People of the Continent

Humans

Humans are the most common and plentiful inhabitants on the continent, making up almost ninety-five percent of the total population. In the present age, humans have built great nations, realms, and empires stretching across the continent. The most well-known monarchs, religious figureheads, archmages, military commanders, and villains throughout history have all been humans. With a small number of exceptions across the entire continent, human citizenry makes up the majority of every major city, village, and town.
The full breadth and diversity of human body types, features, eye, hair and skin colors, and genders are found mixed throughout each nation in the continent. People have many religious customs with ancient roots, but the majority today keep faith in the Sacred Flame. Beyond this shared religion, humans take up a wide variety of fashions, traditions, and social norms which vary mostly based on geographic location, and tend to regard wherever they were born as home. As a result, many humans treasure their personal origins, and those living in the nations of Elyria, Caspia, Westemär, and beyond possess a strong sense for their national identities. The people of these nations communicate, travel, and trade readily between their borders, though just as frequently develop rivalries, feuds, and full-blown conflicts with their neighbors over disputed land claims and political disagreements, or all too often for much more trivial reasons.

Origins of Humanity

The early history of humanity is the subject of myth and legend; there are no agreed historical facts concerning human origins. The Faith of the Sacred Flame teaches that humans are incomplete beings of light and shadow, who must become whole by living a righteous life. However, its religious texts say little about how life itself came to be. On the other hand, the varied tales of the Old Gods speak of humans emerging from sea-foam at the behest of Nodens the Tempest, or sprouting from seeds sown by Danu the Mother and cultivated by Lugh the Sun. Others speak of how Gaibhne the Smith shaped their bodies from clay, dust, and rock, or that humans lived as beasts in thrall to Kromac the Ravager until Arwyn the Moon Hunter tamed and taught them.
Just as mysterious and unknown is how magic first came to early humans — humans could cast spells long before they wrote history. One legend tells of a time when a great winter that lasted centuries fell upon the entire world. Desperate to survive, humans cried out to the cosmos for help, offering anything for the magic they needed to live through the endless sleet and snow. Humanity got their wish, but accounts differ on whether it came as a curse laid by Morrigan the Witch, a gift from Ogham the Sage, or a jest by Shegorach the Trickster. Far more say it was not the Old Gods, but something far darker and more terrible that answered humanity’s call. Whoever or whatever it was that sealed this pact with ancient humans, the power of magic has flowed in their blood ever since. Exactly what they gave up in exchange for this power differs, but all the stories have one detail in common: humanity’s debt was never paid in full.
Yet centuries later, humans continued bargaining with eldritch beings to grow their control over magic. They mingled their bloodlines with many otherworldly and supernatural creatures, and from these unions came dragonborn, tieflings, and other half-human lineages. For the most part, these people are seen for their shared human ancestries, and regarded as part of the diverse makeup of humanity as a whole.
Humanity’s greatest empire was also its greatest folly; the sorcerer-kings of the old Arcane Empire ruled the continent as tyrants for a thousand years. Yet from these dark times came humanity’s redemption, when Saint Tarna brought the light of the Sacred Flame to the people of the continent. In the world today, humans remain at the center of all great conflicts and upheavals. Indeed, the world of Drakkenheim is a very human place, one where all humanity’s faults and facets are writ large.

Creating Human Characters

Humans occupy every corner of the continent and populate every nation. Your human character can come from anywhere you wish.
Prominent human adventurers might hail from the lands of Caspia, where strong knights or sly bards journey far to test their might and earn renown for their houses back home. Elyrian humans are often devout worshippers of the Faith of the Sacred Flame, and clerics and paladins of the religion often embark on quests to bring light and righteousness throughout the world. Perhaps instead your character is among the rugged rangers, rogues, and other war-torn survivors hailing from the broken kingdoms of Westemär, hoping to rebuild their home, or gain power amongst the constant dispute between noble houses.
Your character may be a sorcerer or wizard taken in at a young age by the Amethyst Academy, and thus not know exactly where you were born, instead being raised within one of their fantastical magical schools. From the primal druids in the deep of Terene to the barbarian warriors of Netherwind, a human character can be just about any type of adventurer, support any faction or nation, and come from anywhere.

Dragonborn and Tieflings: Arcane Ancestries

Dragonborn and tieflings make up the next largest demographic throughout the continent. They are directly descended from humans who made pacts and covenants with magical creatures, and are accepted and welcomed as part of the wide family of humanity. Dragonborn in particular may have much more human features, with only scales, small horns, tails, or even wings marking their draconic heritage, though others have the starkly draconic features.

History

During the height of the Arcane Empire, the sorcerer-kings and their loyal vassals sought every means to increase their inborn magical might. Eschewing study and hard-earned knowledge, the arcane tyrants instead merged their bloodlines with creatures of magical origin. Foremost among these were the ancient dragons and malevolent fiends, but some even captured angels and genies for their profane experiments. From this the first tieflings, dragonborn, and many other such human-bred races emerged.

Creating Characters of Arcane Ancestry

As part of the wide range of human kin, adventurers with arcane ancestries are just as diverse and varied as any human. It is extraordinarily common for these folk to be mageborn or carry some element of arcane power in their blood — a tiefling without some form of latent magical powers is seen as an oddity. People with these arcane ancestries often become bards, sorcerers, warlocks, and wizards, and it’s more common to see them walking the city streets wearing purple robes than anything else. Others turn away from their arcane heritage in place of religious beliefs as clerics or paladins.

Elves and Half-Elves: Otherworldly Origins

Elves are extraordinarily rare, and only a few thousand of them remain in the world of Drakkenheim. The elven people have largely lived as nomadic refugees upon the world of Drakkenheim itself — legend claims the elves come from another world entirely. Their mostly-forgotten history is ancient, and their ancestors left behind mysterious ruins in well-hidden places throughout the world. Every elf is mageborn, though not every elf develops their inborn magical abilities.
However, in the modern era their numbers are thinning. Most elves today dwell alone as hermits or in small groups on the fringes of civilization. The only known elven community is secluded deep within the Isles of Skye, where the borders between the mortal realm and the Otherworlds of faeries and dreams are thin.

Elven Descendants

Half-elves are now much more common than their full-blooded cousins, as the traces of elven ancestry hold strong through human lineages. During the millennia of dwelling alongside humanity, many elves formed families with humans. Their descendants bear a distinctive elven heritage, though few have a recent elven ancestor. Most instead are later-generation descendants of elves. As a result, humans with elven ancestry can be found anywhere and everywhere throughout the continent.
Not all are terribly concerned about their elven heritage, however. Many view it more as a curious quirk of their family tree and think of themselves as part of humankind, and in turn, most humans regard half-elves in the same manner.
As elves are always mageborn, it is exceptionally common for their descendants to inherit the trait as well. However, they are not universally mageborn like their elven ancestors.

History

It is a little-known fact that elves did not originally exist in the world of Drakkenheim, and the exact origins of the elven people are shrouded in mystery. Even the most ancient elves explain how their own grandparents had little more than vague recollections of elven history.
The most common story claims that elves arrived on this world by traveling through shadow realms and faerie gates from a distant and unknown land. Why the elves left, none can say. A few scholars suggest the elves today are but the surviving remnants of a greater civilization which met some sort of disastrous end. They further theorize that crumbling elven ruins sequestered in remote places are all that is left of the powerful magical portals the ancient elves constructed to make their journey here. Indeed, explorers report finding bizarre arcane technology and advanced magic within the alien towers and glistening monolithic structures built by the elder elves.
Although the elves seemingly arrived in this world with no recollection for their origins, they did bring with them powerful magical knowledge which they shared carefully with their new human neighbors. Unfortunately, the elves were hunted by the sorcerer-kings of the Arcane Empire who were jealous of their innate magical talents, but centuries later elven archmages were instrumental in founding the Amethyst Academy as a refuge for persecuted mageborn.

Creating Elven Characters

An elven character is always mageborn; many embrace their magical talents by becoming a sorcerer or wizard. Elves are counted amongst the most skilled mages of the Amethyst Academy. However, other elves choose to take on more martial paths and only dabble in magic; many elves become rangers. Other elves are deeply spiritual, and seek to find any semblance of the ancestral memories of their people through faith in the Old Gods as clerics and druids. An elven worshiper of the Faith of the Sacred Flame would be a true oddity, however.
In contrast, half-elves take after their human cousins. Characters of any class, vocation, and calling can be found among them, especially those more integrated into the nations and cultures of the continent.

Dwarves: Shaped by Stone

The dwarven people claim they were the first to inhabit the world. Dwarven legends tell that Gaibhne the Smith forged them by hand to help the god lay the foundations of the earth, and that to this day, every dwarf is designed in the mind of the Great Smith. The weight of stone itself supports such tales, for traces of dwarven architecture can be found in the deepest bowels of the earth, all the way to the highest mountain spires.
Today, dwarves are quite rare. Most have amalgamated into human societies and live openly amongst them, dedicating their lives to skilled trades, masonry, and mining. Notably, there are a few dwarven clans who still hold on to their ancient ancestral roots and occupy mountain strongholds and deep mines found in the Glimmer Mountains and Ironhelm Ridge. Dwarves are the only non-human people who hold large city-states of their own, though they do not rule any nation.

History

Remnants of dwarven masonry lay at the base of many cities, and many sewers and aqueducts are built from ancient dwarven tunnels and canals whose original purpose is lost to history.
Indeed, dwarves say these ruins come from a time when they built vast cities that spanned the world until a great age of winter sent them all deep underground into the heart of the planet to survive. During their legendary journey through the Deep Dark, they constructed a nearly endless span of tunnels, halls, and artificial caverns searching for the core of the earth, where they could survive beside the molten heart of Danu, a place called “Vol Danun” in Dwarven. The myth claims the dwarven people built a sprawling metropolis there, where they lived for thousands of years. Of course, there are no records remaining that indicate where the city might be found or how to get there. While only a handful of dwarves truly believe this story, once in a while an intrepid youth or elder will pack their bags and venture into the deeps in search of Vol Danun.

Creating Dwarven Characters

Many dwarves keep personal interpretations of the Old Faiths; some dwarves are apt at harnessing primal and divine magic as druids and clerics. The dwarves have a strong martial tradition, and dwarven paladins devoted to Danu, Gaibhne, and Nuada are amongst the few known paladins outside the Faith of the Sacred Flame — a religion that most dwarves regard as hogwash. The few dwarves who do take up the human faith are regarded as mad by their kinsfolk.
Dwarves are seldom mageborn, and so are extremely unlikely to be found amongst the Amethyst Academy. However, a rare few do acquire arcane powers. Dwarves have long held traditions for crafting magical items, and many dwarves resent the Amethyst Academy’s exclusive right to manage the sale and manufacture of magical items.

Halflings, Gnomes, and Goblins: Small Places

Halflings can be found inhabiting all the towns and cities of the continent. However, they just as often form their own communities in small towns and farmland where they can raise families away from the bustle of large cities and the large people who live in such places. Today, rural halfling communities lie at the heart of important breadbasket regions in both Elyria and Westemär. Halflings dwelling in cities often run prominent businesses based on the bounty of their fields in the countryside: such as bakeries, breweries, tailors, and taverns. Kinland Hills, a notable village in the Eastern Vales, is made up almost entirely of halflings. It is a town of rolling golden hills, fertile farmland, and quint farmer’s markets. Kinland Hills stands as a testament to the quaint and peaceful lifestyle that halflings often enjoy.
On the other hand, the fey-touched gnomes and goblins tend to be far more reclusive. They often dwell in remote natural places, making their homes under the roots of great trees, mushroom-filled caverns, behind secluded waterfalls, and other places which evoke the spirit of their faerie origins. Many are fascinated with magic, technology, and the comforts of urban life; and gnome and goblin communities are frequently wondrous fusions of nature and steam-powered machinery. Despite these similarities, the contemporary culture of gnome and goblin has fostered fierce rivalries and occasionally outright animosity between their people, though a few outspoken and adventurous individuals hope to mend these relations.

History

Halflings have dwelt in their hills and valleys long before any written history, and amongst their people few care about recording or recounting their origins. There are scant legends of halflings being created by the Old God Shegorach to entertain him, or as the youngest children of Danu and Lugh.
The gnomes and goblins living on the continent today are descendants from those who crossed into this realm from the faerie Otherworlds many eons ago, mostly by accident or curiosity — the largest populations of these people still inhabit the faerie realm. Some sages speculate that gnomes and goblins are related, and two sides of the same coin. However, a gnome and a goblin will argue endlessly that they have no relations, and are completely different from one another. Regardless, both have a great tendency for magic and invention, and when the two passions meet there are often explosive results.

Creating Halfling, Gnome, and Goblin Characters

Halflings, gnomes, and goblins often live their whole lives never leaving the comforts of their home and community. However, a few halflings every generation are stricken with a wanderlust that drives them to great ambitions. Mageborn halflings become bards more often than any other people, but there are a handful of notable halfling wizards and sorcerers amongst the Amethyst Academy. There are even notable halfling champions who have fought alongside the Hooded Lanterns and the Knights of the Silver Order. Although short of stature, no one doubts the bravery and tenacity of these folk, nor the greatness they can achieve.
Like the elves, both gnomes and goblins are almost always mageborn, but are more likely to hide their abilities. Only a rare few become members of the Amethyst Academy, and those who do often excel.

Uncommon Ancestries

Although far less common than humans, there are many other peoples who populate the continent. Sometimes their origins are wholly unknown, but in other cases, they have been part of the world longer than anyone can remember. Regardless of their appearance, origins, or customs, they are treated with the same respect as all the other people, and each can find a place amongst the nations, societies, religions, and organizations of the world.
For example, turtlefolk and birdfolk can be found in the lands of Terene, and many believe they are the original inhabitants of those regions given the blessings of the Old Gods. Orleone has a prominent number of catfolk and lionfolk, while Netherwind is home to half-giants, and who can say what aquatic folk might secretly dwell around the many islands surrounding the continent?
If you have something more unusual in mind, we suggest framing these characters as:

• A traveler from a distant and unknown continent or another world
• The result of a magical experiment
• The last one of their kind

On the other hand, if you want to capture the low-fantasy feeling of the world of Drakkenheim, consider requiring at least half the party create human characters (or ones with a human lineage, such as half-elves and tieflings) and/ or permitting no more than one player to choose one of the anthropomorphic character options found in other Fifth Edition sources. The strange encounters in Drakkenheim are made more special and alien by contrast, and so this may heighten the themes of cosmic horror and otherworldliness.
However, this is merely a flavorful suggestion and by no means a requirement. Genre is important, but there is no reason why you can’t experiment and make the world of Drakkenheim your own. Ultimately, it’s far more important for players to be able to create characters which interest and excite them than to preserve the “sanctity” of the setting. After all, as the protagonists of the story, player characters are naturally oddballs and exceptions.