Dragons of Tirenia

The animal people of Tirenia seem to be one of the most popular parts of the setting! With the rules that already exist, it's possible to play as a number of different animal people. Existing races can also be re-themed as animal people. However, this race is intended as a 'catch-all' so that players can create any sort of animal-headed PC! Zoocefali means 'Animal-Headed', and is the word used to refer to the diverse human/beast hybrid people found throughout Tirenia and the rest of the world. Individual races of zoocefali are common where the original animal occurs - in Tirenia, the most common races are bat-, bear-, bird-, boar-, cat-, cow-, deer-, dog-, ermine-, fox-, frog-, goat-, horse-, lizard-, mouse-, rabbit-, rat-, sheep-, snake-, and wolf-headed people. The word 'zoocefali' refers to all animal-headed people: individuals are called 'cinocefali' for dog headed people, 'ailurocefali' for cat-headed people, 'musocefali'...

There is a wide variety of different sentient life-forms in Tellaia. Scholars have divided them into several categories. The first category, natural humans ('gli uomini naturali'), are the creation of the Divine One at the beginning of time. The second category, bestial humans ('gli uomini bestiali'), were generally created by angels from humans and animals. A third group, the monstrous humans ('gli uomini mostrousi'), were created from humans as well by demons. To these three, we might add an unofficial fourth group of those who do not fit any category. Natural Humans: This category consists of humans, as engendered by the Creative One. They are the largest group worldwide. It also includes within it all humans who have the mark of a spiritual being upon them: angel-born (aasimar) have the mark of heaven, fey-born (elves) and fey-touched (half-elves) have the mark of fairies, and demon-born (tieflings) have the mark of hell. The elemental-born (genasi) have ...

Centaurs, like all of the so-called 'beast people', were created by the angels during the war among the Host at the beginning of time. The angels went to humans and gave them the gifts of the animals that they lived with, to help them defend themselves from the orcs and goblins created by the demons. More than any of the other 'beast people', centaurs are stereotyped as savage, crude, licentious and animalistic by the Tirenians - possibly because they are the rarest of all within its cities. This is because centaurs do not like urban life as a whole, generally preferring a more nomadic existence with their own kind. They are common in Tataria and Crescentia, and centaurs with the bodies of black and white striped horses have occasionally been encountered by those travelling deep into Sahelia. Art: 'Centaur Nessus Abducting Dejanira and Ercules Chasing Him.' Peter Paul Rubens, 1636

The Sibilants are a small and ancient gnostic monastic order. They were created by the angels during the Hostwar. Their temples are a sanctuary to all, offering healing to all. Their temple guardians are monastic knights who focus on healing and protection, rather than violence. Other Sibilants follow the path of knowledge, as wizards, astrologers, diviners and artificers. The Sibilants appear as human, although with snakelike features, which become more pronounced as they use magic. The Sibilants eschew political power, but they are held in high regard by the people who live around them, and snakes are also culturally portrayed as wise. Their esoteric learning is at odds with the Church, however, who portray them as wicked tempters. Art: 'Saint John the Evangelist.' Piero di Cosimo, c. 1500.

To the far north of Tirenia lies a series of rain-soaked islands. A few humans eke out a living there, selling tin to traders, but the land is still ruled by the giants of old, the Firbolg. These dangerous giants worship the cycle of life and death. Many of their religious festivals are celebrated with a living sacrifice - humans, if they can get them. For their most potent rituals, they will even sacrifice one of their own. There are different ways of conducting the sacrifice, depending on the phase of the moon and the stars. Not all of the Firbolg follow this religion, however. Some firbolgs may object for moral reasons; others become rogues after they are marked for sacrifice themselves. They use their natural druidic abilities to disguise themselves, so that they can hide among humans - who would surely reject them if they could see their true forms. Art: 'The True Picture of One Pict.' Theodor de Bry, 1588.

To the far east lie the Spice Islands of Baratio, where many strange monsters dwell. Every year, traders return from the east with exotic goods and tall tales. One of the tales that they tell is of the bull-headed minotaurs. The bull is seen as a sacred animal in those lands. Sometimes, a woman will give birth to a cow-headed child, which is seen as being a gift from on high. These holy children are removed from their families and raised together as a special caste. It is the duty of the rest of society to look after their needs. The task of the minotaurs is to defend others. Before a battle, the bull-men garland themselves and decorate themselves with colourful paint. Their fury, however, is legendary. They are mighty warriors and immensely strong. They are highly trained to use a wide variety of weapons, and often use the horns on their heads to gore their enemies as well. Art: 'The Minotaur.' George Frederic Watts, 1885.

The ancient lizardfolk empire was on the border of Sahelio and Crescentia. They lived in harmony with the great river, and viewed all animals as being divine. There were a thousand cults dedicated to their study and worship. Their great secret was that of becoming,  taking the form of another race. Now the lizard empire is gone, although a few lizard-people remain, but the secrets of becoming  remain with a few last worshipers.  Art: Extract from 'The Last Judgement.' Lucas Cranach the Elder, c. 1524.

There are humans who share the spiritual essence of angels, demons, fairies, elementals, and dragons. In all of these cases, they have inherited abilities from their progenitors. But there is one group who have abilities from an unknown race. The rare Changelings are born with the ability to change their face to look like anyone they have ever met. From where do they get this ability? They themselves do not know. Scholars theorise that there must be a hidden race of shape-changers living among humanity. They must be beings of great spiritual power, like unto the Host, but they have left barely a ripple of their presence. Who are these secretive progenitors? Why are they hiding, and what do they want? Art: 'Anatomical Study.' Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1500.

Tortles are a very rare race of intelligent humanoid turtles who have only arrived recently in Tirenia from foreign lands. They are good-natured and inquisitive travelers. Tortles like to make friends, and they help any people in need that they meet, whether that means helping out on a farm or fighting monsters. Tortles tend to ally with humanist groups against the dragons. Tortles reportedly live to a grand old age, although no one has met one of their elders: they revere the elderly and listen to their advice, but believe that everyone needs to make their own decisions. Tortles are also very artistic, and they are interested in learning about the different art forms they encounter. The truth about tortles is slightly more strange than anyone knows. Tortles are not from Tellaia: they have traveled the streams between worlds to enter this one, and when they are done, they will leave again. They believe that no one needs to know about the worlds beyond this one, so that they can de...

Many races are the result of souls mingling. Only one race tried to do it to itself, with terrible consequences. Kobolds were originally goblin-folk. They noticed how many races were created by angels, demons and fairies. And so one group of goblins attempted to do this to themselves. They would infuse themselves with the power of dragons! Then they would be the most powerful of all. The goblins cast a mighty spell, infusing themselves with a draconic essence. However, they did not expect the consequences. The goblins shrunk even further. The sun hurt their eyes, and they had to hide themselves. The spell had worked imperfectly, and their entire race would forever be damned by the consequences. Kobolds now live underground in isolated areas. They are great cowards, and scavenge for food and supplies - nearby communities may find themselves missing the odd chicken or a tarpaulin that can be made into loincloths. Their low population numbers mean that they are commonly inbred. They ...

In the remote parts of the world, people are still afraid of the orc hordes. Driven by bestial desires, they swept across the land, killing indiscriminately. Orc-kind have great variety, and scholars have given names to some of the more common varieties: 'goblins' are the smallest and most intelligent type, which can sometimes be found in civilised areas; 'bugbears' are larger but more stealthy; 'hobgoblins' have an instinctive grasp of tactics, while 'orcs' are the most common (and violent) type. These terms can be misleading, since they are all the same race, and have an immense variety of physical forms.  During the Hostwar, orcs and their kind were created by demons to be their foot soldiers. Orc-kind were driven back to the hinterlands by the Auromian Empire, but were a constant pressure on its borders, and their incursions contributed to the fall of the Empire. They have been pushed back once more, and are now more remembered in folklore and t...

Not all humans went to the cities. The Wild Men, also known as wood-wose or shifters, are humans who live in the wilderness, closer to animals. They are popular subjects of art, where they are depicted covered in hair, or with bestial characteristics. There are also stories about people who are stricken with madness, who live in the wilderness and become indistinguishable from animals. Shifters are exoticised and romanticised as being more natural and having an instinctive wisdom. There is a fashion among rich nobles to find shifters and bring them to live on their estates as a form of living ornament.  For all that shifters are seen as being wild, they are no less intelligent than civilised humans, if less educated. In times of need, a wood-wose who knows human languages may approach a local rural community. They will not venture away from their homes, or into a city, unless the need is very great indeed. Art: Detail from 'Histoire d'Alexandre.' Jean Wauquelin,...

When a person dies, their soul travels to Purgatorio, to be purified and eventually reborn; or else to Paradiso or the Inferno, if they were particularly virtuous or sinful. Sometimes, however, a soul lingers for a time. Ghosts are created when someone dies with extreme emotion and some unfinished business. Rarer still are the times when the soul of the dead returns to its own body, to finish its dying wish itself. These revenants have effectively reincarnated in their own dead body as a result of their great willpower and overpowering emotions. If their will is disrupted, or their emotions settle, then their soul continues on its journey, which usually happens when they have resolved their final task. It becomes harder and harder for a soul to sustain itself in its body over time, which can also lead to the revenant moving on. Art: Detail from 'Death and the Miser.' Jan Provoost, c. 1520

Stories of bird-people are usually dismissed as no more than travelers' tales, but they are true. During the Hostwar, the angels took the souls of the dead and created avian bodies for them, so they could serve as scouts and aerial troops. As a result of their origin, their souls are unable to move on. They cannot die except by violence, and their souls are then bound to Tellaia, unable to reincarnate. What's more, they are unable to have any children. Most bird-people have withdrawn from a world that instinctively fears them, and they dwell in the most isolated places. They live lives of austere purity, praying to the Supreme One to intervene and undo their creation. Occasionally, one of their ever-dwindling population will leave home in disguise, trying to discover the secret of how their race can die once and for all. While the bird-people originally accepted their curse voluntarily, one tribe cursed Paradiso and turned to other masters for their aid. These corvid-headed...

The Created are the newest race in Tellaia, the least populous, and by far the most controversial. Artistic creation is an inherently magical act, drawing on the same wellspring of power that began the world and all life within it. Some sculptors have managed to use this power to create new life through art. These living statues appear not to have the same physical needs as humans, but they are intelligent and self-willed. Do they have souls, or are they just simulacra? Their creation also requires some magical essence from angels, demons and fairies - but the Storia  teaches that these were all the same thing originally, and that demons and fairies are fallen or debased angels, so why are they needed? Art: 'Studies for the Libyan Sibyl.' Michelangelo, c. 1511.

Elemental spirits are a part of the natural world, and the most common ones are aligned to air, earth, fire and water. Any natural landmark may have an accompanying spirit - river elementals being the most common - which often interact with humans living nearby. These unions can result in children being born of mixed origin. These elemental-blooded humans rarely have any distinguishing physical features, but have a natural affinity for their element. Water-blooded humans often become sailors, for example. They also often find themselves tied to the physical feature that the elemental inhabits. In times of hardship, the element will respond to them, as if they were a magician. This power is seen in folklore as being natural and deriving from the elemental spirit, not the human, and so these people are seen as very lucky. The Church often accuses them of being pagans and witches, and many elemental-blooded people have been killed by the Inquisition. Art: 'The Four Elementals,...

Tirenians have always loved their pets. Among women, academics, and the clergy, cats are one of the most popular pets. La Salvatrice herself, according to folk stories not found in the Storia,  had several pet cats, and always treated them with deference. They are also a popular subject in art, appearing to signify cleverness and mysticism. Catfolk are a race of humanoid cats living in Sahelio. Their origins are unknown, although they are probably the result of the Host's subcreation before the Hostwar, and related to Shifters. They are highly individualistic, and form strong bonds of friendship rather than traditional family units. Catfolk are curious, and their curiosity has led them to explore the world. They are very rare, but are occasionally found as travelers, sailors, or mercenaries.  Catfolk are most commonly found in Vanzenia, where many female kittens are enslaved and taken to become pets.It has become popular to give a catfolk kitten to aristocratic girls as ...

After the creation of Tellaia, the Host tried their hand at creating life as well. One of these attempts were giants - who were humans enlarged, in some cases to truly monstrous proportions. After the Hostwar, giants flourished, and their ancient architecture can still be seen across Tirenia. However, they were eventually overthrown by the gold dragons. There are still giants who dwell in the remove places of the world. There are also humans who have giantish blood, who are distinguished by their greater-than-normal stature. They are more commonly found in remote areas, but are still plentiful enough in the larger cities such as Fiumenze or Vanzenia. Goliaths have no unique culture of their own - they are humans, and identify with their home rather than their race.  Art: 'Judith and Holofernes.' Anonymous, c. 1500.

During the Hostwar, the First City became so sinful that the Almighty One smote it from the face of the earth. In a single night, the land sank down beneath the ocean, and the First City and almost everyone in it was slain. The Storia  says that tritones descent from those who did not die. There were still some who were virtuous within the city, and when the water claimed it, their faith saw them transformed into fish-people. Tritones dwell around the coast-line in underground communities. They worship the elemental forces of water, and frequently consort with undines. They are rarely seen on land: while they can breathe air as well as water, they find it uncomfortable to be out of the ocean, and only send embassies when they find it necessary. The most commonly seen tritones are exiles. There are also stories of tritones rescuing sailors who are lost at sea, but also of tritones luring ships to wreck. Oddly, tritones are also the subject of a number of bawdy sailors' songs an...

During the Hostwar, orcs were created as the foot-soldiers of the demons. They took humans and warped their souls, making them stronger, more aggressive and more violent. Ever since then, there have been those who are biologically or spiritually connected to orc-kind. Half-orcs have a portion of the orcs' strength and rage, and find themselves easily led to violence. Some embrace this: there are many half-orc condottieri, guards, knights and thugs. Others resist the violence in their soul: there have been great half-orc members of the clergy. Disturbingly, some humans are born half-orcs whose family have never had any contacts with orcs: it seems that the changes that were once wrought by the demons can now occur spontaneously. One of the reasons why the demons rebelled was for free will, but they have damned half-orcs to be forever marked by their deeds.  Art: Detail from 'Brera Madonna.' Piero della Francesca, 1472.