Thursday, July 22, 2010

The Legacy of the Fey: humans, subhumans, and variants.

Races in Heptarchia:
Heptarchia is inhabited by a large number of human variants, the legacy of the original rulers, the Fey. There are three main branches of humanity, all distinctive, and all derived from their roles in the Fey times (or lack thereof). On the whole, the societies that have evolved tend to take this level of variance in stride, although one’s appearance definitely identifies one with a type, rung in society and often caste. Most of the highly specialized variants still work in roles their mutated forms make most efficient.

Newcomers are the humans that came over after the rebellions, or were hired/invited over during the rebellion. They are standard humans in all ways, and all careers are available. Newcomers tend to be the majority in their kingdoms, but are probably no more than one fourth of the total humans in the Heptarchia.

Pets are descendents of the pampered humans that were kept or allowed indoors by the fey, as it were. They are often, but not always the least altered of the races,. but still are distinct from Newcomers and Thralls. Originally only a small proportion of the humans under the Fey, since the rebellions, they have increased their numbers dramatically, until the comprise about half of the islands population. Pets are fundamentally human normals, although often bred and altered for distinctive and often bizarre appearance.

Thralls are the descendents of the vast mass of human slaves, domesticated and bred for specific tasks, generally scutwork, warfare or simple convenience. Often of limited fertility due to their extreme modifications, their numbers have not kept pace with that of the pets, or even with the Newcomers. Originally at least 90% of the Fey slaves, they now make up from one third to one quarter of the total population; more in raelms ruled by the Pets.
There are a wide variety of specialized Thrall subraces based on function. All have at least distinctive appearance, and weak SOC. None may be magic users.

More to come, obviously. Rules n' stuff.

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