First Age Races

in First Age

Welcome to the first major chapter of all the things you need to know as an adventurer. Below you will find full explanations and breakdowns of life as we know it, how it's categorized in this world, and finally the recognized species that represent much of the civilized world. We do hope you enjoy it, and if you're looking into your own ancestry, may you have better luck then most young half one.
 

Races & Species

While these two words can be used interchangeably depending on the level of understanding another individual has. Race and Species are two separate categories as The Collective of Pyrus sees it. A species is a unique branch of life that seems to be able to both only breed with itself, as well as has to have a common attribute amongst it. Looking to elves as a perfect example of both categories in this case. Elves as a species are said to have evolved from the Laishai lineage, only allowing those with similar Fae origins to produce offspring. While the Race of the elves is quite vast, from those in The Deep Dark with pale or dark skin, to those on the surface that range in tannish coloring to even brightly colored skin tones. But they all have the traditional elven features of pointed ears, lean bodies, and longer lifespans. Simply put for those lacking the traditional education, Species is a broad category of those that share a similar ability to form families in a traditional sense, while Race would be considered the collection of Sub Species that many Species have.
 

The Different Categories of Life

While almost everything in the world is “living” to some standard, The Collective of Pyrus has strict rules as to what degree of influence they truly have in the world. With many monsters having been noted to have intelligence even beyond that of the most educated nobles. The Collective of Pyrus believes it is important to not rely just on the ability to build with one's “thumbs” as the single definition of respected life. As well to understand that in The First Age, even those with the categories of “Species” are not fully immune from being dressed down and used for material goods. Examples of Jotun leather or draconic scales being used in crafts are vast within the Items of Legend section.
 

Monster

The first classification of all life in this world and the most common marking for any species to start as. Monsters can have immense intelligence but lack any fundamental understanding of language, history, or culture. While some have recently begun showing signs of passing on oral traditions or warnings, few are capable of anything beyond simple animalistic thought processes.Examples of this would be the niwarves who were well documented in The Clouded Age. The species was known to be quite primitive in its understanding and approach to the world. Thus most only acted similar to primitive apes or canines in which they ambushed prey, would run if challenged by a larger predator, and typically stuck to massive family units. But no language could be understood, and one could not see their “settlements” as anything beyond holes in mountains. Truly a pale comparison to the grand halls of the Snow Beard Kingdom or the rebel lords of the Storm Beards. Thus a monster is truly not necessarily a harmful beast, just a classification of creature that has yet to prove its ability to understand.
 

Lesser Species

Those who count amongst this rank have only begun to gain a language and grasp the world overall. With those such as the elves, goblinoids, thrikreen, trolls, deep yang, golaiths, and many more countless undiscovered tribes considered to be under this category. It should be noted that goblinoids as a perfect example are known to have been enslaved and possibly created in The Clouded Age. However, few researchers consider slave labor or the creation of a species to barely qualify in what makes it above a “Monster”. Thus they have been marked down as Lesser Species only due to their influence recently through The Masked Dukedom. But like many of the other species in this category, few have managed to gain much understanding of the world beyond their own language. And few are counted among the world's adventurers, let alone the elite of the Talons.
 

Young Species

Those who have gained influence over intelligent life only since the beginning of The First Age on. While many species such as the koboldkin, the niwarves, the gloom, the proto-fiends, the samag, the toth, the langlebig,and the pakob, would all count amongst these individuals. It should be noted that many have been around in a more primitive state as far back as the Age of Fae. Thus we look to these individuals in many cases as not only influential but also requiring at least a base language and an understanding of an Old Species language as well. Both are to show proof of capable understanding in culture and intelligence high enough to recognize the value of history as The Collective of Pyrus requires.
 

Old Species

Those such as the dragons, jotuns, demon-folk, bufoni-folk, hags, fae, and beastfolk are all classified within this section. However, the term “Old” only means having existed for more than a single age within recorded history. Thus examples of fae from the Age of Fae, the three children of The Cloud Age, and the first two to awake in The First Age all represent examples of species that have been around for quite a long time. The secondary requirement for this classification is through influence on intelligent life. Thus in this example, we know that snow beards and the niwarves species has been around since The Clouded Age. But they did not start building towns, or acting as anything but primitive apes or canines until long into The First Age. However, Dragons and Jotuns have had small kingdoms or city-states that traded with those of the three children in The Clouded Age. As we know of a singular Dragon King that would rule during this age and later vanish from history. We also know the Jotuns were descendants of The Dark King alongside the supposed Demon-folk. Thus in both of these examples we see influence over a large portion of intelligent life at the time.
 

Language

One of the most important abilities for life itself to be recognized by others. Language plays a huge part in any developing culture, history or general day to day. With the ability to communicate being key through either sound or body language. All species above the “Monster” category are said to be able to comprehend language to a certain degree. Either speaking their own, or using a form of grunts and body movements to communicate in depth emotions or views. Thus one could say it is extremely important to understand both your own tongue but the common tongue of other lands.
 

What are the Languages of the World?

Every individual species is said to have a language of some sort that they use to communicate. With many adapting their tongue from the commonality of either dragon speak or jotun runes. Though as we know historically, all languages originated from the many Beastfolk tongues that would later branch off to form both Hag and Demon-folk speech. We do not know how draconic strayed so far from the first tongues with little to no similarity between it and beastfolk. But regardless, this just confirms that while many spoken languages today may have origins we have traced, just as many languages exist that we have yet to even discover.
 

Draconic Common

A language made from a mix of Draconic, Pakob, and Proto-Fiend words with the majority of it being in the Draconic tongue. This language would become a common tongue for merchants on a global scale as many established nations would be ruled by dragons in the early days of The First Age.
 

Jotun Common

A language made from a mix of Jotun, Demon-folk, and Niwarves words with the majority of it being in the Jotun tongue. Most commonly used by sailors and slaves in the early days of The First Age. This was due to the large amount of raiding done by the Jotun and later freeing of the non sacrificed slaves. As well as much of what we know of how to sail in both air and sea starting with the Jotun cultures.
 

What are the Written Languages of the World?

While there are thousands if not hundreds of thousands of unique languages in the world. Few manage to grow to such a complexity as to be able to write them down or record a proper alphabet. Even today, only seven known languages are taught in the written form. Each having massive influence over many of the nations and universities around the world.
 

Beastfolk Tongue

While we call it a tongue, in truth it is closer to a style of painting. The beastfolk of old seem to have once been split between two rather dominant cultures. Those of the carnivorous tribes and those of the herbivore tribes. With the carnivorous having far more detailed paintings of their hunts, they seemed more focused on preserving them for us to understand. Thus many of the artistic renditions of the arcane and divine arts are said to come from this form of beastfolk language. While the herbivores focused more on the exact retellings and did not worry of its fading. With marks representing numbers and simplistic designs turning more to simple symbols that would later become the basis for rune writing.
 

Demon-folk Runes

Developed from the many herbivore beastfolk tribes own mathematics and simple paintings. The demon-folk took the symbols to be that of power and used the bufoni-folk to infuse them with such. With this, much of the demon-folk runes were different variations of a simple count to near ten or twenty and placed in the rough outline of simplistic and almost child-like drawing of a common beast of burden. Thus bulls, rok-heap, and the many large manes skulls would all be used in their designs. As they seem to be the easiest for the demon-folk to draw and reproduce with identical results.
 

Jotun Runes

The Jotun species would learn from the demon-folk and begin crafting their own ritualistic runes of power. Taking the simple mathematical dashes that represented numbers at the time, and replacing them with the bufoni arcanic language that they cast in. At first this would lead to great disaster, until one genius jotun was able to mix the demon-folk math back in, thus limiting the powers of the mana infused runes. Eventually the Jotun would fully adapt all three into a single writing style of their own, that was quite large and mathematical in its design. With many of its letters having hard almost badge-like outlines and then simple straight dashes that come together to form a word. It is still commonly used even in draconic courts for its ease of reference, compared to the Draconic Hieroglyphs which takes a skilled artist to create.
 

Niwarves Runes

Commonly called Scroll Speak, these runes were simplified down from the Jotun's own design to reflect the smaller crafts of the Niwarves. Allowing for greater mana to be infused while still maintaining their small and many times intricate designs. Niwarves runes are beautiful in their embellishment but simple in their craft. Leading many to consider it a cheaper alternative to Jotun Runes and to call it Scroll Speak as it is commonly found on small or short scrolls of mana techniques.
 

Hag Art

Refined from the carnivorous beastfolk tongue, it is said the hags based much of their mana techniques off this new form of art. The Painted Queen having settled her stronghold within the ruins of a once prominent carnivore based tribe in the area. She and her researchers would manage to crack the understanding of their illusionary projection mana techniques. Through this and a bit of Fae assistance, the art form of drawing mana infused circles and ritual magic as a whole would be created by the Hag species.
 

Draconic Hieroglyphs

Having adapted the Hag Art from its original designs, the draconic hieroglyphs would simplify the artistic form and allow for greater manipulation. One of the greatest differences is that the hag arts need to make a “circle” whereas draconic hieroglyphs allow one to draw anything and infuse it with mana to cast from. It is a common belief if you look into the painted lines of many of the draconic hieroglyphs, one can actually see jotun runes written. Leading many to interpret Draconic Hieroglyphs to not be a proper successor to Hag Art, but rather the commonality between it and Jotun Runes. Though most dragons will refuse to admit it, due to their intense pride.