Editing Landsoftheblacksea:Main Page/realms/athervon (section)

== Non-Humans ==

Athervon is dominated by humans in terms of racial composition, and humans are members of all the social strata listed above.  
Halflings are the next most common race in the Kingdom; Halflings are never found within the Nobility or Clergy of the Holy Faith, and thus generally would top out social advancement within the Guildhomme at best – but of course they can also be found in as laborers, farmers, and criminals.  

After Halflings, Gnomes are the next most common demi-human race in the Kingdom.  Within human social circles, Gnomes never rise about the Guildhomme.  But Gnomes also keep to their own social compacts amongst their own kind, and one that is but a mid-level merchant in the Guildhomme might be considered nobility within Gnomish circles (or, just as often, a criminal).  Gnomish social organization is a mystery to most humans, but so long as their practices stay within the lines of the dominant human constructs and they follow the laws of the Kingdom, no one pays much attention to their internal relationships.

Half-Elves are rare in Athervon, and primarily found around the borders of the Thornwood, to include Avis Inia itself.  They suffer the same social limitations as Halflings (with a single unique exception of there being exactly one Half-Elven Prelate within the hierarchy of the Holy Faith, a recent and highly controversial decision within the church).

Half-Orcs are to be found sparingly in Athervon, typically in areas that are bordered by wild lands where their forebears reside, such as in the foothills of the Iron Mountains or the borders of the Dire Fens; they are generally shunned by humans in the countryside; but in the major metropolitan cities such as Avis Inia or Avis Armois, they are able to find work as laborers or bouncers or criminals.  A few half-orcs have managed to rise into the Guildhomme as either smiths, armorers, butchers, or other craft that their lineage provides them with unique skills in.  More often than not, they end up falling into the laborer class, or worse, the criminal caste.

Dwarves are quite rare in Athervon, and generally speaking are passing through more than living permanently among the humans.  Exceptions are rare, but an occasional expatriate or exile from the Dwarven realms can be found, particularly if one looks carefully within the major metropolitan cities.  Those few Dwarves that choose to live amongst the humans will never rise beyond the Guildhomme, but just as rare would be to find one that has not achieved that rank, given Dwarves generally superior skills at mining, smith work, brewing, and other craft that humans place great value on.  Those dwarves that fail or choose not to work in the Guildhomme generally opt for criminal activities rather than simple labor or (worst of all!) farming.

Finally, full-blooded elves are the rarest of all within Athervon.  They can certainly be found passing through, similar to dwarves, but permanently settling down is rare indeed.  The generally hostile stance of the church to non-Humans devolves into outright persecution in the case of Elves, primarily due to their perceived inherently magical nature, which associates directly to witchcraft and heresy within the church.  Those elves that do decide to swim against these cultural currents and reside amongst the humans typically will take some care to disguise their most overtly elvish features when out in public, and they too will not rise above the Guildhomme – although, similarly to Dwarves, this class will find the bulk of them.  Elves are not known to settle as farmers or laborers, and while there are no known Elvish criminals practicing in Athervon, that surely does not prove they do not exist.