@stoneOk so for races, right now I'm thinking we have most of your standard fantasy races, but I'm still working on culture stuff for them, so you may want to wait until I have something more solid to pick a race. Here's what I've got so far.
Humans: Humans, you probably know a little about them, considering I'm pretty sure you are one. One of the more common races in Rafiga, humans are one of the few races who build large cities, and they currently hold the title of having the most countries where they make up the majority of the population. Widely known for being something of a middle ground between many other races, and therefore surprisingly adaptable. The white bread of race selection.
Elves: Elves are a tall, lean race with pointed ears and large eyes. These allow them incredibly precise hearing and eyesight, which they use well as hunters and marksman. They tend to avoid large settlements, instead building small villages high on mountain tops. The majority of these villages double as eyries, where small mountain wyverns build their nests and can be trained to assist elven hunters in a manner similar to human falconry.
Dwarves: Dwarves are a short, stocky race of humanoids, generally only reaching about four feet tall in height. They are famous for having an insane attention to detail, and their architecture is widely known as some of, if not
the best and sturdiest in Rafiga, both above and below the ground. While traditionally a subterranean race, more and more dwarven cities have been founded across the continent in the last few centuries. Despite not having a gift for utilizing magic directly, their attention to detail means that many of the worlds greatest runesmiths and enchanters have been dwarves, and these days they make up some of the foremost minds in the research and production of magic-based technology.
Orcs: Orcs are a large, muscular race who generally grow to about seven or eight feet tall. They live mostly in nomadic tribes, with the occasional larger permanent village dotting the highlands and forests they have called home for millennia. Despite the fearsome reputation of orc warriors and bandits, the vast majority of orcs have a very communal outlook, doing what they can to assist the tribe as a whole. While not always particularly open to other races, they usually aren't especially xenophobic either, and if a visitor comes offering trade or assistance, it usually isn't too hard to endear yourself to a certain tribe. One of the few races who are known to eat certain types of monsters.
Gnomes: Gnomes are a very short race who, despite being generally physically weak, are believed to be more in tune with magic and the world of spirits than just about any other race. Other races tend to find them rather odd due to their customs, such as growing buildings out of trees or giant mushrooms, and a curious and mischievous nature that seems to be present no matter where the gnome was raised. They make excellent scholars, with a particular knack for working in fields like archaeology that let them go out and see what they're researching in person. They are even shorter than Dwarves, only reaching about three and a half feet tall at maximum.
Greater Beastfolk: Greater Beastfolk is a catch all term for a number of races, many of whom are quite rare now, who resemble humanoid animals. These include races like Minotaurs, Apelings and Gnolls. Little is known about the exact origins of the Greater Beastfolk, but the most widely accepted theory is that an ancient magus created them as servants, or possibly an attempt at creating their own army. Nowadays, those who remain generally form small tribes and clans, inhabiting the same environments as their animal counterparts. Occasionally though, one might find a wandering Beastman in a city or town, usually working as a mercenary.
Lesser Beastfolk: Lesser Beastfolk are not necessarily a race in their own right, but many people do consider them to be. They can be found in any other race, and are generally born to those who work particularly close with spirits and familiars. While not immediately visibly different from normal children of their race, around the age of two to three, isolated animal features will appear on their bodies, occasionally going so far as to alter their former features. Ears and eyes are the most common features to change, but occasionally larger features such as horns or tails can grow as well, and sometimes even limbs can change, such as the case of those who have come to be known as Fauns.
Lizardmen: While technically considered Greater Beastfolk, Lizardmen have far outstripped the rest of their peers in numbers, being a fairly common sight in this day and age. Tending to settle in jungles and warm wetlands, Lizardmen have a number of cities dotting the southern portion of the continent, with a very pyramid-centric architecture. Like with mammalian beastfolk, there are a number of different subraces within the Lizardman umbrella, but for whatever reason, the numerous Lizardman variants managed to live peacefully together and form a larger society where their mammalian brethren did not. They have an unnerving habit of eating small animals whole, and occasionally still alive.
Oni: Oni are large, horned humanoids with a muscular structure similar to that of orcs. There are two subtypes, the stockier Red Oni, who are generally louder and more excitable, and the slimmer Blue Oni who tend to be more calm and composed. Oni are rare outside of their homeland of Hiyuki, a country of snowy forests and volcanic tundras. As such, they are a strong, resourceful race, who have found ways to survive on almost whatever they can find around them. This includes monsters, and they are one of the few races that actively hunt them for food. They also use materials from monsters to create clothes, weapons, and occasionally even buildings with some of the larger bones.
There are other races, like goblins and giants, and I may or may not add them to the roster later on, but for now, I have plans that'll probably need them to be a fully npc race. Honestly, I think I might've gotten a little carried away just with all of those ones, but hopefully that twists around into being a good thing!
@ChiroI had actually be thinking about that kind of thing for beastmen and stuff. I don't think it'd technically be considered cannibalism, but I imagine they would have a strong aversion to it. Kind of like if one of us tried to eat a chimpanzee or gorilla. I know some cultures do actually eat them, but I feel like I wouldn't be able to do it unless I really needed to, and faced with the idea of eating their animal counterparts, I feel like most beastmen would feel the same.
