Humans

Human’s appeared in this realm in ancient times. Their origin is unknown, but they have since built great civilizations, formed alliances, and risen up against one another. The history of humanity has always included war, but for the last 60 years there has been comparative peace throughout the realm.

Society and Government

Cultures and systems of governance differ widely from country to country, but Zizerax is a monarchy, as it has been for countless generations. It is believed that the current royal family founded the nation.

Zizerax is split up into counties and duchies ruled by counts and dukes. They are free to administer their territories as they see fit, provided they adhere to the kings laws. Only the monarchy is allowed to maintain an army, one which, in the current crisis is spread very thin.

Zizerax has a de-facto and de-jour class system, with some room for upwards mobility, depending on class. There is an artisanal class, a mercantile class, and a bureaucratic class, all of which co-mingle. The only group with no class mobility are the serfs, who are generally forced to work as farmers or miners and are not permitted to travel freely. The former king was on the verge of issuing an edict which would have liberated the serfs, but he died before he could do so.

Inter-race Relations

Humans, more than any other race, have sought relations across races. A multi nation non-aggression pact has existed between the Humans and the Dwarves for 50 years. It is difficult for any race to maintain relationships with Orcs because

Orcs

Legend has it that Orcs were born from the remains of broken golems, but it is more likely that they emigrated to this realm from across the sea. They are fiercely devoted to their individual clans, and have never been ones to form large cities or civilizations. Wars between Orcish clans are common, as are Orcish raids on unprotected Human villages. When Orcs get to old age (as defined by their clan), they are exiled from their clans and live nomadic lives.

Society and Government

Orcish society is organized around clans. Clans are mainly based on family, but freely take in new members to diversify their bloodline. Clans are lead by Honchos who are elected by all the members of the clan one the reigning one dies. Generally, clans are harmonious enough internally that there is little contention in choosing a new leader… but on very rare occasions clans have collapsed when a leader dies because a successor could not be chosen.

Inter-Race Relations

Orcish communities are largely insular, and it’s extremely rare for a clan to accept a non-Orcish member. Depending on the clan, their interactions with outsiders will generally be trade or raid. Social interaction is minimal, and while alliances aren’t unheard of, Orcs prefer to rely on their own clans, or to ally with other Orcish clans when absolutely necessary.

Elves

Society and Government

Elves maintain some of the oldest countries in the realm and have cultural traditions that date back before recorded history. Elf societies are generally ruled by an elected council, and overseen by a king or queen.

Elf society was traditionally separated into two castes known as High Elves and Low Elves. The High Elf caste consisted of members of the government, religious leaders, and powerful merchants, while the Low Elf caste consisted of small traders, laborers, and the military. In the last century the enforcement of the caste system has ceased, but discrimination remains based on bloodline. Many Low Elves have left Elven countries to live free from discrimination either in human civilizations or in the wilds.

Inter-Race Relations

Elves freely intermingle with other societies. They are considered some of the highest craftsmen in the realm, and their goods are highly sought after. Elven nations rarely make war, and their civilizations are considered so stable and well defended few try to start conflicts with them.

Low Elves have long have long abandoned Elven nations to free themselves of discrimination, and are common sites in other countries, especially human ones.

Dwarves/Gnomes

The Dwarves and Gnomes make their homes in fortresses atop mountains, and spacious mines built in antiquity. They’re a race that highly prizes intellect, and they apply much of it to creating weapons of war for other races.

Society and Government

Dwarven society is generally ruled by a group of elected officials who tightly shape the country. Dwarves value the collective over the individual, and gravitate towards this system of governance.
There are no castes or classes in Dwarven society, but the prosperity of the kingdom directly affects each citizen equally. Mismanaged Dwarven fortresses have suffered starvation when the interests and goals of the leaders weren’t realistic.

Inter-Race Relations

Dwarves are well liked and highly regarded for their selfless nature. Citizens of Dwarven fortresses generally don’t venture far from their homes, but those that do are welcomed into new countries with open arms, though, sometimes with the expectation that they will use their intellect for the benefit of their new homes.
The Dwarves rarely make war amongst each other, but have historically fiercely defended their fortresses with awe inspiring force.

Ogres

Ogres have no written history or oral tradition, and so their origin and past are unknown. Whether they at some point lived in a more stable society is unclear, but doubtful. Ogres vary widely in size and demeaner, but the larger the Ogre, generally the less intelligent.

Society and Government

Ogre Country, Ogrim, has existed in a state of virtual anarchy as long as anyone can remember. Their leadership is dictated by size and strength, which assures that whoever is in charge is the dumbest but strongest member of their race, and, essentially, the least qualified. Ogrim has no laws and it is considered to be the most dangerous place in the realm, owing to its constant violence and instability.

Inter-Race Relationships

Ogres have a terrible reputation, one which is well earned. The largest Ogres are notoriously violent, and the smaller Ogres are untrustworthy. For this reason, Ogres have been banned from entering many countries. Because Ogres have no real system of government, they have no real relations with any other nation–just a constant state of ill-will. An Ogre army has never been formed, as usually Ogres are not cooperative or trusting enough to work together. Now that Ogrim has been destroyed, for the first time in known history, a large group of Ogres are traveling together.

Mired

Generations ago, black tar bubbled up from the earth and began binding itself to the dead. They soon rose from their resting places, covered in muck and mire, with a singular purpose: to destroy everything that lives.

The Mired were believed to have been banished in the Crisis of Clerics, but, as Zizerax has fallen to pieces, the dead have once again risen.

Society and Government

The Mired are controlled by Mire Lords, beings of darkness that guide the mindless dead. The Mire Lords are lead by Mire Incarna, whose being is connected to all Mired.

While almost all Mired are undead, some living have had their souls corrupted, and serve the Mired in life. In death they will truly join them

Inter-Race Relations

The Mired seek the destruction of all races.

Lizardmen

Lizardmen, or Lizardem, as they refer to themselves, are newcomers to the realm, and are relatively sparse in number. They are known for their curiosity in the abstract and disinterest in the practical. Lizardmen come exclusively from the nation of Lizardstan, where their singular civilization has flourished for millennia. Lizardmen often wander away from Lizardstan, sometimes in search of new discoveries, sometimes by accident, but always return home before long.

Society and Government

Lizardman society is fairly unstructured. Their system of government is a Constitutional Lizardarchy, wherein a Lizardman will declare himself to be king, rewrite the constitution, and then be king for a while until he gets tired of it or someone else declares themselves king, and he or she steps down.

Inter-Race Relations

Lizardmen are so insular that most people are unsure they actually exist. Every so often a Lizardman will wander away from Lizardstan and will accidentally end up at some human marketplace a thousand miles away, but that is broadly the extent of their interaction with the outside world.

Lizardmen, of course, have no interest in warfare or commerce. Lizardstan is so deep in such a hot desert that it’s unreachable to any non-Lizardman, and so waging war on them is impossible.

Lizardmen have the power to regrow limbs and heal organs at lightning speed. Occasionally, when venturing away from Lizardstan a Lizardman will be attacked, but their self-healing abilities are so great that the Lizardman will generally prevail by standing still while the attacker exhausts themselves.