Humans
Humans are the newest of the great peoples to arrive in Umbria — adaptable, ambitious, and stubbornly determined to endure. They originate from Astrya, a nation defined by recorded history, noble houses, courts, and structured law. When The Fading began to consume their homeland, Astryan leaders accepted a grim truth: survival would not be found by holding ground, but by crossing the sea.
Led by House Headsted, the first great expedition carried more than supplies. They carried identity — family heirlooms, trade knowledge, traditions, and the belief that civilisation could be rebuilt from nothing. Upon reaching Uros, Humans established Headsted Encampment, the first organised foothold and a foundation for future migrations.
Humans may not possess the same ancient magic as the Elfin, nor the raw endurance of the Grokon, nor the fierce unity of the Turuk clanz — but they endure through structure, cooperation, and sheer refusal to fall.
Lifespan: 70–90 Years (Mature at 21)
Height: 4–6.5ft
Language: Human tongues vary by upbringing and region, often forming distinct local dialects over time.
Politics: Court-driven and law-bound, with nations governed by rulers, councils, and strict legal systems.
Hierarchy: Organised by elected leadership, noble houses, and respected families elevated through service and loyalty.
Turuks
Turuks are powerful, broad-built folk with green skin and a reputation that often arrives before they do. They come from the harsh plains of
Magra, where life was shaped through craft, fire, and clan discipline. Their villages were built from timber, sandstone, mudbrick, and terracotta marked proudly with totems, symbols, and clan colours.
When
The Fading reached Magra, many clanz believed they could outlast it, as they had outlasted everything before. But even the fiercest warrior cannot hunt empty land forever. When word spread of a distant place untouched by decay, the Turuks didn’t respond with fear — they responded with purpose. To them, the voyage was not a retreat… it was a
new proving ground.
On arriving in Uros, they founded
Kazug, raising totems and lighting ritual fires to mark their claim. Turuks are often misunderstood by outsiders as raiders and brutes — but within their own culture they are craftsmen, fighters, and proud kinfolk bound by respect and strength.
Lifespan: 90–120 Years
(Mature at 18)Height: 5–7.5ft
Language: Native tongue is
Rukcai (Ru-keye), though Turuks commonly pick up foreign words quickly.
Politics: Leadership is earned through
Wrespeck (Respect) — strength, deeds, and loyalty.
Hierarchy: Clanz are led by a Boss and their toughest generals, though smaller Ruks are trained into nimble roles and valued crafts.
Elfin
The Elfin are an ancient people, bound to the living world in ways others struggle to understand. They originate from Elyiore, a realm of deep forests and old spirit-magic, where nature was not simply worshipped — it was family. When The Fading crept into their homeland, it didn’t just destroy trees… it silenced the very song of the forest. Leaves dulled, soil grew cold, and the magic that sustained Elyiore began to weaken.
For the Elfin, leaving was unthinkable. It meant abandoning centuries of memory — severing themselves from everything they were. Yet when even the oldest druids could not reverse the decay, they made their choice: the Elfin would not die with their homeland.
Central to their journey was the Mother Tree Sapling, still young, still living — a fragile symbol of continuity and survival. When they reached Uros, the sapling responded to the land with renewed strength, and the Elfin founded Ishlian, their first sanctuary and foothold in Umbria.
Elfin carry grace, discipline, and ancient tradition — but beneath their calm is a people rebuilding from loss, guarding a legacy that nearly vanished.
Lifespan: 750–1000 Years (Mature at 400)
Height: 5–7ft
Language: Most speak common tongues, but their ancient dialect is Fielish (Feelish), known best by older Elfin.
Politics: Guided by a high-standard Council tradition, decisions are shaped by wisdom, balance, and long-term consequence.
Hierarchy: Elders and council authority carry great weight, with titles granted through service, respect, and cultural honour.
Grokon
The Grokon are an old and enduring folk, shaped by stone and defined by craft. They originate from the subterranean civilisation of
Dol’Barr, where cavern cities glittered with crystal veins and walls were carved with history itself. To a Grokon, stone is more than shelter — it is memory, identity, and proof of survival.
The Fading did not shatter Dol’Barr in a single moment. It seeped in slowly, like poison. Crystals dulled, dust thickened, and the deep resonance chants began to echo wrong — as if the mountain had forgotten its own voice. Some Grokon sealed themselves behind great doors, choosing to endure below. Others accepted the hard truth:
even stone can rot.
Those who left carried tools, records, and their ancient discipline across the sea. When they reached Uros, the cliffs and hills felt stable — familiar. There, they founded
Gúldir, a settlement carved with careful precision, built to echo the strength of Dol’Barr.
Grokon are patient, proud, and famously stubborn — but their loyalty quality is unmatched, and their craftsmanship can turn raw earth into legacy.
Lifespan: 350–600 Years
(Mature at 50)Height: 3.5–5ft
Language: Similar roots to Human speech, but heavier, shortened, and shaped by strong accents and craft-terms.
Politics: Clans elect a ruling Lord/King through honour and proven leadership, supported by a council of clan heads.
Hierarchy: The Lord of Gúldir holds final authority, while clan lords govern their own kin unless overruled by the throne.
