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the cabalistic Illumians
"Illumians look like the humans who first learned the Ritual of Words MAde Flesh—pale-skinned and somewhat taller than average. More than half of all illumians are bald, while the rest have blod or red hair. Facial hair is almost unheard of."
"Elaborate facial makeup is also common among illumians, particularly older ones who have already mated for their cabal. While some humans wear makeup to make themselves appear more attractive, illumians wear it for the oppisite reason: to keep others at a distance. The more garish and outlandish an individual's makeup, the more likely it is that she wishes to be left alone."
"Illumian personal names are almost always two or three syllables long, chosen from syllables that have a positive connotation. Illumians also take the name of their cabal as their own. Because the cabals help define an illumian's place in the world, illumians give their cabal name first, followed by their personal name."
The most striking feature of Illumians is the glowing sigils that ring their heads at about the same level as their temples or brow, endlessly circling. These sigils glow at about the same level of brightness as a candle flame, except for their power sigils. Illumians start with one power sigil, and can gain up to three. The power sigils are named Aesh (vigor), Hoon (life), Krau (magic), Naen (mind), Uur (grace), Vaul (soul), and Inac (spirit). If you wish to play an illumian, I will PM you more about the sigils themselves. These sigils can be doused and re-lit at will by the illumian, but the illumian in question loses the benefit of such sigils when they are doused, unless specially trained.

the shamanistic Orcs
Due to their monstrous appearance, orcs are shunned by the majority of the human-dominated world. They have long been in conflict with the low elves over the plains, and they and the dwarves have a long-standing fued over the dwarvish push for industry, and its consequent damage to nature. The orcs are strong, lean-bodied people, with tough skin and tusks. Despite the opinions of the rest of the world, the orcs are herbivores, incapable of digesting meat. The few human/orc hybrids are shunned by both cultures, and burn through life fast, maturing and dying of old age even faster than either of their parent races. They are usually the result of violence and hatred, rather than loving matches.

the graceful (and snobbish) Elves
There are four types of elf in the world. The high elves are very civilized, refined folk. They frequent the cities, are rather vain about their appearance, and produce some of the finest wizards and rapier-men in the world. The low elves live in the plains, among the high grasses. They are much shorter than humans, comming only to midway up the average human's chest. They live in caravans and love music more than anything else in the world. They produces great riders, archers, and bards. The wood elves and night elves are much the same, sharing the same forests and jungles. The only difference is their sleep schedules. Both races produce fine druids and hunters, though very few swordsmen. Most human/elf matches are made out of love, and produce specimens who only differ from humans in their grace, longevity, and pointy ears.

the drunken, metalworking Dwarves
They are the inventors of gunpowder, and have even created devices similar to colonial muskets, which they can use to astounding effect. They are people of earth and stone, and are even shorter than the low elves, if much more sturdy. Dwarves do not like to use swords, but wield axes and warhammers to great effect. Their metalwork is the finest in the world. It is well-known that nobody can drink a dwarf under the table, those three humans out of a trillion nonwithstanding.

Raikani closed her novel with a pleased sigh. This was the third time this trip that she had read her book cover to cover, and it just kept getting better. Her companion turned over in his sleep a few feet away. Guiltily, she doused her sigils. She had been reading by their illumination, sure, but she was supposed to be keeping watch, and you couldn't very well do that while engrossed in a book. She grinned, eyes crinkling the paint of the blue stripe. A single red tear fell from her left eye today, but it didn't really mean anything. Raikani stood, stretching her limbs out, and checked the woods around them again. Nothing. Again.

With her boot toe, she nudged her companion to wakefulness. "It's your turn for sentry duty." Proping her back against a nearby tree, she attempted to get to sleep, despite the sounds of her companions preparations for the watch. Oh, how Raikani longed for a fire, but no. Her 'experienced' guide said that was too risky a proposition unless they had to cook meat to keep for a while.