Humans

Humanity is widespread in Athame, filling many roles, from rulers to slaves, from soldiers to food. There are many different branches of humanity, but where ever they are there are many of them. In Zlonatirov, Mudrost, and The Black Hills the branch of humanity is known as the Gamani, and are known for their fair skin, thick dark hair and blue eyes. The people who feature most prominently in Ochyro are the Valeris, a people of proud warriors, known for their tan skin, brown hair and green eyes. The people of the Lost Marshes are known as the Modrun, they are known for their ruddy complexions, fair hair and brown eyes.

Stereotypes:

Dhampires: Whenever you think that you are better than us, remember: you're still a bastard. Venoznaja: You thought yourself high and mighty, now you live in the gutter like the rest of us. Bariskoya: You claim to be more civilised than you wolf side, what does that make you, a dog? Przancov: Leave us be monster or feel the fire! Trezrak: Kissed by death but still of the living, a ward against the damned. Vampires: You lead we follow.

Dhampir
Half-vampires, born of the rare union between humans and vampires. The dhampires of Zlonatirov are looked down upon, by vampires for being weak and frail like their human bloodline and by humans (even if the humans hide it well, so that the dhampires don't kill them) for being as much monsters as their vampire bloodline would suggest. The dhampires fight to gain some sort of place in the world, and some times their vampire parents take pity on them

and give them a menial job in their holds. Which is why many Fetches are dhampires, and only few hold titles in Zlonatirov. Dhampires are generally free of the weaknesses of their vampire ancestry, but they retain some weaker versions of their ancestor's weaknesses.

Stereotypes:
Humans: They are both my kin and my cattle, it is a strange lot in life. Venoznaja: Our fathers fought a war and even when your father lies beaten and broken you keep fighting back. I can't decide if it is bold or just foolish. Bariskoya: I have seen the fury and lust for blood in your eyes, I can relate brother. Przancov: They might be the awakened dead, but they have more in common with the Khovlaki than my ancestors. Trezrak: A dead soul in a living body? I can relate. Vampires: Our disapproving fathers. Dhampir Racial Traits
+2 Constitution, +2 Strength, -2 Wisdom: Dhampires bare the marks of their vampiric ancestry in the form of their legendary toughness and strength, but their lust for blood often gets the better of them leading them to be prone to acts that could not be considered wise. Dhampir: Dhampires are humanoids with the dhampir subtype. Medium: Dhampires are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size. Normal Speed: Dhampires have a base speed of 30 feet. Senses: Low-Light Vision and darkvision 60 feet. Undead Constitution: Dhampires gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against disease and mind-affecting effects. Light Sensitivity: Dhampires are dazzled in areas of bright sunlight or within the radius of a daylight spell. Negative Energy Affinity: Though a living creature, a dhampire reacts to positive and negative energy as if it were undead. Positive energy harms it, while negative energy heals it. Resist Level Drain (Ex): A dhampir takes no penalties from energy drain effects, though he can still be killed if he accrues more negative levels than he has Hit Dice. After 24 hours, any negative levels a dhampir takes are removed without the need for an additional saving throw. Blood-Frenzy: Dhampires gain the following extraordinary ability: If the hit points of a dhampir fall below 0 but it is not yet dead, it can continue to fight. If it does, it is staggered, and loses 1 hit point each round. It still dies when its hit points reach a negative amount equal to its Constitution score.

Venoznaja (Witch Blooded):

A sub species of humanity and heirs the legacy of the Witch Lords of old. Through the many centuries that the venoznaja ruled Zlonatirov their breeding patterns and excessive use of magic, led to them becoming a race of their very own. One would think that their extreme inbreeding would lead to all the heirs to the Witch Lords would be deranged and hideous, but that is not so, although the venoznaja have their share of genetic faults. The venoznaja share a few characteristics that set them apart from regular humans. For one their eyes come only in strange colours (such as pink, purple, red, white, black etc.) and their hair colours is always a strange unnatural colour blended with a natural one (such as black with green colourations, blond with purple stripes etc.).

Stereotypes:
Humans: We are brothers on different paths in life. Dhampires: You might be part human, but your master holds your leash tight. Bariskoya: You say you are cursed by the wolf, it makes me wonder if it is not your humanity that is your curse? Przancov: I am sorry, but the grieving only rarely heed our warnings. May you find some piece. Trezrak: While you are deeply fascinating on a metaphysical plane, I don't understand you. Vampires: You might have won the war, but if you think that you can rule me you are sadly mistaken foolish leech! Venoznaja Racial Traits
+2 Intelligence, +2 Charisma, -2 Constitution: The venoznaja are known to be an intelligent and seductive people, but they are also known to be more frail than most normal humans. Medium: Venoznaja are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size. Normal Speed: Venoznaja have a base speed of 30 feet. Magical Blood: Venoznaja gain the Magical Aptitude feat as a bonus feat at 1 st level and gain spell resistance equal to 11 + their character level. Liars Tung: Venoznaja gain a +4 racial bonus on Bluff checks to convince an opponent that what they are saying is true when they tell a lie. Masters of Magic: Venoznaja gain a +2 racial bonus on concentration checks when made to cast arcane spells defensively. Ancient Grudge: Venoznaja gain a +1 racial bonus on attack rolls against vampires.

Bariskoya (Half-Were):
It is not uncommon for those cursed with lycanthropy to have children with normal humans, but almost universally the children are stillborn. Yet there are cases, rare as they may be, where the child is born during the full moon, tearing the womb of the mother, so that the mother dies and the child lives. Children born this way become Bariskoya, or simply half-werewolves. These births are rare though and thus the bariskoya are few and far between, and many are left by their fathers, since they cannot look at them without seeing their dead lovers. The life of a bariskoya is a hard one, since their predatory nature sets them apart from normal humans, and since there is no organized werewolf society, there is no help there either. Sometimes the bariskoya manage to find others of their race, with whom they form a pack, but since there are so few bariskoya this is rare. Physically the bariskoya look like humans, but their eyes are yellow, they are very hairy, males have long sideburns and shaggy beards while women have long shaggy hair and short

sideburns and they have a set of razor sharp fangs.

Stereotypes:
Humans: I long to be part of their world, but they can never accept the beast that lurks within me. Dhampires: They might be the sons of the lords, but they are little more than bastards like us. Venoznaja: The vampires took their world and now they scrounge up what they can in the gutter with the rest of us. Przancov: When you think you are the outsider, take a look at their sorry state. Sure puts things in perspective. Trezrak: The humans say that you ward of evil, but I have yet to see your use. Vampires: I can live with the fact that they rule my home, just as long as they don't start calling me a dog again. Bariskoya Racial Traits
+2 Constitution, +2 Wisdom, -2 Charisma: The bariskoya are cursed to be outsiders, but being forced to live on the fringed has made them hardy of body as well as mind. Medium: Bariskoya are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size. Normal Speed: Bariskoya have a base speed of 30 feet. Senses: Low-Light Vision. Master Scavengers: Bariskoya gain a +2 racial bonus on Appraise and Perception checks to find hidden objects (including traps and secret doors), determine whether food is spoiled, or identify a potion by taste. Shadow Hunter: Bariskoya always treat Perception and Stealth as class skills and reduce the penalty for using Stealth while moving by 5 an can make Stealth checks while running at a -20 penalty. Wolf Fangs: Bariskoya gain a natural bite attack, dealing 1d4 damage. The bite is a primary attack, or a secondary attack if the bariskoya is wielding manufactured weapons. Nose for Carrion: Bariskoya have a natural ability to sniff out carrion. This functions like the scent ability, but only for corpses and badly wounded creatures (creatures with 25% or fewer hit points).

Przancov (Hollow Born):

The przancov are strange creatures indeed, since they are not truly born, they are made. The przancov are born out of darkness and desperation, they are made of parts of dead men or women, sewn together to create a new body. When a person loses someone they may become desperate, which is only natural, but some people go to dark places in this desperation. Some turn to the ancient dark magic of the Witch Lords, in hopes to bring back their beloved. Only a few of the venoznaja know the rites needed, but those who do never use them lightly. First a shell must be constructed from flesh and bone, then a demon must be summoned to breathe life into the shell, find the dead man's soul and bring it back to the shell. But what is brought back is the soul in a twisted broken shell, that can never look human again. The przancov look exactly like one would expect, stitched together from different corpses, and as such can vary much in appearance, but they are always humanoid and human sized.

Stereotypes:

Humans: I once walked among them, like them, now I must walk on the fringes lest they come for me with torches.

Dhampires: They talk a big game for a race of glorified bastards. Venoznaja: They say they are better than the humans, yet they break so easily. Silly little witches. Bariskoya: They say that we must suffer the sins of our fathers, but some have to suffer more than others. Trezrak: You to have death inside of you, why do they love you and hate me? Vampires: High lords in their high towers. As long as they don't burn me we will get along fine. Przancov Racial Traits
+4 Strength, -2 Dexterity, -2 Charisma: The przancov are infamous for their massive strength, but their broken bodies have never been able to keep up with the raw power and the undead flesh has an understandable tendency to unnerve any who speak to it. Amalgamation of Flesh: Przancov are Constructs for the intents of spells and abilities. Medium: Przancov are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size. Normal Speed: Przancov have a base speed of 30 feet. Unliving: Przancov gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against disease, mind-affecting effects, poison, and effects that cause either exhaustion or fatigue. Once Returned: Przancov cannot be raised or resurrected. Broken Body: Przancov do not breathe, eat, or sleep, unless they want to gain some beneficial effect from one of these activities. This means that przancov can drink potions to benefit from their effects and can sleep in order to regain spells, but neither of these activities are required for the przancov to survive or stay in good health. Negative Energy Affinity: Though a living creature, a przancov reacts to positive and negative energy as if it were undead. Positive energy harms it, while negative energy heals it. Crime Against Nature: Przancov unnerve normal animals, and train to defend themselves against the inevitable attacks from such creatures. Przancov take a -4 penalty on all Charisma-based skill checks to affect creatures of the animal type, and receive a +4 dodge bonus to AC against animals. Animals starting attitude towards members of this race is one step worse than normal.

Trezrak (Wraith Hearts)

Generally ghosts just pass through the lives of ordinary folk, like shadows clining to the edge of reality, never truly touching ordinary lives, but sometimes people are touched by ghosts. Generally this is a horrific process, but sometimes it is even worse. When the ghost of a particularly nasty human comes into contact with people it once knew, then it might possess said person to live out the things that the ghost cannot do anymore, particularly the acts of the flesh. Sometimes a child is born from this, a child both living and dead, belonging both to the physical world and the world of the dead. Such a child is known as a Wraith Heart or Trezrak, and while their origin is dark and perverted the trezrak often enjoy blessed lives as the people of Zlonatirov see them as wards against evil.

Stereotypes:
Humans: You see me as something better, and I the other way around. Strange. Dhampires: Dead bodies with living souls, a strange creation. Venoznaja: They claim to know so much, but how can they not understand me? Bariskoya: Feral spirits inside a mortal shell. You have my pity. Przancov: A crime against nature, nothing less. Vampires: Our long dead leaders.

Trezrak Racial Traits

+2 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom, -2 Constitution: The Trezrak are liethe and graceful beings, who seem to possess the wisdom of many lifetimes, but they are also thin and frail. Trezrak: Trezrak are humanoid outsiders (Ethereal) with the trezrak subtype. Medium: Trezrak are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size. Normal Speed: Trezrak have a base speed of 30 feet. Senses: Darkvision 60 feet. Watchman: Trezrak gain the use of deathwatch as a constant spell-like ability. Living and Dead: Trezrak gain the following supernatural ability: Once per day as an immediate action, a member of this race can treat positive and negative energies as if it were an undead creature, taking damage from positive energy and healing damage from negative energy. This ability lasts for 1 minute once activated. Life with Purpose: Trezrak gain a +2 racial bonus on all saving throws made to resist death effects, saving throws against negative energy effects, Fortitude saves made to remove negative levels, and Constitution checks made to stabilize if reduced to negative hit points.