The Realms of Darkness campaign features 11 playable races; Hobbit, Dwarf, Half-Orc, Human, Wood Elf, Sky Elf, Sea Elf, Norse Human, Norse Dwarf, Gnome, and Half-Elf. Unlike other campaigns, Humans are not the domanant race in this world. The Dwarven Kingdom of Minvera is the prevailing military power in the world while the power of the Sky Elf Kingdom of Avalon is undeniably great but its extent unknown. The largest of the Human Kingdoms has been split into two. Humans lack much influence in the world and their lack of unity and infighting make them a source of scorn for many of the elder races. Many of the Elder Races themselves are suspicious and wary of each other. Few souls are foolish enough to venture into The Wood Elf Kingdom of Talia uninvited. The Dwarves are constantly worried about what designs and ambitions the Sky Elves have upon the world, and the ruling Council of the Shire of Hobbenshome wonder why anyone would want to be involved with the world anyway.

	Hobbit Most of Aldorn's small Hobbit population live in the Shire of Hobbensholm, also known as Hobbit Hollow. The Shire is rumored to have once been part of a Hobbit Kingdom that has long since been forgotten about. The residents of the Shire have always known it as a Shire and as most Hobbits don't like change for change sake, continue to refer to it as a Shire even if it does operate like a miniture kingdom. Hobbits are not known for their military prowness. Although the Shire does maintain a militia, it tends to be more of a social gathering than a set of military drills. In defending their homes however, Hobbits have been described even by Dwarves as vicious. There is no military tactics in such a defense, the Hobbits simply hurl themselves in a frenzied rage at any attacker who dares threaten their home. An entire Goblin tribe was once wiped out in a failed raid on Hobbensholm and no further raids in recent memory have been attempted. The Hobbits' prefered weapons include the Hobbit short sword, a well balance blade that can inflict as much damage a normal longsword. Halflings are also fond users of the short bow, slingshot, and javalin. Hobbits have also bred a war pony, but have never been organized enough in a fight to put forth anything like a Hobbit calvery unit. Rather such ponies are used by Hobbit field commanders, who have little if any control over their frenzied troops, and Hobbit diplomats who must travel to other kingdoms for the sake of the Shire. Hobbits are considered sensible creatures by the other Elder Races. Practical, well reasoned, and rarely foolish, most live their entire lives inside the Shire. Most that do travel do so only on unavoidable business, perhaps to lend a bit of culinary courtesy to an Elder Race King or Queen. There are a very few Hobbits however that are afflicted by what most Hobbits consider a dreaded disease know as Wanderlust. These afflicted Hobbits travel all over the world seeking adventure and causing no end of concern to their extended families. There is no known cure and the best the family can do is hope that the afflicted Hobbit isn't killed by a rampaging Orc or swallowed whole by a Dragon. Hobbits can live up to 200 aeon, although those afflicted with Wanderlust have lower than average lifespans. Rule Notes: Hobbit characters are generated using the Halfling rules found in the Warhammer Rules book. Hobbits must use both hands when using any normal sized weapon regardless of strength. They may not use other races' two handed weapons. The Hobbit short sword confers a +10 Initiative penalty the first round it is used because of it's lack of reach. However, if the user succeeds in pushing back his opponent, the next round and every round of the combat there-after the user is considered to have closed with his or her opponent and gets a -10 initiative bonus due to the light weight of the Hobbit Short sword. All other attributes of the sword are identical to a normal sword. When defending a place that a Hobbit holds dear, the Hobbit goes into a Hobbit frenzy. All fear and moral checks are automatically passed. The Hobbit gains a +1 to damage rolls, a +10 to to hit rolls, and a +10 to initiative rolls. Hobbits in a Hobbit frenzy may not retreat from combat or even stop an attack to get a new weapon should one break. In such cases, biting ensues. A Hobbit frenzy only ends when all enemies are dead, unconcious, or fleeing faster than the Hobbit's short legs can hope to gain on.
	Dwarf Dwarves are a powerful force in Aldorn. The Dwarven Kingdom of Minvera has the most powerful land army in the world. Dwarven inluence is seen in political influence, architectual design, and metal smithing. Dwarven culture is based around the warrior ideal and all young dwarves must prove themselves in battle if they are to succeed in Dwarven society. This ritual of combat is very similar to that of the Orc tribes found in Tir. The two races rage an almost continual war simply as a deadly proving ground for their young warriors. Dwarves that survive the battle while giving a good account of themselves are assured a place in Dwarven society. Dwarves that fall in battle all listed among the honored dead of their clans. Dwarves that show cowardice however, are banished. Exiled Dwarves can only regain their honor by seeking out death in an epic combat. The lowest tier of such warriors are called Troll Slayers, as Trolls are a popular target for such desperate warriors because death is almost assured. Troll Slayers often dye their hair brillant colors and decorated themselves with ornate tattoos so that their enemies can find them easier in large battles. In dire times the Kingdom of Minvera will round up groups of exiles and field entire units of Troll Slayers on the battlefield, often giving such units suicidal tasks so that they can be assured of achieving honor and death. Such dire times rarly come these days however, the battles between the Orcs and Dwarves have almost become deadly sporting events with set times and dates. The victors never follow up with further attacks or land grabs although looting the nearby supply depot and town of the enemy is expected. But even this causes but a loss of material and buildings as the inhabitants of such towns on both sides are out watching the battle on nearby hillsides and know not to return to their village too quickly if their side lost. Neither side has any interest in total defeat of the other as both societies have come to depend on the war to settle political advancement and fuel their trade economies. All Dwarves belong to a clan that is composed of extended family. Most clans can trace their ancestry over a thousand aeon so many clan members may have only the most distant of blood relationships. Inter-Clan marriage is scandalous and has led to blows between various Dwarven clans. Full scale war on each other however would be considered barbarous and such feuds are often decided by a blood match. The clan that wins the blood match can have considerable political power over the defeated clan for centuries. Disgraced clan leaders of the past are also used as political leverage. It is considered a curse of fate to be born into a disgraced clan for such Dwarves have little hope of ever achieving politcal power of being included in the book of heroes no matter how great their feats. At least one Dwarven clan rejected such treatment and left the Kingdom of Minvera. This lost clan later surfaced in the Kingdom of Norsica and it's members have evolved into a slightly different race known as Norse Dwarves. Since their clan was disgraced, the Dwarves of Minvera have nothing but contempt for them. Dwarves are a determined people and let nothing get in the way of reaching a goal. Such determination can also be labeled as stubborness and the goals reached for often become secondary to the struggle of not failing and thus losing honor. Dwarves have a habit of hoarding power and gold. To the other Elder races these things are but means to an end, but to Dwarves power and gold are the proof of a successful life. The Dwarves of Minvera are wary of the power of the Sky Elves and untrusting of their inquistive nature. "They ask questions, but offer no answers," is the most common complaint. The Wood Elves and the Dwarves have allied on occasion and the Dwarves have respect for the Wood Elves battle prowness in thick forest and are willing to assist them in open field battles where the Dwarves reign supreme and the Wood Elves fair not as well. Dwarves live an average life of 300 aeon.
	Half-Orc Half-Orcs are most commonly found in the Out-Border towns between Queen Dara's Realm and the Land of Tir where what little interaction there is between Humans and Orcs takes place. The circumstances between such encounters are sometimes the result of violence, sometimes consensual, and where Orcs are the mother, most assuredly desperate. The lives for the off-spring of such encounters is almost always tragic. Too Human to be accepted by the Orcs, too Orc to be accepted by Humans, most Half-Orcs live out their lives in the Out-Border towns with no hope of a real future. Sometimes large groups of Half-Orcs will band together as brigands and enjoy a short string of successes before being hunted down and butchered by whatever side of the border they were committing their crimes on. Half-Orcs inherit some of the strength of their Orc parent but generally do not have the same toughness. The skin of Half-Orcs generally tends toward a more Human flesh coloration although it may be dark or green tinged depending upon the type of orc that was the parent. Half-Orcs have night vision out to 15 yards. It is not uncommon for them to have tusk like teeth that protrude up past their bottom lip. Half-Orcs have an average life-span of only 40 aeon. The combination of Human and Orc biology seems to generate an immune deficincy in middle aged Half-Orcs that invaribly leads to a death by disease. The hard life of Half-Orcs though often translates to a far more violent death before middle age. Rule Notes: Use the following information when rolling up a Half-Orc character: M D3+2 WS 2d10+20 BS 2D10+20 S D3+2 T D3+1 W D3+4 I 2d10+20 A 1 Dex 2D10+10 LD 2d10+10 INT 2D10+20 CL 2D10+20 WP 2D10+20 Fel 2D10+10 Age 2d10+15 Half-Orcs get 1 fate point and have the same beginning skill set as Dwarves.
	Human While Humans are not the most numerous of the sentient races of Aldorn, they are growing in numbers the fastest, despite their high death rate. As their population began to grow, they expanded rapidly across the world and only recently has that expansion slowed as the Humans have become hemmed in by the existing borders of the Elder Races and the Orc wastelands of Tir. Humans would be even more numerous if they were not at an almost constant state of war with each other. Attempts to unite all of the Human race under the banner of one kingdom have been numerous and are ongoing and within the kingdoms that have formed there has always been contention for the throne. The Kingdom of Briel has recently been split in two as the result of a contention for the throne between King Brandon II and his elder sister, Dora. King Brandon has so far held off sending in troops but it is unlikely he will be able to put off the preasure of his Dukes and Ministers much longer. The Kingdom of Norsica is rules by a joint Human and Dwarf faction and seems to have put off any attempt at relations with the rest of the world. The Kingdom of Nocturne seems to have recently ended a war in which a Necromancer has been placed on the throne. The end result of this almost constant warfare is that Humans have become very good at killing each other. They have evolved solid battlefield tactics and while their metallurgy is not as advanced in creating as good of quality armor and weapons as the elder races, they have mastered the art of mass production. The Humans have never waged a war against an Elder Race so how they would far is untested. They have come into conflict from time to time with neighboring Orc tribes and while the Humans were unable to push into Orc territory, neither were the Orcs able to occupy any Human lands. This is a rather unexpected result considering that the average Orc is far larger and stronger than the average Human. The Humans used superior tactics and organization to drive back a stronger enemy. Despite this strong military showing, the Elder Races do not take Humans as a serious military threat. The Elder Races do not know what to make of Humans as they tend to defy any broad stereotype. There are Humans that are more stubborn than any Dwarf and other Humans that are weak-willed. There are passive Humans and Humans that are more aggressive than the most war-prone Orc. Never knowing what to expect makes the Elder Races reluctant to deal with Humans. Humans can live up to 80 aeon of age, but their average life span is only 45 due to war, famine, and a high infant mortality rate.
	Wood Elf Wood Elves are a suspicious, untrusting race that live in the deepest forest of Aldorn. Few have ever encountered a Wood Elf for these Elves do not like to venture out of their forest. Fewer still have been brave enough to visit the Wood Elves in their forest home for the Wood Elves have strict laws governing the behavior of visitors to their forest. While the punishment for breaking these laws is unknown, it is believed that none who have broken one of these laws has ever been seen again. Wood Elves have good reason for their almost paranoid nature. Early in their history their forests were raided by large bands of Orcs and Goblins and many acres of forests were burned down. Only with the help of the Dwarves were the Wood Elves able to expel the invaders. The Wood Elves have not forgotten the assistance of the Dwarves and from time to time, when the Dwarves are having a hard time with the Orc tribes, Wood Elf legions will emerge from the forest to fire hails of arrows at the the Orcs. The Orcs are always eager to avoid any conflict with the Dwarves along the edge of the Wood Elven forest. Of course the Dwarves have developed a knack for leading the Orcs into such battles. Although Dwarves are still subject to the Wood Elven law, they are allowed to travel through the forest unescorted. Sky Elves are the only other race known to have regular contact with the Wood Elves and what business they conduct is a mystery. Although no Human government has been foolish enough to raid the Wood Elven forest, several bands of Human brigands and outlaws have tried to use the forest as their hide-out. It is not known what crimes they committed in the forest but all disappeared never to be seen again and a law specifically dictating that Humans must be escorted at all times while in the forest was passed by the Wood Elven Council. All Wood Elves live within the Kingdom of Talia. The Wood Elven king is rumored to be a powerful forest shaman or even a nature spirit. Wood Elves have an average life span of 300 aeon.
	Sky Elf Sky Elves are a mysterious race of unknown power. Though not a common sight, it is not unusual to see them wandering the streets of cities in other kingdoms than their own. Sky Elven culture seems to mandate that young Sky Elves explore the world before taking their place in Sky Elven society. Even mature Sky Elves seem to continue this exploration from time to time, seeking understanding of other cultures and societies. The majestic sight of Sky Knights astride their mighty Warbirds passing overhead has caused many in such cultures and societies to gaze up in awe. What the Sky Elves do with the information they gather is unknown and the cause of much concern, especially among the Dwarves of Minvera who question what influence and design the Sky Elves have planned for the world. More troubling for other governments are the Dragon Knights. These Sky Elves ride atop tremendous Dragons capable of breathing fire and destruction on all below. Though rare, no one ever forgets the dread feeling that swells up when a Dragon's shadow darkens the streets and the breeze generated by its tremendous wings ruffles the hair on the back of one's neck. The mere existance of such knights means that no other kingdom or tribe wants to contemplate conflict with the Sky Elves. This puts the Kingdom of Minvera's claim to have the most powerful army in all of Aldron in an untenable light at best. But it isn't really known if the Dwarves are wrong. The number of Sky Knights and Dragon Knights is unknown as is the number of any ground troops that the Kingdom of Avalon might be able to field. All Sky Elves are united under the Kingdom of Avalon which is ruled by Queen Tsuria. The cities of Avalon are located on the peaks of the highest mountains in all of Aldorn. It is not known if any outsider had ever visited the Kingdom of Avalon. Rumors abound of what the cities might look like but no Sky Elf has ever answered any such questions. There are also rumors surronding the real power behind the Kingdom of Avalon. Are the Sky Elves really the ones in charge? Or are the dragons? Despite these concerns, Sky Elves are allowed to come and and go as they please by all of the other Elder Races and Human Kingdoms. It is thought best to keep on their good side. The Sky Elves have never shown any preference to any race and are always polite and kind to those they meet. They are often willing to help on non-political endevours but reluctaht to ever give answers. The life span of Sky Elves is unknown. Rule Notes: Sky Elves replace High Elves in the Dark Realms campaign and should be rolled using the Elf Rules.
	Sea Elf Sea Elves are a common sight to the Humans who dwell in coastal cities. Sea Elves engage in fishing and trade with any coastal dwellers willing to do business with them. Sea Elves are made for the water. They have gills on their necks that allow them to breath underwater. (They also have fully developed lungs making them amphibious beings.) The area between their fingers and toes are webbed giving them great mobility in or under the water. Sea Elves are vulnerable to dry hot areas however, and are rarely seen very far inland. When they are seen, they are invariably carrying jugs of sea water for use in keeping their gills wet and their skin moist. Sea Elves love storms and seem to get a thrill out of sailing vessels directly into them. Since it is impossible for a Sea Elf to drown, there is little danger except to the ship and cargo. Despite rumors to the contrary, Sea Elves have never been known to expose non-water breathing passengers or crew to dangerous storms. Many Human sea traders have found a niche in carrying goods whose owners think are too precious to risk to the adventurous Sea Elves. Sea Elves are also very adapt at fishing and gathering other food from the sea. This has led to some bitter rivalries between Sea Elves and Human Fishermen, but the Sea Elves are more than willing to share advice in the use of nets and how to avoid over-fishing areas. For many Humans, Sea Elves are the only one of the Elder Races with which they get along. Rule Notes: Sea Elves use the Elf chart when being created. Sea Elves automatically have the swim skill and have a +1 movement bonus when in water. Sea Elves can breath underwater. In dry hot areas, when a Sea Elf is unable to keep cool and wet, the GM may place penalties on the Sea Elf's stats.
	Norse Dwarf, Norse Human 500 aeon ago a large group of Humans migrated to the cold lands of Norsica, hoping to escape the endless cycle of poverty and violence of the Human kingdoms. They knew that the climate would make their new life hard, but felt that the challange would make them strong. That group of Humans quickly learned that they were not alone in such an idea. They met up with a disgraced clan of Dwarves who had traveled north to escape a society that denied them any prestige because of the mistakes and cowardice of one of their ancestors. The two races decided to work together and set about building a new kingdom in the cold harsh land of Norsica. 500 aeon later these two races have adapted to the cold so much that they are considered seperate races by many. They can survive low temperatures that would easily kill other races. Norse Dwarfs and Norse Humans tend to be shorter than their counterparts, allowing a smaller bloodflow and less heat to escape their bodies. They are burly and quite hairy. The Kingdom of Norsica is ruled alternativly by two royal families. After a Dwarven king rules, A Human king takes the throne, followed by another Human king to make up for the longer life-line of Dwarves, then rule returns to a Dwarven king. This arrangement has worked successfully since the creation of the Kingdom of Norsica. Occasionally, Norse Dwarves and Humans will venture south to trade with other kingdoms, although the Norse Dwarfs will never stop or pass through the dwarven kingdom of Minvera. Politically, the Kingdom of Norsica is isolationist. Rule Notes: Norse Dwarfs and Humans are rolled up exactly the same as their racial counterparts. Norse Dwarfs and Humans take only half damage from cold based attacks but, not being used to extremly high temperatures, take an additional +1 from heat based or fire attacks.
	Gnome It is believed that Gnomes are distantly related to Dwarves. Gnomes tend to be smaller and less bulker than Dwarves but share many of the hard facial characteristics of the Dwarves and the ability to grow extrodinarily long beards. Most of the Gnomes of Aldorn live within the Kingdom of Minvera. Gnomes have never played any large or important role in the politics of that kingdom and certainly don't have the disposition, patience, or desire to do so. Some Gnomes, having worn out their welcome in the Dwarven kingdom, have migrated to the Human Kingdoms. Gnomes are generally known for being grumpy and brash in their dealing with others. Elves joke that the only reason the Dwarves keep the Gnomes around is that Gnomes make the Dwarves seem polite. Gnomes are quick thinkers and become irritated when others can't keep up with their line of reasoning. Gnomes spend most of their time looking for better ways to do things. They are great inventors and have made great strides with steam propeled devices. They are also dangerous inventors, being far more willing to accept a higher danger threshold from their inventions than other races are willing to accept. Dissent and protest to such risk is dismissed with the Gnome customary, "Bah! What do you know?" followed by stomping off. Gnomes have an innate magic resistance. Spells directed against them sometimes simply do not work. This magic resistance does not seem to interfere with Gnomes casting spells, however, and Gnome wizards are some of the best the Kingdom of Minvera has. Gnomes have an average life span of 320 aeon. Rule Notes: Any spell directed against a Gnome has a 10% chance of failure. Gnomes have night vision out to 40 yards. Use the following information when rolling up a Gnome character: M D2+2 WS 2d10+20 BS 2D10+10 S D3+1 T D3+1 W D3+4 I 2d10+30 A 1 Dex 2D10+20 LD 2d10+10 INT 2D10+30 CL 2D10+40 WP 2D10+50 Fel 2D10+10 Age 10d20+10 Gnomes get D3 fate points and have the same beginning skill set as Dwarves.
	Half-Elf Romances between Humans and Elves happen more often than the Elder Races would care to admit. Many of the Elder Races deny the existance of Half-Elves. After all, it is well known that Humans and Orcs can produce offspring together and this is often pointed to by the Elder Races as proof that Humans are a lower caste of species, more closely related to the Orcs than any of the Elder Races. Such "proof" fails with the existence of Half-Elves. Half-Elves that are raised in Wood Elven communities are denied knowledge of their true birth and members of the community are expected to politely pretend that they don't know anything despite all of the tell-tale signs. Half-Elves are not as fast as their true blooded brethern. Half-Elves grow facial hair unlike Elves. Half-Elves also tend to not be as tall, are broader in the shoulders and have greater strength. All of this denial about a Half-Elf's lineage only goes so far in the Wood Elven Kingdom, however, suspicion and distrust prevent Half-Elves from ever going very far in Wood Elven society. Such Half-Elves can become very frustrated for they do not know why they are being passed by in romance or status. Those that learn the truth almost always leave their village, never to return. Sky Elves seem to handle the inclusion of Half-Elves into their society with fewer problems. While romantic relations with Humans are not encouraged, they do happen sometimes during the early exploration aeon that all Sky Elves go through. When a child is the result of a Sky Elf - Human relationship, the Sky Elf is expected to invite the Human parent back to live in the Kingdom of Avalon. If the Human refuses, the Sky Elf is expected to live in the Human community for the duration of the life of the Human parent. Despite the large number of Sea Elves along the Human coastal cities, there is no record of there ever having been a Half-Sea Elf. Perhaps these two races are too distinct to allow inter-breeding. Half-Elves that are raised in Human communities have often been abandoned by the Elven parent and are raised along with Human children. Many get by with little prejudice directed against them because few Humans know what signs to look for. Others are singled out for ridicule for their graceful build, deep colored eyes, and slightly pointed ears. All are left to wonder about their lineage. Half-Elves live an average of 150 aeon. Rule Notes: Half-Elves have night vision out to 15 yards. Use the following information when rolling up a Gnome character: M D3+2 WS 2d10+20 BS 2D10+10 S D3+1 T D3+1 W D3+4 I 2d10+30 A 1 Dex 2D10+30 LD 2d10+20 INT 2D10+30 CL 2D10+30 WP 2D10+30 Fel 2D10+20 Age 10d10+10 Half-Elves get D3 fate points and have the same beginning skill set as Elves or Humans depending on where the Half-Elf was raised.