Characters / Dark And Shattered Lands

Although characters come and go in a text-based mud, some stay consistent, most prominently the divine pantheon of Algoron that heavily influences the game, as well as the various clans, kingdoms, and races that make up the Dark and Shattered Lands. See below:

Gods of Good

Colloquially known as "The Light" they are the divine good of Algoron, working to protect the people and see they live happy, full lives.

Austinian

• Cain and Abel: Some version of the story seem to suggest Necrucifer and Austinian are this. Obviously, Austinian is the Abel. That may make him the Eldest deity short of the High God himself.
• Dragons Are Divine: Has occasionally been referred to as the Platinum Dragon, and envisioned as such as one of his Avatars.
• Foil: To Necrucifer. The Light to his Darkness. Later becomes this for Drakkara, the new ruler of the Dark Pantheon.

• Good Shepherd: Arguably the definitive example in Dark and Shattered Lands, Austinian leads by example, protects his people, nurtures them, provides his wisdom, and helps them achieve their potential. Fittingly, he's commonly depicted as being closest to farmers and people of the land every bit as much as he is with the bravest of Paladins and most noble of Metallic Dragons.

• I Have Many Names: The kender call him Big A, on Shokono he’s known as the Heavenly Emperor, and then his faithful sometimes call him the Platinum Dragon.
• Knight in Shining Armor: Patron deity of the Knighthood, particularly the Crown Knights.

• Light 'em Up: His primary means of fighting, the raw, untamed power of the sun in the palm of his hand.
• Right Makes Might: Firmly believes and practices this, and rewards and praises based on morals and good character as much as actual accomplishments.
• Seven Heavenly Virtues: Humility. By rights, one of the three most powerful deities in existence. In practice, one of the most down to Earth deities there is.

• Warrior Poet: Sometimes depicted as this, seeking peace over war yet being willing to fight.
• What You Are in the Dark: What Austinian preaches above all, that people must be Good because they know it is right, not because others are watching or there is pressure to be good. Also follows it himself, when faced with the decision to kill Malachive as an infant deity, he chose to spare him instead. History will tell whether or not this was the correct choice, but most seem to agree it was.

Taliena

• Depending on the Artist: Sometimes appears fiery red of hair, sometimes appears platinum blonde. Most artists, however, agree she’s more of a strawberry blonde, a mix of red and gold. Not that such generally applies to divine beings in any case.
• Foil: Drakkara, primarily. To a lesser extent was this to Mencius, the love to his hate.
• Fiery Redhead: Sometimes depicted as red haired and passionate, but more tempered than most examples.
• God Couple: With Austinian.
• Goodness Equals Beauty: Part of her preaching.
• Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Often depicted as hair of platinum blonde, and definitely one of the most kindest and compassionate of any god you’re likely to meet.
• Happily Married: Again, to Austinian.
• Healing Hands: Works to heal the injured. Moreso now that her eldest daughter Siccara has perished and Tailena has graciously taken on her portfolio of Healing.
• Hot Goddess: Arguably the most beautiful of all of them, tempered by a motherly, mature aura.
• Light Is Good.
• Love Goddess: Love and Beauty are her domains, and she takes both very seriously.
• Seven Heavenly Virtues: Chastity. Despite being a loving wife and the mother of two sons and two daughters, Taliena embraces a wholesome, pure sort of love for her family and the faithful.

Nadrik

• Arch-Enemy: To Devion, who took his sister. Nadrik got her back, then took his hand for good measure. Few Gods actively hate one another the way these two do.
• Foil: To many of the Dark Gods, most of his virtues oppose theirs, but prominently Fatale. Like him, he is the eldest son of his divine pantheon, but Nadrik is an honorable, dutiful paladin compared to Fatale's more ruthless, murderous nature.
• Good Is Not Soft: Can sometimes be seen as rather brutal in his crusade against evil, and it is arguable that most of the darkness fear him even more than his father.
• Knight in Shining Armor: One of the Knighthood’s patron deities (Lance, specifically), and frequently appears to take this sort of Avatar as well.
• Light Is Good.
• Pay Evil unto Evil: He (and his followers) can be rather judgmental and zealous when it comes to wiping out evil doers.
• Sealed Good in a Can: Previously was trapped on the black moon by the Dark Pantheon. His mortal followers were working to free him, and eventually succeeded, though at a terrible cost.
• Seven Heavenly Virtues: Diligence. Upholds his duty and sees his tasks through to his completion.
• The Lancer: To Austinian, serving as his number two. Appropriately, the mortal Knighthood order named in his honor are the Lance Knights.
• The Paladin: Arguably moreso than his father, Nadrik is the God of Paladins, embodying their courage, strength, and honor.
• The Strategist: A military man, he knows how to organize for warfare.

Siccara (Deceased)

• Foil: To Fatale, the healing to his harm. As well as to Dragoth, the cure to his disease.
• Healing Hands: All Gods can grant healing powers to their faithful, but Siccara taught and preached to know other ways to heal and mend than just simple spellcasting. Including the mind and soul.
• Heroic Sacrifice: Saved her brother Nadrik’s life at the cost of her own, and perhaps even more than that, since her final act was to take Mencius (intentionally) and Necrucifer (unintentionally) with her, seriously crippling her families enemies.
• Killed Off for Real: Murdered by Mencius, though she used her final act to take him (and Necrucifer) with her. Her portfolio was subsequently absorbed by her mother Taliena.
• Lady of War: While not the most combative of Goddesses she did serve as a patron deity for the Knighthood (specifically for the Shield Order) and could throw down if push came to shove. Being a healing goddess meant she knew exactly where to hit to inflict the most damage, if she had to.
• Light Is Good.
• Seven Heavenly Virtues: Charity. A very generous deity, she gave everything she had for the good of others. Including, eventually, her own life.
• The Medic: Patron saint of them, and her role amongst the other Gods of Light before her demise.
• There Are No Physcologists: Averted, her faithful often worked to heal the thoughts and feelings of others as well as their physical wounds.
• Tomboy and Girly Girl: Tomboy to her little sister Kadiya’s Girl Girl.

Kantilles

• Foil: To Sebatis and moreso to Drakkara on the matter of magic.
• Light Is Good.
• Seven Heavenly Virtues: Temperance.
• The Archmage.

Kadiya (Deceased)

• Actual Pacifist: She's the Goddess of Peace, so naturally she was one, and encouraged her followers to be the same way. Not to say she was naive or foolish. She knew what kind of Dark and Shattered Lands the world was.
• Animal Motifs: The Dove, for obvious reasons.
• Foil: Originally to Raije, the Peace to his War. Arguably to Fatale as well, she favored peaceful, quiet, dignified deaths to his bloody, violent murders.
• Killed Off for Real: Betrayed and murdered by Devion the Trickster. Her portfolio of peace was subsequently absorbed by her mother Taliena.
• Light Is Good.
• Seven Heavenly Virtues: Mercy. Always wanted to spare her enemies whenever fighting happened, and if possible, to avoid even that.
• Tomboy and Girly Girl: Was the Girly Girl to big sister Siccara’s Tomboy.

Gods of Neutrality

Sometimes called "The Twilight" or the Balance, these Gods seek only to keep the world spinning, letting mortals have their free choice to do as they please, and only act when such balance is threatened.

Kwainin

• Animal Motifs: Owls. For wisdom and knowledge, obviously.
• Badass Bookworm: How badass varies, but few can deny he is easily one of the book smart and knowledgeable of all the Gods.
• Balance Between Good and Evil: As is the way with all of the Neutral Gods, but Kwainin in particular feels it is his duty to uphold this above all else.
• God Couple: With Zandreya.
• Happily Married: Again, with Zandreya.
• True Neutral: His Alignment, and one he takes very seriously.
• The Chessmaster: Plays the long game, and plays it well.
• The Smart Guy: When other Gods want raw, simple facts, they come to him. His extensive knowledge is said to rival any mortal library. And that’s all in his head.
• The Watcher: Records all that goes on, supposedly. The Balanx are his creation to help with this endeavor, constantly updating the history of the world.
• Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: Ugly might be a stretch, but Kwainin is frequently described as rather on the plain side of things, while Zandreya is arguably one of the more beautiful of Goddesses.

Zandreya

• Bolt of Divine Retribution: Has taken to doing this more often since inheriting her daughters command of storms. When she doesn't like you, you'll know it.
• Carry a Big Stick: Favors staffs as her weapons, as well as for her most faithful the druids and rangers of Algoron.
• Deity of Human Origin: According to myth, Kwainin found her one day on Algoron, fell in love with her beauty, and elevated her to Goddess-hood upon marrying her. It must have been very early in the creation of existence, but it is possible.
• Friend to All Living Things: Loves all living creatures, from the beautiful to the hideous, the magnificent to the freakish. So long as they’re natural creations. She feels considerably less friendly towards abominations of magic and science.
• Gaia's Vengeance: Can be about this when she feels nature is threatened, and does not hesitate to hold back her fury if she feels it warranted.
• God Couple: With Kwainin.
• Green Thumb: Or rather, foot. Said to leave flowers behind wherever she physically walks on Algoron.
• Happily Married: Again, with Kwainin.5916
• Hot Goddess: The nymph race were created in her image, so naturally she's this.
• In Harmony with Nature: She IS nature, it’s hard not to be.
• Nature Spirit: Is one, and was the creator of the nymphs, who were made in her image.
• Our Elves Are Different: Divine matron of Shalonesti and elven society as a whole. They're her favorites out of all the mortal races, despite being originally the creations of the Good Gods.
• Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: Ugly might be a stretch, but Kwainin is frequently described as plain, while Zandreya is arguably one of the more beautiful of Goddesses.

Cliath

• Foil: Possibly to Dragoth, who would see all things decay, rot and ruin, compared to Cliath's building and creating. They rarely give each other much thought, however.
• For Science!!: Loves to create simply for the sake of creating, and the tinker gnomes and their inventions are arguably a result of his benevolent guidance.
• Gadgeteer Genius.
• Our Dwarves Are All the Same: They venerate him for his smithing guidance.
• Our Gnomes Are Weirder: They venerate him for his inventing inspirations.
• The Maker: Supposedly helped in forging the world, at least all the physical aspects of it. The spiritual aspects may have been more the influence of the other Gods, but it doesn't diminish his accomplishment in the slightest.
• The Ultimate Blacksmith: Forged the entire world. Top that.

Sebatis

• Foil: To Kantilles and Drakkara, regarding the use of magic.
• Pint-Sized Powerhouse: The youngest of the Neutral Gods (if not one of the very youngest Gods of them all), and frequently appears (by choice) as a child-like Avatar. Yet his raw magical power and creativity is not to be under-estimated.
• Pure Energy: Said to be able to tap into the raw force of magical power greater than any other deity, even his fellow Gods of Magic Kantilles and Drakkara.

Turpa (Deceased)

• Bolt Of Divine Retribution: Loved these, fitting for a storm Goddess.
• Dark Is Not Evil: Storms were her favorite, being a Weather Goddess, but she was never truly malicious about using them.
• Killed Off for Real: Murdered by Malachive. Her portfolio was subsequently absorbed by her mother Zandreya.

Raije

• Blood Knight: VERY enthusiastic about battle.
• Dual Wielding: Described as going into battle sans shield and wielding two enormous weapons, one in each hand. Which weapons varies, though swords and axes tend to be the most popular.
• Foil: Originally to Kadiya, the War to her Peace. Now, he has virtually no opposition. And given the current status of the world, it shows.
• Spirited Competitor: Beyond war, he loves fighting or competing of any sort, and his followers are those who’ve organized many events in DSL, including the Clans War, the ACFL, and the AGL.
• War God: THE War God. All are involved in the "Gods War", and their Clans and followers in the Tournaments Raije organizes, but HE is the penultimate deity of conflict and battle.
• War Is Glorious: Definitely believes this, as do his followers. None of them know how to back down from a good fight.

Gods of Evil

The Pantheon of wickedness, from which all monsters and murderers arise, with a mind to Take Over the World.

Necrucifer (Deceased)

• Bad Boss: Not the nicest of guys, and treated even his own family as servants and lackeys. It didn’t do him any favors.
• Big Bad: The biggest of all the bads of DSL. Or rather, he was...
• Bond Villain Stupidity: Had Nadrik imprisoned on the Black Moon where Gods can perish, and yet rather than end him immediately, kept him prisoner for years in the hopes Good would lead an assault on the moon and lose more of their Gods. Eventually, it did... and to be fair, it did lead to more Gods deaths, alright... unfortunately, it including his own.
• Cain and Abel: Some versions of the story seem to suggest Necrucifer and Austinian were this. Obviously, Necrucifer would be the Cain.
• Control Freak: Wanted to impose his order on the entire world and beyond, and would accept nothing less than total dominion over all things living or dead.
• Dark Is Evil.
• Despotism Justifies the Means: The utter rule of the world is what he wanted, by any means necessary.
• Foil: To Austinian, the dark to his light.
• God Couple: With Drakkara.
• It's All About Me: Can sometimes be depicted this way, seeing anything part of the Dark Pantheon as his to do with as he pleases, including the faithful of other Dark Gods.
• Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Necrucifer. Literally, one who brings death.
• Pragmatic Villainy: Of all the Evil Gods, was most keen to see victory at any cost, and thus could curb his own or other evil impulses in order to accomplish greater goals, even working alongside the pantheons of Light and Twilight on occasion against threats like Malachive or the Abhorrants. That said, he’d always be looking for a way to exploit the situation for his own benefit.
• Religion of Evil: The Dark Pantheon.
• Seven Deadly Sins: Pride. In spades. And as they say: "'Pride Cometh Before the Fall'."
• The Evils of Free Will: Strongly believed freedom is an abomination, and that order (specifically, [[Evil Overlord HIS order]]) must be imposed for the good of existence.
• The Older Immortal: With Austinian and Kwainin. The original Trio.
• The Strategist.
• Villain with Good Publicity: Arguably moreso than any other Dark God, his organized Shadow Knights and relatively stable Verminasia portrayed his desire for Dark Order over the world as a good thing. It somewhat backfired, because it made some of his other followers believe he was weak.

Drakkara

• Beauty Is Bad: Often described as gorgeous, as only a Goddess can be, but is very dangerous. She frequently lure males of all races in close simply to destroy them for her own amusement, and of course killed her own husband in a grab for power.
• Big Bad: Once she took over from Necrucifer.
• Black Magic: Her moon is even black, and invisible to non-evil people.
• Dark Is Evil.
• Evil Genius: As "Mistress of Dark Magic", this is highly implied, though she allowed Necrucifer to spearhead most of their joint schemes.
• Evil Matriarch: Bar Necrucifer, ruler of the Dark Pantheon, mother of all the Dark Gods (plus Malachive), and some argue she even had her husband wrapped around her little finger. And then she goes and takes him out of the picture herself...
• Foil: Has quite a few. For Kantilles and Sebatis, with regards to magic (the three complete the triad of magical influences on Algoron). Also to Taliena and Zandreya for being the principle deities wife (at first). And more recently, Austinian and Kwainin, as the ruler of her given side of the Pantheon.
• God Couple: With Necrucifer.
• Happily Married: Averted strongly.
• Hot Goddess.
• Offing the Offspring: Attempts to do this with Malachive.
• Religion of Evil: The Dark Pantheon.
• Seven Deadly Sins: Lust. Not so much guilty of it herself, but uses it frequently to her advantage, and takes a perverse pleasure in manipulating them to her whim.
• Smug Snake: Can be rather arrogant and full of herself, particularly when she think she’s winning.
• The Dog Bites Back: Arguably, her biggest reason for killing Necrucifer may have stemmed from his ignoring or belittling her ideas during the Raid on the Black Moon.

Fatale

• Affably Evil: Described as quite charming, right up until the moment his knife enters your heart.
• Ambition Is Evil: One of his Tenets, and an encouragement amongst his followers to climb the ranks. By eliminating the competition, if necessary. Rumor has it Fatale also has high ambitions, an interest in the Throne of Darkness, but if so, he's yet to make a direct move for it.
• Animate Dead: While all evil Gods can do this, Fatale in particular favors it, seeing mindless undead as tools and weapons.
• Ax-Crazy: Easily one of the most bloodthirsty of the evil Gods, who considers a day without someone dying (specifically, to someone else) a waste.
• Chess with Death: According to some stories, enjoys the game and playing it with mortals. However, he does not often lose, and even when he does, the additional rules in his games can sometimes make even the mortal who bested him feel like a loser.
• Dark Is Evil.
• Deal with the Devil: How some view his attempts to convert people into ‘Gifted’ vampires.
• Exact Words: Often adheres to this in favor of outright lies, to play with his victims expectations.
• Fate Worse than Death: Frequently used to punish those whom do not properly respect dying.
• Foil: Generally, to Nadrik, who shows mercy and honor, killing only when he must, whereas Fatale would happily kill you for a klondike bar.
• Hot God: Frequently appears to mortals as a very handsome male, unlike his maimed and scarred brothers.
• Human Sacrifice: To kill is to sanctify in Fatale's dogma.
• I Have Many Names: Befitting a many of many faces and masks, Fatale has also been called the Dark Shinobi, the Grim Reaper, the Deathscythe, and the Ender in various parts of the world in addition to his regular title as the God of Murder.
• Mad Artist: Fatale commands his followers to not just kill to strengthen him (and themselves), but to kill in particularly gruesome, public and inventive ways.
• Manipulative Bastard.
• Meaningful Name: Dealing with him tends to be fatal. May also explain his occasional interest in female avatars, as a femme fatale.
• Names Tto Run Away From Really Fast: As in 'fatal' yeah, he’s not someone you want to share tea with. Plus he’s the God of Murder. Not death. MURDER.
• Professional Killer: Patron Saint of these.
• Religion of Evil: The Dark Pantheon.
• Psycho Knife Nut: The patron god of assassins and Mad Artists, he favors knives as his weapon of choice. Up close and personal tends to be the best way to kill someone, to his mind. Plus they’re easiest to conceal.
• Seven Deadly Sins: Greed.
• Sinister Scythe: A favored weapon of his followers, though rarely Fatale himself (too obvious). He tends to be more of a Psycho Knife Nut.
• Tall, Dark, and Handsome: Described as this as one of his more popular Avatars.
• The Corrupter: Always keen to remind others they are killers in their own right, and shake them free of their delusions and hypocrisy. If it brings them into the fold as his new faithful, so much the better.
• The Dragon: To Necrucifer and later Drakkara, as their eldest and most capable son.
• The Grim Reaper: One of his many avatars.
• The Starscream: According to the Heretical Prophecy, will one day commit the "Ultimate Murder" and remove his father from power, then assume his position and portfolio. The prophecy was condemned by Fatale himself, and later proven false when Drakkara killed Necrucifer, but one does have to wonder... if she’s next.
• The Social Darwinist: The strong live, the weak die.
• Undeath Always Ends: Why Fatale has no problem with loyal undead and often gifts mortal shells his vampiric demons to extend their lives. He knows even they will someday end, and as far as he’s concerned, as long as they make good use of the extended time in the mortal realm (usually by killing plenty of others), it’s fine by him. Rogue undead, however, he does not tolerate.
• Villains Never Lie: Rarely feels a need to. He’s all but proud of his work, and a master at using Exact Words to manipulate others.
• Wholesome Crossdresser: The Godly equivalent. Sometimes uses female Avatars and guises, seemingly equally as much as he takes on the appearance of handsome males or hideous monsters.

Mencius (Deceased)

• Animal Motifs: Bulls, by virtue of being violent and thick-headed. Minotaurs once being prominent followers of Mencius tended to reinforce this image.
• Color Motifs: Red, like blood.
• Dark Is Evil.
• Killed Off for Real: Destroyed by Siccara, who took him with her when he attempted to end her brother's life. His portfolio was subsequently absorbed by ???.
• Proud Warrior Race Guy: Identified strongly with the Minotaurs, and could well be the source of (or influence of) their having this mentality themselves.
• Rape, Pillage, and Burn: The usual Mencian strategy in any given situation.
• Religion of Evil: The Dark Pantheon.
• Seven Deadly Sins: Wrath.
• Revenge: One of his domains before ??? took it up. He was the God of Retribution and Vengeance.
• The Brute: Not commonly depicted as very clever, but a suitable strong arm his family could exploit.
• The Power of Hate: He's was the God of it, and his followers remain profoundly pissed off to this day (those that are left, that is).
• Unstoppable Rage: Once he really got worked up, it was best to just get out of his way.

Dragoth

• Animal Motifs: Maggots. It does nothing to improve his popularity.
• Dark Is Evil.
• Foil: To Cliath, the destruction and decay to his creation. Also to Zandreya, the rot to her growth. They don't generally make it personal but their priesthoods can come into conflict over the matters.
• In Da Hood: Sometimes depicted wearing a hood with nothing but shadows and glowing eyes beneath. This is said to be because his own disease has affected his face, rendering him too hideous to look upon by mere mortals.
• Master Poisoner: A true master. One of his favorites is one that, once contact is made, stays dormant for weeks before beginning to show symptoms, taking victims by surprise. Even his brothers Fatale and Devion turn to him whenever they need a particularly nasty sort of poison to make use of in their schemes.
• Our Goblins Are Different: Patron saint of the goblinoid people, who are reputedly his favorites. Explains why they’re such filthy little buggers, as well as either immune to or bolstered by most regular poisons.
• Plaguemaster: God of Diseases and Plagues.
• Poisonous Person: God of Poisons and Toxins.
• Religion of Evil: The Dark Pantheon.
• Seven Deadly Sins: Sloth. Arguably one of the laziest of the Dark Gods, both he and his church rarely involve themselves in the affairs of the world in a meaningful way, content to simply let what is become what was.

Devion

• Abhorrent Admirer: Lusted after the pretty Light Goddesses, Siccara and Kadiya. The former cost him an arm and a leg (and possibly an eye), the latter he led to her death.
• Arch-Enemy: Nadrik, who took his hand. Few gods loathe each other more than these two do. He even specifically orders his priesthood to target Nadrik’s faithful either for pranks or killing first and foremost.
• Dark Is Evil.
• Dirty Coward: Easily one of the most craven of the Gods, prefers very much to stab you in the back, finding it the safest place for him to be in a given fight.
• Disabled Deity: He's missing a hand. Sometimes he's been known to have an eyepatch as well, but this may be another example of his trickery and not a genuine wound, divine or otherwise.
• Disproportionate Retribution: Arguably both the victim and perpetuator of such. He tried to take Nadrik's sister. Nadrik took his hand. Devion kill his other sister. I'm sure they're even steven now.
• Evil Has a Bad Sense of Humor: Few appreciate his jokes, even amongst his own pantheon.
• Foil: To Nadrik, an honest God compared to one whom (almost) always lies, and an honorable duelist against a backstabbing coward.
• For the Evulz: Pretty much everything he does.
• Religion of Evil: The Dark Pantheon.
• Seven Deadly Sins: Arguably Envy, Devion is often seen as a joke by just about every other deity, when he wants to be seen as an equal with the majority of them.
• The Prankster: Likes playing cruel jokes on just about everyone. Hasn't made him very popular.

God of Chaos

Just the one, thankfully.

Malachive (Deceased??)

• From Nobody to Nightmare: He was raised as the son of a carpentry family, never knowing of his divine heritage until he was much older. Now, he leads an organization on par with most of the original three groups.
• Greater-Scope Villain: Until he became involved, the "Gods War" had largely settled into a cold front with all three sides more or less in perfect equilibrium. Thanks to his wild card actions, five Gods have died, another had been imprisoned, and Algoron has been thrown into absolute turmoil.
• Illegal Religion: Most kingdoms and clans outlaw any worship of Malachive as a deity. They’ll happily accept faiths of dark overlords, murderers, witches or tricksters, but anyone preaching of Anarchy and Chaos is quite unwelcome.
• Mad God: Quite crazed.
• Order vs. Chaos: You can guess which side he’s on. Go on, guess.
• Rage Against the Heavens: And Hells. Has it in for all the Gods and their followers.
• Rebellious Spirit: Fights against any divine mandate anywhere, considering both sides of the "Gods War" his enemies.
• Religion of Evil: Well, Chaos, but most people consider it the same thing.
• Seven Deadly Sins: Malachive rounds out the other Dark Gods with Gluttony. Not in the traditional sense (there's been no depiction of him as particularly fat or ravenously hungry), but with a desire for excess, he more than fits the bill, wanting far more than any other deity that has come before him, and then some.
• The Revolution Will Not Be Civilized: Or bloodless. Malachive and his Chaos followers are very much "with us or against us."
• The Sixth Ranger: Starts out as this for Team Evil, but goes on to form his own team. With blackjack. And hookers.
• The Unfettered: Nothing holds him back from his goal. No line will not be crossed.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: At least, his followers would like to think he is, but most agree he’s simply mad, underhanded, and power hungry.

The Clans

Factions organized around fighting one another in the glorious art that is PK. Some have come and gone over the years.

Knighthood

• Arch-Enemy: Shadow's. Not only do their ideologies clash, but Shadow is a splinter group of the Knighthood, leaving a lot of bad blood between both organizations and a lot of their members.
• Badass Creed: "The Knight is sworn to Valor, their Heart knows only Virtue, their Blade defends the Helpless, their Might upholds the Weak, their Words speak only Truth, their Wrath undoes the Wicked." It's been in place since ancient Serpantol. Hence its nickname: The Old Code.
• Badass Family: Comprised of several that have sprung up over the years, many pure and noble bloodlines inhabit the Knighthood. And in a way, though not related by blood, they are one to each other as well. They live and work together, and if need be, they die together.
• Black-and-White Morality: Averted. Knighthood takes pains to ensure they do the right thing, and not simply war others simply because "they're evil" of "they're dark" and thus the adversary.
• Blue Is Heroic: Apart from white, their main color is this, in part because of this very trope.
• Church Militant: For the faiths of the Light, particularly Austinian, Siccara and Nadrik.
• Color Motif: Blue, sometimes with White as well, to emphasize their heroic and pure nature.
• Good Is Not Soft: They take their job of defending the innocent and punishing the wicked quite seriously, and do not waiver when it comes to making hard decisions. If need be, they make them.
• Knight in Shining Armor: A whole clan of them, both metaphorically, morally, and often literally.
• The Fettered: Bound by very strict laws and moral codes. Coupled with their racial requirements and traditions, can make it very difficult for them to win the majority of their battles.
• True Companions: Regardless of where they come from in life, by the time they’re Knights, they’re definitely this. They have each others back through thick or thin, good or bad, hard or easy.

Shadow

• Arch-Enemy: Knighthood. No one else has stood against them more or is more hated by Shadow.
• Black-and-White Morality: And they're very firmly on the black side. Your evil is their good.
• Black Knight: A whole Clan of them, sworn to one another and to their dark Master Necrucifer Drakkara.
• Brotherhood of Evil: Despite their evil goals, they are noble comrades to each other.
• Church Militant: Can be seen as this for Necrucifer's more proactive followers and faithful.
• Meet the New Boss: Drakkara's here now, and she's taken over Shadow pretty much thoroughly.
• Religion of Evil: Easily Necrucifers most devout followers on the mortal plane. Until his demise, that is. And even now, under new guidance, still definitely a bunch of evil bastards.
• Remnant, The: With Necrucifer dead, some now seem them as this. But damned if they’re not going down without a fight. They continue to fight for the exact same purpose as they always have.
• Renegade Splinter Faction: And a splinter of a splinter, no less, Shadow arose from Eclipse, which arose from Knighthood. And like a bad photocopy, each version is just a little more dark (and in general, a lot more Unfettered) than the last one. But then again, that was the point.
• The Unfettered: While they try to maintain a code, they readily admit when push comes to shove they will cast aside anything, even (especially) honor, for their God and their great Prophecy.

Justice

• Pragmatic Heroism: While they're willing to fight the good fight they let in the neutral sorts to aid them against evil, and allow for all other sorts to join them regardless of their bloodline or nobility. They've got a fight to win, so they intend to do it one way or another. They also employ "dishonorable" classes like assassins, something the Knighthood would certainly never do.
• Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: The ragtagiest bunch there is. They’ll take almost anyone and everyone.

Bloodlust

• Always Chaotic Evil: Generally, Bloodlust is full of little more than slobbering monsters and ruthless assassins. Even their more professional killers rarely fall above neutral, and tend to be all the more heartless for it. But their goals and stance are very much on the side of evil.
• Equal-Opportunity Evil: Barring kender, anyone’s welcome. Humans, elves, dwarves, arborens, goblinoids... hell, they'll take an evil pig if it could be trained to slit your throat.

Shalonesti

• Arch-Enemy: Wargar. Elves hate dwarves. It’s a mutual hatred, but it’s no less intense.
• Color Motif: Green. The color of nature, and trees, and Zandreya, and elves. So yeah, green.
• Fantastic Racism: Against dark elves and dwarves. They hate them with an intense passion.
• Our Elves Are Different: Four sub-species: full Shalonesti, Wild, Sea, Half-Human. The fifth, dark, is not allowed, having been cast out millennia ago and won’t be welcome back anytime soon.

Wargar

• Arch-Enemy: Shalonesti. Dwarves hate elves. Like, a lot.
• Boisterous Bruiser: A whole clan of them, they are a rowdy bunch.
• Fantastic Racism: Dwarves hate elves. Period, end of sentence.
• Our Dwarves Are The Same: Three sub-species (four if you count muls, five if you count gully), but all bearded (except muls), generally sloshed, and spoiling for a fight at the drop of a hat.
• Proud Warrior Race: Dwarves are very proud of your strength, stamina, and sturdiness.

Conclave

• Anti-Magic: The Conclave's Tower radiates this to protect its sorcerers within and the common folk without from the power they wield. Invokers also can wield this as a spell, on a more temporary and personal level. It makes them intensely difficult to combat and defeat.
• Black Magic: The Black Tower. And to a certain extent, the study of dread Necromancy.
• Emperor Scientist: Well, more like Sorcerer Lord Researcher, but the ruler of the Conclave tends to be one of the more gifted, learned individuals when it comes to magic. Most of the time.

Mage Tower: Ivory, Crimson, and Ebony for the Conclave, one for each set of wizards. Some other kingdoms boast a similar, paler imitation of them, notably the Azure Tower found in Arkane, but these are the original Trio. And there is few who compare in terms of teaching or power.

• Magic Enhancement: Being a part of the Conclave automatically boosts your power greatly.
• Magocracy: The Conclave is ruled by the three Wizards, one of whom is also the overall Master. All are powerful spellcasters, though their actual experience with politics can vary.
• Red Magic: The Red Tower. Mostly in the form of Invocation as well in the Conclave.
• Solar and Lunar: The Three Moons influence the power of the White, Red, and Black Towers. They influence all mages, but Conclave more than most, making them exceptionally powerful.
• White Magic: The White Tower. Also how Transmutation tends to be seen, generally.

Slayers

• Demon Slaying: Also Angel Killing, Balanx Crushing, Dragon Murdering, Manatonic Hunting, and all other things deemed unnatural.
• The Dragonslayer: They offer a rare reclass called Dragon Slayers, who lead groups with powerful attacks useful against the mighty reptilian beasts who threaten the world and their Manor.
• Hypocrites: Repeatedly proclaim they are only out to destroy the "unnatural" that threaten Algoron, yet often their actions threaten it a great deal as well, and what they deem unnaturally wrong is often simply a matter of personal preference, rather than out of a unified effort or from legitimate grievance. Most are simply out to fight anyone and everyone they want to.
• Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: Arguably even moreso than Bloodlust or Justice, they’re the most diverse group of fighters in the game, all alignments, all races, all backstories and personalities. Their only commonality is their hatred of what they deem "unnatural" to them. And even that is often just an excuse for them to band together and put the hurt on absolutely anyone they want.
• Teeth Clenching Teamwork: Virtually any clan that allies with the Slayers does not do so for long, and usually its just a ceasefire instead of a true sharing of men and resources. Nobody likes Slayers, who kill their dragon allies and their vampire members and their giant friends.
• Van Helsing Hate Crimes: What their Clan boils down to in a nutshell. They hunt the unnatural (i.e. dragons, vampires, etc.) whom most accept as being people, and aren't popular as a result.

Chaos

• Zero Approval Rating: Nobody outside of Chaos likes Chaos. Frequently, they don't even really like each other very much either because they have very little in common. Just blinding hatred.
• Always Chaotic Evil: Subverted, a few of its ranks are genuinely good people who feel they’re doing the right thing for Algoron by purging it of divine creatures and deities of all sorts.
• Anti-Magical Faction: To a degree. While they still use magic to level the playing field, for their attacks, armor, or the rest, they hate the source being the divine beings overhead and want to wipe them out. Then, they hope, the magic will go away and mortal kind will be on its own.
• Götterdämmerung: Their goal. Wipe out the Gods, all of them, by any means necessary.
• Hypocrite: A whole Clan of them. They claim to hate the Gods and want to free others from slavery to them, but freely and cheerfully slaughter others in service to their own master, Malachive. They also use magic, particularly enchanting, for their armor and weapons and abilities, when they claim to despise sorcery because it comes from the Lunar Gods of Magic.
• Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: Hate the Gods? Join Chaos. No, we don't care about the rest. Race? Class? Background? Seriously, we don't give a damn, join Chaos. We'll recruit holy men, mass murderers, wild beasts, and more, long as they have the same cause of wiping out the divinity of Algoron. Arguably, only the Slayers are more ragtag than Chaos, and it's by a thin margin.
• Religion Of Chaos: Preach for the end of the Gods and all their followers, ironically in quite religious tones. Most consider it worse than the Pantheon of Darkness and Evil.
• The Magic Goes Away: Their goal, alongside Gotterdammerung. No. More. Magic.
• Well Intentioned Extremists: A rare minority. Most are just mad dogs, but a rare few actually think what they’re doing is genuinely for the good of Algoron.

Loners and Renegades

• Dangerous Deserter: Sometimes those who attempt coups in a Clan get cast out as Renegades if things don’t go their way, making them much more dangerous than the average Loner. They already have the experience and the ability from fighting in a well-funded and well-organized clan.
• Defector From Decadence: Some of these qualify for one or the other.
• Renegade Splinter Faction: Some Loners form these, notably the Eclipse faction, which was also a splinter faction of Knighthood back in the day before it fell to ruin. It’s attempt to return to glory has been met with heavy criticism and limited success, though they kept at it regardless.

The Kingdoms

Organizations not so bad on fighting and more about roleplaying and interacting amidst a new culture.

Althainia

• The Emperor: The Althainian Kingdom is technically an Empire, and its ruler an Emperor (or Empress) as a result. They subvert most of the negative connotations, however, being benevolent.
• The Good Kingdom: Arguably the best, despite it being originally a neutral home for newbies, it’s been leaning towards the stance of good for a while now. It helps they have Knighthood and the White Robes as good neighbors, as well as the noble Gray Church organization nearby.
• Shining City: The glorious City of Light, or so it is termed by others.
• Tunnel Network: The sewer system, which leads down into the Dolund'ir under city.

Arkane

• Cold War: With Verminasia. They’ve been threatening war for decades but haven’t made a move in quite some time. Most in Arkane barely give it any thought any longer, content it is long over.
• Court Mage: The Wizard or Wizardess of the Azure Tower, who served on the Arkane Council.
• Elective Monarchy: Ruled by a King or Queen, who usually is not blood related to the previous one. Many have been elected by the people, instead of chosen by the rulers as an heir.
• The Good Kingdom: While not "good" in the traditional good vs evil sense, it’s a peaceful, prosperous nation where most citizens are happy and content, in contrast to many others, including and most especially the wicked Verminasians to the north and the warlike Marauders.
• Medieval Stasis: Averted. Due to the close ties with the Conclave of Magic and the nearby Tinker Gnomes of Gahboom, Arkane always seems to be on the cutting edge of developing technologies.
• Merchant City: Did business with almost anyone (barring Chaos). And they were the second nation in the world to have another merchant district. They also have a very frequented lottery store.

New Thalos

• Arabian Nights: Their general theme, though they mix up quite a few different cultures and time periods.
• Court Mage: Has these, who rule their Binary Tower, but they come and go like any other kingdom.
• Golden Rule, The: New Thalos' main (if not only) law. It can get very brutal, but only when necessary for truly heinous crimes. Eye for an eye, hand for a hand, tongue for a lie, etc.
• Merchant City: Well known for it's good business with the outside world. It's telling that for the longest time they were the only city with double the number of merchant district stores.
• Shining City: Known as the Desert Jewel for good reason. Lately the city is rich but tarnished.
• Thirsty Desert: Barren. Some argue it's a reflection of how the Desert Jewel truly is.

Verminasia

• Category Traitor: Anyone who leaves is considered a traitor for breaking their oath of service.
• Cold War: With Arkane. Much as they want the nation for their evil empire of Aversia, they haven’t been able to make a dent in it for nearly a century in-game.
• God Save Us from the Queen!: Ashtiel, well known as the Tyrant Queen, in and out of Verminasia. Thus far her daughter Nimiane is proving a bit more stable, averting this.
• Police State: Law is cracked down on hard, and can be very brutal to transgressors. Freedoms are likewise heavily curtailed, and guild membership is required by law. Without exception.
• Tunnel Network: Their sewer system, which even leads down into underground caverns.
• Wretched Hive: It’s a miserable kingdom, to say the least.

Gray Church

• Non Government Organization: No politics, just people who want to help and share with others.
• The Shepherd: They try to help out wherever they can, even if it's just helpful information.
• True Neutral: Do not get involved in kingdom, clan, or religious politics of any kind.
• We Help the Helpless: Their modus operandi. Some have taken advantage of their kindness.

Shalonesti

• Arch-Enemy: Thaxanos. Elves hate dwarves.
• Color Motif: Green. The color of the Forest.
• Fantastic Racism: Against dark elves and dwarves.
• Our Elves Are Different: Four sub-species: full Shalonesti, Wild, Sea, Half-Human. The fifth, dark, is not allowed. They used to be part of the kingdom but then they tried to take over.
• Wine Is Classy: As opposed to the beer drunk by the dwarves in Thaxanos, they're more classy.

Thaxanos

• Arch-Enemy: Shalonesti. Dwarves hate elves. It’s part of their whole thing, really.
• Boisterous Bruiser: A whole clan of them. You’ll rarely find a humble, pacifistic dwarf here.
• Fantastic Racism: Dwarves hate elves. Period, end of sentence. Usually with exclamation points.
• I'll Take Two Beers Too: Dwarves can really pack it away, nobody opens a tab for them at the bar.
• King in the Mountain: Kingpriest Grumf, the only High Priest in the game, is the supreme ruler of all dwarves. All five clans, including Wargar, answer to him as the ultimate dwarven authority.
• Our Dwarves Are The Same: Three sub-species (four if you count muls, five if you count gully), but all bearded, generally sloshed, and spoiling for a fight at the slightest provocation.

Nordmaar

• Hufflepuff House: Does not really fit a good niche in DSL these days thanks to its enforced highland/viking RP. And yet they're still around for some reason. They complete the set.
• Man in a Kilt: It's the local fashion.

Ganth

• Horn Attack: Duh. It’s a kingdom of minotaurs. They’re all bull-headed. Quite literally.
• Proud Warrior Race Guy: Minotaurs. This is their kingdom, and they’re quite proud of it.
• Spirited Competitor: It’s a whole nation of these, and they have a grand arena to prove it.

Darkonin

• Down in the Dumps: Like Dolundir before it, the home of ogres and goblins is a truly filthy place, with things like dead cats served as meat in their restaurants and taverns.
• Large and in Charge: Not always the case, but a previous ruler was a giant ogre, the biggest of the big. The less said about his diminutive brain size, however, the better.
• Our Goblins Are Different: This is where they live, since Dolund'ir fell.
• Our Ogres Are Hungrier: Their homeland, now that Gruntz has been destroyed.

Marauders

• Badass Army: Originally subverted. While once the case (Marauders nearly conquered most of the known world once upon a time) they subsequently became barely a handful of truly devoted to the fight left. Then Chaos took an interest, and their Ever War started up... now... well, it takes solid brass ones to go up against the entire civilized world.
• Category Traitor: Anyone who leaves is considered a traitor for breaking their oath of service.
• The War to End All Wars: Their new Ever War, which is determined to go on and on and on some more, until virtually every nation is destroyed, every city ruined, every army decimated, and overall, bad news for the entire world. Virtually every other kingdom stands against them in this, so it might not last very long.

Abaddon

• Court Mage: Wizard or Wizardess of their black Coven.
• Decadent Court: Corrupt in the extreme, and very vile. Of course, as the only truly (and wholly) evil kingdom, it's kinda supposed to be that way. Some days, usually only those who toady up to the Count or Countess get anywhere in life (or unlife, for that matter).
• Evil Is Not Well-Lit: Abaddon is shielded from the light of the sun, through a combination of perpetual cloud cover, dark magic, and swamp trees. It is enough that vampires can walk about it at all hours, day or night, safe from the daylight. It's why so many take up residence.
• God Save Us from the Queen!: While ruled day-to-day by a Count and/or Countess, Abaddon is technically ruled over by two vampire queens, for double the trouble. Subverted in that they sleep through the centuries and generally don't trouble the populace much.
• Halloween Town: Arguably has shades of this. Full of creepy creatures, vampires, skeletons, and worse.
• Insistent Terminology: It's not vampires, its Gifted. As in a Gift from Fatale.
• Open Secret: Vampires. They flock to the kingdom for protection from the sun, and most have met at least one who was unable to conceal their game face, to say nothing of plenty of others unknowingly. It's not spoken of publicly, but everyone knows they're lurking around.
• Swamps Are Evil: Surrounds the city, which has resulted in its being partially sunken.
• Vampire Monarch: Both Queens qualify, and more than a few Counts and Countesses over the years have also been Gifted in nature. Abaddon is a kingdom full of them, and for good reason.
• Wretched Hive: Skeletal guards patrol the streets but the average citizen would be happy to gut you and leave you dead in the streets instead of saying hello. Matter of fact, sometimes that IS how they say hello in Abaddon.

Mortal Races

The mortal races that players just like you can interact with in the Dark and Shattered Lands.

Humans

• Humans Are Average: Tend to be baseline when it comes to other classes and such. They have no special abilities of their own. It hasn't done many favors for them. On the other hand...
• Humans are Leaders: They tend to be at the forefront of most things, on both sides of the Gods War. Knighthood, Shadow, Nordmaar are obvious examples, but Althainia, Arkane, and Verminasia have also benefited from humans rulers.
• Humans Are Special: They do have very rare Human-only reclasses, Paladin, Shadowknight, Confessor and Shadow Mage. Individually, tend to be very powerful.

Elves

• Dance Battler: Bladesingers, who sing and dance as they fight to great effect.
• Our Elves Are Different: Shalonesti are the original, and purest blood, from whom the Shalonost bloodline comes, the rulers, and overall typical impression one has when thinking of elves in DSL. They also come in several off-shoots, including the Sea Elves, who are blue-skinned and turn into dolphins, the Dark Elves, who are outcasts who tried to betray and take over the kingdom and are now servants of Evil and the Wild Elves, who are more barbaric and primitive than their city-dwelling cousins. There are also Half-Elves, whom are part human and part elf. Any mix of any variety always results in Half-Elf, although sea elves cannot produce offspring with any save themselves.
• Pointy Ears: Part and parcel with being an elf, of course. What did you expect?
• The Ageless: Eventually they'll die, but good luck finding one doing so of old age.
• Warrior Poet: Tend to be more this than straight warriors, they praise intellect and wisdom over brute force.

Dwarves

• Girls with Moustaches: Dwarven women. Some go clean-shaven but they are fully capable of growing beards just as rich as their male counterparts.
• Our Dwarves Are The Same: Come in five sub-varieties, including Hill, Mountain, Dark, Mul, and Gully. The latter of which is generally not considered a “true” dwarf, while the second to last, surprisingly, is, despite it being a sterile hybrid of dwarf and human.
• Proud Warrior Race Guy: They love to fight, especially if they’re in Wargar (and more or less, where else would they be? Their Kingdom is practically deserted).
• Stout Strength: Dwarves are tough little bastards, despite their size. Muls take this and add in agility, thanks to their human parents.
• The Alcoholic: Love their drink, the dwarves. And sadly, are just as badly affected by it as most other races.
• Violent Glaswegian: Definitely violent, and most tend to use the Scottish accent.

Ogres

• Dumb Muscle: Oh yes. And the bigger they are, the dumber they are.
• Our Ogres Are Hungrier: Regular Ogre, Half-Ogre (part human, best not to think on the how), and the new Giant Ogres, who were mutated by magic to have increased size and power (and appetite) while sacrificing much of their intellect.

Goblins

• Our Goblins Are Different: Filthy little buggers, they come in standard, the upgraded Hobgoblin pack, and their distant cousins the even bigger and uglier Bugbear variety.
• Peeve Goblins: In the official text, goblins are described as mostly eating, fighting, passing gas, and sleeping. They tend to be very annoying little buggers.

Gnomes

• My Skull Runneth Over: Deep Gnomes frequently suffer from migraines, thanks to their latent psychic powers. As a result, they like dark, cool places to rest their aching heads.
• Our Gnomes Are Weirder: The Deep Gnomes have latent psychic powers and suffer from crippling headaches, while their Tinker Gnome cousins are crazed inventors of the strange and unusual.
• Psi Blast: A Deep Gnome inherent attack. It drains mana like a spell, but they can all do it.

Minotaurs

• Brutish Bulls: As a general rule, not gentle, kind, or philosophical. Tend to favor strength as the be-all, end-all solution to life's problems. That said, they're not all bad.
• Horn Attack: Gore, which allows them to hit someone with a very lethal sort of headbutt. It makes them very dangerous in hand-to-hand combat, and it's something they're born with.
• Kill Itwith Fire: Minotaurs are vulnerable to flames, thanks to their very furry bodies.
• Our Minotaurs Are Different: Ticks all the major boxes of fantasy minotaurs. Big, furry, horned, and tend to be easily pissed off. They are also big, strong, and can be very noble warriors and sailors.
• Proud Warrior Race: They're very prideful, and why shouldn't they be? Their homeland of Ganth is grand indeed, if a bit on the decline.

Yinn

• Beast Men: And women. With canine features, an abundance of fur, and no tails. The meaner ones tend to lean more towards Wolf Man than Dog Man.
• Dogfaces: They tend to be not on the pretty side of things, overall, though some can look noble enough.
• Fox Folk: As canines, some yinn lean more towards this than dogs or wolves. Especially the females, of which there are few.
• Howling At The Night: Some yinn indulge in this, though most consider it barbaric and primitive, akin to a human swinging from a tree branch like a monkey.
• Kill It with Fire: Yinn are vulnerable to flames, thanks to their very furry bodies.
• The Big Guy: Yinn are big and tough and apart from a vulnerability to fire are very fierce, dangerous warriors.
• Warriors Vs Soldiers: Their downfall. Yinn are individually powerful (warriors), but have no idea how to fight as a cohesive unit, a strength that the allied races had when they finally drove them back. Some modern yinn avert this, being good at both, or else varying skills.

Leonines

• Animal Eyes: Cat-like. They sometimes help see in the dark better, but generally their vision is no better or worse than anyone else's. Tend to be yellow.
• Bizarre Sexual Dimorphism: Leonine males are Wemics, who are four legged centaur-like lions. Leonine females are Felar, who are two-legged and generally less furry cat ladies. How does that work? Some don't even try to guess. It has actually led to more than a few felar finding romance with other races.
• Cat Folk: Leonines are this, resembling lions. Felar, specifically, are usually Cat Girls. How many are just a Little Bit Beastly and how many are full-fledged, furry cat-ladies tends to vary from character to character. Up to 90% to as little as 10% can be fur-covered, officially.
• Cats Have Nine Lives: Felars have a special ability, to resurrect when killed instantly, nine times before it is used up. Most consider it a waste, since if they're in a truly lethal scenario, all it does is make them die repeatedly and embarrassingly. After that, it's the standard life-death-ghost-life scenario most mortal races in Dark and Shattered Lands have.
• Expressive Ears: They tend to perk up when excited, and lay flat when embarrassed or upset.
• Furry Female Mane: Felars tend to grow their "fur" long on top, making for a hair of generally a darker color around their head. Some grow it short, some grow it long, few go without.
• One-Gender Race: Zig-zagged. Males are Wemics, Females are Felars. No exceptions.
• Sexy Cat Person: Not as prevalent as it used to be, but when felars first came out, they were quickly seen as the default race to flirt with all others. Even now, thanks to their rather undesirable wemic male counterparts, they tend to form romantic relationships with a wide variety of other races, like human, elf, or yinn.
• Unusual Ears: Triangular cat ears atop of their heads.

Kender

• Fearless Fool: Kender have literally no sense of fear, and while they have reasonable amounts of common sense, they can also be intensely curious. Perhaps not enough to leap into the maw of an angry dragon trying to eat them, but enough to go explore that haunted keep that no one else has ever come back from before. First time for everything, right? Or not.
• Hobbits: Some similarities, being short and cheerful folk, but unlike the more laid back stereotypical Tolkein-esque Hobbits, Kender are hyperactive, fearless, and very light-fingered (just don't call them thieves). They draw more influence from Dragonlance.
• Little People: Kender are short, albeit not quite as short as some make them out to be. The typical height for a male is four and a half feet, and four flat for females.
• The Sneaky Guy: Sometimes kender don't even mean to vanish right in front of you, they just happen to instinctively. Makes them great assassins, ninja, and nightshades.
• Waif-Fu: Make no mistake, kender are small, but they can throw down with... well, maybe not the best, but on par with average at least. They tend to emphasize agility over strength.

Arboren

• Eating Optional: Arborens are able to eat, but considering eating vegetables could be loosely construed as cannibalism, some choose not to eat at all, surviving purely by water and photosynthesis, standing in the sunlight from time to time.
• Green Thumb: Given they tend to be druids and generally worship Zandreya (for obvious reasons), most tend to be this. Arborens make for excellent gardeners and horticulturalists.
• Nature Spirit: Some seem to be this, others less so. Their origins are... murky at best.
• Plant Person: They're trees, for crying out loud. Flowers and needles for hair, bark for skin, and sap for blood. They are very much an unusual mortal species on Algoron.

Ariel

• Bird People: Somewhat, most ariels look like human men and women, albeit with feathered wings. Supposedly, they were supposed to be more like this, but the player base revolted at the idea of laying eggs and having beaks.
• Cape Wings: Some ariels tuck their wings around their shoulders when not in use, making them resembled feathered capes. Only in a fantasy world would that be physically possible.
• Good Wings, Evil Wings: Ariel wingspans can vary from white to gold to more sinister colors like black. Most evil ariels tend to have black wings, like the Blackfeather family.
• Make Me Wanna Shout: You know how some opera singers can break glass at high notes? Well Ariels can break bones.
• Winged Humanoid: Very big, beautiful feathered wings, and can remain airborne for impressive lengths of time thanks to them.

Bakali

• Lizard Folk: More snake than lizard, but the principle is the same. Reptilian, cold-blooded, and violently aggressive as a general rule of thumb.
• Snakes Are Sinister: Most are evil, though a few lean towards neutral, and having a strong tendency (bordering on obsession) with being quick and silent assassins, so they are this.
• Snake People: Part cobra, with the hoods and tails and covered in scales thing. Also, they have lethal fangs full of a paralyzing venom. Plus, they shed their scales as they grow older.
• Ssssnake Talk: Some indulge in this, though the majority have it so subtle it's hard to tell unless you're looking for it.

Centaurs

• Born in the Saddle: Quite literally.
• Druids: A lot of centaurs have close ties with nature, and can be powerful druids.
• Our Centaurs Are Different: Except not really, they’re largely the same, plucked straight from classic mythology.
• Proud Warrior Race: Most Centaurs become warriors, their hoof stun ability is widely respected.

Pixies

• Amazing Technicolor Population: They come in a variety of wing, eye and skin colors. Like a rainbow kaleidoscope, few look alike.
• Fairy Tricksters: Lots of pixies try to play up this angle, and most do consider them beyond awful annoying.
• Our Pixies Are Different: They can use pixie dust offensively as a chaotic weapon, fly over short distances, and generally tend to be powerful sorcerer types.

Orcs

• Always Chaotic Evil: Averted, orcs can be most anything they want really. Only a few are really monsters. Though they do tend to lean towards this as a general rule, because of upbringing.
• Dumb Muscle: Frequently. They're not terribly bright, but in their defense, few have a formal education, what with their origins as slaves of the centaurs until Malachive freed them.
• Made a Slave: Originally were slaves of the centaurs who broke free to lead their own lives. Ironically, many go to Malachive for even more abuse, fighting for his insane crusade.
• Our Orcs Are Different: Except not really. Pretty standard fantasy fare, really.
• Pig Man: Orcs still have pig-like snouts and sometimes small tusks, making them ugly fellows.

Trolls

• Healing Factor: Regeneration. Very potent, very useful. And they can survive From a Single Cell if that is all that is left, meaning virtually nothing can stop them coming back eventually.
• Our Trolls Are Different: Except not really. They're big, they smell, they regenerate from all but the worst damage, and all of them are universally fighting monsters.
• One-Gender Race: No one has ever seen a female troll before, and some are not quite sure they even are males (though they use male pronouns to refer to one another). Likely, they reproduce asexually, lop off a bit and grow a new troll from it, just like worms.

Giants

• Deader than Dead: Giants who perish on Algoron (the only place they can live) die and their essence disperses. They do not come back as ghosts like regular players.
• Divine Parentage: One parent is a deity, usually the father.
• Our Giants Are Bigger: Regardless of what they were in life, after “awakening” their divine blood, Giants grow to just shy of fifteen feet, putting them on-par with most Ogres.
• Semi-Divine: Giants are exceptionally powerful, especially in regards to magic, with limitless mana reserves and ability to cast both arcane and divine spells. However, their mortal forms are a lot more vulnerable than their fully divine parents, able to be killed on Algoron.

Vampires

• Achilles' Heel: Sunlight. It causes them to burst into flame, not only revealing what they are, but also damages them the more they stand or fight in it. Most do their best to avoid it.
• Eating Optional: Blood is required, but other foods may be eaten to be social. However, vampires gain nothing from it, and many do not eat after the transformation. It can sometimes lead keen-eyed observers to identify them, however.
• Horror Hunger: Vampires need blood, usually at least one fully grown mans worth a week. Without it, their hunger grows until their demonic features come to light and they attack anything and everything living nearby to get a sip. And if that goes on too long, they stay stuck in “Game Face” mode permanently, forever outing themselves. The are no vegeterian vampires in DSL, though some can masquerade as them, and there are a few creative means of refreshing their blood supply.
• Insistent Terminology: Vampires (at least most of them) refer to themselves as “Gifted” instead of what they feel is a lesser term, since their existence is a Gift from the Dread Lord of Murder, Fatale.
• Mind Manipulation: Vampires can influence (but not control) others, usually to compel them to commit unnatural acts, or else inspire fear. Strong wills can shake it off easily enough.
• Our Vampires Are Different: Mostly Buffyverse style rules. Basically you die, and a demon hijacks your corpse, using your memories to masquerade as you until they are discovered, and by then it's far too late anyway. Has a “Game Face” that manifests to scare others off and bump up their power a notch, and a variety of new powers available. The rest, especially weaknesses, is largely myth, though some players do adhere to the RP when convenient.
• Stronger with Age: Their power grows the longer they've been Gifted.
• The Undead: Vampires are dead, it's a pre-requisite, they are very much NOT Living Vampires. While they can simulate being alive in casual interaction, they have no need to breathe, eat, drink (save blood), or sleep. They also should not be able to procreate.
• The Virus: Averted strongly. Vampires rarely create others of their kind, it is a selection based entirely on the player (in-game, Fatale's will) whom the demons re-animated as their flesh-suits.

Dragons

• Always Lawful Good: If it’s chromatic, it’s evil. If it’s metallic, it’s good. There are quite literally no exceptions, though the degree of good or evil does vary on the dragon, some chromatics are selfish, self-centered jerks as opposed to omnicidal megalomaniacs, while some metallic can be pushy and zealous, and others are genuinely concerned with the future welfare of the mortal races of Algoron.
• Our Dragons Are Different: They come in a variety of scale colors, which denote both their alignment and their breath weapon. White, Black, Brown, Green, Blue and Red serve the Darkness and breathe ice, acid, heat, gas, lightning and fire respectively. Their counterparts are the brass, copper, steel, bronze, silver and gold. Their scales are also highly valued as armor.

—