Races of the Lyric Empire

In general, the Lyric Empire is primarily formed of three main races - humans, dwarves and halflings. Also within the Empire there are elves, gnomes and orcs. Half-elves (half human, half elf) exist, but there are very, very few. Finally, the Empire is also home to half-dragons, although these are not a discrete race of their own and are instead strange hybrid births which can come from any race.

Other humanoid races exist, and many have their own distinct cultures separate from the Empire at large. These groups are not considered officially part of the Empire, and they do not have own representation. This includes all of the 'monster' races, as well as the goliaths who live in the far north.

Humans
Average Lifespan: 80 years

Age of Majority: 16 (on average, differs depending on local law)

Society: Patriarchal Aristocracy

Physical Description: Humans are a diverse race who vary widely in size and build, with heights ranging from 5' to well over 6'. Males tend to be taller than females and there can be a great deal of sexual dimorphism. Skin colours range from pale pink to dark brown with a great deal of variation between individuals. Hair colour can be anywhere from black to blonde and it comes in a variety of different styles, with females generally wearing it slightly longer. Male humans can usually grow facial hair. Humans have puberty between 10 and 17, with females starting slightly sooner than males. Females are fertile until around 45, and males are fertile until death. Gestation takes 9 months.

Society Description: Humans are the most populous race in the Empire, and they make up the majority of its citizens. Human society differs depending on where in the Empire they live, but as a general rule humans tend to have an almost feudal society, with an autocratic aristocracy in charge of a small middle class and a large number of peasants. Males are considered more suited to leadership, and occupy most of the positions of power, whereas women are thought of as homemakers and mothers. Marriage is encouraged as well as monogamy, and family name is important.

Language: Common

Dwarves
Average Lifespan: 250 years

Age of Majority: 30 (Equivalent to 18 human age)

Society: Traditional Monarchy

Physical Description: Dwarves are shorter than elves or humans, and average around 4 to 5 feet tall. They make up for this by being quite bulky, and they weigh around 170 pounds on average. Physically, male and female dwarves are clearly differentiated, with female dwarves often having wide hips and large breasts. Skin colour is similar to human variations but with a slightly greyish cast, especially around the lighter end of the scale. Hair is worn long and is usually black, brown or grey, plus the occasional red-head. Both males and females can grow facial hair, and it is usually carefully groomed and jealously guarded. Dwarves age slowly, with puberty starting around 12 and lasting until around 35. Both males and females are fertile until death. Gestation takes 7 months.

Society Description: Dwarves live primarily in and around the north-east of the Empire, with large numbers living in entirely dwarven settlements in the mountains. They are not a populous race, and have a lower total population number than halflings or Nor Cened elves. Dwarven society is very traditional and changes slowly, if at all. It is organised around a small number of powerful families, and family is hugely important to them. The larger a family, the more votes it has for the dwarven senate. Dwarves also have a monarch who is advised by the senate, but who ultimately acts with complete authority. Marriage is encouraged, but monogamy is not mandatory and mistresses/extra-marital relationships are common, if not always openly discussed. Males and females hold equal political and social power, and roles are shared evenly between the genders.

Language: Dwarvish

Halflings
Average Lifespan: 120 years

Age of Majority: 16

Society: Nomadic Family Groups

Physical Description: Halflings are small, reaching on average only 3' of height. They are however a hardy and stocky people, usually weighing between 40 and 45 pounds. Similarly to dwarves and humans, halflings are sexually dimorphic - the 'buxom halfling wench' is a popular cliché. Skin colour is similar as well, ranging from tan to pale with a ruddy cast. Hair is usually brown or sandy, and often wavy. Male halflings often sport long sideburns, but facial hair is very rare on either gender. Halflings age at the same rate as humans, with puberty occurring between 10 and 17. Due to their slightly longer lifespans, halfling females are fertile until 60 and males until 100. Halflings are prone to multiple births, with twins and triplets being more common than single births - but much larger 'litters' are also not uncommon. Gestation takes 1 year, and pregnant halfling females get very, very round.

Society Description: Halflings live throughout the Empire, although their itinerant nature makes it hard to know how many there actually are. Halfling society is largely decentralised with each family group having their own traditions and rules. Families either run a trade route or roam across the whole Empire, and very few halflings are found permanently in cities. Family groups are led by a patriarch and matriarch, who vote for the halfling elder, but other than that there are no formal power structures. Marriage is a common bargaining tool between halflings, particularly to build relations with other families or add new skills to the group. Monogamy is not expected, although it is respected, especially between 'love matches'. Children are raised communally by the whole family. Males and females hold equal political and social power, and roles are shared evenly between the genders.

Language: Halfling

Elves
Average Lifespan: 700 years

Age of Majority: 70-80 (depending on individual)

Society: Egalitarian Socialist

Physical Description: In general, elves are shorter than humans, with an average height of 5'7" for both males and females. They are also more slightly built, usually weighing between 100 and 145 pounds. Elves are highly androgynous, with males often lacking more 'masculine' traits such as visible musculature and wide shoulders, and females having narrower hips and smaller breasts than their human or halfling counterparts. Skin colour tends towards shades of brown, from light tan to dark almost-black. Hair colour covers most of the usual human range, but curly or kinked hair is rare. Hair is often worn long for both males and females. Elves have no facial hair and little body hair. Elves age very slowly at the start of their life - an elf of 20 would be comparable to a human of 10. After 20 they age more quickly, and an elf of 70 is equivalent to an 18 year old human. After 70 they tend to stay the same physically for the rest of their long lives. Elves have a skewed gender profile with 3 out of 4 elven children born female. Elven females are fertile for only a short window of around 40 years, which can occur at any time between 200 - 350 years old. Elven males become fertile around 200 and remain so usually for around 250 years. Gestation takes 2 years. Elves do not need to sleep.

Society Description: In the Empire, elves are technically 'non-citizens'. They cannot own lands or titles, and crimes against them are often overlooked. As a result, elven society in the Empire is secretive and towns exist in isolation, mainly in the wildest places where other races fear to go. In Nor Cened, elven society is much more open and connected, with regular contact between towns. In general, elven society is egalitarian and socialist - individuals work for the good of society, wealth is shared and many essential services such as healthcare and education are provided for free. Family name is unimportant, and marriage and monogamy are completely unknown. Polyamory is the norm as well as casual sexual relations - pair bonding is brief, and children are usually raised by the state education system. Males and females hold equal political power, but socially males are treasured due to their relative rarity, meaning they are very rarely seen in the army or any other dangerous line of work.

Language: Elvish

Gnomes
Average Lifespan: 350 - 500 years (depending on source)

Age of Majority: Unknown

Society: Unknown

Physical Description: Gnomes are a similar height to halflings, usually between 3 and 4 feet, but they tend to have a lighter build and a more androgynous body type. Their skin colour tends to be shades of brown, and their hair is usually fair. Males grow facial hair, which is often curiously styled or waxed. Gnomes seem ageless until they die, and very few gnomish children are ever seen by other races. Their breeding habits are unknown.

Society Description: Gnomes do not seem to have an overarching society as such, but individuals can be found all across the Empire. They tend to blend in to the local culture rather than having one of their own. One common trend is that many gnomes take an interest in technology and engineering.

Language: Gnomish

Orcs
Average Lifespan: 50 years

Age of Majority: 12

Society: Tribal

Physical Description:

Society Description:

Language: Orcish

Half-Elves
Average Lifespan: 160 years

Age of Majority: Depends on home society - but usually between 18 - 25

Society: None

Physical Description:To humans, half-elves look like elves, and to elves, half-elves look like humans. Their height generally ranges between 5 and 6 feet, and their builds are slightly heavier than elves, slightly lighter than humans. Their skin and hair colour can be anywhere on the human scale, and it's rare to see two similar looking half-elves. Many male half-elves can grow facial hair, but not all. Half-elves reach puberty around the same age as humans, 10-11, and can stay there well into their twenties. Afterwards they age very slowly, especially compared to humans. As a hybrid race, half-elves are usually sterile, and the chances of two half-elves having a child are vanishingly small.

Society Description: Half-elves are the only known viable cross-racial possibility. No other cross-breeds have ever been reliably reported. The child of a human and an elf, half-elves are not a race of their own and therefore they do not have their own society. In the Empire, half-elves are something of a legal nightmare - one parent is a legitimate citizen, and the other has no right to title or property. This means that laws are applied haphazardly to half-elves, usually depending on where in the Empire they live and whether they identify more with their human or elven heritage. In Nor Cened, half-elves are, in theory, treated the same as any other elven citizen. In reality, they often face a fair amount of discrimination and are unfairly characterised as thieves or wastrels.

Language: Common and Elvish

Half-Dragons
Average Lifespan: Related to parent race but usually much, much longer - as much as twice as old

Age of Majority: As parent race

Society: None

Physical Description: Half-dragons tend to be slightly taller than their parent race and often sturdier as well. In appearance, they resemble their parent race but with scales, claws and a dragon's face. They usually do not have wings or tails. Their colour matches one of the 'true dragon' colours, and no colour seems to be more common than any of the others. They usually have no hair, instead having scales all over their bodies. Half-dragons are overwhelmingly sterile, and even if they aren't, pregnancies are very difficult and almost never come to term without the death of either the child or the mother.

Society Description: Half-Dragons, similarly to half-elves, are not a true 'race' with a society of their own. They are a magical mutation which can arise from a pregnancy between any two parents, regardless of race. Reliable statistics are rare, but it seems like around 1 in 5000 births results in a half-dragon. Most mothers of half-dragon children are heavily damaged by the pregnancy and birth, with many dying or being made sterile in the process. Half-dragons do not have a society of their own and instead try to find their place within the structures around them. Many half-dragons are killed at birth or as children as they are considered dangerous - because of their natural breath weapons, their unconscious tendency to attract wild dragons to a town, and their wild, almost monstrous appearance. As such, half-dragons who survive to adulthood are slow to trust others, and they often end up as outsiders living on the fringes of civilisation.

Language: Draconic