Lineages in Moray

The most visible populations in Moray are of Humans and Elves, whose influence in the land has been enshrined since the foundation of the Queendom. While in some regions, humans and elves are rivals, in Moray they have deep cultural bonds, including the common tongue of Moray and shared rites of birth, death, marriage and naming. There are many mixed-blooded lines, including the ruling Hydrax dynasty. While humans are found across the Queendom, most High Elves live in the south, or in cities, while the Wood Elves favour rural areas in the north.   Morayan Dwarfs are pragmatic and stubborn. Mountain dwarfs are the greatest miners and crafters in the Queendom, their skill and recalcitrance earning and maintaining the quasi-autonomy of the Iron Peaks. The hill dwarfs, on the other hand, mingle with the rest of the population, offering their services as masons, architects and metalworkers.   Halflings are most common in the Southy Downs, but have spread wherever the Queendom's authority reaches. For architectural reasons, halflings tend to form their own communities, sometimes known as 'halftowns.' These neighbourhoods also attract the small groups of Gnomes who emigrate to the Queendom from their traditional homelands in the far south. These two lineages share a common culture in Moray, strongly focused on households and family.   Orcs are usually part of the bound community, performing manual labour of all sorts. The lineage has a reputation for and history of violence going back to the days of the Western Horde, and which dogs them to this day. While the Queen's Peace includes the orcs, who have all the rights of bound subjects, the violence of orcs is always acknowledged. Half-Orc children are often subject to prejudice from both sides, and their parents condemned by their own communities.   Goblins are known for their quick hands, and usually find work as domestic staff, or in laundries or workshops. They are typically bonded subjects, and have a reputation for thievery when not kept busy and directed. The very few Hobgoblins and Bugbears living in the Queendom are more widely distrusted. They are often outlaws, if not actually criminals, working as itinerant labourers or tinkerers.   Kobolds suffer many of the same attitudes as goblins, and the penchant for digging which leads them to bound roles as gardeners and undertakers gain them a further reputation for being dirty. The live in large, extended families, sharing single houses in bound communities.   Tieflings are rare, and their appearance and infernal background draw great suspicion on them. They often find it hard to get respectable work, instead becoming itinerant entertainers or criminals.   Sea Elves of Eldaran and Dragonborn from Erask arrive on the shores of Moray as merchant, diplomats or adventurers, and some settle to act as the local anchor of a trade route. Southy has a small number of resident Dark Elves and gnomes from Harbrath and further south, while Oester and - to a lesser extent - the Principality host immigrant populations of eastern Giant-Kin. There are also forest giant-kin in the Wildwoods, where they act as its custodians.