Encyclopaedia Galtica

Wonder

The Imperium is home to many walks of life. These paths are defined thusly: by profession, aptitude, grit. But none so important as blood. We are a human nation, and greater for that lineage. That power cannot be shared with those not of our kin, yet they are here just the same. Know them, so that you may subdue them. Such is the Wonder of your birthright.

Galt is a realm dictated by humans and human laws, but no measure of imperial hubris has managed to expunge the long history of other races in these lands for the centuries that Galt has been here. These lands are home to a wide variety of people, evn the humans themselves diverse in culture and livelihood, much to the bitter chagrin of the state. The demographics of these five distinct races varies throughout the Imperium, though they can be found everywhere in Galt, in one way or another.


Humans

Humans have had the most profound effect on the world over any other race, industrializing the idea of conquest and carving out great swathes of land for themselves. While humans civilization only began to flourish recently relative to the rest of the realms, they breed like rats and spread like wildfire. Humans can be found in every corner of the globe, and have created great kingdoms on every continent. These vary in tolerance to other races, ranging from those who work in harmony with people and nature around them, to imperium capitols like that of Galt, who actively seek to push what they perceive as “lesser races” to the fringes of their world.
Humans as a species are adaptable and quick-witted. They are underdogs, born into a hostile world with nothing to defend themselves except their ability to adapt and survive. Their cultures are colourful and varied depending on what kingdom they originally hail from. Humans can be solitary or in huge groups, which are called Colonies.

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Fair Folk

The Elden people were once spread across the world, harnessing the power of nature and living in harmony with all creatures. The spread of humankind and their industrialisation has meant a lot of their natural habitats, the ancient woods and forests brimming with magic, have shrunk and been pushed back into the wilds. Galt, for example, has culled nearly 80% of its woodlands, what remains being forgotten pockets of dark forest. The Fair Folk are made up of many other races, but are all now part of folklore and local legends. The only races that are seen within human kingdoms are willowy elves, small gnomes and ragged goblins, all of which have found their own niche amongst the densely human populated kingdoms. Even in Galt, which prides itself on a rigidly human-dominant culture, these three species, as well as other, rarer Elden people, have found small niches around the less populated towns and villages. Fair Folk mingle together in the old forests of the world in varying sizes, and groups of Fair Folk are often called a Lamentation.

Elves are long-lived and wise, nature loving and proud. They are warriors and poets, and keep to themselves. Many elves that live within Galt reside in the Greysmoke Tower, where magic is ruled over by the Pages, and act as both students and advisors in the use of arcane power. They are beautiful creatures to look upon, graceful in their movements and elegant in everything they do. Their culture revolves around the natural order of the world, and they find harmony with plants and animals, as well as the ecosystems that require precise balance in order to sustain life. They live in loose communities, which are called Convocations, of up to a hundred of individuals that aren’t necessarily related by blood.

Gnomes are equally long-lived, but their skills lie with tinkering, mending and creating. They have honed and focused minds when it comes to mechanical objects and interesting artifacts, and are often found solo on hunts for such treasures. Gnomes live alongside humans in smaller villages around Galt, found as cobblers or tailors, their nimble hands crafting exquisite items of clothing, or making exquisite jewelry. Gnomes live to create and tinker, their hands always busy. No gnome is happy unless they have something to do, and boredom for them is a fate worse than death. Gnomes are fairly solitary beings, either found on their own or as a close pair who connect and stay together for life. These partnerships are called Charms.

Goblins live a short life, but they are known for putting everything into a task. They make good labourers, as they have no concept of money and live in large groups called Troublings. A Troubling of Goblins can make a home comfortably in a tiny space, all squeezing in and generating incredible warmth with their tiny bodies. For this reason, many towns and even the larger cities hire them as a source of free, decent labour. This isn’t to say that Goblins are treated well, however. They are still treated as lesser animals by many humans of the Galt cities. Their lives revolve around work, and they are always active with something. Goblins are happy as a family group, and individuals can suffer from loneliness, depression and fierce psychological problems.

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Dwarves

Dwarves are seldom found above ground, making their homes deep within mountains, or under hills, or in weaving tunnels that spread for hundreds of miles beneath the ground. Dwarf cities rival the size of human civilizations, made up of thousands of individuals that spreads across (or underneath) entire continents, connected by advanced methods of communication. Individual pockets of dwarf towns and cities, which can be as small as half a dozen to several hundred, are described as a Warren of Dwarves. They are a race who are in tune with the earth itself, feeling every vibration and sensing deep veins of precious metals and gems. They are hardy folk, and there are many dwarves that will live their entire lives in the deep dark, not ever seeing the sun or stars above. They are traders and crafters, and many of the imported ores, metals and gems that enter human kingdoms come from dwarven mining. It is not uncommon to see the more adventurous merchants in cities and towns. Even in kingdoms like Galt, they are not unknown, though the major capital still refuses them entry, and their trading is permitted outside only. Dwarves are an immensely proud folk, and have immense memories which mean they are seldom likely to forget a good deed, and far less likely to forget an insult. They are short, stocky folk, on average around 5 feet tall but weighing as much as a full grown human, if not more. Most dwarves sport beards, whether they be male or female, but a growing number of young folk can be found entirely clean shaven.

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Orn

Orn are massive nomadic humanoids, one of the rarest races to find in a human town or city. They travel in packs, which are often called Clouds of Orn, and are found across the plains and steppes, riding on the back of giant beasts and herding livestock across grazing pastures. Orn are monstrous in appearance, even excluding their incredible height and muscular body. While their appearances can vary as dramatically as humankind, they always have a similar theme of features. Horns, cloven feet, thick hides, blunt teeth and shaggy fur, Orn can almost be said to be like bovine or giant herbivores in appearance, or perhaps closer to monsters of the world. Some Orn can pass as simply giant humans, perhaps with hidden leathery skin or a single strange feature, while others are easy to mistake as a beast from dark folklore tales. Orn have no evidence of civilization, but are well-known to the other races as a violent and warring race. Unlike humans, however, their history never saw them looking to claim land or power, instead taking slaves, crops and livestock for their own. Larger Clouds of Orn can be made up of hundreds of individuals, while the smallest can count only a half dozen. Individual Orn may leave their Clouds in order to make their own way in the world, using their immense strength and combat prowess to find work among other races. In Galt, they are rarely found among humans, though the occasional individual might show up in a remote town or village, acting as a hired mercenary, or as a labourer.

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Shiloh

Shiloh are a race that confuse many scholars, as they have no written history, no civilisation to speak of, and are generally a solitary folk. Shiloh are a brazen, inquisitive people who are close to humans in shape and size. They have more animal features compared to the monstrous Orn, and take on a lot of skills and reflexes from the animals that they resemble. A cat-like Shiloh, for example, might have a long tail or ears, and hold feline reflexes, claws or an enhanced sense of smell. Shiloh live solitary lives, and any groups tend to devolve into in-fighting. They do, however, get along very well with all the other races. Even among humans of Galt, who are fiercely opposed as a culture to other races, Shiloh can be found in the fringe towns and villages where the feeling of racial superiority are much less than the capital, as foster children, or as friendly vagrants, or working for more welcoming humans. They have been found in the forests among the Fair Folk, seen traveling with dwarven merchant bands and even spotted amongs the Orn nomads around the edges of civilisation. They are a conundrum of a race, and some speculate that they might not be entirely natural.