Races

 Atani are tall, thin, glider-folk with wing-like membranes stretching from their arms to their sides. They have pinkish skin, all colors of hair and eyes, and are as free-spirited as the winds they float upon. Atani originated in the 200-foot high boughs of carroway trees, once quite common around Caribdus. Unfortunately, carroway are exquisite white hardwoods that were ruthlessly harvested by masaquani. The Kieran Empire in particular conquered many carroway forests, killing their inhabitants for the precious wood to satisfy a long line of greedy emperors.

Smooth blue to gray dolphin-like skin and the fierce spirit of a hunter are the hallmarks of this semi-aquatic people. Doreen don’t have gills but spend a great deal of time in water. They are “breath hold” divers and can stay underwater for well over half an hour before needing to breach for fresh air. Doreen are hunters and nomads, following fertile fishing grounds and herds of giant seabeasts. They typically erect temporary homes on nearby islands, then abandon them when food becomes scarce. They move frequently and must swim great distances to their new locations, so most own no more than they can easily carry on their bodies—including a sharp knife.

Grael are gray-skinned humanoids with immense layers of fat, beady black eyes, and short, dull tusks. Their obese appearance belies their muscles, which grow quite large beneath the burden of their naturally blubbery skin. Visitors sometimes call them sea-lions, a name the grael take pride in once they learn just what a “lion” is. Grael live in prides composed of their immediate families. Most dwell in crude stone huts on the far northern island of Arfk, but many are recruited by pirates and the like for their brawn and so set sail for promises of booty and violence.

Some natives see them as an infestation. Others as saviours. The truth is that Humans are like any other race. Some are as pure as the snows of Arfk while others are as black as the Coaker Mountains. Humans are called “visitors” or “earthers” by the other races, though it is something of a misnomer for few believe they will ever find a way home. “Newcomers” might be a more appropriate term since they’ve now been here for 13 years. Though they come from many places and many times, all humans have one thing in common—they were brought into Caribdus by the Maiden.

The dominant species of Caribdus before the flood were the Masaquani (mass-a-kwan-ee). They are near-human in appearance, but with far more exotic and varied skin and hair colors (deep blue to bright pink). They also seem to have more variance. Fat masaquani can easily exceed 400 pounds, tall individuals can reach seven feet, and short masaquani look almost like dwarves of human legend. Masaquani cities were the largest and most like Earth’s in the dark ages, but without a feudal tradition or knights and armor. Elemental magic replaced the development of science in many realms, though a few forward-thinking rulers, such as those of Ograpog, emphasized both in their nations’ universities.

The Red Men of Torath-Ka are savage barbarians who look something like red-tinged neanderthals. Occasionally, Red Men escape and mate with humans or masaquani. The children of these (typically unwilling) pairings are called a variety of things, none of them polite. Half-ugak or— incorrectly—Red Men are the least offensive. Half-ugaks usually have terrible childhoods. Most who survive are raised in secret by their parents or sold into slavery from an early age. Such rearing does little to improve their natural hostility. Pirates and privateers alike find half-ugaks fantastic crewmen. They are simple enough to obey orders yet barbaric enough to terrify many foes before a shot is fired or an axe is swung..
 

Scurillians are unique among Caribduns, for they are the product of tampering by a kraken archmage named Tal Rathus hundreds of years ago. These strange creatures have never been fully accepted by most of Caribdus, but the genius given them by Rathus makes them valuable accountants, scientists, navigators, quartermasters, and even mages. Though most avoid combat, they are wellsuited to it when pressed. In addition to grasping arms, hard shells, and telescopic eyes, they also have two sharp, vice-like pincers.