Peoples of Allaria

Allaria is more a federation of vassal cities than anything else, with thousands of peoples, regions and towns adopting Allai culture, laws and customs. Despite its strict Allai caste system, Allaria is a very diverse, cosmopolitan Realm.

Honor Elves
The high-ranking minority in Allaria, comprising less than 10% of the Realm’s population, are Allai ‘honor elves’, or elves with human blood. Most half-elves native to Allaria belong to a royal family, or at least to the high courts. Humans and non-ellari elves from any region within the realm can earn positions of power by their merits, but half-elves retain a hold over the highest echelons of the Allarian government.

The rationale for the social superiority of honor elves was that, while elven dreams are too hard to control, and human dreams are too ambitious and short-sighted, a mix of both allows the dreaming to focus on orderly pursuits, cultural improvement and a better civilization overall. This was accepted as absolute truth for centuries, granting Honor Elves a virtual blood right to rule other peoples, until Queen Elyse declared that no people were superior to the others, and restored the importance of dreaming in the order- and honor-focused traditional Allarian culture.

Humans
Allaria is mostly populated by humans, coming from various towns, tribes and cultures that established themselves around the city-states of half-elven kings and accepted Allai rule in exchange for the protection and resources of the larger state. These human vassals comprise just under half of the total Allarian population. One in five of these Allarian humans are dream-touched, due to their close contact with fey woods and ellari magic.

Humans have traditionally functioned as Allaria’s buffer demographic; the middle-class majority that separated the Allai elite from the Ellari underdogs, and made class differences possible by taking over most mercantile and crafting activities.

Elves
Second to humans come ellari silver elves, which make up about 30% of the Allarian population, and still live mostly as second-class citizens to both half-elves and humans despite Elyse’s reforms, which include banning the term ‘Null-eyes’ as a racial epithet. To counteract bigotry, Ellari are now allowed to form mutual protection guilds, as well as schools of philosophy and organizations for social improvement.

It’s true that silver elves experienced much stronger discrimination under previous rulers, but the most closed-minded circles of Allarian society still regard Ellari as inferior, or even dangerous, and referring to them by forbidden slurs by instinct. Other elven peoples, such as Sikari from the Arkane Dominion, or half-elves born in other realms, often visit or settle in Allarian territory, unaffected by the prejudice against silver elves.

Fell
The Fell, or Dream Elves, are not a people proper, but manifestations of Fai magic imitating the shape and behavior of civilized beings; however, they remain inhabitants of Allarian territory, even if they aren’t subject to the Realm’s laws or jurisdiction, and are more a threat to Allarian citizens than anything else. The Fell Courts, Valerna’s greatest concentration of Dream Elves, are located in Allaria’s Fai Woods.

Nobody really understands the Dream elves, and they are not counted on the Allarian population census, or expected to pay taxes to the kingdom - not since the last delegates to carry such demands disappeared in the forest without trace.

Gnomes
Godao Golden Gnomes are commonplace in Allarian society, making up roughly 13% of the Realm’s population, which accounts for more than 80% of Golden Gnomes in the world. Ikini and Iko’ob gnomes are much rarer, seen mostly as tourists or passing travelers.

Golden Gnomes are an elite among the merchants and artisans of Allaria, belonging to the same class as humans, but a tad higher in the social order, as it is their magic and dream-induced inspiration which leads to most technological progress in the Kingdom. Golden gnomes have a very prosperous society under Allarian rule, overseeing the Great Guild that provides tools and materials to the rest of the continent.

Bucentauri
Bucentauri are common at the edges of Allarian territory, making up 10% of the Realm’s population. Half of these Bucentauri are loyal to the Dragon Kings, serving as strong cavalry units, while the other half are independent nomads, in open rebellion against Allarian rule. Loyalist bucentauri are a common, if impressive, sight in most cities of the Realm.

Bakhai
Before the Unification of Zai Qan and the Dragon Dynasty, all bucentauri were enemies of Allaria, and constantly harassed and resisted the Allai’s attempts to expand westward. During the Null War, there was a warrior named Bakhai, a massive bucentaur skirmisher that had been banished from her tribe for killing her chieftain in a bout of rage. Confined to the wilderness, and forbidden from showing her face at any bucentaur village, Bakhai wandered the plains, surviving on her own.

During her wanderings, Bakhai encountered Zai himself, then still only a qirin warden, surrounded by Null things near her hunting grounds. She instinctively chose to protect the living knight against the lifeless entities, despite the enmity between their peoples; from this moment, they became inseparable, giving their lives for each other several times. At the end of the war, when Zai rose to power, he sent Bakhai as an ambassador to the bucentaur tribes, and she managed to impress her kin with her deeds and Zai’s bravery against the Null. This was the first time that bucentaur troops flocked to the Allarian cause, and Bakhai was the first commander of Allarian loyalist bucentauri.

Halflings
Quills, and to a lesser extent Shivs, are present in every Allarian city, mostly as accountants and alchemists to the Godao Grand Guild, as couriers and bureaucrats in government offices, or as bookkeepers and arrangers for the Undercurrent clans.

Pints tend to be uncomfortable in the pompous grandeur of Allaria, but there have always been a few of their inns and shops in the Realm’s largest cities and busiest crossroads, and their numbers have only grown after the Dragon Queen’s ascension, which furthered a more diverse and tolerant environment for Pints to prosper in.

Other Peoples
1% of the Allarian population includes every sentient people from Valerna, from immigrant orcs and dwarves to the odd djanna magician, sphinx diplomat or giant artisan.