Races in the World of Ansparia (part 2)
Welcome back, my friends. It has been another week and I’m sad to say that my research project has come to a temporary standstill. Weather has confiscated my ability to travel and I’ve been stuck in this village all week. Now, the people here are very kind, and have given me a warm welcome and a warm bed, but literature is not abundant here. What brought me here, you ask? I had hoped to interview one of the few remaining survivors of the Flamecrest, but alas he is surviving no longer. It appears he passed from this life about five years ago.
The Uncivilized Races
Thus, I’ve been pinned down here, either in my room or in the tavern, and have busied myself by continuing this overview of the races here on Ansparia. We’ve already touched on the Civilized Races but there are other races that make up mankind as well. Their common ground is that they are primed for survival and conquest. Regardless of their level of intellect, they are unable to see how their actions affect others, and so they do whatever they want.
Even in these races kindness can be shown, and they can, and do, work with each other. But they do not count the risks or promote others well being. They will share a laugh one minute and kill in the next.
The Goblins
Grey-skinned, short, and agile, goblins could almost be mistaken for gnomes without common sense or a legible form of communication. They scribble symbols that seem to make sense to them, and their language is guttural, as if they learned to speak from an angry gorilla.
Goblins are very excitable. They are brutal, but lacking in individual strength, they use pack tactics and overwhelm their opponents with quick, savage strikes. They value…things. A very large stone may be preferred over a coin or gemstone, but any tangible object will be treasured by a goblin. Perhaps surprisingly, a goblin will ever have only one treasure. If it finds something it wants more, it will discard its old treasure in place of a new one. They are nomadic and can be found throughout Ansparia.
The Ferals
The Ferals are a unique breed of mankind. They are known most for their aggressive rejection of any rules or laws. Ferals are wild, through and through. While you might image a feral cat or a feral dog, these are neither. Their closest counterpart would be the elves, as they have very good eyesight and their precision is extremely high.
They also prefer a solitary life, as society usually has a set of rules to abide by, which is contrary to their way of living. They have no code which binds them, no devotion to their own race, and no care for the opinions or feelings of others. Basically, it’s every feral for themselves.
The Dornvurh
Quite possibly the most interesting race in Ansparia are the Dornvurh. As with most of the races, they are bipeds, walking on two legs, and having two armlike limbs. Fully grown, a Dornvurh stands approximately six to eight feet tall. They are generally a bit on the thin side, and are covered in a coarse fur with colors ranging from a variety of reds and yellows, to numerous shades of brown or grey, and beyond to the extremes of white or black. It’s rare that their fur is a solid color, as most are striped, spotted, or patched.
A telling feature that all Dornvurh share is that their faces tend to resemble that of a canine or that of a feline. The resemblance does not seem to be based on gender at all, and has been known to evolve over a Dornvurh’s lifetime in rare cases.
The race could almost be considered one of the Civilized Races, except that they lack the capability to see how their actions affect others, except those in their own cultural family. They are generally kind and friendly, but not for the sake of others; it is simply in their nature to do so.
The Giants
“Big as a mountain, but as dumb as a stone,” is a common saying about giants and they aren’t far off. Giants began as a construct created by the Gomrun long ago. They are flesh and bone instilled with a minimal amount of brainpower. Standing between ten and fifteen feet tall, they are the tallest of both the Civilized and Uncivilized Races. Their strength is legendary and they are often employed for heavy labor, or hired into armies through either bribery, trickery, or threats. They do not have the intelligence to understand the concepts of themselves or of others.
The Giants’ homeland is normally within one of the three mountain ranges on Ansparia. They tend to live alone, not knowing what it means to live in a society, however they can be found all throughout the continents whether in service to someone or wandering far from home.
The Scavels
Scavels are bipeds with rodent-like qualities. While they simply refer to themselves as the hive, their common name comes from their tendency to scavenge and hoard. They, too, are collectors of treasure, however they want it all and will buy, steal, or kill to get what they want.
They are fairly short, between three and four feet tall, and appear even shorter due to the fact that they scramble hunched over, sometimes using their arms as two additional legs. They are quick and clever, despite looking like they have no intelligence. They scheme for the benefit of the hive, but only insomuch as for their own personal benefit.
The Blektross
Quite possibly the most intelligent of the Uncivilized races, rivaling even that of most of the Civilized Races, and certainly the most sinister, the Blektross make their home between the Jungle of Dismay and the Dachtbog. In theory, they have the mentality to see how they can affect others, they just do not care. They enjoy inflicting pain and have mastered the art of torture, doing so even for fun and entertainment. The Civilized Races seek to stamp them out of existence, as they are unredeemable and set in their wicked ways.
The Blektross resemble bipeds, but are not, in fact, of that specification. Their lower body is that of a reptile, most having four short legs to move. Some are very quick, while others are slow and ponderous. Their upper body resembles that of an insect, with a segmented exoskeleton that protects their vital organs. Their arms are very much like a human’s, although strong and wiry. Finally, they have the face of a woman or man of such dazzling beauty that you almost forget what the rest of their body looks like. Their voice can range from raspy and discordant to melodious and enthralling.
In Conclusion
This brings us to the end of the discussion on the Civilized and Uncivilized Races of Ansparia. As can be seen, there is a wide variety and none can be considered truly good, nor truly evil, with the exception of the Blektross. Perhaps in your journey through Ansparia you will have the pleasure to meet many of these beings and learn for yourself what makes them unique.
Until next time, my friends, I bid you a lovely day.
Reilikar Dromespore,
Historian and Purveyor of Insight
Thanks for reading about the Uncivilized Races of Ansparia. Leave a comment below and tell me which race sounds most interesting to you.
Read about the Civilized Races or more Lore of Ansparia.
One Comment
Pingback: