Races

The Six Main Races

Men

The race of men is an extremely diverse one. Although men originally came from the Old Continent, they have spread all over the world, and split into many different cultures and races. They do not possess much magic, though they can learn it, and can learn many more types of it than most others. They have no extra special abilities or aptitudes except their versatility and drive. Although often at odds with all races, they can occasionally form alliances with the less aggressive races such as elves and dwarves, and the less scrupulous among them do not shrink back from hiring orcish mercenaries, either. They have no natural enemies, although the majority of men, like most people of all races, have an instinctive dislike of the undead. Men are shorter than the elves, but taller still than dwarves or orcs. Their skin color can vary, from almost white to dark brown.

Wesnothians

Many different groups of men exist, but the majority of them on the Great Continent live in the country of Wesnoth. The Wesnothians first appeared on the Great Continent from a land far across the ocean to the West, the Green Isle. Their capital city is Weldyn. The country is protected by the soldiers of the Wesnothian Army, the most organized military force in the known world. Its warriors come from the main provinces, where all men are conscripted at an early age.

The Clansmen

The eastern provinces of Wesnoth, known as the Clan Homelands, have a geography consisting of more open plains and rolling hills than the western, more civilized provinces. They are home to the Horse Clans, who are allied with the Wesnothian Army but are somewhat separate, and maintain their own identity - as well as their own army. Some consider them to be a tributary state, that sends food and soldiers to Wesnoth in exchange for protection; others say they are on equal footing with the western half of Wesnoth, and they just serve different purposes in the country. In any case, the eastern provinces do not have a conscript army the way Western Wesnoth does. Training for fighting is part of the way of life of the Clans, so the parents will teach the children to ride horses, fight and shoot a bow from an early age. In general, the Clan warriors are less organized than the Civilized fighters, and their strengths and weaknesses complement each other.

Northerners

Humans also live in the wild country north of the Great River. The Northlands are less densely populated and poorer than the Kingdom of Wesnoth, and humans rend to live in scattered small settlements, allying and sometimes warring with other settled populations of dwarves and elves. The Northlands are also subject to the depredations of human bandits, orcs and monsters, and the human populations there have adapted to the wild and lawless conditions by becoming hardy fighters who consider their more civilized kin south of the river somewhat effete.

During all too many places and times in their history the humans of this region have been subjugated by orcs. At other times, warlords have arisen among the Northerners to unify portions of the Northlands, but these hinterland kingdoms have tended to be unstable. The most successful of them was the Northern Alliance founded after YW 534 by the Warlord Tallin; it forged a stable association among humans, elves, dwarves, and even some tribes of drakes and orcs.

Outlaws and Necromancers

Bands of outlaws roam the wild areas of the Great Continent, stealing from unprotected villages. Most would run in fear if faced by a true army, but the more skilled of them would not be afraid to walk right into an opponent's camp, assassinate their leader, and run away.

Although the art of necromancy is outlawed in Wesnoth, some mages choose to practice it, starting them on the road to Lichdom.

Elves

Elves are the eldest race of the Speaking Peoples. They are skilled with the bow and arrow - almost all of them carry one - and are also good with the sword. They do not use many weapons but these, although they are in command of powerful magic, and do use it when needed. Physically, Elves are quite tall, and seem even taller due to their slimness. They are peaceful beings, but will fight against any who enter their homeland unasked. They live mostly in the forests of the Southwest, although some choose to live in the harsh Northlands.

Orcs

Orcs are a race of fierce, brown-skinned human-like creatures found across the wild places of the world. They came from across the sea, following the humans of the Green Isle. They are violent, quick-tempered, and belligerent, and hold an ancient hatred for the race of elves. Although orcs are disorganized and prone to infighting, warbands under a strong leader can cut bloody inroads into the boundaries where civilization meets wilderness. Most live in the Northland, away from the settled land of Wesnoth, whose people they are more often than not at war with. They are a greedy race, and often can be found fighting under the banner of a lich-lord or human, hoping to gain riches from those they defeat.

Goblins

Goblins are, despite their appearance, members of the exact same race as orcs, and are born as siblings to the orcs. Unlike similar races, who usually bear children singly or in pairs, orcs will have large litters of children all at once; which is a large part of why their populations can explode so quickly. Within any litter, there will only be one or two true orcs, who will grow to the full size and strength of their race. A few more will be half-orcs, notably weaker than their big brothers, and relegated to supporting roles in combat, such as archery. The rest, often a full half of more of any litter, will be goblins. Goblins are puny, and quite frail; similar in size and stature to a human child, even at the apex of their growth. They have a rather tragic fate; a lifetime of near-slavery to their larger kin, and use as sword-fodder in battle. In spite of this, they thrive; in part because they are so very numerous, and also because their brother orcs are well aware how dependent they are on the goblins.

Goblins accomplish the bulk of manual labor needed by the orcs, with the sole exception of jobs which require the brute strength of true orcs, which the orcs revel in doing as proof of their prowess.

Dwarves

Dwarves were living on the Great Continent before Haldric arrived, but they were also immigrants, like him, coming from the East across the mountains. Dwarves are the height of human children, but are stronger than even fully grown men. They are a clannish folk, cautious and slow to anger, but once their anger is roused they are terrible fighters. Wielding many weapons with equal skill, dwarves are effective against many different races. They see in pitch darkness due to their constant work underground, and their heavy armor protects them against almost any physical attack, although magic can harm them effectively. The most skilled smiths of any in the realm, they are often hired by foreign kings to craft magical items, and the weapons and jewelry they make have been the cause of numerous wars.

Undead

As their race's name means, these are lost souls caught between this realm and next. Themselves deprived of life, they wish to likewise deprive all others of it. They are created by Necromancers, practitioners of dark magic, and are controlled by them when raised. After the necromancer controlling them dies, they remain in this world, and continue fighting for a purpose no one, perhaps not even themselves, know. Most of them are strong against physical attacks, but are weak against fire and holy assaults. Since they do not require bodily warmth to survive, cold is very ineffectual against them.

Drakes

Main article: Drakes (race)

Drakes are the descendents of dragons, almost the last legacy of those mighty beasts. Most of the race can fly and spit fire. When the fire in a drake's body is extinguished, so is its life. Because of this they are weak against cold, but they are good against most other attacks. However, due to their soft underbellies piercing weapons have always been their weakness, a characteristic most consider very dragonlike. They are heavy and move slowly, but once they reach their enemy they are devastating. Their homeland was an island named Morogor, located between Wesnoth and the Green Isle, but it slowly sank into the sea. The drakes tend to live in secluded, wild, mountainous regions and to shun contact with the other Speaking Peoples.

Other Races

There are other races than these six main ones. They often align with the larger races, but these alliances are usually not permanent.

Saurians

These are the smaller, more crafty allies of the Drakes. They often live in swamps or other damp places.

Merfolk

The Merfolk live in the shallow parts of the ocean, wary of the monsters that lurk in the deep. Ordinarily they form alliances with no one, but in Asheviere's time they allied with the elves in order to defeat their captors. Mermen are powerful and quick in any watery environment, but struggle greatly to move on land.

Nagas

Nagas are the long time enemies of the Merfolk, and in Asheviere's time they allied with orcs to finally defeat their opponents. They usually join forces with anyone willing to help them defeat the mermen.

Ogres

The Ogres are wild beasts that live in the Northlands, but the Wesnothian army occasionally captures them and trains them for battle. They are extremely brutish and stupid, but possess enough intelligence to wield a weapon.

Trolls

The Trolls are slightly more intelligent than Ogres, and ally with the Orcs whenever their shared homelands are in danger. However, most of the time they avoid each other.

Woses

Little is known about the Woses, apart from their tree-like appearance. However these beings have not descended from trees, despite the similarity in form. They seem to be wardens of the natural world.

Monsters

There are many monsters that roam about the land, not obeying anyone's orders. Occasionally, but not often, those who see them survive to tell the tale, and it is only from them that the people of Wesnoth know of their existence.