Commonly referred to as Minotaur, the Bovaun are a race of cow people who are often misunderstood by most of the "civilized" races. To the humans, nels, and skrim who live on the other side of the sea, they are simply monsters of heroic tales and should be killed as such. To Elves that have seen them with Orcs, they are considered to be laborers, kept to perform heavy lifting and other strenuous tasks. Only the Orcs know the true nature of the Bovaun as the peaceful people who are not quick to anger but will defend their territory when it is threatened. Living in great stone structures, they are excellent stone workers and have been known to be blessed with a high number of Earth Movers born to their people. Often trading with orcs, the only commonality they share with their green skinned neighbors are the enemies that hunt them. Not being limited to the Elves and Humans, they are also raided by wild groups of centaurs that take what they want from those that are on the plains.
The proud Bovaun males usually stand at a towering 8'0" tall, but have been known to reach close to 9'0". Females, being smaller in frame, usually stand an average of 7'3" but can reach a height of 8'6". Both sexes have powerful legs that carry them faster than even Elves can run.
Given their massive size, the Bovaun can weigh up to 800 lbs. for a large muscular male and 600 lbs. for a strong female.
All Bovaun have brown eyes, ranging from dark mahogany to as light as the color of sand. Though large and round, the Bovaun's eyes are distinctive due to having horizontal pupils that look almost rectangular, a trait they share with other cattle species.
Passing coloration down from generation to generation, the Bovaun occasionally have kickbacks from distant ancestors making their fur different from their parents. They usually have solid fur ranging from black to white to a light blue, or they can have spots of white, brown, or black. Bovaun rarely have the same patern, making identification very easy.
Even though the Bovaun are a larger race, they do not live as long as the other races, though they closely follow Skrim. Bovaun usually live to the age of about 50 cycles because they are taken care of when they become elderly. Unlike the mouse people, Bovaun are considered adults at 15 cycles and only bare a single calf at a time. This only allows for the opportunity to have four or five children in their lifetimes but have been known on rare instances to have twins.
Humans are a vastly different, spanning the world from desert to snowy mountains, and love to build towns wherever they find resources. Being mammals, Humans possess hair all their body, but it is only prevalent on the tops of their heads, armpits and private areas, but wear clothing to dependent on the climate.
Males stand at an average of 5'6" to just over 6' tall. The females stand anywhere from 5'2" to as tall as 5'10", and are generally less muscular than their male counterparts.
Adult males weight from 100lbs to the upper 300lbs depending on build. Adult females weigh from 80lbs to 200lbs depending on frame and build.
Skin color ranges from a pale peach color to a dark, almost black, dark brown.
Humans have eyes that generally stick to the three colors of brown, blue and green. Some can be found to have color that is darker, lighter, or in between two different colors.
Human hair varies in color, from blonde, brown, or black. But also have been known to be red in color, and usually turns grey or white as they age.
Humans in this time reach adulthood at the age of 12 or 13 and live to be around 65 cycles, But with the use of magic some humans have been known to reach the age of 95 to 100.
Nels are a short race of humanoids that are usually as wide as a Human, but only half the height and with personalities, it has been said, that could fill two people each. They tend to have a bit more body hair than the average Human, and the males are known to grow long beards as a status symbol. Though one race, the three factions have a very different view on the ways of doing things.
The Brandenel have a passion for technology, making numerous contraptions that more often than not, do not work the way they had intended. The live in large machine shops, usually built of metal, and stone, and usually do not have houses, but dorm rooms.
The Rainel have a love for food and the simple ways of life. Growing crops and are usually seen without shoes. They live in houses built into the countryside's rolling hills, and enjoy the woodworking and telling of great tales.
The Undanel have a love for mining riches and ore to feed their passion for stone working and metal crafts. They usually build large cities directly in the very mountain they are mining, and craft wondrous halls for grand feasts.
Smallest of the intelligent races, the Nels are as short as a mere 3' but can be as tall as 4' with the females only being a few inches shorter than the males. But to the Nels the difference is noticeable.
Though given their shorter height the Nels are a sturdy race, and can weigh as much as a human. Ranging from 110lbs up to 350lbs, a Nel can lift more than most humans and this is a fact is true for both males and females.
Nels usually have a tanner skin than most humans, but have been known to have a paler complexion if they spend their time underground, or in a machine shop.
As Humans, Nels have three primary colors for their eyes, some darker than others, but most are blue, brown or green.
Not many Nels have bright colored hair, sprouting more to browns and blacks, but some have been known to have blonde and red locks on their short, freckled heads.
All the Nels have about the same life span of around 250 to 300 cycles, though lifestyle tends to determine just how, the long life ends. Brandanels are inquisitive, but long hours working in machine shops, decreases their health due to smoke inhalation and sometimes explosions. Rainels lead a very healthy life with fresh air and good food, but their appetites lead them to an untimely death due to their rich diets. Undanels lean towards the consumption of alcohol, sometimes literally and this tends to shorten their lives. All three are firm believers that their children are ready to see the world after their 51 cycle, and are considered loafers if they stay longer.
Brutal and muscular, Orcs are not known for their intelligence but are not stupid by any means. Generally stronger in size than most humans, Orcs lead a life that usually, does not last long enough for them be considered elderly. With ritualistic ceremonies of strength, and clan battles that can stem back to disagreements of brothers, the Orcs seem to be a warring race to outsiders, but people of the Tribes, have many skills and jobs that do not revolve around war. Ranging from cooks to tailors, the Tribes are self-sustained. The only sense of unity lies in Kortusk, the stronghold in the South, with high walls built of stone and great trees, long cut from the ground.
Standing as tall as Humans and at a distance in armor, they could be mistaken for one.
Males weighing from 250lbs to 350lbs they are a tower pure muscle. The females, are like the males, but only weigh 200lbs to 280lbs and sometimes have a hard time giving birth, do to their rough lifestyles and low body fat count.
Ranging from ruddy brown, to bright green, the colors of an Orc, is generally passed down by the clan they belong to, though some mutations have been known to cause accusations of infidelity.
Generally, Orcs have brown or black eyes, are calm while they are at home, but are filled with hatred as they fight their enemies.
All Orcs have black hair, no matter the Clan or skin color, that can start to turn grey if the Orc reaches the age of thirty.
Orcs are a short lived race, usually not living over 35 cycles, their actual life span can last up to 50 or 60, but given their aggressive nature, they tend to burn out, or die in combat. Given their rough life style Orcs are expected to find mates and produce strong children at the age of 12, but most are not successful in keeping children till around 15 cycles.
The Skrim are a race of humanoid, mice people who through the years have become an intricate part of almost every society. Though the phrase "Shiftier a Skrim." is not entirely fabricated, people who think of them as oversized rats, their beady eyes and sharp incisors usually gives them the stigma of being swindlers, but most Skrim are honest business people who relish in the feeling of turning a profit. With no towns to call their own, the Skrim prefer to live where the need for goods are the greatest, inhabiting major cities, and smaller trade towns, and usually help the communities they live in, by making sure the trade is kept equitable, and fair. With no real governing hierarchy to their race, the closest thing to a leader the Skrim have is the Market Council. A conglomerate of ten Skrim that balance need and demand to keep prices regulated, as to not gouge prices, and has been known to enforce such fairness on other races merchants.
When standing fully upright, male Skrim come to anywhere from 4' to 4'6", though most do not stand fully erect, hiding their full size. Female Skrim are slightly shorter, and when standing straight, are usually around 3'8", but can be as tall as 4' and as their male counterparts, hunch, to hide their height.
Even with a thick pelt, Skrim tend to be incredibly skinny and lean, but are hard to judge because of their posture. The males only weighing in the range of 75lbs to 110lbs, only slightly outweigh the females, who weigh in from 60lbs to 90lbs.
Given that the Skim are covered with fur from head to the end of their long tails, makes skin hard to see, but usually matches their fur color and pattern.
With large pupils, the Skrim usually have deep black eyes, but have been known to have dark chestnut eyes, and sometimes even dark red.
No Skrim has the same fur pattern. Each is as different as a fingerprint, varying from a white to the darkest black, spots, stripes, and patches of an off color, though most Skrim have no problem telling each other apart.
The Skrim lead busy lives because they only have a life span of that is a mere 30 cycles. Ageing quickly, the Skrim become adults at the young age of 5 and usually have litters of 6 to 8 at a time.
The varanus are a race of bipedal lizard people who resemble a mixture of gila monsters and iguana. With wide heads and clawed hands and feet, they are excellent swimmers aided by a powerful, scaly tail that is at least a foot longer than their strong legs. In the distant past, the Varanus grew in numbers fueled by a hunger for power. Forging a legion of the dreaded Razhier Knights, known for their necromantic powers, and the Order of the Falling Leaf, a powerful monastery of monks known for their dedication to perfecting their bodies and minds by practising arts of martial combat. After the Great War, only the Order survived, turning to inner peace rather than the pursuit of conquest.
Most male Varanus stand proudly between 5'2" and 5'6", while females, who are slightly larger, stand up to 6'0" and tend to look like males with the exception of wider hips and a thinner snout.
Though not as diverse as Skrim, Varanus have individual scale patterns and slight color variants that visibly distinguish one from another. Before the decent of their reign, the Varanus displayed a vibrant green and had chromatophoric scales they used to rapidly change the color of their scales. The art of this skill has been lost to the Varanus of today. Males are a light tan and known to have spikes on their dewlap. The females are more of a beige color and tend to have smoother scales.
The Varanus have eyes like no other species, ranging from solid yellow to blue with spots. The only usual trait is the pupil with all eyes having black slits like sharp ovals.
The Varanus have excellent healing properties and regenerate cells, keeping them looking young. Most live for over 80 cycles, and if they lead a peaceful life they will live to be around 110 cycles. Not being raised by parents as most mammals, the Varanus are born in clutches of 30 to 40 and are raised by the older varanus. They are considered to be of breeding age at 25 cycles.