Errant Story - Races/Species

Races/Species

Dwarves: The first species made by the gods Anilis and Senilis, presumed extinct. Dwarves were strong, frighteningly intelligent, and immortal (unless killed by injury or mishap); but they could not procreate, so when the gods stopped creating them, they eventually died out. Despite a complete and utter lack of magic, they were still a power to be reckoned with. They have not appeared in the comic as of yet, though the ruins of their cities impress humans and elves alike. Farrelian theocrats claim that these are the ruins of ancient human civilizations that predate and surpass that of the elves.

Elves: The second created species. The elves are immortal in that they do not die of old age, but can be killed. They are skilled in magic, used to dominate the planet, tried to kill off the trolls, and took it upon themselves to protect and uplift the humans. Following the Errant war, the survivors sealed themselves away in their sole remaining city for centuries. There are four races of Elves: the Rinkai Erufu (blonde, uninhibited, "sea elves"), the Keiren ("wood elves"), the Sanguen ("highland elves"), and the Cimmerii (dark-skinned, more conservative, "cave elves"). The elven sexes are socially and physically equal. A key feature of elven society is related to their immortality: after some decades or centuries, a couple will drift apart or become bored with each other. Most elves have come to romanticize love with humans, because the human will die before the elf gets bored, leaving an eternal unfulfilled desire. Sarine, who has actually experienced this, is less taken with the concept. Another aspect is that many elves currently living would have been involved in the genocide against the half-elves, 1700–2000 years before. Elven fertility was low, though the fact that the youngest living elf is 1500 years old suggests they've had even further problems.

Humans: Humans seem to be humans as we know them; their origins in the world are a mystery. When the elves first found them, the humans were primitive and barbaric. The Elves taught the humans much, but this was not totally out of benevolence. Many human settlements, particularly Tsuiraku, still show strong holdovers from elven culture.

Half-elves: The offspring of a human and an elf or of two half-elves. Though mortal, they live much longer than humans and mature more slowly; at best, they are stronger, healthier, and more magical than humans. Common among half-elves is an immunity to transformative magic, related to the magic which keeps elves truly immortal; while it can protect them from some magical attacks, it also prevents them from benefiting from healing or shapechanging magic. At some time in the past, it was discovered that half-elves can have a high rate of birth defects, including psychological problems that may not manifest themselves until adulthood. Half-elves with these defects and problems are called "Errants," though the word is sometimes used pejoratively to refer to all half-elves, and the Errant War started as a struggle over whether all half-elves should be pre-emptively killed, before they could destroy any more cities, after destroying one and absconding with the forerunner of Tsuiraku.

Trolls: The third created species. Mortal, but with a lifespan of centuries, and magical use by female trolls. Generally regarded as cannibalistic brutes, though one educated human talks about their having been framed for violence, and how their cannibalism derives from complex beliefs about the relationship between flesh and soul.

Paedagogusi: The helpers of the gods, and the five teacher-nurturers of the Elven civilization, long since vanished. They look like small, winged, female fairies, seem to be nigh-invulnerable,and claim to be quite powerful. Four have been met by the main characters; their personalities completely fail to match religious expectations of how demigods should comport themselves. The Paedagogusi Concussion, Nookie and Kawaii appear to be (or be based on) characters from Poe's earlier webcomic, Exploitation Now.