A brief history of the civilized races

Ranatharein, published 271D 244PF

A survey of the races of Ethreavum should begin, naturally, with the native races. Elves and gnomes originated on the continent itself, far before the First Fall ever drove the other races southward. Both, unsurprisingly if one knows Ethurun's history, were formed by the fae. Elves were formed by the fae of Camelari, on the eastern side of the Festor mountains. It is said that they began to teach the Rosen trees to speak and move, and over the course of hundreds of years the Rosen tree formed into the Elves we know today. It is for this reason that the peninsula of Camelari has no trees, and is just low shrubs and grasses now. Some fae still remain there, but most of the Seelie court has migrated to the main part of Ethreavum.

Gnomes, on the other hand, were formed from the stones of the Festor mountains. The Fae of the Unseelie court were their makers, carving them from stone and then imbuing life into them. The gnomes were infused with Fae cleverness beyond what the Unseelie court predicted. They are highly capable craftsmen and artificers, and quite skilled at creating things that the Fae view as insulting. Therefore they were rejected by their makers and cast out, and it is for this reason that gnomes are evil.

Tieflings are the next-furthest race. They are not natives of Ethreavum, but are still native to our plane, and find their origin in the northern archipelago of Icewrack. Tieflings have a vast oral history, much of which has been lost to memory. Their origin is coached in myth and legend. They say that their ancestors were spirits from their afterlife. These spirits, unsatisfied with the monotony and boredom of the afterlife, found a way to the land of the living. That path took them into the Icewrack mountains, and they stayed there. They built no cities or noticeably progressed, being too frivolous to care. Instead, they longed for adventures and undiscovered frontiers. A few even made it to Ethreavum, but did not establish any permanent settlements.

This was the state of the world until the Sons of Will arrived, a group that includes humans, dwarves, and halflings. They came from the far north, beyond the Icewrack. Fleeing a disaster in their own plane, they climbed the World Tree of Veledub and found our plane. They sailed south, carving boats and ships from the branches of Veledub, and came to the Icewrack. There, not satisfied with the climate or the geography, and inspired by Tiefling tales of southern lands, they continued southward and found Ethreavum. They disrupted life here as they colonized. Skirmishes and battles were commonplace. After about thirty years of warfare, a peace was established by Druids, whose members included people from both sides of the conflict. In the years since, the Sons of Will have taken an active interest in integrating our races into their society. The dwarves found homes in the Festor mountains, and it is a credit to their race that they were able to work alongside gnomes. From what I understand, great effort has been expended on their part to gentle the more evil tendencies of their neighbors.