The Races of Krynn | dlsaga.com

Dragonlance’s backstory is part of what it’s fans love about it. It is steeped in cultural myth and history, going back to creation itself. Let’s find out how the races of Krynn came to be, and what the hubbub over the Graystone is all about.

Time Stamps:

0:00 Intro
0:58 The Age of Starbirth
3:12 The Age of Drams
5:20 Humans
6:14 Elves
7:04 Ogres
8:01 Gnomes
8:54 Dwarves
9:41 Gully Dwarves
10:28 Kender
11:32 Centaurs
12:13 Draconians
13:02 Minotaurs

Transcript

Cold Open

Just like our own ancestors, Dragonlance has a complex and culturally significant creation story, but interestingly, not every race was intentional… Some exist simply because of chaos itself!

Intro

Welcome to another DragonLance Saga episode. My name is Adam and today we are going to talk about the different races that make up the inhabitants of Krynn. Don’t forget to like and subscribe to this channel, ring the bell, and you can further help this channel, and pick up Dragonlance Gaming materials, using my affiliate link in the description below. I am going to repeat a little of the ages of Krynn at the beginning of this tale, but it’s for good reason, as the races of Krynn are at the total mercy of its gods!

Discussion

In the Age of Starbirth, the forging god Reorx struck his hammer amidst chaos to form Krynn, the sparks from his hammer became the stars.

Dragons were made from the elements and encased in frames of metal. The Dark Queen corrupted them, tarnishing their metals. In response, Reorx forges five monuments to the lost dragons from precious metals for Paladine, who breathes life into them. Thus began the All-Dragons War. The High God returned from the Beyond and ended the war, sending the Gods to their astral planes, demanding that they leave the universe created alone.

The stars from Reorx were alive with spirit and became known as the children of the gods. The Gods began vying for control over these spirits. The gods of the pillar of evil wanted to enslave these spirits. The gods of the pillar of good wanted to nurture the spirits to righteousness, and the gods of the pillar of neutrality wanted the spirits to have the freedom to determine their own fate. This was the beginning of the All-Saints War.

The High God returned from the Beyond once again and demanded an end to the war. He allowed the gods to bestow one gift upon these spirits from each pillar. The Gods of the pillar of good gave the spirits life and physical form. The gods of the pillar of evil gave the spirits hunger and thirst. And the gods of the pillar of neutrality gave the spirits free will, to preserve the balance. Different races were created from these spirits and were placed on the planet of Krynn.

The gods of the pillars of Good created Elves as the shapers of the world. The gods of the pillar of neutrality created humans. They were coveted by the good and evil gods, but had free will to make their own decisions. The gods of the pillar of evil created the race of ogres. They were the most beautiful of the races, but were consumed by their hunger. The High God created the animals, born of the world itself which spans the balance of Good, Neutrality and Evil. Dragons are deemed the lords of the animal kingdom.

In the Age of Dreams, the Ogres claimed the mountains, The elves chose the forests and humans claimed the plains. The Ogres enslaved humans to form the mighty nation of cold stone while the elves watched. Reorx calls out to humans to join him in the northern lands for assistance in his labors. Humans rebel against their slavers and barbarism reigns as the ogres are corrupted.

The elves found the nation of Silvanos, but her forests have already been claimed by dragons. The elves convene the first Sinthel-Elish, elven high council, and prepare for war. Reorx grows distressed by the humans’ haughtiness and creates Gnomes, natural tinkers, from them. The first dragon war ends after the gods of magic assist the elves by crafting five magical stones. The elves hide them in the Khalkist Mountains after the fiercely won victory. The trickster god Hiddukel, convinced Reorx to forge the Graystone, who accidentally traps chaos within, and places it on the moon of Lunitari.

The elves create their civilization after the now ancient and fallen Ogre nation. Hiddukel tricks a Gnome to travel to Lunitari to claim the Graystone, who loses it and unleashes its chaos on Krynn. Reorx demands Gnomes recapture the Greystone and wild magic falls into the hands of some humans who become Scions.

Gargath, a human barbarian prince, captures the Graystone, binding it between two god-gems. The gnomes, joined by the elves, demand its return, while Gargath recruits ogres to help defend his prize. When the stone is freed, it corrupts those present, changing their forms to reflect their natures. Hence Goblins, minotaurs, kender, sea elves and dwarves, amongst others are born. In the chaos, the Graystone is lost. With the evolution of the races on Krynn complete (There would be future temperament changes to different species), we can now focus on the races themselves.

Humans being one of the three original races, and favored by the neutral gods, you can imagine the pure diversity represented by them in size, demeanor, pursuits and motications. Since they have shorter life spans, they tend to be more ambitious and impatient, restless and dissatisfied. That being said, we can categorize the human race into two subsections: Civilized and Nomads. Civilized humans are the largest population on Ansalon. They live in denser urban and suburban locations generally focusing on their professions. Nomads, also known as primitives, barbarians and savages, seek harmony in nature and their pursuits. They tend to live as humans have for thousands of years, in more tribal groups. Humans tend to stand between 5 ½’ and 6 ½’. Weighing an average of 170 lbs.

Elves are beloved by the gods of good, being one of the first races, and live in harmony with their natural surroundings, if not with the other races on the planet. Their long lives make them more passive in appearance, uninvolved and ethereal. They are split into four major catagories: Kagonesti, or wild elves are more on the primitive side, where the Silvanesti Elves are nationalistic, beautiful but cold to outsiders. The Qualinesti have the most interaction with other races, though they can be distrustful of others’ motivations. And the Sea Elves are proud and passionate in everything they do, finding harmony in their existence. Elves range in height from 5’ to over 6’ and average around 100 lbs.

Ogres were also one of the first races. Favored by the gods of evil, they are a much more complex race than one might think. They were created with physical grace, beauty and magic use, but over time, some degenerated into the more commonly known ugly brutes. The Irda, or High Ones, live secluded lives. They are deeply introspective and seem aloof to other races. They average six feet high. Their crueler cousins, or fallen ogres have existed since the Age of Dreams. They are creatures of appetite and greed, always ready for a fight. They are extremely aggressive, but highly social, preferring to live tribally in an effort to recreate their great ancestors nation. They stand an average of 8-9’ tall and are extremely heavy.

Gnomes were the result of a curse Reorx placed on his human assistants who swayed from neutrality and were consumed by their petty crafts. Hence gnomes were consumed by their craftsmanship, never able to achieve the greatness other races would know. Throughout history, gnomes concentrated on both scientific and theological development. The largest settlement of Gnomes is beneath Mount Nevermind, an extinct volcano on Sancrist Isle. The first gnomes stopped here on the chase after the Graystone and never left. They are serious, unused to social pleasantries, and uncomfortable with emotional displays. They’re happiest when engaged in their work. Gnomes are assigned LifeQuests at birth by the Guild subcommittee their family belongs to. They average 3’ in height and weigh 45-50 lbs.

Dwarves are known throughout Krynn as skilled builders and master artisans. They are separated into Mountain and Hill Dwarves, delineated by region and engagement with other races of Krynn. To outsiders Dwarves can seem dour, but that is simply their public face. Personally they can be as outgoing and gregarious as any race. They take great pride in their beards, and share a love of precious metals and gems. They stand between 4-41/2’ and are so dense in bone and muscle that they are much heavier than one may guess. Dwarves are a judgemental race, being quick to note at least one dissatisfaction with any given race, but they can share their appreciation for them just as fairly.

Gully Dwarves are the result of interbreeding of Dwarves and Gnomes, then further interbreeding with their own species. They are known as the Aghar or ‘anguished’. Humans christened them ‘Gully Dwarves’ They were banned in both Gnome and Dwarven societies. They were driven from civilization and forced to grub for an existence amongst abandoned ruins, swamplands and refuse piles in old cities. Dark empires and some dwarven nation enslaved them. Gully Dwarves are born to survive. They avoid exposing themselves to harm and see cowardice as a virtue. Groveling is an art in their society. They average 4’ in height and weight around 100 lbs.

Kender are descended from gnomes. The earliest known Kender hero founded the land of Balifor. A second kingdom was established in northwestern Ansalon called Hilo. Kender are utterly fearless, insatiably curious, unstoppably mobile and independent, frequently acquiring things that are not nailed down.Though strong willed, they are not prone to consider all the possible results of their behavior. They thrive on excitement and yearn for adventure. Kender go on a Wanderlust in their early 20’s. They are driven to travel and experience as much of life as they can. They are sensitive and can be hurt by insult or insinuation. They average 3’7” tall and weigh around 75 lbs. They favor a weapon called a hoopak, made from a springy and resilient wood. One end is forked like a slingshot with a leather pouch for a sling. The other end is pointed and shod with metal or hardened by fire.

Centaurs Are not the most virtuous or intelligent; though they are a proud and noble race. They are classically hedonistic and celebrate life’s pleasures through indulgence. They tend to be easy going and practical but can find themselves being overly vain in their personal appearances. They are disgusted by disfigurement and attracted to treasure. Their lower bodies are of great horses and they have muscular human upper bodies. They tend to have long hair, like a main. They generally get along well with Kender and Elves, though they find Dwarves and Minotaurs ugly and stubborn. They are migratory in nature and travel and live in herds

Draconians were created from stolen eggs of good dragons and corrupted by the evil magic of the Dark Queen. They served the Dark Queen and her Dragon Highlords in the War of the Lance, but carved out a nation for themselves in the Chaos War. Their traits are derived from the type of dragon egg they hatched from. Though most have wings, only Sivaks can fly. Bazz are self-serving shock troops, Bozak are merciless magic users, Kapak have poisonous saliva and are natural bullies, Sivaks are the most powerful and are often used as spies. Aurak have no wings, are the most rare and are feared and respected appropriately. They range in height from 5 ½’ to over 9’.

Minotaurs are at home on both land and sea. They have an honor-based society where strength and action determine class and position. They believe they are superior to all other races, and that it is their destiny to rule the world. It is their militaristic lifestyle that gives them their worldview, seeing most situations and people through a black and white lens. They stand between 6 ½’ to 7 ½’ tall and weigh 300-450 lbs. Because they glory in strength, honor and bravery, they are natural adventurers. They align themselves with whatever personal cause they find worthy, so you will find some aligned with the Knights of Solumnia or the Dragon Highlords.

Outro

And that is a brief synopsis of the races of krynn. It is by no means absolutely comprehensive, but I felt it covered the most popular playable races in the different versions of the game, and certainly the Dragonlance specific ones. I hope you enjoyed it. Do you have a favorite race to play? How about a favorite race that is nearly impossible to roleplay? Leave a comment below, subscribe to the channel and like this video. You can support this channel and pick up some Dragonlance gaming materials by using the affiliate link in the description below.

This channel is all about celebrating the wonderful world of the Dragonlance Saga, and I hope you will join me in the celebration. Thank you for watching, this has been Adam with DragonLance Saga and until next time, remember:

I’ve never heard you lie before, Half-Elf. I find it… quite… fascinating.