Species of Taelgar
Taelgar is a world inhabited by many diverse species, many of which are appropriate options for player characters. The following species, described in brief, are well-known by most people in Taelgar. Species that are player options are marked with a * .
Standard Species
There are 13 species that most anyone on Taelgar has likely heard of, although most common people of the world will likely have only met a few non-humans, unless they live in a large, cosmopolitan city.
*Humans: The most numerous species on Taelgar, Humans are adaptable and resilient. They have spread across the world, inventing diverse languages, religions, and cultures in the process.
*Elves: Said to be the first species awakened after the dawn of time, Elves have a deep connection to magic and nature through their connection their gods, Aldanor, the Living Tree and Elmerca, the Wild Star. Their culture and society is strongly shaped by the ka, a unique cycle system of non-overlapping generations arising from elves’ extremely long lifespans but limited time when they can bear children. These days, elves are rarely seen among human cities, and many common folk will have never met one.
*Dwarves: Dwarves make their homes beneath the mountains of Taelgar, carving great halls of stone and light beneath the earth, aided by their innate runic magic from their connection to their gods, the Bahrazel. Their culture and society are shaped by ties of kinship and clan, and by the mystical bonds of their thuhr, a uniquely dwarven combination of guild, secret society, and found family. Dwarves are often found in human realms, as travelers, visitors, and long-term residents.
*Halflings: Halflings are wanderers and travelers, merchants and sailors, storytellers and poets. Though many halflings are nomadic, and rarely settle in one place for long, they are deeply connected to each other by a unique ancestral consciousness mediated by their gods, the First Ones, which allows them to communicate telepathically and remember fragments of their ancestors’ knowledge and lives. Halflings, while not as numerous as humans, are frequent sights across the realms of many species of Taelgar.
*Lizardfolk: Lizardfolk live in the swamps and riverways of Taelgar, often making their homes near to, but not amongst, humans. Despite their fierce reptilians appearance they are generally peaceful and gentle, tending to nature and harvesting food from the waters in much the same way they have for generations. Their connection to the Tharzen Anzinakoa, the ancestor seasons, gives them prophetic insights into the future.
*Stoneborn: Stoneborn live in the high mountains and faraway places of Taelgar, preferring to settle in the inhospitable and the inaccessible places of the world. Although stoneborn prefer to settle in small and reclusive communities, travelers, craftfolk, visionaries, and warriors do travel amongst human lands. Their deep connection to Entamba, the Elder Mountain, gives them unique abilities to resist damage and stay alive in the most inhospitable of places.
*Centaurs:
*Kenku:
*Kobolds:
Orcs:
Hobgoblins:
Goblins:
Bugbears:
The Fey
Of all the many planes in the multiverse, the Feywild is by far the most accessible from, and connected to, the material world. Travelers cross into, and out of, the Feywild at portals scattered around Taelgar, and visitors from the Feywild are, if not a common sight, relatively unsurprising. The people of the Feywild are diverse, magical, and strange; those that are playable species options in Taelgar are detailed below.
*Satyrs: Goat-legged humanoids with a reputation for mirth and merriment, satyrs are among the most common denizens of the Feywild encountered in Taelgar. While it is the rare satyr that settles in the cities of humans or other species, lone satyrs making music or mischief, or groups traveling together in a moveable feast, are not an infrequent sight on the quieter roads and backwoods of the world.
*Changelings: Humanoids imbued with the changeable essence of the Feywild, changelings are able to shift their appearance and voice at will, residing in many societies undetected. For some changelings, each new face is only a mask, a disguise to be cast off when no longer needed; for others, a new face may be a window into a new facet of their soul.
*Fae: The fae are the most common natives of the Feywild, graceful humanoids with an elfin appearance and a striking presence. Common sights in the courts of the archfey and across the settled regions of the Feywild, the fae rarely leave their native plane for the material world. Away from the Feywild, the inner presence of the magic of the archfey is dimmed, and the fae might be mistaken for a particularly graceful human, or perhaps an elf.
*Beastfolk: Scattered through the realms of the Feywild are the beastfolk: bipedal animal-like fey that typically resemble humanoid versions of the animals they mimic. The beastfolk rarely leave the Feywild, for when they do, they risk being mistaken for talking animals, monstrosities, or worse.
*Fairies: Diminutive fairies, small flying fey of which sprites and pixies are the most well known, commonly cross the boundaries of the worlds, to make mischief or bring joy, but are rarely seen by humans or other big folk unless they wish to be spotted. Many human superstitions of the fey trace their origin to the actions of the fairies.
Unusual Species
Legends and rumors speak of other, stranger species in the world of Taelgar. Sailors tell tales of merfolk who live beneath the waves, dwarves mutter about the brain-eating mind flayers that hide deep underground, and legends speak of larger than life giants who build massive fortresses with ancient magic. Few of these species are playable options in Taelgar, but three exceptions are detailed below. These options are not appropriate for all campaigns, and people of these species will often be greeted with fear, suspicious, and disbelief.
*Plane-touched: Very rarely, some humans are born with an unusual soul, touched by the powers of another plane. Perhaps this is one of the elemental planes, one of the realms of the divine, or a primordial spiritual realm. These people can sometimes hide their plane-touched souls, and live normal lives, but other times are born with obvious physical attributes of the plane.
*Gnomes: Long ago, before the Downfall, many dwarves left their underground homes, fleeing the dangers of the Underdark that crept into the world from cracks in multiverse, settling in empty places in the distant corners of the world. Over the centuries, as they adopted to their new aboveground homes, they forged a new identity for themselves, calling themselves gnomes.
*Free Orcs: Rumors speak of some orcs that have escaped the divine bonds that chain them to the will of Thark, the god of endless war. Free from the influence of their god, these orcs chart their own path in Taelgar, although usually seek to live hidden from others in isolated communities, both to avoid the wrath of Thark and to avoid the anger and fear of other peoples.
Mechanics
The following table lists the playable species of Taelgar, and includes information about mechanical choices and role playing considerations to guide your choice.
| Species | Group | Key Question(s) | Details | Starting Languages |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Humans | Common (Standard) | What is your cultural and religious background? | Playing a Human | 4 |
| Halfling | Common (Standard) | Did you grow up nomadic, or not? How did it impact you? | Playing a Halfing | 5 |
| Dwarf | Common (Standard) | What is your thuhr, and how did it impact (or not) your life? | Playing a Dwarf | 4 |
| Lizardfolk | Common (Standard) | Playing a Lizardfolk | 4 | |
| Elf | Uncommon (Standard) | What generation (ka) are you from? What stage of your life are you in: is this your first time leaving your homeland (your first leya)? Or have you taken another path? | Playing an Elf | 6 |
| Stoneborn | Uncommon (Standard) | Playing a Stoneborn | 4 | |
| Centaur | Uncommon (Standard) | Playing a Centaur | ||
| Kenku | Uncommon (Standard) | Playing a Kenku | ||
| Satyr | Uncommon (Fey) | Playing a Fey | 4 + Sylvan | |
| Changeling | Uncommon (Fey) | Playing a Fey | 4 + Sylvan | |
| Kobold | Rare (Standard) | Most non-kobolds stereotype you as a nuisance, how do you handle that? | Playing a Kobold | |
| Fae | Rare (Fey) | Playing a Fey | 4 + Sylvan | |
| Fairy | Rare (Fey) | Playing a Fey | 4 + Sylvan | |
| Beastfolk | Rare (Fey) | Playing a Fey | 4 + Sylvan | |
| Plane-touched | Rare (Unusual) | Are you open about your plane-touched heritage? If so, how has it impacted your life? If not, how do you hide it? | Playing a Plane-Touched | 4 |
| Gnome | Very Rare (Unusual) | N/A | ||
| Free Orc | Very Rare (Unusual) | N/A |