The Races of AssanIndex | The Jackal Within? | Background | Races of Assan Human: While a lot is known about human being on Assan, not much is known about their origins there. Of all the sentient-species on Assan, Humans are the only ones with no inherent magickal properties. The Primals for instance live forever, and Mindview - the state of mind most people can only reach through meditation required to see and control magick, is merely a sixth-sense to them. Stonebenders can manipulate stone with their bare hands through song, and Treetoppers have a natural ability to cloak themselves through magick, while for anyone else it's one of the most difficult spells to pull off. Humans, however, while they can attain Mindview through meditation and many humans are even known to be quite capable adepts, have no inherent connection to the Flow. What little is known about the origins of humanity on Assan is mostly told by the Primals, and therefore most human beings don't trust it. It's said that before the Primals came into contact with humanity, man was tribal and primitive, but humanity in its hubris does not want to believe this account of history, so discounts it as false. It is said that for thousands of years, before humans had a culture of their own, they were slaves of the Primals. This might seem horrible, but it is also known that it was through their slavery that human beings were able to learn from the Primals. They learned language, culture, mathematics and even magick. It was because of them that humanity thrives today, as the most powerful race on the planet. Humans are an enigma, as while they fight amongst themselves with manipulation and ferocity unseen in any other sentient species on Assan, and they have no natural magick abilities, they have been able to work together enough to run the two largest Empires on the planet. It should be noted that of all the sentient humanoid species on Assan, humans beings consider themselves to be the only pureblooded race on Assan. The rest of the races are measured up to humanity; for instance, Primals are humans with frail bodies and pointy ears, with a natural talent with magick and unnatural grace, and live forever, while Stonebenders are short and stocky humans who like to grow out their beards and play in the mountains. Treetoppers are miniature-sized humans with unusually perfect bodies and translucent wings. Primals: Primals, otherwise known as the First Folk, or Elves by some of the more bigoted humans, are known as the first humanoid sentient species of Assan. It's not known whether or not Primals are really the first sentient humanoid species of Assan, but as they're the only species that has any sort of connection to that long ago time, it’s pretty much accepted as fact. What is known for sure is that Primals have an unnaturally close relationship with Flow, and having had thousands of years to practice it, Primals make some of the best adepts in the world. While they're not necessarily the most powerful Thaumaturges, the good ones all tend to be extremely graceful and precise with their magick. Very little is known about the First Folk, as they keep no written accounts of their history. Most of their history is told through stories, as well as retained through a communal memory. Though Primals don’t have what one would consider a photographic memory, they can retain much of what they learn- what they choose not to retain is maintained in this communal presence through a rite of remembrance. Some Primals do keep hardcopy records of certain events, recorded on what they refer to a rods of remembrance; powerful, though mundane artifacts which the First Folk can use to “record” the exact thoughts of what they wish to remember – akin to the rites of remembrance. The difference is that unlike the rites- which commit such memories to the communal memory of the race and are difficult to retrieve, these can be used by any who know how to unlock the memories stored there. Primals can be found everywhere on Assan. Some are very tall, regal, graceful, and majestic. These Primals tend to keep to themselves, and are largely known to be pretentious and bigoted. There are many Primals however who choose to live amongst humans, or sometimes even other species. Humans tend to be opportunistic, which suits some Primals just fine. Primals have been known to be shopkeepers, business owners, even whores and mercenaries. They are just as varied as humans can be, and some of them can fit the stereotypes just as much as any species can. In terms of Magick, Mindview is merely a sixth-sense to Primals, which is unique to their species. This makes even the most cracked-out dull-eyed whore very difficult to trick, through magick or other means, if they're an Elf. Stonebenders: Stonebenders, called Dwarves by humans, are a squat race that is very vital and naturally strong. They have a natural talent with stone and mining, and to a limited extent can soften minerals with their mind, allowing them to dig through it easier than normal. Rock Magi, who are rare amongst Stonebenders, have an even greater affinity for minerals, with a powerful magickal ability to shape stone with their bare hands. Treetoppers: Also known as Pixies, or sometimes even Fairies, Treetoppers typically are around 18 - 24 inches tall and have small translucent wings big enough for them to fly. They also have opposable joints on their feet which allow them to easily maneuver in trees and amongst the heights. They have a natural cloaking ability, which tends to make them extremely dangerous as guerilla warriors. They tend to favor the meter-long birdlance, which they use to great effect along with their cloaking to make them more dangerous enemies than one might imagine. Ogres: Ogres are as diversified a people as Humans are, and outside of the more racist circles of Assan they can be just as respected -- sometimes more respected, as an Ogre, regardless of their intellect, always tend to be stronger than humans. On average they're about nine feet tall, with hard-shelled eyes, and vicious tusks the size of a grown man's hand, sharp enough to impale, and powerful clawed talons that can shred deep into the bark of a tree with a single stroke. Ogres are generally not a stupid people, though many of them tend to hold a less than average intellect compared to a human, and the less intelligent members of their race can be almost ridiculously stupid, and it's these Ogres that tend to make the whole race look bad. While there are some tribes of Ogres out there in the wilds, just like there are some human tribes as well, Ogres tend to be more civilized by and large, and you tend to see them more in cities than you do out in the wild. A lot of Ogres find work aboard ships, as their size and strength tend to make them powerful pole boys, capable of pushing a ship against the current of the Great Chambaygen. They also tend to make great bouncers, powerful warriors, and some have even become decent adepts, though this tends to be slightly rarer for some unknown reason. Trolls: Trolls are widely known as the nocturnal-cousins of Ogres. They look very similar, having talons and tusks and about the same body shapes, though Trolls tend to have gray or green skin while Ogres tend to be white or brown. While Trolls won't turn to stone during daylight, they do have incredible night-vision, and their eyes are extremely sensitive to sunlight. Bright light often gives them really bad headaches, and while they can fight through them, they tend to prefer not to. As such, they tend to keep in-doors away from the sun whenever possible, and come out at night. Trolls tend to be a bit easier to anger and a lot more hot-tempered than Ogres (though Ogres can be of bad temper also). Trolls also tend to be significantly more tribal in nature than Ogres, and while you can find them in the cities, they're far more common in the wilds, typically around lush forests and mountains, where they have cover against the sunlight from caves and trees. Ogrillo: Also known as the Ogrilloi, depending on what clan you're talking to, the Ogrillo are an interesting species as they did not come about through natural evolution, but instead were a race created by man, and bred for war. Much like donkeys, they are the end-result of a deliberate breeding program, and were supposed to be sterile, though at some point some of them bred fertile. They are often treated and viewed as little more than sentient dogs, despite the fact that they are humanoid. The boys tend to be referred to as "pups" while the girls are referred to as "bitches." This might seem derogatory, but the Ogrilloi themselves often refer to each other in this fashion, and they don't seem to care when being referred to like this. Ogrillo can be found in all walks of life. Some are stage performers, some are whores, some are pole boys and bouncers and gang members and warriors. Some even have some ability with thaumaturgy, though they frequently refer to themselves as Shaman. Overwhelmingly though, Ogrillo are found in clans out in the wild. More than a hundred years ago, the Ogrillo broke free of their restraints and became completely independent. Because of the fact that they had been created in slavery, most of the clans hold a great deal of animosity for outsiders, and reserve a special hatred for humanity. Many Ogrilloi have gotten over the captivity of their ancestors, and they tend to make something of themselves in something resembling normal civilization. Their clans are widely feared and are extremely vicious. They've been known to capture and then breed humans like cattle, all for the purpose of eating them like livestock. More often than not, the clans tend to attack humans on sight, and the only reason they take prisoners is to eat them. Ogrillo are large and hairy, anywhere from seven to ten feet tall, and while some of the tallest Ogres and Trolls can be even taller than this, Ogrillo tend to be stronger, especially those of the tribes, who constantly work their bodies in battle. They have hard nails and sharp tusks, but what they tend to use in battle is their fighting claws, which are powerful knife-like claws that protrude from their forearms (one on each arm) and can extend outward to be as long as two feet. The size and shape of an Ogrillo fighting claw tends to be more important to them than penis-size is to humans. In fact, in many clans, if you've been de-clawed, you won't be able to impress a mate. The way most Ogrillo wish each other luck is "May you die fighting." |
