As you wake up one day and walk out of your small house in Easthaven. You wonder what it wuld be like to be an adventurer instead of a fisherman in the cold winterous land. You wonder what Faerun is like, who lives in Amn, and what medications you can find in Kuldahar. Before you set off you forget that the roads are dangerous and you will need something to defend yourself, heading to the shopkeeper you find a dead man with 500 peices of gold and thus your journey begins! Along your journey you will brave the cold of Dorn's Deep, the Hostility of the Drow underworld and the enemies of the Famous Baldur's Gate.
Races:
Dwarves
Information:
Dwarves, sometimes called the Stout Folk, are a natural humanoid race common throughout parts of Toril as well as Abeir. Dwarves are a tough, tradition-abiding folk known for their strong martial traditions and beautiful craftsmanship.
Physical characteristicsDwarves are a short race, as their name implies, standing between 4'3" and 4'9" on average,[1] with gold dwarves a bit shorter. What Dwarves lack in height they make up for in bulk; they are, on average, about as heavy as humans. A dwarf can weigh anywhere from about 160 to 220 lbs. Dwarven males are a bit taller and heavier than their female counterparts. Like humans dwarves have a wide variety of skin, eye, and hair colors, typically pale among shield dwarves and deeply tanned or brown amongst gold dwarves. Hazel eyes are common throughout the race, with blue eyes more common amongst shield dwarves and brown or green eyes found amongst the gold dwarves.
Male dwarves are often bald and grow thick facial hair sometimes used to display social status. It is a common misconception that female dwarves (with the exception of some gold dwarves) also do this, who instead braid their long hair. This hair is often dark in hue, though among shield dwarves blond or red hair is just as common. Gold dwarves take the care of beards to an extreme, carefully oiling and grooming it, and in some cases even gold dwarven females grow beards.
Dwarves are a long-lived race, though not so much as the Tel-quessir, and reach physical maturity somewhat later than humans. A dwarf is traditionally considered an adult once he or she reaches age fifty. Dwarves age much like humans but over a longer period of time, remaining vigorous well past 150 years. Most dwarves live to see their bicentennial and a few live to be over 400.
Abilities:Dwarves are unusually tough for humanoids, in more ways than one. Dwarven stomachs, for instance, are resistant to virtually all poisons and it takes less effort for a dwarf to get back on its feet than other races. Dwarves also have dense bodies and are difficult to push around as a result, as well as having the capacity to bear loads that other races might find hindering with little ill effect. Dwarves also have a sense about them that few races do, with a preternatural awareness of their surroundings useful for a subterranean race as well as good judgment all-around in general.
Many dwarves are difficult to like and lack the charm of many other smaller races, such as halflings or gnomes, though this is not a trait common to all dwarves and some possess a great deal of charismatic power. Furthermore, dwarves are not entirely unsocial and more than a few have a natural knack for bartering or judging the value of an offer, something that sits well with their legendary crafting abilities.
It is occasionally believed that dwarves possess the ability to see in the blackest darkness, like a drow, and there is evidence that this may be true though it is also possible that the tales are misheard recollections of duergar, who are often mistaken for dwarves. However, many dwarves do have an affinity in other ways for the caverns in which they live, possessing a natural affinity for recognizing unusual patterns in stonework that can seem almost supernatural at times.
Psychology:Whether or not the dwarven claim that they were carved from the world’s stone is true the dwarves share many qualities considered similar to the stone they live with. Strong, hardy, and dependable dwarves are polite, particularly elders, and possess a wisdom beyond that of many other races. Dwarves value their traditions, regardless of the subrace they come from, and look for inspiration from ancestral heroes. Dwarves are also known for their stubborn nature and cynicism, traits widespread amongst the dwarves but which contribute to and are commonly offset by their bravery and tenacity.
Dwarven friendship is hard to earn, but is strong once won. Naturally dour and suspicious, the stout folk are slow to trust others, specifically towards those outside their family, suspecting the worst of an individual until the outsider proves many times their good will. Once this trust is gained dwarves hold their friends to it and view betrayals, even minor ones, with a vicious propensity for vengeance. A common gnomish oath, remarking on this dwarven sense of justice, is “if I'm lying, may I cross a dwarf.”
For dwarves, loyalty is more than a word and that it should be both valued and rewarded. Dwarves believe it a gift and mark of respect to stand beside a friend in combat, and an even deeper one to protect that ally from harm. Many dwarven tales subsequently revolve around the sacrifice of dwarves for their friends and family. Just as dwarves are known for their dependability as friends and allies, dwarves also harbor grudges far longer than many other races. This may be on an individual basis between a dwarf and one who has wronged him or against entire races, even if warfare with the enemy has long since ceased.
Dwarves are a careful and deliberate race, with a more serious disposition than other races, who they sometimes view as flighty or reckless. A dwarf does all things with care and a stubborn resolve, with brash or cowardly behavior unusual for the race. However, dwarves to succumb easily to wrath or greed, which are the most common vices of the race.
Dwarves who leave their homeland to become adventurers do so for a number of reasons. In part, a dwarf might be motivated by simple avarice, given the dwarven love of beautiful things. As often, however, a dwarf might be motivated by a drive to do what is right for others (particularly their clan) or a love of excitement for, as settled as dwarves are, they rarely tire of thrills. But even these wayward dwarves retain the spirit of their brethren, hoping that their accomplishments abroad can bring honor to themselves, their clan, or both. Given that successful dwarven adventurers are likely to recover rare items or defeat enemies of the dwarven people during such challenges, this is a hope not entirely without merit.
Culture:Dwarves highly value the ties between family members and friends, weaving tightly knit clans. Dwarves particularly respect elders, from whom they expect sound leadership and the wisdom of experience, as well as ancestral heroes or clan founders. This idea carries on to relations with other races and dwarves are deferential even to the elders of another, non-dwarven race.
Likewise, dwarves, perhaps moreso than most other races, turn to their gods for guidance and protection. Non-evil dwarves look to the divine for comfort and inspiration, while the wicked look to their divine overlords for methods through which to obtain power over others. Individual dwarves might be faithless, but the race has a whole, regardless of subrace, has a strong inclination for religion and almost every community maintains at least one temple or ancestral shrine.
Clans:Most dwarven societies are divided into clans built along family ties and political allegiances. These clans are usually led by hereditary rulers, often monarchs of a sort and descended from the founder of the clan. Dwarves strong value loyalty to these rulers and to the clan as a whole and even objective dwarves tend to side primarily with their kin over other races or communities.
Most dwarven clans focus on one or two kinds of crafting, such as blacksmithing, jewelry, engineering, or masonry. Dwarves strive to avoid overspecialization by sending some of their youth as apprentices to other clans, which also helps to foster racial unity. Because of the long age dwarves exhibit these apprenticeships may last decades.
Relations with other races:Dwarves do not forgive past wrongs easily and the entire race has more or less declared war on goblins and orcs as a whole, wiping them out where they find them. Many dwarves view these races as a foul infestation of their mountain homes and their duty to purge them. Likewise, many dwarves view drow and grimlocks with a similar hatred and few dwarves have forgotten their ancestral hatred of the giants who once enslaved them. Because of this dwarves generally view related races, such as half-orcs, with distrust.
In regards to their distant cousins the azers, duergar, and galeb duhr dwarven opinions vary. Many view their distant relations with sympathy for their prior enslavement. On the other hand, duergar and dwarves have long been enemies and many dwarves view them with little more love than they do the drow who share the Underdark with the duergar.
Dwarves get along pretty well with gnomes, with whom they share a love of fine crafting, and passably with humans, half-elves, half-eladrin, and halflings. However, most dwarves commonly believe that true friendships can only be forged over long periods of time and a common saying is that “the difference between an acquaintance and a friend is about a hundred years,” meaning that few members of the shorter-lived races ever forge strong bonds with dwarves. There are exceptions, however, and some of the strongest friendships are those between a dwarf and a human whose grandparents and parents were also on good terms with the dwarf.
History:Like many races, the exact origins of the dwarves are lost in myth and legend. While many non-dwarven scholars believe that dwarves are not native to Abeir-Toril or its successor worlds, most dwarves believe that their ancestors came from the heart of the planet itself, given life by Moradin and being made by the All-Father’s hammer in the Soulforge. These legends hold that the dwarves fought their way to the surface world, overcoming the dangers they faced below through strength of arms and skill.
The first known dwarven settlements on Abeir-Toril originated from the mountains of Yehimal. These dwarves settled underneath the junction between the continents of Faerûn, Kara-Tur, and Zakhara, and migrated in all directions from there, spreading across the face of all the planet. Those who turned westward towards what would eventually become the continent of Faerûn settled in what is now Semphar, forming the kingdom of Bhaerynden, except for those who migrated northwards and came to rest in the mountains of Novularond, becoming the ancestors of the arctic dwarves. The exact time of these events are unknown, but it was before the split of Abeir and Toril into separate worlds, since dwarves are also found on the continent of Returned Abeir.
The dwarves in Bhaerynden settled beneath the future plains of Shaar prospered for centuries but gradually began to endure schisms and fractures, which drove the dwarves apart. The first of these schisms occurred twelve millennia ago when Taark Shanat, the so-called “Crusader,” led a westward migration from the caverns of Bhaerynden. The descendants of these dwarves would eventually become the shield dwarves and forge the vast empire of Shanatar as well as the urdunnir, who moved deeper into the earth and faded from common knowledge.
Some time after this Bhaerynden fell to the drow shortly after their exile following the Crown Wars and these southern dwarves were driven into exile, ending the ancient kingdom. Their descendants would become known as the gold dwarves and would return millennia later with the collapse of Bhaerynden into the Great Rift, forming a new kingdom. Another dwarven subrace emerged from some of these southern dwarves, who instead of continuing their civilized ways and returning in future millennia, fled to Chult and embraced the ways of the jungle, becoming the wild dwarves.
The last dwarven lineage would form from shield dwarves of Clan Duergar. These hapless dwarves who lived beneath the Shining Plains were in time captured and enslaved by the illithids, becoming the separate but related race known as the duergar. Over the ages the twisting of illithid psionics and the infusion of diabolic blood would cause the duergar to grow more and more distant from their kin, until they could no longer be properly called dwarves.
Over the centuries dwarves have entered into a long decline and most of the ancient kingdoms that once stood are now fallen. The shield dwarves have seen parts of the north overrun and conquered by the orcs of Many Arrows while to the south the gold dwarves have been primarily driven from their underground kingdom in the Great Rift towards the surface world. In spite of this, the dwarves remain a proud and hardy people, unshaken by the pitfalls that have befallen them.
The most significant event in recent history for the dwarven peoples has been the Thunder Blessing, from the year of the same name, in which, after centuries of demographic decline, a sudden boon in fertility occurred, resulting in the births of many twins amongst the dwarves. The Blessing is widely believed to have been the work of Moradin, possibly as the culmination of a quest by a dwarven heroine or as part of some grander plan of the All-Father. One of the consequences of this sudden boon was, other than a demographic resurgence that helped bring the dwarves out of their decline, was a sudden shift in culture. The so-called thunder children were radical in comparison with their parents and during their lifetimes over the Era of Upheaval, dwarves took a more active role in the world and abandoned some of their oldest traditions, such as the ancient fear of magic and the arcane.
Homelands:Most dwarves prefer living in underground cities near the surface and above the Underdark, built around mines that provide much of their livelihood. Carved into stone these cities may take centuries to complete but are practically ageless once finished. Though dwarves are typically a martial race by nature these cities have civilian populations that compose about one fourth of the total population and which are made up primarily of the young, the elderly, or a few regular adults. Females typically compose as large a portion of the military as male dwarves do.
At present, dwarves can be found all across Faerûn although the greatest numbers are in the Underdark, the North, the East Rift, and the Cold Lands.
In their own homelands, dwarves continuously carve out new living space, mining the mountains’ riches as they do so. Dwarves in general stick to these locales, disliking travel, particularly along waterways, but those who live in human lands can find make themselves quite comfortable. Most who do make a living as mercenaries, smiths, or artisans of various kinds. Dwarves are eagerly sought after as warriors, their reputation of courage and loyalty making them excellent choices for bodyguards.
Gnomes
Physical characteristics:
A male forest gnome.Gnomes are very small compared to most other races and, with an average height ranging between 3'4" and 3'8" and a comparable weight range of 50 to 75 lbs gnomes are smaller even than halflings. However, while halflings are commonly said to resemble short humans, gnomes are more comparable with Tel-quessir, with whom they share pointed ears and high cheekbones, or even dwarves, who they are compared to due to their tendency to grow beards and live underground. Many gnomes have a more feral appearance than either, however, with hair that often sprouts from their heads in odd directions.
The skin of gnomes runs in hue from reddish tans to earthy browns or even shades of gray, with exact hue somewhat dependent upon the ethnic origin of a gnome. Similarly, gnomish hair varies wildly in color from blond and brown to more exotic colors like white, orange, or even pure white. Gnomish eyes are often, particularly in individuals who are native to the Feywild, glittering black or blue although more natural eye colors are also known to the race.
Gnomes are very long-lived, often living as long as Tel-quessir, which means living over three centuries is not uncommonly rare and five centuries is not unheard of. Generally, gnome are considered to reach maturity at forty years of age. However, unlike elves or eladrin, gnomes show a greater degree of aging as they grow older and once a gnome has passed his or her first century, their hair begins to gray, if it was not already white, and their skin begins to wrinkle as in humans or dwarves. However, even the oldest gnome retains a vitality that would be extraordinarily unusual amongst many of the younger races.
Abilities:Gnomes are a naturally intelligent and creative race, with a charm about them unusual for other humanoids. Gnomes also have a natural grasp of the arcane, innately possessing the ability to cast the cantrip ghost sound and some possess the ability to cast prestidigitation and mage hand as well. Gnomes also have a natural affinity for stealth, an affinity they can sometimes pass on to others, and illusion, both for the purpose of using it for themselves as well as seeing through other attempts at it. All gnomes innately are able to use the fade away power to disappear temporarily from sight and additionally have a reflexive tendency to take cover and hide when suddenly endangered. Some gnomes learn also to combine their fade away ability with teleportation like that of an eladrin. Other gnomes are capable of casting dancing lights.
Many gnomes are weak compared to other humanoids, though this is far from a universal trait for the race. Like the Tel-quessir, gnomes have sensitive hearing and are often capable of hearing things that other races might miss. Gnomish eyes are also suited for seeing in low-light conditions, to a degree comparable with elves or eladrin.
Psychology:Gnomes are an intelligent and innately curious race and have a strong affinity for all thing magical, particularly the arcane. Gnomes may lack the drive and ambition of other races, particularly humans, but their creativity gives them a strong ability for ingenuity. Most gnomes are content to live simple lives, acquiring knowledge merely as a hobby but others explore lost ruins, delve deep into the heart of the world, and conduct dangerous research in their unquenchable thirst for knowledge, leading more than a few to an untimely demise.
Gnomes are naturally witty and jovial, and they prefer to overcome obstacles through cunning and innovation rather than the obvious way. Ever curious, gnomes are drawn to adventure more often by a desire to see the world than out of greed or the hope of fame. It is this curiosity, along with their cunning and witty repartee that makes gnomes both entertaining friends and adept mages or scholars.
In their original home of the Feywild as well as some places on Toril gnomes live in burrows and dug-out homes akin to those used by badgers, foxes, or rabbits and as such are fond of these small animals, feeling a sense of natural kinship with them. And, like these animals, gnomes have an aversion to danger they can avoid that makes gnomes naturally inclined to hide away if they are able and many gnomish homes are carefully hidden by magic or other methods.
Culture:
A gnome of Lantan.Like other races, gnomish culture varies based on region and ethnicity, but a few characteristics are common to most gnomes. Amongst virtually all gnomes, great value is placed on one’s ability to avoid trouble and stay out of the way of others. Children’s games often involve elements of stealth and amongst adults drawing attention to one’s self is considered a breach of etiquette. The few legends of gnomish heroes are not of powerful warriors but of subtle tricksters, who sneak past or trick their opponents rather than vanquishing them in combat. This in part comes from the long-standing issues gnomes have faced, which is their miniscule size compared to larger predators or enemies such as the fomorians of the Feywild, whom few gnomes could hope to stand toe to toe with in a fair fight.
Gnomes have an intricate society based on their love of all kinds of arts, pranks, and their long lives. Gnomes love indulgence, and they make most celebrations on a grander scale. Gnome weddings last for a week, even though gnomes don't view love the same way humans do. If love begins to go wrong between a couple they may break up, believing it was a prank by Garl Glittergold. Their society is based on art; all gnomes must take up some form of art whether music, painting, cooking, building, or any other form that is considered creative by the time they come of age.
Gnomes who leave their home to seek an adventurer’s life are rare, given the race's famed shyness and lack of ambition.[3] Those that do are motivated by a number of factors, but the impulsive race is often driven by curiosity more than anything else. Many gnomes feel no more rationale for adventuring than simply to explore the world that surrounds them. A few, the more orderly ones that is, seek out adventure for more innately noble purposes, such as to help others, but these gnomes are rare. Other gnomes are driven on to become adventurers by little more than simple avarice, as adventuring is often seen as a quick, if unsafe, avenue for wealth. Adventuring is not necessarily a welcomed lifestyle amongst gnomes, in spite of the curiosity that fills the whole race, and sometimes is, in fact, seen as a betrayal of sorts to a gnome’s clan.
Following Gond's appearance in Lantan during the Time of Troubles, many more gnomes have taken on the adventurer's life though, as always, gnomes have an aversion to becoming a part of anything "too big," usually scattering into smaller, like-minded communities instead of attempting to direct larger ones.
Magic and religion:Gnomes are talented illusionists, with a natural grasp of the arcane. Regardless of their other talents, all gnomes are capable of casting cantrip or two and have the capacity to disappear from sight if they wish. Gnomes are well-suited for all forms of arcane training, particularly that of a bard, sorcerer, warlock, or wizard.
The primary gnome deity of the gnomish pantheon is Garl Glittergold. Among other deities of the pantheon are Baervan Wildwanderer, Gaerdal Ironhand, and Urdlen. These gods are all themselves, at least since the Spellplague members of the Seldarine, the fey pantheon headed by Corellon Larethian.
Relations with other races:Gnomes, in general, are a reclusive people who'd rather stay out of others' affairs. Though some races interpret this as cowardice, it's more the case that gnomes simply have nothing at stake in the conflicts between most other races and after centuries of being ignored or stomped on, are not particularly eager to fight someone else's fight. In fact, generally speaking, gnomes are a very courageous and good-hearted race, who frequently use their neutrality as a way to negotiate disputes. Of all the races in Faerûn it's fair to say that gnomes have the fewest enemies, although they have very few friends as well.
Gnomes rarely intentionally invoke ire in any group, but at times circumstances have made conflict with other races unavoidable. In the Feywild gnomes are particularly wary of the fomorians that sometimes enslave them, regarding them with fear and caution. In the Prime, gnomes are most often at odds with goblins and kobolds, whom share their underground homes and often war with them for territory or wealth. In these cases gnomes are rarely the aggressors, due to their tendency to avoid trouble rather than cause it.
Gnomes are on fairly good terms with other fey, being particularly fond of eladrin, though they also share good relations with elves. Gnomes also have sympathy for the fey commonly enslaved by fomorians, feeling empathy for creatures that share the fate many of their forbearers have suffered. Gnomes also get along well enough with halflings.
Among those gnomes who live in the caverns of the Prime, dwarves are often counted as friends, due in part to the two races’ physical and cultural similarities. Additionally, dwarves and gnomes both count goblins and giants as enemies and can often be found working together against them. Gnome are generally suspicious of other races, however.
History:Gnomish myths hold that the gods of the gnome pantheon originated as gems deep within the bowels of the earth that were then exposed to open air. Likewise, these myths hold that the gnomes were created with Garl Glittergold discovered similar gems and breathed life into them, which he followed up with a joke, inspiring the race to craftiness and mischief. This story also relates that gnomes born of diamonds became the rock gnomes, while those forged of emeralds became forest gnomes and those made of rubies were the ancestors of the deep gnomes. Though it is now known that the gnomes are fey creatures, and hence native originally to the Feywild and not Abeir-Toril, this does not necessarily invalidate the story.
Early in their history, many gnomes were held captive by Netheril and Calimshan as slaves, though most escaped this cruel fate.
Other than these early tales little is known about the formative history of the gnomes. While humans, dwarves, eladrin, and elves have all forged empires and waged terrible wars that devastated the land the gnomes have done nothing of the sort. Nor do gnomes have a known, original homeland like the halflings. For as long as anyone can remember they have been a scattered race of hidden villages, clans, and holds, rarely caught up in grand events. The gnomes are sometimes referred to as the Forgotten Folk and this title is perhaps apt and few of their race have ever graced or troubled the mighty, instead remaining characters who fade, for the most part, into the background while others go on to forge mighty legends.
For a time there was an exception to this on the isle of Lantan, a nation dominated by gnomish engineers. Here the gnomes, as an exception to the rule, were dominant and it was their culture, which dictated the laws of the land. However, the gnomish isle was overwhelmed by great tsunamis resulting from the shifting of continents that occurred during the Spellplague, destroying this small bastion of gnomish ingenuity and culture.
As the number of humans have grown and gnomes have become further marginalized, younger generations have begun to question the wisdom of their forbearers in taking a deliberately passive role in world events. This attitude was seemingly encouraged by the appearance of Gond, the god of invention, amongst the gnomes of Lantan during the Time of Troubles. As a result, ever since the Era of Upheaval there has been a gradual trend in more and more gnomes leaving their reclusive homes to travel the world.
Homelands:Gnomes primarily live in wooded, hilly landscapes, most often underground. Generally speaking, though, gnomes enjoy the fresh air a good deal more than other subterranean races such as dwarves or drow and rarely burrow very deep, spending a great deal of time on the surface. Gnomish homes or communities are generally well-hidden, making it difficult for unwelcome visitors to find them. Within, gnomish houses are warm and comfortable, akin to the burrows of small mammals.
Gnomes are found widely throughout the world, though rarely in large numbers. Small communities are most commonly found in the Western Heartlands, Elturgard, and along the coastline of the Shining Sea. Other gnomes, notably the svirfneblin or “deep gnomes,” are found in the Underdark and are even more secretive than other gnomes, except for dwarves, whom they are careful to maintain polite relationships with for the purpose of protection. Most gnomes who do live among other races, particularly humans, live as gemcutters, mechanics, sages, or teachers, the last in particular being a highly valued profession by human employers, who know that a single gnome can tutor multiple generations.
Prior to the Spellplague many gnomes were also found in Lantan, the only land dominated by gnomes. However, during the chaos of the disaster the gnomish land was swept clean
Elves:
Physical characteristics:Standing at average between 5'4" and 6' and weighing in between 130 and 170 lbs usually, true elves are a naturally slender and athletic race. Elves have a similar range of complexions to humans, with wood elves typically coppery or pale skinned and wild elves having darker pigmentations. Often, elven hair is dark, either brown or black, with copper red or blond hair also found amongst wood elves. although orange or even green hues are not completely unheard of. Elven eyes are commonly brown, hazel, or an emerald green. Elves, like their cousins the eladrin and drow, are fair and beautifull, handsome, and have pointed ears and no body hair except eyebrows, eyelashes and hair.
Elves mature at roughly the same rate as humans, though they are not usually considered past adolescence until they reach 110 years of age. Unlike humans, elves do not age dramatically as their lifespan comes to a close with the most obvious changes being a change in hair color, alternatively graying or darkening. Most elves remain healthy and full of life up until their death, which, if age-related, is usually between two and nine centuries.
Abilities:Elves have a number of abilities that set them apart from other humanoid races. Like their kin the eladrin, elves are agile, dexterous creatures. However, elves can move slightly faster than their eladrin kin and can move swiftly through even the roughest terrain. Elves are also more preternaturally aware of their surroundings than eladrin, as well as possessing better common sense. This aids elves in many ways, allowing elves both a high degree of perceptiveness that they can lend partially to allies. Additionally, elves are extremely accurate in their attacks, having a degree of precision that is unusual for other humanoids.
Many elves do not sleep but find their rest in a meditative state called “reverie” which is as restful as true sleep but leaves them aware of their surroundings. This is similar to an eladrin’s ability to trance.
Psychology:Elves commonly possess strong but swiftly passing passions, moved easily to laughter, anger, or misery and as quickly calmed. Elves are known for their impulsive behavior and as a result many races see them as flighty or impetuous. However, elves are not as flaky as others may interpret them to be, and are typically responsible in spite of their almost whimsical nature. Partially due to their long lifespan (though not entirely since many long-lived races act differently) elves have difficulty taking some matters as seriously as other races, but when threats they recognize do arise, elves are strong friends and allies to those whom they feel loyalty towards.
Elves make strong and uplifting friends. Most elves love simple joys such as dancing, singing, footraces, or contests of skill. Elves find a natural aversion to that which they see as uninteresting tasks and are fun-loving by nature. However, despite how unpleasant some things such as war can be elves can become grimly serious if a threat to their friends, family, or livelihood makes such actions necessary.
History:The elves branched away from the eladrin in a long forgotten age, and no one is exactly sure which race came first, though most scholars believe the eladrin did. Of the Tel-quessir, those who would become the elves were the first to arrive on the then united worlds of Abeir-Toril. At that time there were only the green elves, known as the Sy-tel-quessir in their own language.
Millennia passed and the fey ancestors of the elves and eladrin together ruled over much of Toril in relative peace until -12000 DR when the eladrin nation of Aryvandaar invaded the dark elf and green elf nation of Miyiertar, starting the first of five Crown Wars which, in total lasted for 3000 years.
The green elves suffered many defeats in the Crown Wars and by the end of the conflict had lost all of their former territory. Driven into the wilderness the green elves gradually changed over generations, the gap between them and eladrin widening until they became a distinct race. This change caused the elves to lose their talent for the arcane and grow even closer in their connections to the wilderness, becoming as much a part of the landscape as the wild beasts with whom they shared it.
The green elves who remained in isolation became the wild elves and lost their taste for civilzation and nation-building, becoming nomadic wanderers. It was also around this time that the first of the wood elves or Or-tel-quessir emerged, when some of the wild elves migrated into the lands of the eladrin and bred with their kin race, creating a new hybrid culture.
The wood elves, unlike the wild elves, continued to build civilizations, though on a smaller scale than the eladrin. In the eastern High Forest the wood elves founded the kingdom of Earlann, a contemporary and ally of Netheril. However, when Earlann fell the wood elves too abandoned the concept of nation-building, leaving it to the other races.
Elves as a whole ignored the Retreat to Evermeet, though some followed their eladrin brethren to the land across the Trackless Sea. Most elves remained in Faerûn, embracing the world around them rather than rejecting it, though a few tribes of wild elves also chose to withdraw from the world, hiding in remote places of the world like the Chondalwood in order to evade the notice of the other races.
Homelands:Elves are usually found in small tribes throughout the forests of Toril as well as windswept plains and mountain vales. The elves, as a whole, prefer these secluded places of nature to the cities and nations of the civilized world, living in harmony with their natural surroundings. Cautious and cunning warriors, particularly of the bow, elves secure these homelands through guile and tactics.
Halflings:
Physical characteristics:Halflings are small in comparison with the members of most other races, standing between 3'10" and 4'2" tall and weighing on average between 75 and 85 lbs. In many ways, halflings resemble small humans and usually have the same proportions as the typical human adult. Most halflings, regardless of their skin complexion, which has a similar range to humans, although it is commonly ruddy in hue, have dark hair and eyes.
Nearly all male halflings are incapable of growing true beards, though many have long sideburns. Halfling hairstyles are often complex, with strands woven together or braided. Although halflings have an affinity for collecting valuables, they do not prefer to wear these on their person, instead preferring more comfortable clothing.
Halflings have lifespans comparable with, but slightly longer, than humans. A halfling is typically considered an adult in their early twenties and some live into their 150s.
Abilities:Halflings are quick and dexterous humanoids, even given their size, with quick reflexes and an ability to recover easily from sudden danger. Halflings, who by large have a strong force of personality, are also intensely courageous and are more likely to retain their valor then most other humanoids, even when under the effects of a spell or other power. Beyond this, halflings have what can be best described as a lucky streak and have an ability known as second chance, that makes it less likely for them to be injured in perilous circumstances.
Additionally, the small size of halflings has an effect on their abilities. Halflings are, for instance, incapable of wielding larger weapons like greatswords or halberds.
It is sometimes said that halflings are weaker for the wear than other humanoids, and as a trend, halflings tend to be weaker. However, this is not a universal truth of the race. Similarly, although many have an excellent sense of hearing, not all do.
Psychology:Halflings are by nature joyful and friendly in their dealings with others. Because they live in a world where they are surrounded by larger creatures, halflings tend to avoid notice, often deliberately, or at the very least act cordial towards the larger races. Halflings appear deceptively harmless, meaning they are often beyond the notice of enemies that might otherwise pose a threat to them.
The halfling mind is practical and halflings concern themselves with their immediate surroundings and take pleasure in simple things, with few aspiring to greatness in the same manner as humans. Some halflings do become adventurers, but usually this is a practice taken up for reasons of necessity rather than personal drive. Because of this love for home and family halflings make loyal and courageous allies, willing to put their own lives at risk for the sake of others.
While many halflings do not have the ambition for adventure that some races do most prefer trouble to boredom and the race is notoriously curious. Halflings are courageous, moreso than many races, and their daring is often difficult to match. Many halflings also have a strong appetite for food and drink as well as narcotics and clothing. Similarly, many halflings are enthusiastic collectors and love to hold on to possessions won through skill and daring.
Culture:Halfling communities are tightly-knit groups found around the world, usually near the settlements of other races. Most halflings don't recognize the claims of kings or nobles as sovereign rulers but instead look primarily to their family elders to guide them. This focus on bloodlines has enabled halfling traditions to continue for millennia relatively intact.
Halfling culture has a fondness for stories and legends and is rich in the oral tradition. So much care is put into the retelling of traditional stories and their preservation that halflings often unwittingly have access to lore about ancient and long gone cultures or empires that others have long since forgotten about. Many halflings are able to recall some detail of the ancient past, though it is usually wrapped in the shrouds of legends.
Halflings have undergone something of a cultural and philosophical change throughout the Hundred Years of Chaos. During this time the typical halfling aversion to adventure for its own sake and wanderlust has been overcome by a powerful sense of wanderlust. Halfling-run adventure companies are now common in many major cities of Faerûn.
Relations with other races:Halflings, in general, try their best to get along with everybody, though exceptions do exist and ghostwise halflings are notoriously xenophobic. Lightfoot and strongheart halflings, however, are friendly and outgoing and are uncommonly adept at fitting into communities of humans, dwarves, elves, or gnomes. Most halflings, in fact, don't live in communities of their own but instead regions dominated by other races. This is particularly true in human societies, which attract halflings due to the comparative rapidity with which they change.
History:Halfling history is, by and large, like the race, unremarkable. With the exception of the strongheart nation of Luiren halflings do not even have a unified culture to call their own. Records and evidence seem to indicate that halflings, as a race, only appeared fairly recently, after the splitting of Abeir-Toril and after the fall of the creator races, around the same time as dwarves. The original homeland of halflings is unsure, though it may have been within the area south of the Shaar and few were seen in the north until after the Hin Ghostwars, a tragic event which split the halflings into their current three breeds.
Homelands:The halfling race has had many traditional homelands, though as a whole the race is typically nomadic. Many halflings who do not wander live primarily within human-dominated states. The center of halfling culture were, until relatively recently, the kingdom of Luiren. The land was devastated by the Spellplague however, as was other halfling homelands such as Arnock and the Chondalwood. Since then the halflings have become even more displaced than before, though as a result they have also come together in unity even more tightly than they were before.[citation needed]
Since then halflings have been found in their greatest concentrations within the nation of Amn. Though formerly met with prejudice halflings have earned acceptance through their skill as merchants and business partners. Halflings can also be commonly found along the Sea of Fallen Stars, particularly human-dominated cities. In fact, human cities are often the most common place to find halflings, who frequently find ways to exploit the ever-changing climate of human societies, although dwarven cities are also accomodating.
Humans:
Humans in Toril are widespread, can be found in most regions and, in general, are fierce and disagreeable, which can sometimes lead certain other races to view them with contempt. They are renowned for their diversity and ambition, and although they lack specialization, they can excel in many areas.
The origin of humanity is something yet unknown. Although the Tel-quessir can claim the primal war between Corellon and Gruumsh for their heritage and the dwarves claim to have been forged from the rocks of Abeir-Toril itself, humans have no unifying creation myth. However, they are certainly an ancient race, having originated since before written records exist and they are frequently considered one of the creator races. More confusing yet is that, while humans indeed are native to Toril they have been found on other worlds as well, with the Mulani standing out as an example of human immigrants to Toril.[1]
Regardless of their precise origins, humans have been undeniably successful. While hardly the only dominant race of Toril, humans are one of them and the most recent to obtain dominance. In spite of this strength, or perhaps because of it, humanity is an eternally fractured and divided race, broken up into over a dozen ethnic offshoots. It is believed that this is in part because humanity, unlike most other races, did not emerge as a whole but rather in several places at once, thereby resulting in its diversity.
Toril World map:
Rules:
1.You may only access the store when in a town such as Baldur's gate, Easthaven, Kuldahar, Etc.
2.You cannot just jump from town to town you MUST take a minimum of three not triple posts
3.I will keep track of everything you have with you, your money and what strikes you have against you
4.you must be detailed in your posts and not: (Ex: I stabbed a goblin and he died. lol.) you must be detailed and give well detailed posts.
5.be mature and take your pain like a man, if you die you will be taken back to the nearest town with half of your money, your armor and weapon nothing more or less
6.if you get into a fight all involved with said fight will be given a strike and I will decide who is right or wrong.
below is game information:
Player Sheet:
Username:
Character name:
Race:
Class:
Skill 1:
Skill 2:
Players:
Username: Sweet Mercy
Name: Syrius Strathearn
Race: Human
Class: Warrior
Skill1: Swordplay
Skill2: Magic
Money:500gp
Inventory:
weapons:
Staff
Armor:
None
Magic:
Minor healing spell
Healing potion x1
Store:
Leather armor=100gp
Wood Buckler=100gp
Iron Shield=200gp
Long sword=200gp
Rusty short sword=50gp
Dagger=100gp
Studded leather armor=500
Short Sword=150gp
Healing Potion=50gp
Plated Armor=700gp
Chainmail armor=1,000gp
Steel Plated=2,500
*More to be added*
Spells:
Cleric:
select 2
Armor of Faith
Bane
Bless
Charm Person
Command
Cure Light Wounds
Doom
Eagle's Splendor
Faerie Fire
Identify
Inflict Light Wounds
Magic Stone
Minor Elemental Barrier
Minor Mirror Image
Protection from Evil
Remove Fear
Sanctuary
Shocking Grasp
Sleep
Summon Monster I
Sunscorch
Druid:
Select 2
Cure light Wounds
Entangle
Faerie fire
Frost fingers
Goodberry
Shillegagh (magical hammer)
Sunscorch
Summon nature's ally I
Races:
Dwarves
Information:
Dwarves, sometimes called the Stout Folk, are a natural humanoid race common throughout parts of Toril as well as Abeir. Dwarves are a tough, tradition-abiding folk known for their strong martial traditions and beautiful craftsmanship.
Physical characteristicsDwarves are a short race, as their name implies, standing between 4'3" and 4'9" on average,[1] with gold dwarves a bit shorter. What Dwarves lack in height they make up for in bulk; they are, on average, about as heavy as humans. A dwarf can weigh anywhere from about 160 to 220 lbs. Dwarven males are a bit taller and heavier than their female counterparts. Like humans dwarves have a wide variety of skin, eye, and hair colors, typically pale among shield dwarves and deeply tanned or brown amongst gold dwarves. Hazel eyes are common throughout the race, with blue eyes more common amongst shield dwarves and brown or green eyes found amongst the gold dwarves.
Male dwarves are often bald and grow thick facial hair sometimes used to display social status. It is a common misconception that female dwarves (with the exception of some gold dwarves) also do this, who instead braid their long hair. This hair is often dark in hue, though among shield dwarves blond or red hair is just as common. Gold dwarves take the care of beards to an extreme, carefully oiling and grooming it, and in some cases even gold dwarven females grow beards.
Dwarves are a long-lived race, though not so much as the Tel-quessir, and reach physical maturity somewhat later than humans. A dwarf is traditionally considered an adult once he or she reaches age fifty. Dwarves age much like humans but over a longer period of time, remaining vigorous well past 150 years. Most dwarves live to see their bicentennial and a few live to be over 400.
Abilities:Dwarves are unusually tough for humanoids, in more ways than one. Dwarven stomachs, for instance, are resistant to virtually all poisons and it takes less effort for a dwarf to get back on its feet than other races. Dwarves also have dense bodies and are difficult to push around as a result, as well as having the capacity to bear loads that other races might find hindering with little ill effect. Dwarves also have a sense about them that few races do, with a preternatural awareness of their surroundings useful for a subterranean race as well as good judgment all-around in general.
Many dwarves are difficult to like and lack the charm of many other smaller races, such as halflings or gnomes, though this is not a trait common to all dwarves and some possess a great deal of charismatic power. Furthermore, dwarves are not entirely unsocial and more than a few have a natural knack for bartering or judging the value of an offer, something that sits well with their legendary crafting abilities.
It is occasionally believed that dwarves possess the ability to see in the blackest darkness, like a drow, and there is evidence that this may be true though it is also possible that the tales are misheard recollections of duergar, who are often mistaken for dwarves. However, many dwarves do have an affinity in other ways for the caverns in which they live, possessing a natural affinity for recognizing unusual patterns in stonework that can seem almost supernatural at times.
Psychology:Whether or not the dwarven claim that they were carved from the world’s stone is true the dwarves share many qualities considered similar to the stone they live with. Strong, hardy, and dependable dwarves are polite, particularly elders, and possess a wisdom beyond that of many other races. Dwarves value their traditions, regardless of the subrace they come from, and look for inspiration from ancestral heroes. Dwarves are also known for their stubborn nature and cynicism, traits widespread amongst the dwarves but which contribute to and are commonly offset by their bravery and tenacity.
Dwarven friendship is hard to earn, but is strong once won. Naturally dour and suspicious, the stout folk are slow to trust others, specifically towards those outside their family, suspecting the worst of an individual until the outsider proves many times their good will. Once this trust is gained dwarves hold their friends to it and view betrayals, even minor ones, with a vicious propensity for vengeance. A common gnomish oath, remarking on this dwarven sense of justice, is “if I'm lying, may I cross a dwarf.”
For dwarves, loyalty is more than a word and that it should be both valued and rewarded. Dwarves believe it a gift and mark of respect to stand beside a friend in combat, and an even deeper one to protect that ally from harm. Many dwarven tales subsequently revolve around the sacrifice of dwarves for their friends and family. Just as dwarves are known for their dependability as friends and allies, dwarves also harbor grudges far longer than many other races. This may be on an individual basis between a dwarf and one who has wronged him or against entire races, even if warfare with the enemy has long since ceased.
Dwarves are a careful and deliberate race, with a more serious disposition than other races, who they sometimes view as flighty or reckless. A dwarf does all things with care and a stubborn resolve, with brash or cowardly behavior unusual for the race. However, dwarves to succumb easily to wrath or greed, which are the most common vices of the race.
Dwarves who leave their homeland to become adventurers do so for a number of reasons. In part, a dwarf might be motivated by simple avarice, given the dwarven love of beautiful things. As often, however, a dwarf might be motivated by a drive to do what is right for others (particularly their clan) or a love of excitement for, as settled as dwarves are, they rarely tire of thrills. But even these wayward dwarves retain the spirit of their brethren, hoping that their accomplishments abroad can bring honor to themselves, their clan, or both. Given that successful dwarven adventurers are likely to recover rare items or defeat enemies of the dwarven people during such challenges, this is a hope not entirely without merit.
Culture:Dwarves highly value the ties between family members and friends, weaving tightly knit clans. Dwarves particularly respect elders, from whom they expect sound leadership and the wisdom of experience, as well as ancestral heroes or clan founders. This idea carries on to relations with other races and dwarves are deferential even to the elders of another, non-dwarven race.
Likewise, dwarves, perhaps moreso than most other races, turn to their gods for guidance and protection. Non-evil dwarves look to the divine for comfort and inspiration, while the wicked look to their divine overlords for methods through which to obtain power over others. Individual dwarves might be faithless, but the race has a whole, regardless of subrace, has a strong inclination for religion and almost every community maintains at least one temple or ancestral shrine.
Clans:Most dwarven societies are divided into clans built along family ties and political allegiances. These clans are usually led by hereditary rulers, often monarchs of a sort and descended from the founder of the clan. Dwarves strong value loyalty to these rulers and to the clan as a whole and even objective dwarves tend to side primarily with their kin over other races or communities.
Most dwarven clans focus on one or two kinds of crafting, such as blacksmithing, jewelry, engineering, or masonry. Dwarves strive to avoid overspecialization by sending some of their youth as apprentices to other clans, which also helps to foster racial unity. Because of the long age dwarves exhibit these apprenticeships may last decades.
Relations with other races:Dwarves do not forgive past wrongs easily and the entire race has more or less declared war on goblins and orcs as a whole, wiping them out where they find them. Many dwarves view these races as a foul infestation of their mountain homes and their duty to purge them. Likewise, many dwarves view drow and grimlocks with a similar hatred and few dwarves have forgotten their ancestral hatred of the giants who once enslaved them. Because of this dwarves generally view related races, such as half-orcs, with distrust.
In regards to their distant cousins the azers, duergar, and galeb duhr dwarven opinions vary. Many view their distant relations with sympathy for their prior enslavement. On the other hand, duergar and dwarves have long been enemies and many dwarves view them with little more love than they do the drow who share the Underdark with the duergar.
Dwarves get along pretty well with gnomes, with whom they share a love of fine crafting, and passably with humans, half-elves, half-eladrin, and halflings. However, most dwarves commonly believe that true friendships can only be forged over long periods of time and a common saying is that “the difference between an acquaintance and a friend is about a hundred years,” meaning that few members of the shorter-lived races ever forge strong bonds with dwarves. There are exceptions, however, and some of the strongest friendships are those between a dwarf and a human whose grandparents and parents were also on good terms with the dwarf.
History:Like many races, the exact origins of the dwarves are lost in myth and legend. While many non-dwarven scholars believe that dwarves are not native to Abeir-Toril or its successor worlds, most dwarves believe that their ancestors came from the heart of the planet itself, given life by Moradin and being made by the All-Father’s hammer in the Soulforge. These legends hold that the dwarves fought their way to the surface world, overcoming the dangers they faced below through strength of arms and skill.
The first known dwarven settlements on Abeir-Toril originated from the mountains of Yehimal. These dwarves settled underneath the junction between the continents of Faerûn, Kara-Tur, and Zakhara, and migrated in all directions from there, spreading across the face of all the planet. Those who turned westward towards what would eventually become the continent of Faerûn settled in what is now Semphar, forming the kingdom of Bhaerynden, except for those who migrated northwards and came to rest in the mountains of Novularond, becoming the ancestors of the arctic dwarves. The exact time of these events are unknown, but it was before the split of Abeir and Toril into separate worlds, since dwarves are also found on the continent of Returned Abeir.
The dwarves in Bhaerynden settled beneath the future plains of Shaar prospered for centuries but gradually began to endure schisms and fractures, which drove the dwarves apart. The first of these schisms occurred twelve millennia ago when Taark Shanat, the so-called “Crusader,” led a westward migration from the caverns of Bhaerynden. The descendants of these dwarves would eventually become the shield dwarves and forge the vast empire of Shanatar as well as the urdunnir, who moved deeper into the earth and faded from common knowledge.
Some time after this Bhaerynden fell to the drow shortly after their exile following the Crown Wars and these southern dwarves were driven into exile, ending the ancient kingdom. Their descendants would become known as the gold dwarves and would return millennia later with the collapse of Bhaerynden into the Great Rift, forming a new kingdom. Another dwarven subrace emerged from some of these southern dwarves, who instead of continuing their civilized ways and returning in future millennia, fled to Chult and embraced the ways of the jungle, becoming the wild dwarves.
The last dwarven lineage would form from shield dwarves of Clan Duergar. These hapless dwarves who lived beneath the Shining Plains were in time captured and enslaved by the illithids, becoming the separate but related race known as the duergar. Over the ages the twisting of illithid psionics and the infusion of diabolic blood would cause the duergar to grow more and more distant from their kin, until they could no longer be properly called dwarves.
Over the centuries dwarves have entered into a long decline and most of the ancient kingdoms that once stood are now fallen. The shield dwarves have seen parts of the north overrun and conquered by the orcs of Many Arrows while to the south the gold dwarves have been primarily driven from their underground kingdom in the Great Rift towards the surface world. In spite of this, the dwarves remain a proud and hardy people, unshaken by the pitfalls that have befallen them.
The most significant event in recent history for the dwarven peoples has been the Thunder Blessing, from the year of the same name, in which, after centuries of demographic decline, a sudden boon in fertility occurred, resulting in the births of many twins amongst the dwarves. The Blessing is widely believed to have been the work of Moradin, possibly as the culmination of a quest by a dwarven heroine or as part of some grander plan of the All-Father. One of the consequences of this sudden boon was, other than a demographic resurgence that helped bring the dwarves out of their decline, was a sudden shift in culture. The so-called thunder children were radical in comparison with their parents and during their lifetimes over the Era of Upheaval, dwarves took a more active role in the world and abandoned some of their oldest traditions, such as the ancient fear of magic and the arcane.
Homelands:Most dwarves prefer living in underground cities near the surface and above the Underdark, built around mines that provide much of their livelihood. Carved into stone these cities may take centuries to complete but are practically ageless once finished. Though dwarves are typically a martial race by nature these cities have civilian populations that compose about one fourth of the total population and which are made up primarily of the young, the elderly, or a few regular adults. Females typically compose as large a portion of the military as male dwarves do.
At present, dwarves can be found all across Faerûn although the greatest numbers are in the Underdark, the North, the East Rift, and the Cold Lands.
In their own homelands, dwarves continuously carve out new living space, mining the mountains’ riches as they do so. Dwarves in general stick to these locales, disliking travel, particularly along waterways, but those who live in human lands can find make themselves quite comfortable. Most who do make a living as mercenaries, smiths, or artisans of various kinds. Dwarves are eagerly sought after as warriors, their reputation of courage and loyalty making them excellent choices for bodyguards.
Gnomes
Physical characteristics:
A male forest gnome.Gnomes are very small compared to most other races and, with an average height ranging between 3'4" and 3'8" and a comparable weight range of 50 to 75 lbs gnomes are smaller even than halflings. However, while halflings are commonly said to resemble short humans, gnomes are more comparable with Tel-quessir, with whom they share pointed ears and high cheekbones, or even dwarves, who they are compared to due to their tendency to grow beards and live underground. Many gnomes have a more feral appearance than either, however, with hair that often sprouts from their heads in odd directions.
The skin of gnomes runs in hue from reddish tans to earthy browns or even shades of gray, with exact hue somewhat dependent upon the ethnic origin of a gnome. Similarly, gnomish hair varies wildly in color from blond and brown to more exotic colors like white, orange, or even pure white. Gnomish eyes are often, particularly in individuals who are native to the Feywild, glittering black or blue although more natural eye colors are also known to the race.
Gnomes are very long-lived, often living as long as Tel-quessir, which means living over three centuries is not uncommonly rare and five centuries is not unheard of. Generally, gnome are considered to reach maturity at forty years of age. However, unlike elves or eladrin, gnomes show a greater degree of aging as they grow older and once a gnome has passed his or her first century, their hair begins to gray, if it was not already white, and their skin begins to wrinkle as in humans or dwarves. However, even the oldest gnome retains a vitality that would be extraordinarily unusual amongst many of the younger races.
Abilities:Gnomes are a naturally intelligent and creative race, with a charm about them unusual for other humanoids. Gnomes also have a natural grasp of the arcane, innately possessing the ability to cast the cantrip ghost sound and some possess the ability to cast prestidigitation and mage hand as well. Gnomes also have a natural affinity for stealth, an affinity they can sometimes pass on to others, and illusion, both for the purpose of using it for themselves as well as seeing through other attempts at it. All gnomes innately are able to use the fade away power to disappear temporarily from sight and additionally have a reflexive tendency to take cover and hide when suddenly endangered. Some gnomes learn also to combine their fade away ability with teleportation like that of an eladrin. Other gnomes are capable of casting dancing lights.
Many gnomes are weak compared to other humanoids, though this is far from a universal trait for the race. Like the Tel-quessir, gnomes have sensitive hearing and are often capable of hearing things that other races might miss. Gnomish eyes are also suited for seeing in low-light conditions, to a degree comparable with elves or eladrin.
Psychology:Gnomes are an intelligent and innately curious race and have a strong affinity for all thing magical, particularly the arcane. Gnomes may lack the drive and ambition of other races, particularly humans, but their creativity gives them a strong ability for ingenuity. Most gnomes are content to live simple lives, acquiring knowledge merely as a hobby but others explore lost ruins, delve deep into the heart of the world, and conduct dangerous research in their unquenchable thirst for knowledge, leading more than a few to an untimely demise.
Gnomes are naturally witty and jovial, and they prefer to overcome obstacles through cunning and innovation rather than the obvious way. Ever curious, gnomes are drawn to adventure more often by a desire to see the world than out of greed or the hope of fame. It is this curiosity, along with their cunning and witty repartee that makes gnomes both entertaining friends and adept mages or scholars.
In their original home of the Feywild as well as some places on Toril gnomes live in burrows and dug-out homes akin to those used by badgers, foxes, or rabbits and as such are fond of these small animals, feeling a sense of natural kinship with them. And, like these animals, gnomes have an aversion to danger they can avoid that makes gnomes naturally inclined to hide away if they are able and many gnomish homes are carefully hidden by magic or other methods.
Culture:
A gnome of Lantan.Like other races, gnomish culture varies based on region and ethnicity, but a few characteristics are common to most gnomes. Amongst virtually all gnomes, great value is placed on one’s ability to avoid trouble and stay out of the way of others. Children’s games often involve elements of stealth and amongst adults drawing attention to one’s self is considered a breach of etiquette. The few legends of gnomish heroes are not of powerful warriors but of subtle tricksters, who sneak past or trick their opponents rather than vanquishing them in combat. This in part comes from the long-standing issues gnomes have faced, which is their miniscule size compared to larger predators or enemies such as the fomorians of the Feywild, whom few gnomes could hope to stand toe to toe with in a fair fight.
Gnomes have an intricate society based on their love of all kinds of arts, pranks, and their long lives. Gnomes love indulgence, and they make most celebrations on a grander scale. Gnome weddings last for a week, even though gnomes don't view love the same way humans do. If love begins to go wrong between a couple they may break up, believing it was a prank by Garl Glittergold. Their society is based on art; all gnomes must take up some form of art whether music, painting, cooking, building, or any other form that is considered creative by the time they come of age.
Gnomes who leave their home to seek an adventurer’s life are rare, given the race's famed shyness and lack of ambition.[3] Those that do are motivated by a number of factors, but the impulsive race is often driven by curiosity more than anything else. Many gnomes feel no more rationale for adventuring than simply to explore the world that surrounds them. A few, the more orderly ones that is, seek out adventure for more innately noble purposes, such as to help others, but these gnomes are rare. Other gnomes are driven on to become adventurers by little more than simple avarice, as adventuring is often seen as a quick, if unsafe, avenue for wealth. Adventuring is not necessarily a welcomed lifestyle amongst gnomes, in spite of the curiosity that fills the whole race, and sometimes is, in fact, seen as a betrayal of sorts to a gnome’s clan.
Following Gond's appearance in Lantan during the Time of Troubles, many more gnomes have taken on the adventurer's life though, as always, gnomes have an aversion to becoming a part of anything "too big," usually scattering into smaller, like-minded communities instead of attempting to direct larger ones.
Magic and religion:Gnomes are talented illusionists, with a natural grasp of the arcane. Regardless of their other talents, all gnomes are capable of casting cantrip or two and have the capacity to disappear from sight if they wish. Gnomes are well-suited for all forms of arcane training, particularly that of a bard, sorcerer, warlock, or wizard.
The primary gnome deity of the gnomish pantheon is Garl Glittergold. Among other deities of the pantheon are Baervan Wildwanderer, Gaerdal Ironhand, and Urdlen. These gods are all themselves, at least since the Spellplague members of the Seldarine, the fey pantheon headed by Corellon Larethian.
Relations with other races:Gnomes, in general, are a reclusive people who'd rather stay out of others' affairs. Though some races interpret this as cowardice, it's more the case that gnomes simply have nothing at stake in the conflicts between most other races and after centuries of being ignored or stomped on, are not particularly eager to fight someone else's fight. In fact, generally speaking, gnomes are a very courageous and good-hearted race, who frequently use their neutrality as a way to negotiate disputes. Of all the races in Faerûn it's fair to say that gnomes have the fewest enemies, although they have very few friends as well.
Gnomes rarely intentionally invoke ire in any group, but at times circumstances have made conflict with other races unavoidable. In the Feywild gnomes are particularly wary of the fomorians that sometimes enslave them, regarding them with fear and caution. In the Prime, gnomes are most often at odds with goblins and kobolds, whom share their underground homes and often war with them for territory or wealth. In these cases gnomes are rarely the aggressors, due to their tendency to avoid trouble rather than cause it.
Gnomes are on fairly good terms with other fey, being particularly fond of eladrin, though they also share good relations with elves. Gnomes also have sympathy for the fey commonly enslaved by fomorians, feeling empathy for creatures that share the fate many of their forbearers have suffered. Gnomes also get along well enough with halflings.
Among those gnomes who live in the caverns of the Prime, dwarves are often counted as friends, due in part to the two races’ physical and cultural similarities. Additionally, dwarves and gnomes both count goblins and giants as enemies and can often be found working together against them. Gnome are generally suspicious of other races, however.
History:Gnomish myths hold that the gods of the gnome pantheon originated as gems deep within the bowels of the earth that were then exposed to open air. Likewise, these myths hold that the gnomes were created with Garl Glittergold discovered similar gems and breathed life into them, which he followed up with a joke, inspiring the race to craftiness and mischief. This story also relates that gnomes born of diamonds became the rock gnomes, while those forged of emeralds became forest gnomes and those made of rubies were the ancestors of the deep gnomes. Though it is now known that the gnomes are fey creatures, and hence native originally to the Feywild and not Abeir-Toril, this does not necessarily invalidate the story.
Early in their history, many gnomes were held captive by Netheril and Calimshan as slaves, though most escaped this cruel fate.
Other than these early tales little is known about the formative history of the gnomes. While humans, dwarves, eladrin, and elves have all forged empires and waged terrible wars that devastated the land the gnomes have done nothing of the sort. Nor do gnomes have a known, original homeland like the halflings. For as long as anyone can remember they have been a scattered race of hidden villages, clans, and holds, rarely caught up in grand events. The gnomes are sometimes referred to as the Forgotten Folk and this title is perhaps apt and few of their race have ever graced or troubled the mighty, instead remaining characters who fade, for the most part, into the background while others go on to forge mighty legends.
For a time there was an exception to this on the isle of Lantan, a nation dominated by gnomish engineers. Here the gnomes, as an exception to the rule, were dominant and it was their culture, which dictated the laws of the land. However, the gnomish isle was overwhelmed by great tsunamis resulting from the shifting of continents that occurred during the Spellplague, destroying this small bastion of gnomish ingenuity and culture.
As the number of humans have grown and gnomes have become further marginalized, younger generations have begun to question the wisdom of their forbearers in taking a deliberately passive role in world events. This attitude was seemingly encouraged by the appearance of Gond, the god of invention, amongst the gnomes of Lantan during the Time of Troubles. As a result, ever since the Era of Upheaval there has been a gradual trend in more and more gnomes leaving their reclusive homes to travel the world.
Homelands:Gnomes primarily live in wooded, hilly landscapes, most often underground. Generally speaking, though, gnomes enjoy the fresh air a good deal more than other subterranean races such as dwarves or drow and rarely burrow very deep, spending a great deal of time on the surface. Gnomish homes or communities are generally well-hidden, making it difficult for unwelcome visitors to find them. Within, gnomish houses are warm and comfortable, akin to the burrows of small mammals.
Gnomes are found widely throughout the world, though rarely in large numbers. Small communities are most commonly found in the Western Heartlands, Elturgard, and along the coastline of the Shining Sea. Other gnomes, notably the svirfneblin or “deep gnomes,” are found in the Underdark and are even more secretive than other gnomes, except for dwarves, whom they are careful to maintain polite relationships with for the purpose of protection. Most gnomes who do live among other races, particularly humans, live as gemcutters, mechanics, sages, or teachers, the last in particular being a highly valued profession by human employers, who know that a single gnome can tutor multiple generations.
Prior to the Spellplague many gnomes were also found in Lantan, the only land dominated by gnomes. However, during the chaos of the disaster the gnomish land was swept clean
Elves:
Physical characteristics:Standing at average between 5'4" and 6' and weighing in between 130 and 170 lbs usually, true elves are a naturally slender and athletic race. Elves have a similar range of complexions to humans, with wood elves typically coppery or pale skinned and wild elves having darker pigmentations. Often, elven hair is dark, either brown or black, with copper red or blond hair also found amongst wood elves. although orange or even green hues are not completely unheard of. Elven eyes are commonly brown, hazel, or an emerald green. Elves, like their cousins the eladrin and drow, are fair and beautifull, handsome, and have pointed ears and no body hair except eyebrows, eyelashes and hair.
Elves mature at roughly the same rate as humans, though they are not usually considered past adolescence until they reach 110 years of age. Unlike humans, elves do not age dramatically as their lifespan comes to a close with the most obvious changes being a change in hair color, alternatively graying or darkening. Most elves remain healthy and full of life up until their death, which, if age-related, is usually between two and nine centuries.
Abilities:Elves have a number of abilities that set them apart from other humanoid races. Like their kin the eladrin, elves are agile, dexterous creatures. However, elves can move slightly faster than their eladrin kin and can move swiftly through even the roughest terrain. Elves are also more preternaturally aware of their surroundings than eladrin, as well as possessing better common sense. This aids elves in many ways, allowing elves both a high degree of perceptiveness that they can lend partially to allies. Additionally, elves are extremely accurate in their attacks, having a degree of precision that is unusual for other humanoids.
Many elves do not sleep but find their rest in a meditative state called “reverie” which is as restful as true sleep but leaves them aware of their surroundings. This is similar to an eladrin’s ability to trance.
Psychology:Elves commonly possess strong but swiftly passing passions, moved easily to laughter, anger, or misery and as quickly calmed. Elves are known for their impulsive behavior and as a result many races see them as flighty or impetuous. However, elves are not as flaky as others may interpret them to be, and are typically responsible in spite of their almost whimsical nature. Partially due to their long lifespan (though not entirely since many long-lived races act differently) elves have difficulty taking some matters as seriously as other races, but when threats they recognize do arise, elves are strong friends and allies to those whom they feel loyalty towards.
Elves make strong and uplifting friends. Most elves love simple joys such as dancing, singing, footraces, or contests of skill. Elves find a natural aversion to that which they see as uninteresting tasks and are fun-loving by nature. However, despite how unpleasant some things such as war can be elves can become grimly serious if a threat to their friends, family, or livelihood makes such actions necessary.
History:The elves branched away from the eladrin in a long forgotten age, and no one is exactly sure which race came first, though most scholars believe the eladrin did. Of the Tel-quessir, those who would become the elves were the first to arrive on the then united worlds of Abeir-Toril. At that time there were only the green elves, known as the Sy-tel-quessir in their own language.
Millennia passed and the fey ancestors of the elves and eladrin together ruled over much of Toril in relative peace until -12000 DR when the eladrin nation of Aryvandaar invaded the dark elf and green elf nation of Miyiertar, starting the first of five Crown Wars which, in total lasted for 3000 years.
The green elves suffered many defeats in the Crown Wars and by the end of the conflict had lost all of their former territory. Driven into the wilderness the green elves gradually changed over generations, the gap between them and eladrin widening until they became a distinct race. This change caused the elves to lose their talent for the arcane and grow even closer in their connections to the wilderness, becoming as much a part of the landscape as the wild beasts with whom they shared it.
The green elves who remained in isolation became the wild elves and lost their taste for civilzation and nation-building, becoming nomadic wanderers. It was also around this time that the first of the wood elves or Or-tel-quessir emerged, when some of the wild elves migrated into the lands of the eladrin and bred with their kin race, creating a new hybrid culture.
The wood elves, unlike the wild elves, continued to build civilizations, though on a smaller scale than the eladrin. In the eastern High Forest the wood elves founded the kingdom of Earlann, a contemporary and ally of Netheril. However, when Earlann fell the wood elves too abandoned the concept of nation-building, leaving it to the other races.
Elves as a whole ignored the Retreat to Evermeet, though some followed their eladrin brethren to the land across the Trackless Sea. Most elves remained in Faerûn, embracing the world around them rather than rejecting it, though a few tribes of wild elves also chose to withdraw from the world, hiding in remote places of the world like the Chondalwood in order to evade the notice of the other races.
Homelands:Elves are usually found in small tribes throughout the forests of Toril as well as windswept plains and mountain vales. The elves, as a whole, prefer these secluded places of nature to the cities and nations of the civilized world, living in harmony with their natural surroundings. Cautious and cunning warriors, particularly of the bow, elves secure these homelands through guile and tactics.
Halflings:
Physical characteristics:Halflings are small in comparison with the members of most other races, standing between 3'10" and 4'2" tall and weighing on average between 75 and 85 lbs. In many ways, halflings resemble small humans and usually have the same proportions as the typical human adult. Most halflings, regardless of their skin complexion, which has a similar range to humans, although it is commonly ruddy in hue, have dark hair and eyes.
Nearly all male halflings are incapable of growing true beards, though many have long sideburns. Halfling hairstyles are often complex, with strands woven together or braided. Although halflings have an affinity for collecting valuables, they do not prefer to wear these on their person, instead preferring more comfortable clothing.
Halflings have lifespans comparable with, but slightly longer, than humans. A halfling is typically considered an adult in their early twenties and some live into their 150s.
Abilities:Halflings are quick and dexterous humanoids, even given their size, with quick reflexes and an ability to recover easily from sudden danger. Halflings, who by large have a strong force of personality, are also intensely courageous and are more likely to retain their valor then most other humanoids, even when under the effects of a spell or other power. Beyond this, halflings have what can be best described as a lucky streak and have an ability known as second chance, that makes it less likely for them to be injured in perilous circumstances.
Additionally, the small size of halflings has an effect on their abilities. Halflings are, for instance, incapable of wielding larger weapons like greatswords or halberds.
It is sometimes said that halflings are weaker for the wear than other humanoids, and as a trend, halflings tend to be weaker. However, this is not a universal truth of the race. Similarly, although many have an excellent sense of hearing, not all do.
Psychology:Halflings are by nature joyful and friendly in their dealings with others. Because they live in a world where they are surrounded by larger creatures, halflings tend to avoid notice, often deliberately, or at the very least act cordial towards the larger races. Halflings appear deceptively harmless, meaning they are often beyond the notice of enemies that might otherwise pose a threat to them.
The halfling mind is practical and halflings concern themselves with their immediate surroundings and take pleasure in simple things, with few aspiring to greatness in the same manner as humans. Some halflings do become adventurers, but usually this is a practice taken up for reasons of necessity rather than personal drive. Because of this love for home and family halflings make loyal and courageous allies, willing to put their own lives at risk for the sake of others.
While many halflings do not have the ambition for adventure that some races do most prefer trouble to boredom and the race is notoriously curious. Halflings are courageous, moreso than many races, and their daring is often difficult to match. Many halflings also have a strong appetite for food and drink as well as narcotics and clothing. Similarly, many halflings are enthusiastic collectors and love to hold on to possessions won through skill and daring.
Culture:Halfling communities are tightly-knit groups found around the world, usually near the settlements of other races. Most halflings don't recognize the claims of kings or nobles as sovereign rulers but instead look primarily to their family elders to guide them. This focus on bloodlines has enabled halfling traditions to continue for millennia relatively intact.
Halfling culture has a fondness for stories and legends and is rich in the oral tradition. So much care is put into the retelling of traditional stories and their preservation that halflings often unwittingly have access to lore about ancient and long gone cultures or empires that others have long since forgotten about. Many halflings are able to recall some detail of the ancient past, though it is usually wrapped in the shrouds of legends.
Halflings have undergone something of a cultural and philosophical change throughout the Hundred Years of Chaos. During this time the typical halfling aversion to adventure for its own sake and wanderlust has been overcome by a powerful sense of wanderlust. Halfling-run adventure companies are now common in many major cities of Faerûn.
Relations with other races:Halflings, in general, try their best to get along with everybody, though exceptions do exist and ghostwise halflings are notoriously xenophobic. Lightfoot and strongheart halflings, however, are friendly and outgoing and are uncommonly adept at fitting into communities of humans, dwarves, elves, or gnomes. Most halflings, in fact, don't live in communities of their own but instead regions dominated by other races. This is particularly true in human societies, which attract halflings due to the comparative rapidity with which they change.
History:Halfling history is, by and large, like the race, unremarkable. With the exception of the strongheart nation of Luiren halflings do not even have a unified culture to call their own. Records and evidence seem to indicate that halflings, as a race, only appeared fairly recently, after the splitting of Abeir-Toril and after the fall of the creator races, around the same time as dwarves. The original homeland of halflings is unsure, though it may have been within the area south of the Shaar and few were seen in the north until after the Hin Ghostwars, a tragic event which split the halflings into their current three breeds.
Homelands:The halfling race has had many traditional homelands, though as a whole the race is typically nomadic. Many halflings who do not wander live primarily within human-dominated states. The center of halfling culture were, until relatively recently, the kingdom of Luiren. The land was devastated by the Spellplague however, as was other halfling homelands such as Arnock and the Chondalwood. Since then the halflings have become even more displaced than before, though as a result they have also come together in unity even more tightly than they were before.[citation needed]
Since then halflings have been found in their greatest concentrations within the nation of Amn. Though formerly met with prejudice halflings have earned acceptance through their skill as merchants and business partners. Halflings can also be commonly found along the Sea of Fallen Stars, particularly human-dominated cities. In fact, human cities are often the most common place to find halflings, who frequently find ways to exploit the ever-changing climate of human societies, although dwarven cities are also accomodating.
Humans:
Humans in Toril are widespread, can be found in most regions and, in general, are fierce and disagreeable, which can sometimes lead certain other races to view them with contempt. They are renowned for their diversity and ambition, and although they lack specialization, they can excel in many areas.
The origin of humanity is something yet unknown. Although the Tel-quessir can claim the primal war between Corellon and Gruumsh for their heritage and the dwarves claim to have been forged from the rocks of Abeir-Toril itself, humans have no unifying creation myth. However, they are certainly an ancient race, having originated since before written records exist and they are frequently considered one of the creator races. More confusing yet is that, while humans indeed are native to Toril they have been found on other worlds as well, with the Mulani standing out as an example of human immigrants to Toril.[1]
Regardless of their precise origins, humans have been undeniably successful. While hardly the only dominant race of Toril, humans are one of them and the most recent to obtain dominance. In spite of this strength, or perhaps because of it, humanity is an eternally fractured and divided race, broken up into over a dozen ethnic offshoots. It is believed that this is in part because humanity, unlike most other races, did not emerge as a whole but rather in several places at once, thereby resulting in its diversity.
Toril World map:
Rules:
1.You may only access the store when in a town such as Baldur's gate, Easthaven, Kuldahar, Etc.
2.You cannot just jump from town to town you MUST take a minimum of three not triple posts
3.I will keep track of everything you have with you, your money and what strikes you have against you
4.you must be detailed in your posts and not: (Ex: I stabbed a goblin and he died. lol.) you must be detailed and give well detailed posts.
5.be mature and take your pain like a man, if you die you will be taken back to the nearest town with half of your money, your armor and weapon nothing more or less
6.if you get into a fight all involved with said fight will be given a strike and I will decide who is right or wrong.
below is game information:
Player Sheet:
Username:
Character name:
Race:
Class:
Skill 1:
Skill 2:
Players:
Username: Sweet Mercy
Name: Syrius Strathearn
Race: Human
Class: Warrior
Skill1: Swordplay
Skill2: Magic
Money:500gp
Inventory:
weapons:
Staff
Armor:
None
Magic:
Minor healing spell
Healing potion x1
Store:
Leather armor=100gp
Wood Buckler=100gp
Iron Shield=200gp
Long sword=200gp
Rusty short sword=50gp
Dagger=100gp
Studded leather armor=500
Short Sword=150gp
Healing Potion=50gp
Plated Armor=700gp
Chainmail armor=1,000gp
Steel Plated=2,500
*More to be added*
Spells:
Cleric:
select 2
Armor of Faith
Bane
Bless
Charm Person
Command
Cure Light Wounds
Doom
Eagle's Splendor
Faerie Fire
Identify
Inflict Light Wounds
Magic Stone
Minor Elemental Barrier
Minor Mirror Image
Protection from Evil
Remove Fear
Sanctuary
Shocking Grasp
Sleep
Summon Monster I
Sunscorch
Druid:
Select 2
Cure light Wounds
Entangle
Faerie fire
Frost fingers
Goodberry
Shillegagh (magical hammer)
Sunscorch
Summon nature's ally I
Last edited by Soviet Soldier on April 17th 2010, 12:47 pm; edited 3 times in total
