Niva

Earth was once a place of technology, multiculturalism and a connected society of advancement. Due to climate change from human meddling, a divided political landscape and nuclear war, changes occurred to the humans that inhabited the planet. Skycrapers became dust and cities became mountains. The humans evolved into different subraces, some as a result of human intervention, some a result of nuclear war and some due to the practices of eugenics. Looking to the fairytales of old, these new races were eventually divided into numans, elves, dwarves, halflings and orcs; names taken from the ancient writer Tolkien.   The Numan race are the closest race to the ancient Homo Sapien's that once dominated the planet and evolved from more diverse settlements in such places now known as Thymryu (Region once known as Turkey), Canadya (Region once known as Canada), and Wrenchrise (Western Europe - Poland, Belarus, Lithuania, Estonia). Elves and dwarves and halflings were born from eugenics practices in Lenisily (Russia), Sivania (Egypt), and other regions throughout the world that grouped similiar people and isolated them from the rest of society for a few thousand years.   Elves in Lenisily were decedents from a concentration type camp in St. Petersburg that was predominately queer people arrested for being transgender, queer, or on the neurodivergent spectrum in Russia and western Europe. This particular group were able to create a society for themselves after the great nuclear war of 2075 destroyed the power grid and allowed them to disappear into the wilds of Finland where they created a secluded society that celebrated a genderless, socialistic approach to society that thrived for a few thousand years in the forest. They practiced ethical predominantly vegetarian lifestyles and normally had a counsel of leaders. They did eventually leave Finland as the water levels rose, eventually going back to their homelands in what was formerly Ukraine and Russia. They eventually developed bigger ears from living in the wild and needing it to survive and hunt, a much longer lifespan from healthy eating habits and daily exercise, and through the study of crystals, meditation and the chakras they developed the ability to actively remember their past lives in their dreams, unlocking what would be understood as the secret of the universe. There were groups similar to this all over the world who would eventually be seen as elves such as the Sun Elves of Sivania (Cairo, Egypt), Swamp Elves of Gladeon (Armenia) and the Moon Elves from Totoryo, Canadia (Toronto, Canada). While they all developed unique features the most uniting feature that defined them as elves is the ability to dream their memories. As the world became more integrated these groups tended to find partners with the same ability and of similiar ages, resulting in the race of elves growing even larger. Half-elves are the decedents of elves and other races with prominent physical elvish features such as pointy ears, silky flowing hair, and a more androgynous bone structure but they normally lack the ability to 'meditate' and they don't live nearly as long as full elves. Another interesting feature of elves is that the difference between female and male elves are much smaller than with humans as a result of hormone experimentation within the races earlier evolutionary start. Female elves do not develop large breasts unless they become pregnant, though they do have monthly menstrual cycles that are comparable to numans. Male elves do not develop beards, though they do have peach-fuzz similiar to women, and they do not struggle with balding or strained hairlines as numan males do. It is not uncommon for an elf to be born as intersex, though it is sometimes hard to tell, especially in 'current' times where hormone testing or access to gender-related healthcare is not easily found. They will normally be assigned the more prominent gender-appearance features at birth though this can lead to gender-dysphoria later in life. The bone structures between males and females are similar and normally slender and more agile as their diet and survival skills depended on evasion and fresh produce.   On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have dwarves who were strong, large individuals who were isolated in mines and bunker-type societies after the nuclear wars of the 3000s. They took to mining as the powers of the earth's crystals became known and treasured as the new source of technology in the changing world. The developed stouter bone structures, more body hair in most places, thick skin and deeper voices from living underground and being used to intense labor and energy from the crystals they were mining. They also developed more androgynous features but where elves fell more on the feminine spectrum, dwarves fell on the masculine spectrum with higher levels of testosterone among both males and females. Females grow beards with as much ease as the men do and they have large clitoris' that become erect during arousal. Both males and females have more muscular builds and broad shoulders. Males as well as females, develop breasts during puberty. They live longer than regular humans but not nearly as long as elves, normally living between 300-500 years old. They find it easier than most other races to attune themselves to crystals and the magic they possess. They do not meditate as elves do but rather require more hours of regular sleep than most numans do from the draining energy of the caves, crystals and lack of sunlight they evolved around. In fact, sunlight is very bothersome, and dwarves struggle to see in intense daylight, often require special glasses with special crystal lenses to balance the light. The places they can be found are in Korolivka, Wrechrise (Optymistychna Cave System very common on the continent Maricanya (North and South America), Cantabria Schmain (Sistema del Alto Tejuelo), Madagascar (Marosakabe Cave System), and the town of Greenoch, Brindellis, Thymryu (Former: Black Sea).   Halflings as a race, were a result of a eugenics experiment that happened in Moscow when the state started segregating different groups during the 2070s and 3000s. They took small people and experimented on them and kept them isolated in small towns and cities together. This eventually resulted in the groups creating communities and sticking together during the war of the 3000s. Unlike the elves who escaped to the forests or the dwarves who escaped below the surface of the earth to avoid the wars and natural disasters, halflings stuck out the dangerous cities and worked to rebuild what they could and keep their families together as much as possible. They developed clan mentalities and really stuck out for each other in the dangerous, unstable years, evading the numans by living right beneath them and just out of sight. Their impoverished homes that were more often than not build from ghettos and broken cities made them extremely resourceful and they developed strong calloused feet for handing the rocky asphalt jungles. They also developed slightly larger ears similiar to elves and they developed really strong metabolisms to basically be able to eat anything and everything in order to survive when most water and food sources were contaminated with chemicals and nuclear waste. They can live for longer than elves if they want to, but most don't and tend to pass away peacefully in their sleep around the 300-year mark.   Orcs were the result of numans tragically effected by the nuclear warzones, giving them glowing green skin, strong muscular builds, hairless bodies and the ability to digest almost anything. They cannot die from health-related causes because of the healing abilities the radiation gives them. However, they can be killed by being beheaded and incinerating the body to avoid contamination of the safe zones. They have been the face of dehumanizing treatment, fear and genocide because of the fear that they will contaminate 'clean' groups of people, and most were banished to the nuclear wastelands of what was formerly China and northern Russia. Because of their mistreatment they distrust 'clean people' and have fortified many thriving cities in the wastelands that they guard protectively. They are the most technologically advanced groups because of their ability to harness nuclear energy and use it to their ability and other races fear the orcs will one day finish what the Old World couldn't and cover the planet in radiation poison.   No race is inherently more morally inclined than another. They all have good people and bad people and some in-between people. They are all victims to a broken world in their own ways and have fought to find life and energy in a new day. Some find this energy through the light of the sun (Photochemistry). Some find it in the crystals and earth beneath our feet (Geology). Some find it in the essence of water and chemicals around us (Alchemy). Some find it in the life and wilderness around them (Biology). What is seen as magic to one group of people is simply science to another. After the great wars took away the electrical power grid and the world-wide-web that connected all living humans every group found a new way to survive.

The problems of the old world did not disappear, however. Thousands of years later people are still struggling with the same things. Politics are still dividing families, tyrannical rulers are still enslaving their subjects, people are still struggling to find love, individuals still wrestle with their sense of self, and parents are still worried about putting enough food on the table.