The Races of Odekor
The Common Races
Aarakocra. The most populous race on Odekor, some 250,000 aarokocra now call Odekor home. Most live on Choan, in the Mountain of Desh, but there are aarakocra citadels on almost every continent.
Kenku. Some 230,000 kenku survived the War and the godstorms; most live on Choan, although a large number also inhabit Ashada.
Troglodytes. Approximately 200,000 troglodytes survived the creation of the Undersea; most live in the southwestern section of Choan which contains their city of Ykysno.
Kobolds. There are about 190,000 kobolds on Odekor and the number is steadily growing.
Gnomes. At present, there are an estimated 170,000 gnomes scattered across the face of Odekor; most reside in their homeland on the continent of Leam.
The Uncommon Races
Duergar. Although they bare a superficial resemblance to dwarves, duergar are not dwarves; they evolved independently, in the Underdark, where they were involved in a byzantine conflict with the drow and the troglodytes. When the Underdark flooded, the surviving duergar immigrated to the surface. Today, there are some 62,000 duergar alive on Odekor.
Half-Dragons. An engineered race created by Imperial wizards, half-dragons were humans endowed with draconic enhancements. The half-dragons formed the core of the Emperor’s body-guard and enjoyed special status within Imperial society. Some 60,000 of them survived the War, to claim the Imperial Capital of Askir for themselves. Sterilized at their creation, the godstorms somehow undid this so that the half-dragons can breed true. Most see themselves as heirs to the Empire and plan to subjugate the other surviving races beneath their heel.
Hobgoblins. A goblinoid species that evolved on Choan, they were the first species the humans subjugated and integrated into their Empire. Hobgoblins thrived in the Empire and many were perfectly content with their lot. After the War, about 58,000 of them survived, scattered at Imperial outposts across the planet. Their famous discipline has given the hobgoblins a marked advantage over many other survivors, and most would be pleased to ally with the half-dragons and build a new Empire.
Bugbears. Another goblinoid species subjugated by the Empire, the bugbears were never happy under the Imperial heel. There were frequent bugbear revolts and uprisings, leading the Empire to take draconian measures with them, relegating them to a slave caste scattered across the world. Today, some 54,000 bugbears remain. Disorganized and violent, they seem not to care that the world has been turned on its head.
Drow. Like the duergar, the drow evolved independently in the Underdark. Their resemblance to elves is purely coincidental and largely superficial. The drown had a vast empire in the Underdark, and had established formal relations with the Empire. Since neither the Empire nor the drow were very interested in the other, they mostly ignored each other except when necessary. When the Underdark flooded, some drow managed to flee to the surface. Today, some 53,000 drow struggle to survive on Odekor’s surface. Many have claimed small human settlements in the stonewoods for their own. Some have established villages on the subterranean shores of the Undersea, mourning their lost empire.
Jackalwere. There are about 47,000 jackalweres living on Odekor today. Incredibly, their numbers have actually grown since the War. A race of monstrous humanoids, they survived for centuries thanks to their ability to shapeshift into humans. They hid in the Empire, living quietly among the very people who would have killed them. With the humans gone and the Empire fallen, the jackalwere’s live openly in their natural form, building communities of their own in the wilderness.
Lizardfolk. The lizardfolk were an imperial slave-caste for over eleven hundred years. Originating in Western Choan, they were never particularly numerous to begin with. Since the War ended, there are only 45,000 of them left. The death of humanity and the fall of the Empire has done little to improve the lizardfolk’s lot; most now serve the troglodytes in the same capacities that they once served the Empire: as slaves.
The Rare Races
Dwarves. Once one of the most influential and admired races on Odekor, when the Empire fell and humanity was wiped out, the dwarves were also cast down. Today, there are only about 10,000 dwarves remaining on Odekor. Most of them can be found on Birichir, although members of the race can be found on all the continents.
Quaggoth. Once the scourge of the Underdark, hunted to near extinction by the drow and duergar, the quaggoth survived by fleeing deeper into the dark places of the earth. They would have stayed there, too, if the Underdark had not flooded, forcing the quaggoth to flee toward the surface. At present, there are between eight and ten-thousand quaggoth left alive on Odekor. They live in savage tribes, preying on anyone or anything foolish enough to cross their path.
Elves. The elves of Ashada were victims of their own hubris. Declaring war on the Empire, they were defeated and brutally subjugated as an example to the Empire’s enemies and allies. Serving predominantly as a slave race, the elves were devastated when the War occurred. Most died. Some survivors remain in the zombie-haunted cities of the Empire, while others have fled to the wilderness. None of them are having an easy time of it. At present, there are approximately 6,000 elves remaining on Odekor, most of those on Choan.
Yuan-Ti. The yuan-ti were not native to Odekor, but arrived via planar portal two hundred years ago. They sought to open diplomatic relations with the Emperor as part of some convoluted plot to seize control of Odekor. The Emperor saw through their deceit, had the portal destroyed and most of the yuan-ti ‘delegates’ executed. The only ones he spared were the yuan-ti purebloods, whom he turned over to imperial wizards for study and research, hoping to glean something useful from the situation. Over two centuries later, the 4,000 descendants of these yuan-ti purebloods managed to survive the War and claim their freedom. They have also claimed the island of Ikara as their own, and defend its shores with serpentine ruthlessness.
Gith. Like the yuan-ti, the gith were not native to Odekor. Unlike the yuan-ti, however, their arrival on the Crooked World is much more recent. During the planar catastrophe predicated by the War, over a thousand Gith found themselves trapped on Odekor with no way to escape.
Orcs. There weren’t many orcs left when the War began and even fewer when it ended. The Empire had been deliberately winnowing the orc population for decades, relegating them to unskilled slave-labor. Today there are only about 800 orcs remaining, mostly on Birichir where they remain enslaved by the dwarves.
Kuo-Toa. The kua-toa were on the verge of extinction when the Empire discovered them about fourteen hundred years ago, and they remain on the verge even today. Mad, bad and dangerous, the kuo-toa who survived the War have immigrated into the Undersea where their population is actually increasing. At present, there are about 800 kuo-toa nesting in the Undersea.
Doppelgangers. Like the half-dragons, doppelgangers were another race engineered by the Empire. In their case, however, the Empire used the illicit spawn of human/elf unions to create the doppelgangers, a creature capable of fitting in anywhere thanks to its shapeshifting ability. There weren’t many doppelgangers around before the War and all of them were agents of Imperial Intelligence. Since the War, there are only about 500 doppelgangers remaining. Free agents for the first time in their existence, many doppelgangers live life on the edge. Others have sought out old allies, like the half-dragons and hobgoblins, and continue to live the only life they’ve ever known, as spies.
Goblins. Once one of the most populous races on Odekor, goblins were everywhere in Imperial society. They were servants and soldiers, merchants and miners, sages and scientists. They were often overlooked and underappreciated, but could exert considerable influence on matters from behind the scenes. Sadly, the goblin race was hit hard by the War and the godstorms. Less than 300 goblins survived the War, scattered across the planet.
