Author’s Note: Listed below are the major races of the Ethersea, through the eyes of Halfwrench. His information is mostly correct, but he has many facts wrong. For example, although most dwarves of the Ethersea are of the variety he speaks of below, standard dwarves can also be encountered. All of the standard races have made their way to the Ethersea, and even more exotic races (such as Goliaths and Illumans from the Complete series of books) can exist at the DM’s discretion.
Dwarves
If there's a wild bunch in the Ethersea, it’s the dwarves! See, dwarves love the open sky and hate the underground. I hear this is actually completely opposite of dwarves elsewhere, from new arrivals. I just cannot see a dwarf as anything other than a sky-lov'n, griffon-riding, lightning-dodging dare-devil! Dwarves tame birds, from the flightless Mule Raptors they use to haul carts around, to the falcons and hawks they use for hunting, to hippogriffs, griffons, and even rocs they use for travel!
A dwarf is about a head taller than a gnome, and quite a bit stockier. Men are most proud of their long, course beards. Never, I tell you, make light of a dwarf's beard! I can not tell you how many bar-fights have started with an ill-conceived jest about a dwarf's beard! Dwarves are as wild and temperamental as the birds they tame. They are a clannish people, taking pride in their name and relations. Of course, younger dwarves want to make sure THEIR names are the ones remembered, so they’re always out there doing the craziest of stuff! If a dwarf ask you to join him on a quest, best run for the nearest departing ship. They're crazy enough to tackle a fully-grown dragon with nothing but the skins on their backs and a good warhammer in hand!
Gnomes
My people are, of course, gnomes! If I were to describe my people, I would describe us as vigorous, with a desire to get things done. Steam-driven machines are our mistresses, devices we craft and care for. See, to us machines are not just functional tools, they are an art. And as any great artists, we take pride in our art. Thus our steam machines are rarely dirty, ugly, or misshapen, but rather elegant and artful.
My people are pretty short, probably the shortest of the races. I stand a good 3’ high, and I’ve got a good inch on most of my family. Our hair is usually dark and our eyes bright, but fair hair is not uncommon. Heck, the hair on my head is danged near white, though sometimes it’s hard to tell after a hard day’s work. Our noses are sharp; it helps us when working on machines, because we can smell what’s wrong with a device rather than having to rip it apart to find out what’s wrong.
Halflings
Halflings are all right in my book. While most halflings prefer the simple life out in the countryside, they do like to the finer things in life. A halfling estate is a magnificent affair, with rooms above and below ground. They can afford such splendor because of all the spirits they produce on their sprawling farms. Wheat for ale and beer, grapes for wine, and even more exotic crops for every bottled sin you can imagine. Any proper halfling knows his alcohol, able to identify a vintage with but a whiff.
A typical halfling is just a wee bit taller than a gnome, and have a much broader girth. Most halflings I've seen have fair-colored hair and dark colored eyes. As a halfling puts high importance on how they look, he is well-groomed and wears expensive, tailor-made clothes. Some wear boots, others are more traditional and wear no footwear at all. Being friends with a halfling means never worrying about finding the right tavern!
Half-Breeds
These guys usually come over with humans. They're humans with a parent of another race, most often elves or orcs but sometimes something more exotic, like a genie or a demon. They look mostly human, but have some feature that makes them look different. Like pointed ears, underdeveloped tusks, or horns. Just like humans, they're unpredictable, but do pick up a few traits from their non-human parent. Just treat them like you would any human, and you'll do fine dealing with 'em.
Humanity
Humans are an odd bunch. Of all the many races, they are the most numerous and varied, yet they don't have an empire of their own. See, most humans arrive in towns, all with different origins. No one group of humans really having the strength to conquer anything. They more or less stay in their own villages, or move into the cities of other races. There are even a few fair-sized human-founded cities, though like all places in the Ethersea, everyone is more or less welcomed. Overall they are not a bad folk, but given too easily to greed and scheming.
The average human is about twice as tall as a gnome, usually five or six feet tall. Otherwise, it’s pretty hard to describe 'em as a whole, as every one is different. I've seen humans of all types. They can be pretty easy to get along with, or they can be the biggest pain. Gotta take each one as an individual and assume nothing.
Elves
Without a doubt, elves are the most polite people I've ever met. They mostly live around Ashenroot, which is the biggest danged tree I’ve ever laid eyes on! Elves are a spiritual people, always talking about their ancestors and spirits in the forest. They’re practical enough to see the value of a machine, so don’t expect them to be all tree-dwelling savages! A lot of elves have a good mind for machines, some almost as good as a gnome!
An elf is pretty tall, almost as tall as a human. They’re fair-skinned and dark haired, with a ting of blue or purple. They have an eye for decorating their hair with feathers, beads, and the like. Tattoos are pretty popular, too. They’re more comfortable at night than during the day, which probably has to do with the fact that their home, Ashenroot, is in perpetual twilight because the branches block all the light from nearby lantern islands.
Trodytes
Though they look kinda funny, being big lizard-looking humanoids, a trodyte can be the best friend you’ll ever have. These guys are pretty happy-go-lucky, always smiling and never down. It’s hard to stay mad or upset at a trodyte, because they’re never mad at you. Pretty nice fellows, trodytes are, and hard workers, too. But never really let your guard down; some trodytes “go wild” and become savages. It’s pretty rare for that to happen, but it happens enough that some jungle islands are overrun by wild, savage trodytes that think nothing of toss’n ya into a stewpot!
Trodytes are pretty easy to spot. They look like big reptile guys, with brightly colored fanes atop their heads and snaky tails out their rear. They dress fancy, with bright, frilly shirts and dark pantaloons. You can find them just about anywhere. They use a lot of crystals, has to do with powers of the mind, I hear.
Meduna
You could probably mistake these crafty women for humans, though that’d be a mistake that could cost ya! A meduna is basically a human with snakes for hair, somewhat like the more monstrous medusas, but without the gaze that’ll turn ya into a statue. They’re a mischievous bunch, using their natural charms and beauty to beguile every man, and I do mean every man, they come across. They can be deadly serious, too. Best not trust them too far…they didn’t carve out one of the most powerful empires in the Ethersea through a bat of an eye, that’s for certain! A meduna can be utterly ruthless and deadly when she wants to be, so best avoid these temptresses.
Wovling
It is said that a wovling can hear the word “gold” uttered a mile away. A bit unfair, I might say, but not entirely inaccurate. Wovlings are obsessed with gold. That and religion. See, they’re the new kids in town, and they’ve got something to prove. Mainly by trying to carve an empire from every nearby island they can, and plunder islands they can’t conquer. All the while wovling clerics run around spread’n the word of their gods. Lucky for everybody else, wovlings are all that numerous, and their attempts at conquest have been pretty unsuccessful. They keep trying, though.
Some call wovlings “were-wolves”, because they look like wolf-headed humans, although this is not quite accurate. They do have a pretty good snout and a coat of fur, they’re less wolf and more man than anything. Some are pretty noble and all, but a lot of ‘em are pretty deceitful and dangerous. I’ve met more wovlings than I care to admit, and I don’t have fond memories of any of ‘em.
. A fine addition to a fine idea overall.The Ethersea Lives once again! I kinda left this hanging a few years ago because I got sucked into Hackjammer.
I remember it well -- I even have the original thread saved somewhere. I also had the opportunity to incorporate some of the elements of your original Ethersea setting into an ongoing SJ adventure series about two years ago. It was a real hoot!
Well, I have some ideas to make some really nifty & unique races. I hope to work on them in the next few weeks, probably end up on BtM sooner or later. :D