Races of Versura

Versura is inhabited by many races. This page tries to go into the peculiarities of each race and how their representatives in Versura differ from the descriptions given in the standard sources. The order follows the World of Versura page with each race appearing where their homeland is.

Many races get associated with the five elements. The five races that originally occupied the Five Quarters are tied to metal (dwarves), earth (goliaths), fire (tieflings), and wood (halflings) with an unknown race of water. The genasi and dragonborn varieties are similarly associated with the different elements. Finally, humans, as the natives of the Heartland, are often thought of as the race that represents the balance between the elements.

Heartland

The population of the Empire is diverse, although humans make up the majority. Halflings, half-elves, dwarves, and muls are not an uncommon sight and other races like dragonborn, goliaths, or elves find their way into the Empire as well.

Humans

Humans make up the majority of the Empire's population. The are diverse in appearance and mentality, but there are striking similarities between inhabitants of one duchy that are outlined on the World of Versura page. Scholars and mystics like to think of humans as the race of balance between the elements. This can lead to either a feeling of superiority or a resistance against the ongoing colonization beyond the Heartland.

Halflings

The halflings of the Halfshire are peaceful and rather sedentary people that are content with a simple life. There are many halflings living in the other parts of the Empire, too. Often they prefer the simple life, too, but a good number turns out to be curious and adventurous, adverse to a humble, steady life.

Despite their history, the halflings hold no ill will against elves and eladrin. The elves are not always aware of that and are careful or especially friendly around halflings.

Muls

The dwarves within the Imperial cities are often not bound by dwarven traditions and so intermarriage between humans and dwarves is not unheard of. The children of these couples are half-dwarves or muls. Their upbringing depends on the parents, but most grow up feeling more kinship with humans than with dwarves. The fact that more conservative dwarves disdain intermarriage and therefore muls as result of such relationships certainly doesn't help.

Half-Elves

Half-Elves are not as common in Versura as they might be in other worlds. Elves and eladrin prefer staying in the woods with their own kind and rarely wander outside. Most half-elves in the Empire live in Lignam where marriages between elves and humans are not uncommon and often done to reinforce agreements between the races. The most prominent half-elves are the members of House Forberg, the ducal family of Lignam.

Five Quarters

The Five Quarters are each associated to one element and were originally home to the race that has been associated with it. The halflings have driven out of the Eternal Forest during the Fey Invasion and have found a new home in the Empire (and thus are listed above). The Eternal Forest is now home to elves and eladrin. The tiefling empire in the Tiefland has been destroyed during the Time of Temptation, but their new home, the Hochland, is close enough to it to have them listed here.