speak a thought in zu, the only time the Zaru speak this language. While the order of members changes each ceremony, the actual order of zu does not: together, the syllables make up an incantation for unknown purposes.
Other species: Ammenites are not altogether comfortable with anything besides humans in their midst - they're not truly comfortable with humans that don't have wealth, even. Still, some elves find their way into acceptance, given that they have a black enough heart. Dwarves are especially hated in Ammeni, as the water dwarves form pirate bands that harass the Ammenite navy, and strange dwarves of the delta help the Zaru. Goblins are eradicated from the land, except in small, hidden pockets, and Vulfen have never shown their face here. Ratkin are not uncommon in the swampier parts of the land, but are either hunted or pressed into labor.
Sample character ideas: a son or daughter in a high-ranking House; a Zaru peasant seeking freedom for his people; a Ratkin thief; a spy in the employ of one House - or even a double-agent.
Sample names:
Males: Kaarlo, Philippe, Amoux, Onfroi, Cador, Edmund, Owain, Montaigu, D'anton, Toussnint, Duval, Quennel, Dacian, Piperel, Piperel
Females: Helene, Galatee, Shalott, Celie, Arleta, Eugenia, Sidonie, Rohais, Ruby, Eleta, Ysabel, Zuria, Marquisa, Damia, Aveline
2.2.4. Maldor
Across the deep waters of Absolon's Way lie the ruins of Maldor, once the grandest empire Near has ever known. Maldor is made up of a variety of geography, from rolling plains stretching to the ocean in the east to forest-covered hills in the west. Maldor's most striking feature is the amount of ruined great cities, untouched by man since the Year of Shadow and filled with secrets and danger.
People and family: The Maldorites are shell-shocked, blindly attempting to follow their old ways of life in a ruined empire. The people are a mix of ethnicities, although the noble lines are all Caucasian in appearance. While family is important - the nobility treasures their blood, and the peasants huddle together - families are often separated by war, hunger, and wonderlust.
Government: With the Shadow went Emperor Absolon and the royal line. The country is shattered and local lords claiming royal blood divide the land up like lions with a carcass: unfair and bloody. The disparity between the wealthy and poor is immense as these lords press commoners into service as infantry, farmers, smiths, or whatever suits their whims. Outright war between these lords is not uncommon as they attempt to gain dominance over each other. None have achieved their goal, however, and the country remains divided.
Culture: Maldor is in its dark ages; art and culture take second-place to survival. Among the noble classes, art still exists in collections from before the Shadow Moon came. Tapestries, painting, and sculpture are most prized. Artists are employed by lords, but innovation is rare: the artists are called on to make knock-offs of pre-Shadow art more than anything else. Troubadors wonder the countryside, going from inn to inn to make a few pieces of gold. It is said that one enterprising merchant hired a gang of mercenaries to pillage a fallen city and is now printing books using a printing press they managed to liberate.
The food of Maldor is considered bland by the rest of the world, but is hearty and filling. Maldor's beer, on the other hand, is the best in the world.
Trade and industry: Individual lords in Maldor maintain trade with nearly every country in Near, trading artifacts and antiquities for much needed food and arms to maintain their continual wars. Farmers do grow grain, corn, potatoes, and other root vegetables and raise goats, sheep, and cattle for milk and food, but it never seems to be enough. Beer and distilled potato liquor make up a large amount of their exports, especially to Goren.
There is good pay in Maldor for a seasoned explorer, though; the ruins of many great cities are filled with arms and art.
Religion and magic: The lords of Maldor are monotheistic. Their religion centers around a variation of ancient pagan sun god worship: they have melded the figure of the sun god and Absolon, saying that the Year of Shadow was Absolon's sacrifice as he descended into the underworld, then rose against, undefeated by Shadow. Their priests prophesy his return to Near as a king that will re-unite Maldor and make it strong again. When Absolon will come again is a matter of great debate, though.
This monotheism trickles down to the peasants, who tend to worship the sun god in its more pagan aspect, as a giver of life and blessing. As Maldor was once a great multi-cultural cornucopia, though, religion varies widely among its lower classes, who practice animism, ancestor worship, or any variety of other religious practices. Rumors of a Shadow Cult abound, evildoers who would try to throw down the sun and replace it with their dark Queen of Shadow.
Magic is as common here as anywhere else in Near, but is more feared. Many nobles have court magicians that act as diviners and advisors, and the combination of these powerful rulers and rumors of the Shadow Cult put fear in the hearts of superstitious commoners, who often flee from a magician's path, or in large numbers, burn the witch.
Other species: Other species do not find Maldor the most welcoming place. Elves are distrusted, as they disappeared during the Year of Shadow; dwarves have little use for the place, except the water dwarf pirates off the coast, which Maldorite lords fight against; Vulfen are considered an aberration; and Ratkin are the least liked and most numerous. Ratkin infest the old ruined cities of Maldor, and are often the only residents there. Most lords in Maldor offer rewards for Ratkin heads.
Sample character ideas: a peasant infantryman; a Ratkin explorer of ruined cities; a reclusive elven magician; a knight seeking to unite the Maldor people; a consort of lords, gaining knowledge for her own purposes.
Sample names:
2.2.5. Oran
The western part of Near is dominated by the nation of Oran, the largest of countries. The lack of cohesiveness within Oran is its downfall, however: the people cannot even decide on a national enemy, much less a national identity. The landscape of Oran is one of stark beauty, ranging from the green fields and coast of the north to the immense mountains of the west to the frozen hills of the south, dotted with the ruined remains of the Maldor Empire.
People and family: The Oranians are a mix of Maldorite stock and the savage horsemen which lie beyond the Wall, an immense mountain range. This melding of the blood of conquerers and of fierce nomadic warrior has resulted in a robust group of people that meet most challenges head-on.
The family is the central unit of Oranian culture, whether sedentary peasants or fierce warlords. Most people live in their family's homestead, a group of connected houses that might contain three or four generations of Oranians. Wives usually join the homesteads of their husbands, with the reverse happening rarely. When a person disgraces his family in word or deed, though, it is usual that he will strike out on his own, leaving the homestead to travel and perhaps join a warband.
Even within the warbands of Oran, family is emphasized. Each warband is a family and a slight against one member is a slight against the entire family.
Government: As in Maldor, lords - or warlords, as they are called in Oran - command men in battle, savaging the land. These warlords claim dominion over large swaths of land, but do not rule it by nobility, but rather by force. Homesteads within the land are forced to give ten percent of their yearly wealth, whether it be crops, livestock, or money, to the warband, which provides them protection from other warbands. As mentioned above, these warbands are considered families, and defend their members fiercely. Joining a warband is not easy, however; the initiation usually consists of fighting another member to the death, sending the initiate on a recklessly dangerous quest, or some other sort of near-torture.
There is no centralized government; Oran can only be considered a country by virtue that it is not conquered by any others. Individual warbands do make treaties with and war on outsiders, on occasion.
Culture: For such a harsh land, Oran has a rich culture. Finely woven clothes, blankets, and tapestries are accepted by warlords in lieu of wealth for protection, and the skill of Oran's craftsmen is high. Music and song is cherished, and each warband has at least one person to record the band's deeds either in word or song. Among the warbands, a form of singing called throat-singing, bellowing strange sounds from the back of the throat, has evolved, and can be heard for great distances from their campfires. Drums, large horns, and large bassy guitars are also common.
Trade and industry: Oran's varied climate and skilled craftsman make for fine exports, although trade is done on a very individual basis, as it all goes through the warlords. Thus, countries near northern Oran might trade for rice, sugar cane, and other warm weather vegetables and countries near the southern part of Oran might trade for potatoes, carrots, and other vegetables that grow in colder climes. Wherever trade occurs, though, horses always command a good price. The horses of Oran are strong in body, and are sought after by breeders elsewhere.
Religion and magic: Religion is as varied as anything else in Oran. A belief system for a warband is usually set by the warband leader: a warlord powerful in magic might set himself up as a demigod, a leader of horse-riding plainsmen might talk about the Great Horse that gallops across the night sky. The worship of an all-powerful Creator named Or is common, though, although few believe in Or as a vengeful god, or even a god particularly interested in humans, instead believing that Or is an unfathomable engineer that creates all and sets it working like an enormous clock. Outside of that, respect is usually paid to powerful geographic phenomena, like certain enormous mountains and rivers, and Lady Miska, a mythical or historical female warlord that once ruled all of Oran benevolently and now rides across Oran in the dark of night, righting wrongs on her ghost horse, Alear.
Magic is both feared and respected in Oran. Wondering magicians delight children in small villages, and most Oranians believe that all magic comes from Or, making wizards his servants.
Other species: Oran is a welcoming place for other species. Earth dwarves are common in the Wall, and wind dwarves sometimes are found along the southern sea. Vulfen made their way into Oran during the Year of Shadow when the southern sea froze over, and are valuable members of many warbands. Elves' prowess with swords and magic bring them respect (some Oranians even believe elves are Or's first creation and closest to him), and goblins are given free reign when not breaking stuff. Ratkin are found in all the ruined cities that dot the Oranian landscape, and often make deals with warbands, exchanging artifacts and knowledge for protection.
Sample character ideas: a warband lieutenant; a farmer who refuses to pay the warbands; a wandering Elf on horseback; a craftsman in search of a new, better metal; a Vulfen warrior; a traveling goblin wizard
Sample names:
2.2.6. Goren
To the south, a Nordic-influenced "north-world," run primarily by Vulfen and barbarians. The tundra and snow ends in an icy ocean, which forms a bleak continent even further to the south. The Vulfen use incredibly sturdy ships to break through this ice, with smaller quick raiding ships that come behind. These ships clash frequently with the eastern sea dwarf pirates.
People and family:
Government:
Culture:
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Religion and magic:
Other species:
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Sample names:
2.2.7. Jalna
Jalna is this weird cross between Iceland, Holland, and Switzerland, with overly friendly always-neutral flower merchants everywhere.
People and family:
Government:
Culture:
Trade and industry:
Religion and magic:
Other species:
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2.2.8. Vulfland
Vulfland is Antarctica, overrun with wolf-people.
People and family:
Government:
Culture:
Trade and industry:
Religion and magic:
Other species:
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2.2.9. Perdify, Island of Pirates
Perdify is a small volcanic island in the Eastern Sea that has grown
from the bodies of ships and ships tied to it, creating a large floating city. Perdify seems to move throughout the year.
People and family:
Government:
Culture:
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Religion and magic:
Other species:
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2.3. Species
2.3.1. Humans
Humans are the most populous species of sentient people on Near, and are found anywhere in the world one might look. Their power has waned significantly, though, since the time of Shadow. They are infinitely adaptable, and pick up new things easier than any other species.
2.3.2. Elves
No one except elves really understand what they are, or where they're from. To hear them explain it, they are native to another world on another "plane" but travel from world to world. They exist solely as magical beings that create their own bodies on each plane they travel, with an immortal spirit that returns to their home upon their death.
Elves usually take on the appearance of perfect human specimens, but cannot avoid the residual glow that always comes off of their skin from their inherent magic.
Elves can be found nearly anywhere on Near, but are most common in places where humans are concentrated.
2.3.3. Dwarves
Dwarves are children of the world. Without fathers, they are a species of all men. They claim to be born from the love of two elementals, all of which are female. (The lesbianism isn't really implicit here, but explicit.) They come in many varieties, although the most common are the basic elements: wind, water, fire, and earth.
Dwarves are generally reclusive. Outside of the water home of Perdify, most dwarves stay hidden in the deep and quiet places of the earth.
2.3.4. Goblins
Goblins live wherever others have deemed too hot, too cold, or too foul. Infinitely adaptable beings, the small wiry things manage to resemble demons, dogs, and men at the same time. Their curiosity drives them into all the forgotten places of the earth, and makes them decent apprentices for just about any job: they catch on quickly, but tend to cause as many accidents as they do help.
Their bodies have an ability that cannot be explained by many: they evolve to match their environment even as they continue to age, and their offspring carry these same characteristic. Even strong magic can warp their bodies, as many evil wizards have found, creating the dread ur-goblins, bugbears, and Violators from goblin stock.
Left alone, their societies resemble anarchy to any outsider, although they tend to grow an alpha goblin among any tribe. Strangely, most of them do not seem to understand the concept of love at all. They are poly-sexual, and any mating between them, whether male-male, male-female, or female-female, can generate offspring. With a month-long gestation period, this doesn't really get in the way of their curious relations.
A few goblins have been observed in a bizarre state that resembles love, however. When a goblin is struck with this, known only as "the Affliction" in their rough language, they leave their tribe and travel, their only goals to prove their love or die. (They seem confused by their own emotions, and usually cannot express clearly what they are doing.) A goblin has never been observed in love with another goblin, however; they always choose a member of another species as their object of affection.
2.3.5. Ratkin
Ratkin resemble nutria, the largest of the rodents, standing on their hind legs with prehensile thumbs. About three to four feet tall, they have pointed button noses, whiskers, and are covered in either grey, brown, or black fur, with the occasional albino all-white ratkin. They are generally untrusted by all other species except goblins, and known as dirty thieves. They live primarily in cities.
2.3.6. Vulfen
The Vulfen are a northern race, used to thick forests, deep snow, bitter cold, and wild beasts. They resemble half-men, half-wolves, with thick brown and grey body hair, long snouts, sharp teeth and claws, and sharp ears on top of their head. They are known for their prowess in the wilderness and in battle, and have a reputation of being fiery, vigorous lovers.
They do, however, have some problems getting along with other species, as they view others as weak and destructive.
