Lineages

In the universe of Medaevum, all living things share a common ancestor: humans. Everything alive in the world is in some way related to one another, and were at some point created by the same hand. That hand, or more accurately hands, no doubt molded them with different intentions. Valleymen were not made for the same tasks as Elves, for example. However, whatever their differences they were both made using the same shared stock.

Even the animals that roam the worlds on Medaevum, the shylings that stalk through the night, even seemingly inhuman monsters are all interrelated. This is doubly true for the playable lineages on Medaevum.

Humans

It is unclear why the Hours made humanity, creatures supposedly made in their own image, before their image became distorted by divine power. They exist in nearly every nook and cranny of the world, where life can exist, humanity has at least made a passing attempt at existing too.

Humans have no traits tied to their lineage.

Elves

In poetic convention, they are also sometimes called Those Who Lie in the Shadow of the Tower. Elves were one of the last races made in the Forge of the Hours, making them technically younger than all but Valleymen. It is commonly known that elves were made for sheer aesthetics, to be physically appealing to the Hours in service to them. And such service included roles like honor guards, household servants, and concubines.

Elven Traits

These are the traits all elves possess.

Name	Description
Divine Slave	This character was initially conceived as a servant to the Hours. They do not age. They are infertile, only able to reproduce by magical means. When their true name is invoked, their effective Erudition is always zero.
Near Divine	Of all the living things on Ayria, any given elf is the most closely related to the Hours. Their Erudition increases by one.

Optional Traits

Choose one of these traits, representing what would have been the elf's caste if the Tower were still standing. You can also choose to take none of these traits, if your character was born long after the fall of the Tower.

Name	Description
Maker	An elven Maker is a healer without equal. By touching someone, they are able to heal their wounds. When this is used, the elf's effective Erudition lowers by one for a day as their mind is taxed by the intense concentration the healing requires. This only heals one wound at a time. To have been given this ability means they must have been altered from birth by a Maker, and that powerful elf now knows their true name.
Knight	Elven knights are rarely seen, but often feared. Their Prowess is increased by one.
Lay Elf	In the Tower, lay elves were at the mercy of their Makers. Their Cleverness is increased by one.

Verumii Traits

Verumii are a distant cousin of elves who inhabit The Warrens. To play a Verumii, keep the core two traits of an elf. Instead of choosing an optional trait from their list though, choose one from this list.

Name	Description
Clan Drizzt	Members of Clan Drizzt are able to see even in total darkness. However, their eyes are completely black. Bright light, such as the sun, is painful to them. In bright conditions, their effective Cleverness is halved.
Clan Baenre	Members of Clan Baenre are so nimble and adept at climbing that they are able to climb even the corner of a room where two walls meet. Their bodies are strangely thin yet strong, and fragile. Their effective Prowess is reduced by one.
Clan Ayindilar	The slave soldiers of Clan Ayindilar are considered disposable and easily manufactured. Their bodies naturally produce bony plates over their body, which will shed and regrow over the course of a few days when broken. They innately possess armor as hard as bronze with a value of 3, but cannot wear normal armor.

Valleymen

To outsiders, they are Valleymen from the Kingdom of Two Valleys. Among themselves, they are Cthonians from Cthonia. While they have a rich and storied history of their struggles and triumphs, they are remembered outside of their own cultural sphere for only one thing: The Red Years. A period of time spanning centuries where they used their advanced technology and magic to invade, extort, and barter for slaves on an incomprehensibly large scale.

Valleyman Traits

These are traits someone who is a Valleyman will possess.

Name	Description
Divine Slave	This character was initially conceived as a servant to the Hours. They do not age. They are infertile, only able to reproduce by magical means. When their true name is invoked, their effective Erudition is always zero.
Cthonic Might	Valleymen grow stronger with age, and their muscles never atrophy. Every trait they have is treated as being an identical strength trait. For every trait they have, they require an additional serving of food more than a normal person would.
Cthonic Immortality	Valleymen are extremely hard to kill. They can sustain any number of wounds, even if their Prowess is reduced well below zero. If their head is cut off, they will be considered incapacitated. However, it will still take them over a month to die. Valleymen do not go to the Halls of the Dead when they die, and cannot be reached after death.
Darksight	Valleymen are able to see in total darkness. Their eyes glow in darkness, and are reflective like a cat's.

Beastmen

The magic of grafting is the closest that most people ever come to realizing the power and potential of the Hours. While the unrealized potential of one's body is astounding, beastmen - or at least their ancestors - sought to empower it even more by grafting animal flesh onto their own bodies. If one does this enough, eventually they will seem more animal than man, and even their children will be born beastlike. In this way, there are clans of beastmen who have lost the understanding of grafting generations ago, but continue to bear beastlike offspring.

Beastmen Traits

Beastmen are unlike all other races, in that they have some extreme variance in the number and quality of traits they posess. A beastman character will have either one, two, or four traits.

• If they posess just one trait, the beastman has the advantage of being not so obviously different from most humans that they can conceal their lineage.
• With two traits, their appearance is so dramatically changed no one could mistake them for anything but a beastman.
• If a beastman wants three traits, they must also choose a fourth negative trait listed below.

These are the positive traits available to beastmen. They're numbered, in case someone wants to roll on the table.

Number	Name	Description
1	Nightvision	This character's eyes reflect light like a cat's. As long as there is a trace amount of light, they're able to see in darkness.
2	Sprinter	This character is adept at running in short sprints. Over a short distance, they can outpace anyone without this trait. However, they aren't made to sprint for long. Their Prowess is reduced by 2 after using this trait until they have a chance to rest.
3	Talons	This character has sharp, menacing talons where their nails should be. These can be retracted. They function as a 1d4 weapon.
4	Large Talons	This character has sharp, menacing talons where their nails should be. These cannot be retracted. They function as a 1d6 weapon. They are so obtrusive that any action requiring fine movements of their hands or fingers has a malus of one.
5	Padded Feet	This character has soft, padded feet. They make no noise while walking as long as they aren't wearing shoes.
6	Robust Digestion	They are able to consume raw or most dangerous food with minimal indigestion.
7	Enhanced Senses	This character posesses exceptional hearing and eyesight, their effective Cleverness increases by half again for the purposes of noticing something in the environment.

These are the negative traits available to beastmen. They're numbered, in case someone wants to roll on the table.

Number	Name	Description
1	Abnormal Body	This character's body cannot fit normal armor or clothes, and must have custom articles made to wear.
2	Inhuman Hands	This character's hands are not made for using tools. Anything they wish to hold in hand and use effectively has to be custom made for them.
3	Quadruped	This character is not adept at walking in a bipedal fashion, and must incorporate all four limbs to move with speed, agility, or grace.