[Hider=Races]
[hider=Humans]
Average Height: 5-7 ft.
Average Weight: 60-100 KG
Average Lifespan: 80-90 years
Skin Colours: Standard span of human skin tones
Eye Colours: Standard span of human iris colours
Hair Colours: Standard span of human hair colours
Distinctive Characteristics: Standard spectrum of potential human physical abnormalities or characteristics
Cultural Values: Standard human culture and values
Regions of origin: Global
Major Settlements: Hawkminster (capital), spread out amongst all other settlements
Dominant Religion: Allt-far is the creator of Humans and their patron god, but they still revere The Veiled.
Societal Hierarchy: Humans swear fealty to the King, their royal family supposedly long-descended from Allt-far's first demi-god children. The King keeps a trusted council, and reigns from the palace in Hawkminster. 
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[hider=Mennesk]
Average Height: 8-10 ft.
Average Weight: 110-160 KG
Average Lifespan: 100-110 years
Skin Colours: Standard span of human skin tones
Eye Colours: Standard span of human iris colours
Hair Colours: Standard span of human hair colours 
Distinctive Characteristics: Mennesk could reasonably pass for Human, were it not for their tremendous height, broad builds, incredible strength (by human standards), and the invariable physical adaptations they take on from childhood depending on where their tribes have made their home. An offshoot of humans created long ago by long-forgotten magical rites intended for betterment of mankind, Mennesk slowly adapt their physiology to their habitats over the years, becoming specifically well-suited to their environment, as well as possessing greater strength and hardiness compared to your regular human equivalent. However, ironically, Mennesk struggle to grasp magic, and it takes many years of intense study to seize the basics that other races can master in months.
Cultural Values: Mennesk values are closely aligned with those of their human brethren, however they also hold an additional emphasis on nomadic traveling, due to their adaptability, and the fruits of traditional manual labour and scholastic endeavours, due to their natural impotence with magical pursuits. As a result, since their conception, Mennesk have become a race of well-traveled, well-learned nomads, known for their strength, education, and the quality of their craftsmanship in paths both practical and artistic.
Regions of origin: Global
Major Settlements: None, but several hubs where caravans cross paths and it's known you can reliably find Mennesk  to trade or commission.
Dominant Religion: Onnea is the patron god of the Mennesk, but they also pay frequent tribute to Tvorba as craftsmen, and revere the Veiled as a whole.
Societal Hierarchy: Mennesk tribes generally keep equal footing amongst members, whether children, men, or women, but particularly-skilled individuals are regarded as 'sages' for their specific craft and are revered and well-respected within Mennesk communities, as well as each tribe having a designated elder who leads caravans and is responsible for maintaining the peace and security within a given tribe.
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[hider=Vizairi]
Average Height: 7-9 ft.
Average Weight: 40-70 KG
Average Lifespan: 250-300 years
Skin Colours: Pale blue-to-purple tones
Eye Colours: Vibrant, gem-like shades of purples, greens, yellows
Hair Colours: White/silver, faintly-yellow blondes, or ebony-black
Distinctive Characteristics: Faintly uncanny, occasional shimmers across their surface. Slender and tall, with limbs slightly longer than you'd expect, and extended, delicate fingers. They exude gracefulness and poise in their movement.
Cultural Values: Privacy and Stoicism. Vizairi are often regarded as rude or aloof by other races, but in truth, while they are polite, they are intensely private, and show little (if any) emotion. Visairi wedding ceremonies are attended by the spouses and parents only, and consist of brief vows and an exchange of [i]names[/i], rather than rings. Out in the world, Visairi go by their race name, their profession or simple appellations based on aspects of their appearance. Other races are generally not welcome within Visairi cities, and to be invited inside their walls is considered a great honour, though you will still find yourself escorted. To be invited into a Visairi's [i]home[/i] is the single deepest expression of respect and admiration one can be offered, and is - more often than not - tantamount to a romantic bid.
Regions of origin: Tír Ceilte Forest and the Wintered Canyon
Major Settlements: Inithalair (capital), Yiluné, Ithserine 
Dominant Religion: Galdur is the patron god of the Viserai, but they revere The Veiled as a whole.
Societal Hierarchy: Visairi are guided by their Emperor, although given the race's emphasis on privacy, there is ultimately little sway or involvement by the current Emperor on the day-to-day lives and intricacies of the Visairi citizens. The Visairi emperor is reigns for centuries far outlasting the usual lifespan of Visairi, and the are without fail the wisest scholar of magic within their people; the legacy of Visairi rulers is that of the most powerful spellcasters ever to grace the realm. Visairi emperors choose when to end their era, and name their successor personally, most often the individual already having practiced magic under the Emperor's tutelage for many decades before being officially named heir.
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[hider=Clodaar]
Average Height: 3-5 ft
Average Weight: 80-120 KG
Average Lifespan: 150-200 years
Skin Colours: Dark shades of browns and grays
Eye Colours: Deep greens, browns, oranges, or stony blacks
Hair Colours: Blacks and browns
Distinctive Characteristics: Clodaar have extremely thick, tough skin, and are extremely difficult to hurt physically; moreover, they rarely (if ever) fall ill, practically immune to most common diseases and sicknesses. Clodaar eat minerals as their primary source of sustenance - rocks, metals, sand, soil - and can eat plant-life, but they are incapable of digesting protein. 
Cultural Values: Independence and Commerce. Due to Clodaar maturing extremely quickly, their combined abilities to be nearly impervious to harm, literally eat the ground, and natural hardiness against disease allows them to settle nearly anywhere and require very little care, so they strike out on their own early into their lives and make their own way in the world, sometimes keeping in touch with family but ultimately not feeling ties to parents or siblings. As a result, commerce us the cornerstone of Clodaar culture. Nearly every interaction with a Clodaar is an exchange; they bargain for everything, seek or expect fair trade for anything given, and altruism is [i]extremely[/i] rare and regarded by Clodaar as very odd. Clodaar do find friends, and form romantic partnerships, but even in these cases, they are often based on exchange or mutual benefit first, and love or admiration second.
Regions of origin: Mount Caarn and the Yaardun Highlands; Scarlet Range; Cloud Notch Mountains
Major Settlements: Bol Daarum (capital), Vomlaadur, Daanduhr, Vurngaan
Dominant Religion: Tvorba is the patron god of the Clodaar, but they also pay tribute to Uurata due to their hardy, independent nature, and revere The Veiled as a whole.
Societal Hierarchy: The intense independent nature of the Clodaar eliminate the needs for traditional kings or leaders, but those who have lived long and traded well are respected among the citzenship. A select few of the oldest and richest Clodaar form a loose council known as 'The Masters', representing a collective wisdom and expertise among the Clodaar, but it is unusual for The Masters to weigh in on, or make demands of, the Clodaar people at large - only in times of dire omen are they looked to for guidance.
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[hider=Al-Tah'neen]
Average Height: 6-8 ft.
Average Weight: 6-100 KG
Average Lifespan: 60-70 years
Skin Colours: Iridescent, multi-coloured, and often patterned across their scales
Eye Colours: Vibrant and bright oranges, yellows, and greens, with slit pupils
Hair Colours: No hair, but Al-Tah'neen often adorn their heads, large ears, or frills with piercings, bony ornaments, or bright tattoos
Distinctive Characteristics: Al-Tah'neen are a race of large, humanoid reptilian people, descended as an offshoot of, and distant cousins to, mythical and ancient Dragons. They sport short, blunt, snake-like snouts with slitted nostrils, large ears, frills on their necks, heads, and occasionally down their backs, and large, powerful tails. Al-Tah'neen are also amphibious, and their settlements are nearly always found in coastal or lake regions, often spread equally across land and water.
Cultural Values: Family and Honesty. Al-Tah'neen are an extremely sociable race, living in clan units of multiple mixed bloodlines; babies are born as eggs, which are looked after by all males of the clan equally until hatching, whereupon hatchling care switches back to the females for post-hatch nursing. Duties are shared among clan members, so any one given Al-Tah'neen will have been egg-kept by multiple 'fathers', and nursed by multiple 'mothers', though hatchlings will live with their direct parents. As a result, family and sociability are encouraged and relied upon in clans, and these values are carried through an Al-Tah'neen's lifespan. Additionally, honesty is incredibly highly-prized, and Al-Tah'neen are practically incapable of dishonesty, finding lying and deception taboo and uncomfortable to partake in. However, they're not tactless, and are often happy to 'talk around' or simply not respond when doing so would be uncomfortable for them or being honest would be rude. Of course, there are Al-Tah'neen that don't bother with this courtesy.
Regions of origin: Cobalt Basin, Laughing Mangrove, Azure Pactos Reef
Major Settlements: Al-Shathana (capital), Ad-Zural, Az-Sanyat, Al-Shadin, Al-Marawdar
Dominant Religion: Al-Tah'neen revere and pay tribute to the Whispering Spirits that surround them throughout nature, but through these spirits ultimately worship The Veiled
Societal Hierarchy: While Al-Tah'neen pay no fealty to no leaders - instead being self-governing within their clans, spreading the responsibilities and duties of a leader amongst the adult members as much as they do with anything else - there are Al-Tah'neen born with exceptional sensitivity to the Whispering Spirits, becoming Shamans and Druids to the Al-Tah'neen citizens, and using their heightened connection to the divine essence of the world to guide their people and impart wisdom upon those seeking answers.
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[hider=Magic]
[Hider=Channels]
'Channels' are the ways and methods through which the use of magic is employed. Any given school of magic uses one, a combination of, or all three of the primary Channels of magic, though naturally some schools lend themselves more readily to a particular channelling method.
[Hider=Incantation]Incantation is the practice of wielding magic through verbal and written intonation, as well as physical rituals. Incantation is, by its very definition, the foundation of all magic, and the starting point for anyone beginning to learn.[/hider]
[hider=Sorcery]Sorcery is an advanced form of invocation attempted only when one has become significantly adept with their magical studies, and mastered only by the most scholarly of spellcasters. Replacing the use of words and rituals with the channelling of raw magic through the very self, tempered only by emotion and sheer force of will, Sorcery is as powerful as it is dangerous, and those who practice it recklessly are just as likely to destroy themselves as they are others.[/hider]
[hider=Alchemy]Alchemy is the brewing of potions and elixirs that can impart magical boons and effects upon their consumer, whether by drinking, topical application, breathing in the vapours, or - for the more sadistically-minded brewer - coating weapons. Naturally, some schools of magic are more compatible for elixirs than others, but in truth, to a skilled alchemist, there is no magical ability that cannot be replicated in a potion, at least in part.[/hider]
[/hider]
[hider=Mysticism]
Mysticism is the practice of using magic to discover unknown truths about the world, whether that be past, present, or future, uncovering answers to hidden questions, or digging through the myriad secrets of society.
[Hider=Divination]Divination is the practice of seeking unknown or hidden knowledge - including that of potential future events - through invocation and practiced rituals. While Mysticism remains a school on the fringe of most people's magical tutelage, divination is still a powerful tool to help prepare for all possibilities.[/hider]
[Hider=Spirit Meditation]A cousin to Divination, Spirit Meditation deals specifically with contacting spirits - either the natural essences of the world, or the ghosts of those departed from this plane - and entreating them for knowledge and secrets through their counsel. Often taboo, Mediation is still well-respected by those who trust in the arcane wisdom it can impart.[/hider]
[/hider]
[hider=Conjuration]
Conjuration is the hardest fundamental of magic to grasp, and yet the one most frequently employed, involving the creation or animation of objects and materials through the manipulation of magic. Mostly, this looks like using magic to bind pre-existing material together and impart your will upon it; but skilled conjurers can form tools or weapons out of raw magical energy, as ethereal as they are effective.
[Hider=Illusion]Illusion magic fools the senses without altering the world in a tangible, material way. Illusions can fool any one of the senses, but can also effect more generalized 'feelings', such as paranoia, anxiety, and temper, but also joy, desire, and calm (among others). The difficulty of an illusion scales with the amount of people it's deceiving, as well as how many senses it's tricking at once.[/hider]
[Hider=Mechromancy]Mechromancy is the animation of solid materials into a commandable construct, that acts as an extension of its makers will, rather than a sentient being in its own right. A construct can be made of any solid material, and Mechromancy can also be used to animate pre-existing structures like skeletons or statues - though nothing living can be manipulated. Some Mechromancers have imparted a poor reputation on the school through their use of bone and dead flesh to create constructs, though in truth, there is no difference in the magic used to create a golem of flesh or animate a dead body, than to create a hulking brute of misshapen metal or wood. [/hider]
[Hider=Transmutation]Transmutation is the changing and altering of a given material or tool through the use of magic, either to alter its makeup, change its form, or enhance its purpose. Transmutation takes many forms - changing water to wine, lead to gold, turning a hammer into a sword or a shield into shelter, or enchanting something to become unbreakable, unstoppable, or impossibly efficient.[/hider]
[/hider]
[hider=Evocation]
Evocation is the wielding of magic focused through natural forces, allowing spellcasters to impart magic upon themselves or others, or manipulate the organic energies of the world. Evocation is often seen as the most spiritual school of magic, as its teachings require students to be in constant commune with the world around them.
[Hider=Elementalism]Elementalism is the use of magic to manipulate the four fundamental elements of the mortal plane: Fire, Earth, Air, and Water. This takes many forms, each element having a hundred uses individually, and so Elementalism is seen as simultaneously the most utilitarian, the most intricate, and the most complicated of magical schools.[/hider]
[Hider=Blessings]Blessing is the process of bestowing magical boons and gifts upon persons or items, granting positive effects and sewing together wounds or creating magical relics. Blessings, depending on the effect and the strength of the boon, are often complicated to create and harder to maintain, but simpler, one-time-use effects can, with a practiced hand, be invoked with a precise gesture and the right handful of words. [/hider]
[Hider=Curses]Curses are the darker brother of Blessings, working in much the same way on the same targets, but to instil dread, harm, ill omens, and general negativity upon people or objects. Much like blessings, dreadful, lethal curses are so difficult to cast many don't bother; but minor 'everyday' curses can make for useful traps or light discouragements.[/hider]
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[/hider]
[Hider=Setting]
'The Argent Nexus'

Tír Ceilte Forest (forest)
Silkspun Thicket (forest)
Royal Woodland (forest)
The Laughing Mangrove (swamp)
Moonlit Marsh (area within swamp)
The Passage of Chains (north tundra mountain pass)
Cloud Notch Mountains (north tundra mountain range)
Scarlet Range (desert mountain range)
Yaardun Highlands (mountain/hill range around central mountain)
Mount Caarn (central mountain)
Tivertou Reservoir (lake beneath tundra mountains)
Cobalt Basin (main lake)
Tivertou Canal (main river from reservoir, feeds into rest of realm + cobalt basin)
Clarenwin Tributary (main river from cobalt basin to the coast)
Moonlit Creek (offshoot from Clarenwin Tributary that feeds into the swamp and supposedly all the way to the moonlit marsh)
Crystal River (second smaller river from cobalt basin further south)
The Whispering Tundra (northern tundra beyond cloud notch)
The Amarantha Steppes (desert - named for its oddly-red sand) 
The Sea of Pactos (Western ocean)
Azure Pactos Reef (coastal coral reef)
The Wintered Canyon (vast valley south of the Cloud Notch Mountains)

Hawkminster (Human capital in the Royal Woodland)
Inithalair (Visairi capital hidden in Tír Ceilte Forest)
Bol Daarum (Clodaar capital within Mount Caarn)
Al-Shathana (Al-Tah'neen capital at Cobalt Basin)

Human-settled cities:
- Blackborough
- Pinefall
- Westharbour

Visairi cities:
- Yiluné (within the outer borders of Tír Ceilte Forest)
- Ithserine (hidden within The Wintered Canyon)

Clodaar-settled cities:
- Vomlaadur (at the base of the Cloud Notch mountains)
- Daanduhr (nestled within the Scarlet Range mountains)
- Vurngaan

Al-Tah'neen-settled cities: 
- Ad-Zural (along Crystal River)
- Az-Sanyat (along Tivertou Canal)
- Al-Shadin (within the The Laughing Mangrove)
- Al-Marawdar (at the Azure Pactos Reef on the Sea of Pactos coast)

Mennesk trade/caravan hubs:
- Wolf's Snag (outside Tír Ceilte Forest)
- Riverpass (along Tivertou Canal)
- Tuskbarrow (along Moonlit Creek)
- Thorn's Rest (on the outskirts of The Amarantha Steppes)
- Oak Hollow (outside Royal Woodland, near Hawkminster)
- Emberhold (at the base of Mount Caarn)
- Halfwall (nestled in the Passage of Chains)

[/hider]
[hider=gods]
[hider=Allt-far]Allt-far was one of the Veiled but grew lonely and shed his divine form to walk on the mortal plane once again. Finding no cure for his loneliness he took from the earth and moulded children for himself, demi-gods who travelled the world with him; when Allt-far eventually died, his children took on his lessons of family and belonging and used his divine remains to create their own family - mortal beings who would become Humanity.[/hider]
[hider=The Veiled]The Veiled are the gods of this world who arrived to a pocket of nothingness and sought to uplift themselves through the divine act of creation, fashioning the world over which they would preside, and creating life they would instil their values into. After a thousand years, they were satisfied, and decided the world no longer needed them - so they departed the world back to the heavens, to watch over their creation. 

[hider=Rreth]Rreth are the Gods of Time and Cycles, presiding over Past-Present-Future, Bloom-Harvest-Wither, Day-Night-Twilight, Birth-Death-Afterlife, etc.; anywhere the natural passages and rhythms of the world can we found, Rreth guides them along their proper course. Without Rreth, the world would stand still, unmoving, unchanging, sterile and lifeless. Rreth are celebrated at the turning of each season and a festival at the new year, and are commonly depicted as 3 figures, draped in sheets made of all manner of materials, depending on the context - for instance, bursting fruits, wilted plants, and barren soil, for when Rreth are celebrated each season; a brilliant sun-filled sky, a star-splashed night-time vista, and a pink-purple dusky scene when celebrated at the new year.[/hider]
[hider=Kuolema]Kuolema is the Goddess of Death and Rebirth, presiding over the safe passage through death back to the Veiled, and the rebirth of souls into new beings. Kuolema is associated with the Moon, the Sea, the Dark, and Moths, and is often paid tribute by the lighting of a candle after sunset, and [i]always[/i] paid tribute as part of any funerary proceeding. Kuolema is depicted as a large, ethereal woman with four arms - two in prayer, two covering her face, never seen - garbed in a long robe fashioned from the night sky, and with two pairs of large, moth-like wings.[/hider]
[hider=Elu]Elu is the God of Life. He guides all living creatures, watching over all beings and preserving over the sanctity of life, of which all forms are sacred under his gaze. Elu is often seen as a counterpart or mirror to Kuolema, and accordingly is associated with the Sun, Heat, Light, Fertility, and the Harvest. Elu is celebrated alongside Rreth at the Harvest season, as well as paid tribute at or after any birth. Elu is depicted as a roaring flame, contained within a hundred interlinked halos.[/hider]
[hider=Galdur]Galdur is the God of Magic. The essence of Galdur permeates the universe and all things in it, weaving the life force of the world together into a mystical, powerful energy source that has come to be known as Magic, used to channel Galdur's divine essence into the practice of spellcasting. Galdur is the patron god of the Visairi, and is paid tribute by any and all seeking to weave magic for their own ends. Galdur is associated with Knowledge, Learning, Secrets, Mystery, and Discovery, and is depicted as a tome of infinite pages, each filled to every edge with uncountable eyes.[/hider]
[hider=Uurata]Uurata is the Goddess of Sacrifice. Uurata is a misunderstood Goddess; despite presiding over Pain, Struggle, Suffering, and Strife, she just as equally represents overcoming adversity, catharsis, and hard-won success; any great triumph that has been well-fought for is said to have been blessed by Uurata. Associated with spiders, Uurata is often prayed to when facing difficult times, but is just as often cursed for those same tribulations. Uurata is depicted as an impossibly tall woman with a body of starry black onyx, wearing a sari weaved from spider-silk and carrying an excerebation hook.[/hider]
[hider=Onnea]Onnea is the God of Fortune, associated with Luck (both good and bad), Serendipity, Fate and Freedom, Coincidence and Destiny. A self-contradictory God, Onnea is prayed to whenever good luck is desired, whenever bad luck spurns a life, whenever a being wishes to break free of their fate, and whenever a man seeks to discover their destiny. Onnea is the patron God of the Mennesk, and has no fixed depiction; they are an ever-changing figure, fluctuating across gender, race, appearance, ever-alternating but never the same thing twice, and never appearing to more than a single person.[/hider]
[hider=Tvorba]Tvorba is the God of Creation, presiding over all acts of art or craftsmanship. He is associated with Art, Performance, Music, Smithing, Construction, and Conception, and prayed to whenever anyone undertakes a creative task, and thanked and paid tribute when a work of great achievement is finished. Tvorba is the patron God of the Clodaar, and is depicted as a stone-skinned giant with a hundred arms, each holding a tool of creation i.e. a paintbrush, a quill and parchment, a smith's hammer, a lyre, a drum, etc.[/hider]
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[hider=Whispering Spirits]Revered mostly by the Al-Tah'neen, the Whispering Spirits are the fragments and remaining influences and essences of the now-departed Veiled, lingering across the world hidden in nature and the elements. The Al-Tah'neen pay their own tribute to the Veiled through their attunement to these lasting splinters of the gods - the Spirits of the Mountain, of the Forest, the Storm, the Sky, the Sand - amidst every blade of glass, in every drop of the ocean, the divine persists, and the Al-Tah'neen revere the innate, sacred essence of nature around them.[/hider]
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