Half Races

The Frontier's Orphans
Unions crossing racial barriers aren't common, but they do happen. Passion is ever the great equalizer.

Children only result when one of the partners is pure blood. It's not certain why touched races are unable to cross breed with each other, but it does seem to be so.

Those of biracial heritage often lead lonely lives, facing rejection from both sides of their heritage. To pure bloods, a half touched is still touched. To his touched side, he is a constant reminder of the abuse they suffer at the hands of humans.

Half races take some attributes from both sides of their heritage. Half-elves and half-orcs inherit a great deal of the versatility of their human parent; dwarves have lost much of the rough edge of their gray men ancestry as they seek to live their lives alongside the people of the Lost Frontier.

With the partial exception of dwarves, nearly all half breeds live the life of a desperado. Unable to find acceptance in most communities, they take to the plains and the trails, seeking a home out where the wind blows the tall grass.

Half-elves
Half elves are the most common of the half races. They enjoy physical benefits from both parents, and are born with natural ability and talent in many areas. They typically stand taller than pure blood humans, and inherit the lithe build of their elvish parent. Their face loses the immutable properties of the elvish parent, allowing the skin to be scarred or tattooed. In appearance, they take on attributes from both parents, including facial features. They nearly always maintain the pointed ears of the elf parent, and share a sibling-like similarity of appearance with other half-elves.

Half elves understand loneliness, and know that character is often less a product of race than of life experience. As such, they are often open to friendships and alliances with other races, and less likely than most to rely on first impressions when forming opinions of new acquaintances.

Even half elves welcomed by one side of their heritage often find themselves caught between cultures, as they are encouraged, cajoled, or even forced into taking on diplomatic responsibilities between human and elven kind. Many half-elves rise to the occasion of such service, seeing it as a chance to prove their worth to both races. Others, however, come to resent the pressures and presumptions foisted upon them by both races and turn any opportunity to broker power, make peace, or advance trade between humans and elves into an exercise in personal profit.

Blessed with the versatility of their human parent and some of the knack for blood metals of their elf parent, half-elves are able to fill a wide range of roles in a group.

Half orcs
It is not surprising that half orcs are somewhat rare - pure bloods find little attractive in the monstrous form of the orcs, and most orcs feel they no longer have anything in common with humans.

When a half orc is born, it is often the result of rape. Orc smiths make extremely valuable captives, and most outlaws are not known for their civil treatment of prisoners.

Half orcs typically resemble their orc parent more than their human parent, though human blood does smooth their features out somewhat. They do not normally have tusks, their skin is less noticeably green or gray, and they are within normal human ranges of height and weight.

Half orcs sometimes inherit some of the strength of their orc parent, but more often their attributes take after their human parent. They do possess the ferocious stamina of their orc parent, and naturally excel in many forms of violence.

Unlike half-elves, who are tolerated or even accepted by many frontier folk, half-orcs face near universal rejection from both sides of their heritage. Orcs see them as weak, and symbols of crimes committed against their people. Humans see them as outsider touched, and give little weight to the differences between orc and half-orc.

Out on the frontier, half orcs are seen as solid and reliable members of any outfit. Many inherit some of the orc affinity for smithing, and even those that don't find it easy to exceed the expectations of other races in many other areas.

Dwarves
Dwarves are not a half-race in the same sense as half-elves and half-orcs. It is unknown whether gray men can interbreed with pure bloods in the way orcs and elves can - the stonehearts are too reclusive for such unions to take place.

The dwarves are the descendants of a small group of gray men who split off from their people shortly after migrating west. What exactly caused the split is not clearly remembered; most assume it involved relations with the other races. Where the gray men avoid contact with other races almost completely, the dwarves are open to relations with the people of the Lost Frontier.

Generations of living above ground have softened some of the harshest of their stoneheart features. Dwarf skin comes in various shades, much like pure bloods; their hair is likewise varied.

Dwarves are natural tinkerers and inventors, and show brilliant knack for using blood metals in craftsmanship. Most firearms today are made by dwarf weaponsmiths, though orcs corner the market on heavy guns.

Dwarves have had the most success integrating into other racial societies, and have set up shops even in some of the stockades. Their ability in creating useful tools and devices, many powered by blood alloys, gives them some immunity to prejudice.

Dwarves are a solemn folk for the most part, though a few could be called jovial. The two dwarf families that split from the gray men have land in central Utah, and many dwarves still call that area home. Many have struck out on their own to seek their fortune in the frontier, often finding great success as prospectors and miners.

Dwarves, like their gray men ancestors, make excellent martial combatants. While they are brilliant in the use of blood metal in engineering, very few show any affinity for burning or bending.