Races
In addition to the standard races described in the Player's Handbook, players may adopt a character of one the following unconventional races (level adjustment shown in parentheses):
If you are a Human in this campaign, you are most likely from one of the five Human nations of the Shushanish Empire, the Republic of Haldeve, the Nortonian Republic, the Commonwealth of Eastonia, or New Waltia. Substantial minorities of Humans in these nations are from the colonizing powers, the Kingdom of Waltia or the Kingdom of Masovia. A small number of Humans in this setting are immigrants from some of the ancient Empires of the Eastern Hemisphere: the Sanctonian Empire, the Caputonian Empire, and the Diluvian Empire.
Dwarves appear to have been less affected by the "Great Plague" than other non-Humans. They are rare in Haldeve, but there are Dwarven slaves in central Haldeve, where they are valued as mine workers. Small communities of free Dwarves exist in some of the major cities, where the handiwork of Dwarven craftsmen is valued among the wealthy classes.
If you are an Elf of any kind (except Wood Elf or Drow), you are from the frozen, northern lands of Rouvania. Elves are less despised than other non-Humans. Being subjects of a foreign nation with whom Human nations carry on a lucrative trade, they carry certain diplomatic immunity. But even that does not protect them completely from various forms of discrimination and petty humiliation, and it will not stop Human authorities from coming down hard on them if they break any laws while traveling in Human dominions. On occasion, Elves who found themselves on the wrong side of the law have rotted in Haldeven prisons for a very long time indeed before their government successfully petitioned for their release.
There are large numbers of Goblinoids (Goblins, Orcs, Half-Orcs), both slave and free, living in the Republic of Haldeve, in Nortonia, and in New Waltia. In fact, Goblins are numerically the largest non-Human minority in Haldeve. Contrary to the Human portraits and parodies of them, they are not a repulsive people, though poverty can make anyone look ugly. They are the direct descendents of the original inhabitants of almost all the continental territories of the Republic of Haldeve. Some older peole of Goblinish ancestry still tell stories of a glorious age, before the Great Plague, when the entire land was ruled by the noble, powerful and beautiful Grand Goblin.
In this setting, Goblins have different characteristics than in the standard D&D settings. In this campaign setting, all Goblins have the following traits:
A Goblin character must select one of four Goblin sub-races, with the following additional traits:
If you are a Drow, Gnoll, Half Ogre, Hobgoblin or Kobold, you are from the Silltown region, where you have likely been a slave in the Nortonian mining or lumber industries.
Most Halflings live in the Commonwealth of Eastonia, working as serfs on large Eastonian estates. There are a small number of Halflings scraping together a living in the large cities of Haldeve, often as domestic servants or working in factories at tasks specially suited to 'little people.'
If you are an Anthropomorphic Animal, Gnome, Wood Elf, or one of the Fey Folk (Brownie, Grig, Killmoulis, Nixie, Pixie, Satyr or Wild Brownie characters will be permissible), you hail from the Shushanish Empire, where most of your ancestors were slaves who toiled on Shushanian plantations to produce some of the exotic fruit, spices, and dyes that are the speciality of that empire. Though the early histories suggest that Fey Folk occupied all of the islands, those living in the islands occupied by the Waltians at least were completely exterminated. The wings of flying Feys are usually clipped at birth to prevent escape from the plantations.
Treants were common in the southern forests of the Shushanish Empire. Their peoples were decimated not so much by plague as by war. During the Treant Wars, the skies of the south were literally blackened with smoke, as entire forests were burned by Masovian colonial troops. Treants survive in the south in small numbers, and are specialty slaves enjoyed by Shushanish elites, who prefer them as gardeners. When Treants reach a certain size, they are "cut down" and used to construct specialty furniture for the super wealthy. Treants are among the most feared and despised races, partly because they are least humanoid, but also because once they reach full size they can be so powerful. Treants are periodically the victims of mob "lynchings," rounded up and burned.
The rules for playing characters of unconventional race are provided in the Savage Species supplement. In this campaign setting, alignment choice is not restricted by race. Check with me and I can provide more information about special racial abilities, characteristics, advancement, special feats, etc.
For more information about the histories of the various races and nations from which your characters may hail, see "A Brief History of the West."