The Empire of Corwyth d'Bretts
(Special Edition) Description of species

published by the Corwyth Royal Press (Lower Level Dungeons, Imperial Palace), in the 14th Year of the Gryffon.

Humans

There's scarcely a need to describe humans... except to say that Corwyth is home to humans of all colour and race, and that there are several different accents and languages within the Empire.
Humans are the predominant species of Corwyth - they outnumber the other species by a significant amount. It may seem remarkable that there is so much species tolerance in Corwyth, but given that it is an Empire in which enchantment abounds, many species dwell, and a Magic Portal to Gloriana reveals yet more species, it is logical indeed.

Giants

Giants do not leave the mainland of Ythor except in cases of extreme emergency. They are over ten feet tall, incredibly strong, and really quite friendly now. They have large ugly faces, and generally wear leather clothing. Their lack of aggression towards Corywythians has been the case ever since the time when the race of giants was helped by Corwyth. Their main habitat is right at the top of the Balthereze Mountains.
Giant names are in three parts - first, the descriptive name, secondly the family name, thirdly the individual name. It is considered an insult to call a giant by his individual name unless personally invited to do so. A typical name is Stubborn Gelgelin Gelg. A stranger would address this giant as Gelgelin Gelg, but for all official papers, the "Stubborn" must be included.
Food eaten by giants: they are complete meatatarians and despise vegetables. They enjoy yak-beer (made from fermented yak blood) and bovril.

Werewolves

Werewolves range from the traditional howling, angst-laden monsters, to people who just happen to change into large dogs once a month. Corwythian werewolves hail from a region in Ythor known as The Pothie. It’s a suitably misty and terrifying landscape, of course... In general, Corwythian werewolves won't bite and pass on their nature. They're genetically a different race to pure humans - and when they DO bite, what they pass on is so unstable for another race that the victim has a horrible convulsion and dies without belladonna. Belladonna is the curative... But the werewolves are incredibly powerful, and can rip a man to pieces without working up a sweat. It's just as well that they are mostly civilised. Mostly. They prefer NOT to rip humans to shreds... but it is definitely wiser not to annoy a werewolf.
Corwythian werewolves MUST transform into wolf-shape on the night of the full moon, and can change voluntarily at any time. The smell of fresh blood is also a strong trigger for the Change. When a werewolf changes back into a human, its first priority is to find some clothes - and fast. Most werewolves are very modest in human form – although there is the occasional exception.
Now... a peculiar thing happens when a werewolf is attacked by a vampire. Ordinarily, all that happens is that the vampire has bad stomach cramps, and the werewolf sports some bite marks which heal within days. However, some werewolves are vulnerable to the bite, and become a vorpal werewolf... NOT the sort to be acceptable to a werewolf clan. These werewolves are usually torn to pieces by the clan.
There are five distinct clans of Corwythian werewolves:
Lupus lupus clan: These are the common brown werewolves that double as gypsies during the day. They enjoy pretending that they know the future, they love music, and they are the ones who organise the Werewolf Olympics every five years. They can usually be found in packs, living together in camps, wandering over much of Ythor. Every five years, though, they return to The Pothie.
Daschti clan: the Daschti werewolves are the smallest of the Corwythian werewolves, very shaggy and “cute”. Their coats are usually multi-coloured. They spend a lot of time in wolf-form, rather than in human-form, and are only ever found in packs. They love practical jokes, love playing “fetch” and can be very helpful to adventurers if treated in the right way. They are considered the lowest of the Werewolf echelon.
Dobari clan: These werewolves are the intellectual giants of Corwythian werewolves. They shift effortlessly between the two forms – and discuss everything from religion to politics to the correct way of serving fish. They are generally short-haired, plain-looking, and remain in caves. Many of them wear glasses – and of all the werewolves, they are the least aggressive. They'd rather argue you to death than rip out your throat.
Lupinishti clan: These are your true werewolves. Beautiful, deadly, and powerful, they are the ruling clan of the Corwythian werewolves. Their coats are incredibly sleek, and range from the “blanc” (white wolf) to the “agata” (silver wolf), and even to the black wolf. They are cunning, generally well-educated, and not the type you'd like to meet in a dark alley. However, to mitigitate these qualities, bear in mind that the New School of Werewolfian Thought has swept through Corywth's Empire, and that has impacted heavily upon the Werewolves. Generally speaking, it has resulted in many werewolves becoming vegetarians, and vowing to do no harm to others, unless they really really have to. There is a huge variety among the Lupinishti – but one thing binds them: they are incredibly loyal beings. Gain the friendship of a Lupinishti, and you'll have gained a friend for life.
Jachen clan: Now… good advice. Never go near a Jachen werewolf. They are much more solitary than any other werewolf, and will turn on each other without a second's thought. They despise all other werewolves, except for the Lupinishti. They are intrinsically monstrous, but physically beautiful. They speak little of the human languages, but are fluent in snarl, growl, and so on. Besides, they believe that actions speak louder than words. They can be recognised by the dark strike that runs along their back in wolf form… and the single dark stripe along their hair in human form.

Dryads and Naiads

Dryads come from a region on the Ythorian continent just to the east of the Forest of Perpasia, The Woods of Derenai. They are nymphs that once, long ago, typified the life of a particular tree. With time and the use of magic, the situation changed: now, dryads are actually independent creatures that spend a large part of their lives AS trees, but also take the form of a human. They are extremely interested in human beings, and have been from the dawn of time. They are intelligent, enigmatic, occasionally flirtatious, and emotionally very mercurial. But once their loyalty is gained, they make excellent friends.
Many dryads are extremely accomplished poets.
Naiads live in the Saporia Lake, in the centre of these Woods. Naiads are water-nymphs, who metamorphise between the form of comely humans and water itself.
Both dryads and naiads are long-lived beings, physically beautiful, and usually possess a certain amount of haughtiness. Their gracefulness leads them to become singers, poets, dancers, or thieves.

Nymphs æterna

These nymphs are immortals, but their immortality is no unmixed blessing. Every three hundred years, a nymph æterna finds her memory taken in its entirety, save for her memory of how to perform simple and everyday tasks.
These nymphs are actually composed of two parts, the second part of which is their animal ruacha. There is uncertainty about what this is - soul, spirit, something else... What IS known is that the animal ruacha takes the form of an animal, and must be found by the nymph within that three-hundred-year period or the consequences are dire. The animal ruacha departs from the nymph at the beginning of each 300-year-period.
When the nymph æterna finds her Twin Flame (and remembers all), she has the choice of becoming mortal or - if her Twin Flame is not mortal - allowing that Twin Flame to become immortal with her, to await the next 300-year-cycle.
The nymphs æterna are most frequently native to an area on Ythor adjacent to the Pothie.

Other nymphs

A final group of nymphs are actually enchanted beings from a variety of races, who were trapped by a virtually unbreakable enchantment. They are found trapped as marbled carvings around the fountain in the Palace grounds, coming to life only at midnight when they pinken into warm life.
They wear pale floating draperies, are intimately acquainted with the satyrs, and in general have no cares but only pleasure.It is said, though, that some nymphs are aware of their trapped state and long to be free. There is apparently a way to help those that wish to be freed to gain their freedom.
Any person who joins the dance of the nymphs wiill be trapped with them.
As far as anyone knows, these nymphs are immortal. Certainly none have died in living memory.

Satyrs

The satyrs of Corwyth are half-goat, half-elf. They are brutal and savage, but remarkably graceful and extraordinarily attractive. They delight in dancing, in playing foolish tricks, in pursuing nymphs, and entrapping any pretty woman they see. Their leader, Prank, is the supreme satyr, and a music-maker and mischief-maker extraordinaire. While he is not above seduction, he will at least play fair... and if his friendship is gained, it will be of inestimable benefit.
Creatures of magic as the satyrs are, they know few boundaries, although they are primarily to be found at the Palace fountain or in various groves on the Ythorian mainland. One favourite haunt is the Grove of Lost Days.

Centaurs

Centaurs are half-human (to the waist), and with the body and hind- and fore-legs of a horse. They are generally wild, lawless, and inhospitable beings, completely enslaved to their animal passions. If they see a woman alone, they’ll try to kidnap her – if they see a man alone, they’ll try to beat him down with tree branches in their hands. However, during the last hundred years the Centaurs have become less aggressive, certain individuals of the species even becoming sufficiently civilised to dwell as Corwyth citizens upon the island.
Centaurs can be found all over Ythor - they are not very community-minded beings.

Elves

Corwyth elves are diminutive creatures, in tiny human form, noted for their mischief and volatility. They enjoy nothing more than tormenting humans, trolls, or dwarves, and especially like to twist hair into elf-locks, sit upon the chest of a sleeper and give him bad dreams, prod cattle with their weapons, and steal human children. However, unlike legend states, they do not keep the children – just steal them for a night and then return them with a tiny tickmark upon their forehead.
They are superb marksmen, and usually have extraordinary magic abilities. However, they prefer not to appear in the open and will work secretly rather than overtly. They are remarkable woodspeople, with skills of secrecy and stealth.
They have strict codes of right and wrong – of course, these codes are completely different to humans’ codes! They have no objection to lying to other species at all, although lying to each other is absolutely forbidden.
They are extremely vulnerable to iron, and to be imprisoned for a length of time by iron means death - just as is the case with the Faeries and the Elemi.
Some individual elves have overcome their elvish instincts and seek to dwell in peace with other species. These are extremely rare individuals.
The homeland of Elves is the Korenae Region of Ythor, which includes the Ice Plains and the Veldt Woods. Numerous almost-frozen lakes in the Ice Plains are home to Frozen Salamanders (extremely vicious creatures trapped for their pelts), and Tusked Gabilons in the Veldt Woods provide other pelts.

Elemi

Elemi are tall, slender, beautiful creatures with an unearthly quality. Similar in some respect to elves, they are long-lived, graceful, stately and calm of personality. Very mysterious and solitary, their homeland is hidden from plain view. It is known to be somewhere in the western part of Ythor, a misted area referred to as the Elemi Half-Lands. Some believe it to be near the Invisible Mountain.
The Elemi live by strict codes of behaviour, valuing honesty, privacy, and a deep respect for nature. They are all magic-users, and have the same vulnerability to iron as do elves. They are also excellent weapon-makers, and Elemi weapons are forged in magic itself, giving their weapons considerable accuracy and bite. These weapons are a precaution in case the Elemi’s Half-Lands are ever invaded, for it is one of the deep fears of the Elemi – that they would be found and conquered by the outside world. The Elemi do not associate readily with other species, apart from a small number (mostly outcasts) who venture into the outside world.
To be outcast is the most severe punishment possible for an Elemi – and the reasons for being cast out are largely unknown. Those Elemi who have used darker powers (rather than drawing upon natural mana) are known to have been cast out. There is mention made of a terrible price exacted by those who use such dark powers – the very soulforce of an Elemi – and it is thus a power greatly feared among the Elemi.
An outcast is stripped of his normal attire, given a black robe, has his family name taken from him, and is given the name “Kalspek” (exile). Then, taken to the outskirts of the Half-Lands, he is exiled – and he can never return again, nor find even a trace of where the Half-Lands are.

Faeries

Corwythian faeries are extremely beautiful and delicate creatures in general, although faery stock has been affected in the last two hundred years by the very faintest of mingling of human and other blood in its line. Their homeland is Carillon Island – a faery-tale island where tiny bells of the Carillon Lilies fill the air with the sweetest of chimes. Here they are quite tiny, a mere 7 inches in height… but once they leave the island itself, they can assume human height, remain tiny, or anything in between.
In appearance, the faeries have slanted ears, eyes, and eyebrows, just like elves, and they are extremely vulnerable to iron. Being imprisoned within iron can actually kill faeries. They are also vulnerable to St. John's Wort and yarrow, which restrict their powers, and cause an intense itching sensation which rapidly grows to severe pain. Faeries possess wings, unlike elves... and they can fly for long distances, both in their human sizes and in their miniscule sizes.
Faeries do not have souls – and this causes a major problem in interracial marriages. The children of such matches DO have souls, and are often confused by their mixture of powers and vulnerabilities. The pure faery has a longevity of approximately one thousand years, but half-faer folk are much less long-lived... usually by about half of this.
Faeries used to carry off human children, leaving changelings in their place – but the Empress put a stop to that. She managed to "persuade" the Faeries that this was not a good idea.
Humans who step onto Carillon Island must be careful to neither eat nor drink anything there... lest they be trapped forever.
Faeries possess many magical powers, including the ability to foretell deaths (which they will not usually reveal), to prophesy at births, and to cast a number of spells, including transmutation spells. (A favourite is the turning of princes into frogs, beasts, or slugs.)
All Faer folk must rest periodically in order to replenish their strength and powers, which drain more rapidly than that of humans. However, their powers are very strong… and it is generally wise not to annoy a faery. They become particularly annoyed if they are not invited to christenings.
Faeries have a deep respect for nature, and particularly fond of hawthorn trees, foxglove, and groundsel – to the extent that anyone misusing these plants may expect faer retribution.

Sand Sibylline

Sibyllines are a very, very ancient race indeed. The males manifest themselves as statues that never come to life, whereas the females do occasionally come to life. This lack of motion is due to their extraordinarily high intellect and their ability to foresee what will happen – long ago, they reasoned that since they knew so much, movement was unnecessary. In complete stillness, they contemplate intellectual equations that would boggle a camel.
The body of a sand sibylline is made of sand, but even when dissipated, these sibyllines know what is happening. They speak in rhyme, and must be treated with respect.
The only known Sand Sibylline is in Laulec Beach, or so it is rumoured.

Dwarves

A humanoid race, stockily built, averaging about four feet tall. The normal dwarf life-span is about 300 years. The majority of Corwythian Dwarves dwell on the Glitterplains, on Ythor.
They have a natural aptitude for mechanical engineering, particularly building things (and sometimes blowing them up). In fact, almost the entire race has a constructive obsession with metals and minerals of all kinds (particularly gold - Aureusphilia is a common Dwarven condition), coupled with an obsessive attention to detail. However, they are biologically close to humanity; dwarf-human marriage and offspring are all but unknown, but not impossible.
Dwarves of both sexes have beards, of which they are very proud, but female dwarves plait theres. The dwarves also generally wear multiple layers of clothing - up to a dozen - which combined with their naturally broad build, can make them look like walking barrels. The layers often include an under-vest of a wool spun from sheep; this wool has the strength of chain mail). Other dwarfs wear metal next to the skin; those of delicate sensitivity favour gold or silver underwear if they can afford it. They also wear iron-shod boots, or even solid iron footwear, and helmets.
Dwarves haven't quite got the hang of metaphors - their literal-mindedness can make interesting conversation.

Balther Dwarves

These dwarves are just like your average dwarf, except that they are pogonophobic (afraid of beards), which makes them the only beardless dwarves in existence. They are powerful and aggressive, don’t like strangers, dwell in caves upon the Balthereze Mountains, and do not speak Corwythian. Anyone wishing to communicate with them must be fluent in the Baltherian Dwarvish tongue, which is an extremely complicated dialect. Either a dwarf or a linguist is a necessity for such encounters.

Goblins

The Green Goblins of Corwyth rarely grow taller than four feet high, but are much less solid than dwarves, for instance. They are very ugly, with huge ears and dagger-like yellow teeth. They are incredibly agile, very fast, but not very powerful. They love to collect diamonds, and most of them dwell within the Mountains. They do not speak Corwythian as a general rule (except for the few who went to College in Corwyth and received special education), and are barely intellectual enough to speak Gobspeak. However, in spite of their lack of intellectualism, they can be quite cunning.
The more educated goblins are beginning to dwell among humans and quite enjoy the experience. It's hard for them to be away from the mountains, but being sociable creatures, they are highly community minded and love nothing better than to be of service and to make new friends. While their history is full of tales detailing their heroes and warriors, modern goblins prefer their comfort. It is possible that the ancient warrior-spirit is arising in some goblins.

Trolls

Most trolls in the Empire of Corwyth are civilised, and can speak Troll, Corwthian and even some Dwarvish dialects (or at least the odd word). Their brains are designed to operate at maximum efficiency in cold temperatures, but away from their mountainous habitats, they slow down mentally under the relentless heat of the sun. Composed entirely of various types of rock, they are huge, tough and powerful. Their mouths are filled with diamond teeth, which the dwarves would like to extract for the sake of using the diamonds in order to buy gold, and the goblins would like because they… well, they love diamonds. It is a good idea not to antagonise a troll.
Ferruga Island is the homeland of Trolls, a barren place with a mountain known as Troll Mountain. (They named it themselves.) Some adventurous trolls walked along the seabed towards Ythor, clambered up onto the mainland, and eventually found themselves near the Glitterplains, where a troll colony works to extract lava from a small volcano, the Volcano Fiammarus. (The lava is a delicacy much loved by dwarves.)

Merpeople

At the bottom of the Carpaasian Ocean, in sea-caves decorated with coral pillars and sea-crystals, there dwell Merpeople. They are faintly green-skinned, but very beautiful, with the females possessing extremely long hair which cascades over their bodies, and the males well-muscled and powerful. The lower half of their bodies is, of course, fish-like with a long tail, and they breathe air underwater. They are able, by magic, to also breathe above the water. Merpeople rarely, if ever, emerge from the seas… something extraordinary must be happening for them to indulge their curiosity in such a way. They consider humans paltry creatures, poor land-slugs that have legs, of all things!
They are powerful magic-users, with their spells very much water-based. They are arrogant, contemptuous, and dangerous if annoyed. It is best to avoid them unless you have a specific and very strong reason for seeking them.

Imps

Imps in Corwyth do not appear to have a homeland. They appear in colonies, but these are clearly of recent origin. Because imps are possessed of ferocious tempers and way too much aggression for their diminutive size (usually no higher than the size of a finger, but sometimes as high as a man's knee), it is speculated that any archaeological findings related to imp history is unlikely. Imps simply have too strong a tendency to destroy everything in sight when they lose their temper.
Imps are relatively peaceful (some of the time) when not in the presence of another imp. But where there's more than one imp, there's a war in the making.
There are some imps which have become apocryphal in imp legend - the famous Lost Imps, or Imps Which Was Taken Away, or simply Dem Imps Gone. These were a group of imps travelling in a forgotten valley somewhere, æons ago, when they were yanked into a strange region called the Abyss (or "The Dump" as it's known by the blarghi). This region is partially within the Dæmon Dimensions, but is where incompetent dæmons of the sub-species slodgæni are thrown, to produce such goods as are necessary for the blarghi. It's said that the slodgæni were given one millionth of a second to grab some small creatures of our dimension, as slaves - hence the sudden disappearance of that party of imps.
Many imps have, for some strange reason, Scottish names and strong accents. Still others have accents that resemble a mishmash of just about every accent you could imagine. In general, size and the tar-black skin is a better indication of imphood than a Scottish accent. Imps are often hairless, with a predilection for using "glow-coal juice" to make their eyes look red, and very rarely cut their fingernails and toenails.

Vampires - see also the also the Corwyth Bestiary: Monsters of the Empire

Vampires within the Corwyth lands are composed of a number of different clans – the Horyn, the Agfyn, the Blelyn, and the Corrupyn. The elements they have in common include: their insatiable desire for blood, preferably human; their ability to metamorphise into bats; their ability to fly; their dark Blood Disciplines which consume their vitae; their ability to assert PRESENCE; their lack of a soul; and so on. The older a vampire is, the stronger and more powerful he is. Vampires may only be killed by the traditional methods of having a stake driven through the heart in order to weaken them, and THEN after entering Torpor (a state of paralysis in which they are extremely vulnerable), they must be beheaded or burned, in order to enter Final Death. Direct sunlight also brings vampires to this state of Torpor.
Ways of protecting oneself against vampires vary, but include the use of holy water, garlic, holy symbols, and prayers of the truly devout. To this end, any religious person in Corwyth is in hot demand as a Vampire Dispeller, and water blessed by the four Bishops is sold on the black market for high prices. Garlic is grown by most enterprising inhabitants of Pallmor, and sold in the Marketplace. Training in wooden stake driving may be of inestimable benefit to the would-be vampire hunter.
Many of the disciplines of these clans are secret and cloaked in mystery – no outsider can hope to understand them, but what is known is inscribed here as an aid to all adventurers. Bear in mind that even the most well-intentioned vampire must ingest sufficient blood, otherwise he will eventually enter an uncontrollabel state of Frenzy in which he will feed upon the nearest source of Vitae. Thus, when travelling with a vampire, it’s a good idea to take along some “red provisions”…
The Horyn are the least wicked of the vampire clans, many of them actually “taking the pledge” and refraining from indulging in biting of random necks. They drink heavily blood-laced drinks, eat raw steak, and assure themselves that it will all become easier – in time. Yet they are in no way less powerful than the other clans - they are the oldest clan of vampires and thus very powerful. They are much more social than other vampires (which isn’t saying much!), and can even (sometimes, on very special occasions) be convinced to help with insurgent vampires. If they do, they tend to win. There have been a very, very few instances of Horyn being affected by magic in some way, insofar as an individual may lose his ability to shape-change into a bat, and it is not absolutely impossible (although extremely rare) for a Horyn to be left with a set of wings which he prefers to keep hidden.
The Agfyn are much more solitary vampires – but they will never turn against another vampire within their own species, and rarely against one from another clan unless for their own reasons. They do not like other species, regarding them with disdain, but are not activily hostile unless pushed.
The Blelyn and Corrupin are not described here, for they are truly monsters and as such, belong in the bestiary. Peruse there for details.

Blarghi - please note: these are actually monsters. Although any roleplayer can play one of these, he WILL be killed eventually. Over this he has no control.

The Blarghi – known also as the Great Clawed Dæmons. They can assume a corporeal reality when they find an opening in space between the real world and the Dæmon Dimensions. These openings are known as rips. The Dæmon Dimensions are ruled over by Tasan, the dread Dæmon Overlord.

The Blarghi are very large... over six feet in height. They have a head that is lizard-like, save for the short beak that looks like a snarl, and the two thick curling fangs. They have one glaring red eye in the centre of their forehead (which can see into the infrared and ultraviolet spectra), and have no ears. They cannot hear at all, although sound waves of a particular type can be sensed by the gill that runs vertically down the outer belly. They do not use this ability profitably at all, as the sensing of sound waves is usually quite irritating.

Their thick, stippled red skin is as tough as armour, and protects the blarghi from physical damage. The skin cannot be pierced by any weapon, except for the Paladin Sword. Holy water thrown by clerics of Ichbin works like acid upon them, and holy symbols wielded by those self-same clerics can actually burn through the skin. They have four powerful arms, each with long double-claws on the end. These claws are capable of tearing out a man's soul if he is unprotected. The two thickly muscled legs end in cloven hooves, naturally. The speed of which the blarghi is capable is very fast indeed. They can out-run almost anything, except for the fastest horses. Their stamina is incredible. They have two stubbly wings rising from the shoulders of their top pair of arms.

Their offensive abilities include: the emission of poisonous breath coming out in a stream from their beaked mouths; the ability to claw out a man's soul; the ability to take over the mind of an unprotected human; the ability to fly short distances.

Protection against their abilities ranges from Paladin honour shields to the use of holy objects. However, it should be noted that only the pure in heart can use these holy objects with any assurance of protection.

Their defensive abilities include: an imperviousness to fire and to ordinary blades and to poisons.

Their vulnerabilities: well, you already know about the Paladin sword which pierces them... and the holy water or symbols wielded by clerics of Ichbin... Their other vulnerabilities include a hatred of singing (even though they cannot hear, singing sets up a vibration in the gill of their stomach, making them feel ill), and they are not great tacticians – except for Bjarg (the exception that proves the rule ). Their idea of a fight is to go charging in.
They are mostly impervious to magic, although offensive spells will irritate them. Defensive spells are virtually useless against them. Invisibility spells are good... but no magical protection will serve to protect a town against them.

Katta

Katta are cat-like people of gentle courtesy, but capable of great feats of courage when threatened. Family is important to them, and their friendship is a treasured gift indeed. Their homeland is Shapeir in Gloriana.
For further information, it is suggested you play Quest for Glory.

Liontaurs

Liontaurs are a proud and powerful people, lion-like in appearance and noble in attitude. The worst liontaurs let that pride and nobility become arrogance, but the best liontaurs are superb warriors and paladins of truly enviable generosity and honour.
Their names often contain "sh", "r", and "k", with vowels of "a" and "ee". The family name of the male will usually indicate his home town, such as "Rakeesh sah Tarna", where "sah Tarna" means "from Tarna".
Their homeland is Tarna in Gloriana. For further information, play Quest for Glory.

Leopardpeople

Though human in appearance and other aspects, Leopardmen are somewhat different in that they can change their appearance to that of a leopard. In a sense, this makes them similar to werewolves.
In their human form, they are a fine-looking people with ebony skin and flashing dark eyes, with a fondness for minimal fur clothing.
Their homeland is in Fricana (the continent which contains Tarna), and further information can be found by playing Quest for Glory.