Races of Weyard

Humans

The most prevalent race on Weyard. Humans can be found all over the world and in all kinds of civilizations. From the bustling mega-cities of Angara to to the humble island villages of the Apojii Archipelago, there is almost no place on the planet where one will not find a human. Since the Ancient banishment of Alchemy, humanity has spread far and wide to claim every corner of the world. Their cultures vary from location to location, as does their technology. Even with the rebirth of Alchemy, many humans choose to live a simpler life, devoid of the so-called luxuries that Alchemy has provided the world. You are just as likely to see a human in a bustling city as you are to find them on a far off island devoid of running water. Hardy and adaptable, humans have not survived all this time by mere chance.

The northern reaches of Weyard are coated in a thick, never-melting blanket of ice. This inhospitable wasteland stretches far and wide, with nothing but whiteness and the blizzard to see. It is here in this tundra that the city of Prox resides. Its decendants, the original Mars adepts, were a race of humans with cold blue skin and lizard-like features. Born into a harsh climate, they learned early on to be as cruel as the lot nature had given them. Their ferocity was unmatched, fueled by the burning passion of the Mars Lighthouse. One would be hard pressed to find a hardier and grittier person than a Proxian.

To say that Proxians are or are not human is difficult. Over the centuries since the dawn of the Golden Sun, Proxians have been free to travel far away from their frigid homeland. They have also continued to evolve, moving further away from their humanoid ancestry and embracing the call of the Dragons they share so much in common with. Now more lizard than man, Proxians are a powerful race with a powerful empire that has expanded rapidly. Fearsome-looking, but not necessarily a terrifying people, Proxians come from all walks of life.

Lemurians are a curious people. Nestled away deep within the storm that surrounds the Sea of Time, the Lemurians live in what is essentially a utopia. Their ancient land has remained untouched by human civilization since the banishment of Alchemy, and even as the rest of the world began to rot away, Lemuria remained untouched. Its people never lost the gift of Alchemy, retaining their control of Psynergy when the rest of the world thought it to be only myth and legend. Like the Ancients, the Lemurians conquered the limits of mortality and created the mystical Elixir of Immortality (or Lemurian Draught). This has allowed the Lemurians to live much longer than normal humans, and some are rumored to be truly immortal. Their ties to the elements have never waned, but their connection to the outside world is almost non-existent. Very few people have ever managed to navigate the dense fog of the Sea of Time, and fewer still could find it within them to leave after arriving.

Natives of Lemuria enjoy extended lifespans and a natural affinity for the Element of Water. With the rebirth of Alchemy, many Lemurians have begun to explore the newly budding world, and have brought some of their secrets with them. Though they have sworn to never share the Elixir of Immortality with any but the most trusted and worthy people, they are still welcome by the mortal population thanks to their vast knowledge of the ancient world. The Lemurians are also partly responsible for the discovery of Sol's power, and were some of the first to embrace the new era as Sun Adepts.

Though there are few dwarves in the world, their skill in craftsmanship are nearly unmatched. Rumored to have once hailed from the same icy home as the Proxians, the dwarves created a settlement on Angara that was separated from the rest of the world by impassable mountains. Since the dawning of the Golden Sun however, that mountain range has disappeared, and the dwarves have moved on to populate the world. Stout and noble, these short people quickly made a name for themselves in the world by imparting their vast tinkering and spelunking skills to unlock the secrets of some of Weyard's most ancient technology. Originally possesing little Alchemical skill, the dwarves quickly adapted after the rise of the Golden Sun and now embrace Alchemy in all its forms. Sturdier than most of the races of Weyard, it is very hard to knock a dwarf down, let alone getting them to stay that way.

Legend has it that long ago, just after the once great Mount Aleph erupted and showered the world in Psynergy stones, a group of humans on the continent of Osenia were blessed with the great powers of Jupiter. However, this blessing turned out to be a curse: though they were granted power over the winds and minds, they were also doomed to transform into wolf-creatures on the night of a full moon. These werewolves secluded themselves from the rest of the world, both because they feared what the world would think of them, and what they might do to the world. It seemed as if they were doomed to a life of loneliness and suffering.

When the Golden Sun dawned, this all changed. With Alchemy reborn, the face and the people of the world began to change. Like the Proxians who slowly transcended into more draconic forms, the werewolves' curse shifted and changed as well. Instead of being doomed to walk the night as horribly mutated beasts, the werewolves found that nature had given them the best of both worlds: a humanoid form, but with the features, agility and tenacity of beasts. No longer having to fear the night, the new Beastmen emerged from hiding and explored Weyard, only to find that they were not the only humans to undergo such a transformation. In time, they formed their own nation and amassed great wealth and power for their people, allowing the Beastmen to stand out as one of Weyard's most prominent races.

One of the more amazing things to occur when Mount Aleph erupted was the creation and invigoration of new forms of life. Though some will say that the Psynergy Stones brought nothing but calamity as they empowered and gave birth to hordes of monsters, there was a lighter side to it all. Deep in the Kolima forest, an elder tree was given a gift thanks to the power of Psynergy: consciousness. Though originally this consciousness raged against the people, it eventually found solace thanks to the will of the Great Heroes. The peace brokered between humans and the living tree laid the foundation for a miracle: the start of new life.

A century later, this new life began to awkwardly stumble out of the forests. Humanoid creatures with bodies made of twigs and leafs, the Treants emerged into Weyard as bright-eyed and curious as any newborn baby. Over the course of their existence, the Treants have adopted the forests as their homes, building great hidden cities amongst the boughs. Tied inexplicably to nature and the power of the elements, the Treants experience life in cycles, in ways that most normal people cannot comprehend. Their elder (and quite possibly their Deity) Tret, still lives rooted in the Kolima Forests. A destination for all Treant pilgrims seeking to learn about their mysterious roots.

As the races of Weyard expanded and grew to understand Alchemy more, their understanding of reality began to change. While some merely pursued Alchemy as a way to better themselves and society, others saw Alchemy as the one true path. All other things were meaningless compared to true elemental understanding and enlightenment could only be reached once all the secrets of Alchemy were unlocked. Through rigorous study, devotion and experiment, some Adepts transcend their mortal bodies and actually become one with Alchemy itself. They are known as the Ascended, beings are living embodiments of Venus, Mars, Jupiter or Mercury. Some of these people find a higher calling, while others return to their lives in their new forms, bolstered by a closeness to their element that no other person, save another Ascended, could ever understand.