Species

RISE is inhabited by several sapient species which you can play. All species are “humanoid” regarding physical appearance (upright posture, basic facial characteristics, bipedal, etc.) though only some have direct relationships to human ancestries.

Each species’s lineage is distinguished by general physical traits , as well as characteristics that tie into abilities expressed in gameplay through Stats, Attributes, Skills, and Feats. During character creation, players have the opportunity to define how much their character specifically fits into the standard archetype of their species. If you want to further customize or mix ancestries, see the Halflings section.

Below is a list of the standard species in RISE, set in the world of Elara. You can read more about each species in the rest of this chapter, including the traits for each one that are included during character creation.

• Humans
• Orions
• Vasari
• Infernals
• Starforged
• Karnathids
• Garguns
• Draugyr
• Ravkha
• Ferali
• Halflings

Each species description includes a species table (outlined below) for you to add to your character sheet during character creation.

Humans

Humans are one of the most prolific species on Elara, no doubt a result of their incredible adaptability and ambition. You’ll find humans flourishing in nearly every environment from remote seaside crystal coves to industrialized desert cities. No two humans are quite the same, varying just as much in height, build, and coloring as in their tastes, morals and customs. Their smooth skin ranges from pale white to deep brown, sometimes freckled, with hair falling in tight curls, loose waves, or straight locks. Though rarely living to a single century, humans are driven to leave a mark and chase dreams that often exceed their years. Humans experience dramatic physical changes as they age, unlike some of the longer-lived races. Deep wrinkles, graying hair, and stooped posture all display the intensity of lives spent conquering challenges and embracing change. Other species often marvel at this relentless adaptability and ambition. Some find it reckless, others inspiring, and many dangerous, but none can ignore it.

Orions

Though Orions share a common ancestor with humans, their physical features make them unmistakable. Standing just three to four feet tall with pointed ears stretching outward, elongated dextrous fingers, and wide rounded eyes, Orions are striking despite their small stature. These features often make them look deceptively young, as Orions mature quickly and commonly celebrate well past a hundred years.
Their knack for crafting, invention, and tinkering has been an essential part of their history for millennia. Many express their fondness for innovation outwardly: pale hair dyed in bright colors, limbs enhanced with prosthetics of their own design, or intricately accessorized clothing showcasing their finesse in technological design. If you meet someone fully engrossed in study, work, or a personal pursuit, they are likely an Orion. Their passion often extends beyond technology, sometimes taking on spiritual forms. Many honor the Ethereals, whom they believe guided their ancestors through deep space to find Elara, while others cling to to “lucky” items, said to hold the key to the little successes of daily life.

Vasari

The Vasari are an ancient and graceful people, whose bodies and culture alike express enduring serenity and harmonious beauty. Tall and lithe, with sharp facial features and even sharper pointed ears, they carry an air of elegance that can seem distant, apathetic, or unbothered to outsiders. In truth, they are deeply reflective and connected to the world. Their long lifespans over 300 years only intensify their tranquil presence and ageless appearance. Vasari devotion runs deep, especially to the rare Vasari child who is often hidden and cherished in Vasaran communities well into adulthood. Those fortunate enough to earn a Vasari’s friendship will find it unwavering and fiercely loyal.

Since the beginning of their recorded history, two forms of Vasari have coexisted and complemented each other. Rather than separate subraces divided by distinct cultures and histories, the Halcyon and Mythos Vasari are each unique expressions of the same Vasaran spirit . Together, they bring balance to the whole species— solemn memory and hope, firm judgment and compassion, shadow and light.

Mythos Vasari

The Mythos Vasari are born to bear the solemn weight of remembrance. Their skin ranges through shades of pure white to grey or nearly black, sometimes tinged with dusky tones of blue, or violet and stark black or white hair. They are seen as living links to memory and mystery, embodying introspection and reflection into the echoes of history. They are contemplative, intellectual, and unyielding in their pursuit of knowledge, especially the arcane. To them, mistakes are lessons etched into eternity, and they seldom forgive folly lightly. These Vasari are likely to reject technology, judging it as the spark that ignited the great conflicts in Elaran past.

Halcyon Vasari

In contrast, The Halcyon Vasari embody renewal and the promise of what lies ahead. Their warm golden or rosy skin, paired with hair in shades of red or blonde, seems to carry the very brightness of hope itself. Compassionate and encouraging, they are the healers, and guardians of their people. Where the Mythos preserve caution and call for judgement, the Halcyon kindle hope, striving to mend wounds both physical and emotional. They believe that history must be remembered, but the future must always be nurtured. For the Halcyon, mistakes of the past are not scars to bear, but soil from which new growth may flourish.

Infernals

Encountering an Infernal, you may be surprised to learn of their Vasaran ancestry. Besides their pointed ears, little else is familiar. Their skin flaunts jewel tones — emerald, sapphire, ruby, amber, and violet — set on compact, robust frames more akin to humans than their lithe forebears. Sharp teeth and whip-like tails further identify them, though many file the former or or remove the latter in efforts to minimize standing out. Most striking of all are Infernal horns, curving in a variety of shapes, often lengthening throughout life. Revered as symbols of strength and wisdom, they command respect, even as they tempt high prices in ruthless black market trading.

Their otherness has fueled millenia of persecution that, while widely outlawed, is not eradicated nor forgotten. From hardship has grown fierce pride and defiance woven deep into the Infernal soul, bearing new generations that are strong in mind, body, and spirit. Though their numbers remain few, they burn with a vigor that refuses to fade. Even with the weight of the past still dragging at their heels, many Infernals believe that with unyielding hearts and enduring strength, they may yet rise to great heights.

Starforged

The Starforged are ancient beings born of a forgotten union between arcane mastery and superior technology. Ancient crystal cores and labyrinthine channels of alchemical fluid supply arcane power to their near immortal bodies, making Starforged an incredible sight to behold.

Initially forged by the Vasari as advanced weapons against humankind, the peaceful end to the ancient war meant that surviving Starforged had no commands or purpose. This created the Long Stasis — an extended shutdown to preserve the spark of life energy — but memories and power eroded with the ages past. Those who awaken grasp for identity and meaning, asking “Who am I?” and “What can I become?” Many look to the Constellations who ended the war, to guide their path in the world while others carve a path of their own.

They neither eat nor sleep, instead drawing strength from cosmic radiation and entering stasis to heal mind and body. While they have no biological sex, many have adopted a gender to express themselves through. Their humanoid designs vary in weight, size, proportion, and materials they choose to incorporate into their body as “armor.” Throughout the ages, Starforged refurbish their original metal parts with stone, metal, wood, armor pieces, or fibers by incorporating them directly into their physical architecture. The materials used in this process define the two kinds of Starforged — the Organics and Inorganics.

Inorganic Starforged

Organic Starforged

Karnathids

Karnathids tower over most Elaran races, with six limbs and prominent insectoid features ornamenting hardened exoskeletons. An individual Karnathid can have any combination of physical traits — from beetle-like shells to mandibles, compound eyes, antennae, proboscis, claws, and vestigial wings. Additional hardened plating, mandibles, spines, or gliding membranes can help adapt them to specific environments.
Karnathids are no longer a eusocial species though most retain some mannerisms from their hive-bound past, such as posturing, drumming, or chemical marking, but these are now personal habits rather than communal compulsions. Those behaviors in addition to their carapaced forms and twitching movements — limbs snapping into place while antennae flick and twitch can be alien and off-putting to outsiders.

Karnathids are a reclusive people, found most often in underground warrens, crater cities, and cliffside colonies. They form small groups built on earned trust rather than familial obligation, and rarely build large settlements. While some have embraced their freedom and carved out new paths as hunters, tacticians, or artisans, others. A few even form secretive cults that seek to revive the ideals of the Karnathid Ascendancy, believing unity under the old will to be the only path forward.

To outsiders, Karnathids can seem alien or threatening, but they are a people defined not by instinct, but by struggle. Their culture prizes self-mastery, resilience, and the ability to endure without a master. They did not choose their freedom — but they must now decide what to do with it.

Garguns

Garguns are made up of 2 subspecies that they call Tribes, Gargun-Fel and Gargun-Ul. Most Garguns do not recognize or seem to care that they are separate species and care more about individual strength, often competing in dangerous battles and competitions simply to prove themselves. Though there are some Gargun who have chosen to leave the bloody tribal life behind and have attempted to blend into modern society within the large cities.

Both of the Gargun Tribes have large and physically powerful statures necessary for their home planet, a bleak place of rock, sand, wind, and ice. All Gargun stand between 1.75 to 2.5 m tall (6 to 8 feet) and weigh between 90 to 160 kilograms (200 to 340 pounds). The Gargun-Fel look as if they are carved from mountain stone, with skin colors of mostly gray, blue, and drab tones. Meant for blending into the glacial poles of their homeworld. They are often covered by tribal scarring or tattoos. They tend to be fierce warriors and cold as ice in combat but more boisterous and cheerful when drinking and eating. They greatly value community and food.

Garguns were the first aliens that humanity discovered beyond their home planet. These powerful and large beings were no match for the technology and weapons humanity wielded. And were eventually enslaved as warriors and laborers. Garguns have a short lifespan and an even shorter memory. The Gargun Tribes generally hold no grudges for the enslavement they once faced. About 10% of the world's population is Gargun.

Where the Gargun-Fel have more of a human semblance, the Gargun-Ul seem more monstrous. They have rough green/gray skin with large tusks that protrude from their lower jaw and pointed ears. Meant for blending into the hostile equatorial deserts of their homeworld. Due to their looks Gargun-Ul generally receive more prejudice than Gargun-Fel. The Gargun-Ul tend to be less virtuous fighters than the Gargun-Ul, they are known for fighting dirty, and have less rigid morals, perhaps also due to the prejudice they receive, they also tend to have more unsavory and less legal jobs. Both tribes have short lifespans, usually less than 50 years, though some suspect this could be longer if they were less prone to seeking a glorified death in battle.

Draugyr

The Draugyr are a rare and somber race shaped by ancient events none fully understand. Their origin is believed to vastly predate the fall and many of the other sapient species, when the Ethereals clashed in ways that scarred both the stars and the surface of the galaxy & Elara. Where the forces of death and order pressed down hardest, the Draugyr emerged. They are not truly undead but may look like they are. They are living beings who endure where others fade.

Draugyr skin tones range from pale gray to ash white. Draugyr appear to age at a faster rate and even some younger members can often appear gaunt, with dry stretched skin. Their eyes are typically light in color and sometimes lack visible pupils, and their expressions are often still and unreadable. Draugyr bodies are durable, with dense muscles and slow metabolisms. Though they may appear to age quickly, their lifespans can reach well over two centuries. Though they are capable of reproduction, it is rare and often intentional, guided by ritual and custom. Draugyr families are few but tightly bonded.

Culturally, Draugyr value restraint, precision, and clarity. Many serve as judges, scholars, or caretakers of the dead. They do not fear death, nor do they seek it. To them, it is simply the final stillness that all things return to. Their cities are quiet, organized, and built with stone and metal in rigid patterns. Draugyr prefer plain speech and consider excess emotion a sign of weakness. Though they do not claim allegiance to Fatalis, some believe their nature is a direct result of its influence during the early days of Elara’s rebirth.

Only a small number of Draugyr remain active in Elara. Most of their kind live in isolated settlements, emerging only when the world threatens to descend into chaos. When they do appear, their presence is often unsettling, not for what they do, but for the silence and gravity they bring with them.

Ravkha

Need a single defining feature to mark them - I’m thinking color changing irises?

The Ravkha are a chaotic and adaptive race that existed well before modern recorded history, even among the Vasari. While most scholars agree they are not native to Elara or any other known planet, their exact origin is unclear. Some believe they are the byproduct of Entropis’s chaotic influence on early life, or a mutation of another species altered by exposure to corrupted magical zones. What is certain is that Ravkha biology does not follow natural laws as other races understand them.

Ravkha can be warm or cold-blooded, fleshy or scaly, and highly variable in appearance. Their skin ranges from earthy browns and greens to vibrant blues and pinks, to pale reds and oranges. Many have soft growths, ridges, or molting patches that shift over time. Hair, horns, and nails often change color with age or environment. Ravkha bodies regenerate quickly, and some individuals develop unique features over their lifetimes, including extra joints, enhanced senses, or patterned skin. They are capable of interbreeding at an unusually rapid rate, leading to large family groups and densely populated communities.

Socially, Ravkha live in sprawling, noisy enclaves filled with movement, sound, and scent. They value birth, growth, and connection above all else. Ravkha are expressive, affectionate, and prone to making fast emotional bonds. Conflict is common among them but rarely lasting. They forgive quickly and forget slowly. Their settlements are often overgrown or interwoven with plant life, animal companions, and living architecture. While many Ravkha practice healing arts or biological crafting, others follow paths of passion, instinct, or physical perfection.

Though some fear the Ravkha’s unpredictable nature, they are rarely malicious. They simply view the world as something that should always be changing. They did not choose to be born from chaos, but they have learned to thrive in it. Whether by design or accident, the Ravkha are proof that life can adapt to anything, even the fallout of a god's argument.

Ferali

Ferali come in a huge abundance of shapes and forms. According to history they were genetically created as a last ditch effort for stronger warriors by the humans during the ancient war prior to the fall. Ferali have traits of both humans and beasts from humanity's original planet. About 10% of the world's population are Ferali.

The Ferali often do not see themselves as the same species, but instead they group into subspecies that they call Clans. Within the clan, all members are family and the bonds between parent and siblings are no stronger than that of other clan members. Ferali often rarely live boring lives and many find it difficult to regulate their emotions and more primal instincts. They are usually strong warriors and have highly adapted bodies.. Some of the Clans also have strong affinity for the Arcane, and have even developed their own unique ways of casting spells.

The main 12 Ferali Clans are listed below, but other smaller clans exist as well. Some of the aquatic Clans have chosen to live their entire lives away from civilization and the other races, while the Insect Clan was thought to have been brought to extinction during the fall.

Aeravis Clan

Bogari Clan

Burrowkin Clan

Corvax Clan

Felinar Clan

Gladehart Clan

Howlskar Clan

Saurian Clan

Simiarch Clan

Terrashell Clan

Tuskhide Clan

Ursheim Clan

Halflings

Halflings are a mixed race born from the bonding of two different races (other than Starforged). Halflings vary greatly depending on the races of their parents. The great differences between their looks results in them having difficulty blending in wherever they go. The most common halflings usually have one parent that is human. Unfortunately Halflings are always infertile, so they struggle to develop lasting communities.

Halflings have no lands of their own, though they are always welcome in most of the large cities. In large cities in regions where humans and other races interact often, halflings are sometimes numerous enough to form small communities of their own. They enjoy the company of other halflings, the only people who truly understand what it is to live between these two worlds. About 15% of the world's population is halfling.