Races of the Wood

The various folk who make up the world of Humblewood are divided into two categories: the birdfolk and the humblefolk. While they resemble animals, the folk who inhabit the cities, towns, and villages of Humblewood are all humanoids.
This chapter outlines the ten core races, five birdfolk and five humblefolk, who make up the majority of characters found in the Wood. It also details various character creation options, new class options, backgrounds, feats, and spells to help you make your own Humblewood adventurer.

THE BIRDFOLK

The birdfolk races of Humblewood are as diverse and unique as the forest itself. Only the skillful survive the forest, and the birdfolk have become masters of both the forest floor and the canopies above, creating several settlements (known colloquially as “perches”) throughout the Wood. Despite regional differences and cultural peculiarities among the different kinds of birdfolk in the Wood, the birdfolk races nevertheless share much of their culture, language, history, and origin

myths. This solidarity has allowed them to work together and prosper, creating a harmony in the Wood which has lasted for an age. While a diverse group, adapted for a variety of environments within the Wood, birdfolk also share several physical traits which have allowed them to find common ground in the construction of their perches. Beyond the obvious physical similarities, all birdfolk possess arms covered in feathers, which extend into wing-like appendages.
While incapable of true powered flight, the strong hollow bones and lightweight bodies of birdfolk allow them to easily use their feathered arms to glide, and unless severely encumbered, all birdfolk can recover gracefully from what would otherwise be a deadly fall. In some birdfolk races these wings have grown strong enough to bear their owners upwards in a mighty flap, while others instead developed talons which make for both deadly defensive weapons and useful tools for scaling tall trees.

The birdfolk have established themselves as a political force to be reckoned with in Humblewood. They shaped their mighty capital from the great tree Alderheart, and from this bastion of safety their ruling body, the Birdfolk Council, makes decisions which impact all of Humblewood. The birdfolk are well-defended from outside threats thanks to the Perch Guard, a force of soldiers trained in both aerial and ground combat,that keeps their cities and the denizens within safe.
While Alderheart has been a beacon of peace and harmony for many years, the coming of the fires has thrown the region into chaos. The Perch Guard forces are spread thin across the canopy cities, barely able to secure the main roads for merchants while keeping their homes safe from the blazes. Now the great birdfolk cities face more threats from bandits and forest fires than ever before. Through it all, though, the birdfolk trust in solidarity, between themselves and the diverse groups of habitants who call their perches home, to weath

THE HUMBLEFOLK

Not all denizens of Humblewood are birdfolk. The term “humblefolk” is used throughout the Wood to refer to the non-birdfolk peoples who live a little closer to the forest floor. Unlike the birdfolk, whose shared language, histories, myths, and culture have allowed them to exist in harmony for most of Humblewood’s history, the humblefolk represent a disparate group of peoples, cultures, and ways of seeing the world, many of whom haven’t always seen eye to eye.
Ages ago, an accord was struck between the people of the forest floor to unite against roving bandits and quell the in-fighting that was wreaking havoc across the Wood. This accord was known as the “Humblefolk Treaty” and was witnessed by the birdfolk, who were just then beginning to shape the trunk of Alderheart. The birdfolk offered the humblefolk safety within their great city, and many accepted their offer. Over time, more and more humblefolk migrated to newly-established birdfolk perches, though many found birdfolk architecture to be restrictive for creatures without wings. In the same way, some groups of birdfolk, feeling too crowded within the booming perches, began to spread out and seek shelter within small woodland villages. Even today, the birdfolk who choose to live on the forest floor find themselves stigmatized, as a life in the canopy is considered proper in birdfolk society.

After the establishment of the treaty, humblefolk began to live once again in small woodland villages beneath the trees, although now in more diverse communities alongside some ground-dwelling birdfolk. With the expansion of the Humblefolk Treaty to allow humblefolk to call upon Perch Guard garrisons in times of crisis, and the birdfolk militias keeping the roads safe for merchant caravans, the Wood truly entered a golden age. Life for many humblefolk was peaceful and prosperous…until the fires came.
With the spreading flames, humblefolk villagers petitioned the overextended Perch Guard for aid, only to see help arrive too late, if at all. To make matters worse, after many years the divisions between the humblefolk communities have intensified: those who found prosperity in the birdfolk cities have adopted a perch-dweller’s perspective, while those who live in the woodlands face a constant threat from brigands and forest fires. Others have even left to join the newly reformed Bandit Coalition, seeing not only a path for survival, but a chance to get even with the perch-dwelling birdfolk for broken oaths and unequal treatment. Yet, where the treaty holds, vibrant humblefolk communities can still be found. The humblefolk are resilient, and each race will devise a way to survive in this dangerous wood