This material supersedes the default assumptions in the Player’s Handbook (and elsewhere).
Humanoids
The Gods created the “mannish” races to tend the mortal world.
The Humans were given the plains, deserts and steppes.
The Dwarves were given the hills and mountains.
The Elves were given the woods and forests.
The Tritons were given the rivers, streams, lakes, oceans and seas.
In the first age, a tribe of elves became sailors. They became known as High Elves and their land bound cousins as Wood Elves.
The High Elves and Tritons were often in conflict. The Tritons were driven nearly to extinction by centuries of war.
Halflings and Gnomes
The Gods created a race to serve each of the mannish races.
In each case, these “lesser” races were half the size and had a shorter lifespan than the original.
In Black Rose the terms “Halfing” and “Gnome” are interchangeable.
Statistically, Human Halflings are Halflings and would also be known as Plains Gnomes, Dwarf Halflings are Rock Gnomes and Wood Elf Halflings are Forest Gnomes.
After the Maelstrom the Halflings no longer felt any compulsion to serve.
Many were resentful of the time they had spent compelled to serve. This is one of the factors that drove those who had once served the humans to dominate them by any means available to them.
Greenskins
From the very first day the Demon Court envied the mortal world and the adoration of the mortal servitors.
They used their power to corrupt as many mortals as they could, twisting their flesh into a cruel morckery of what they once were.
Corrupted Dwarves became Orcs.
Corrupted Humans became Hobgoblins.
Corrupted Halflings (and Gnomes) of all types became Goblins.
These corrupted (or “fallen” races) bred true, prospered and multiplied. They have posed a serious threat to the mannish races fro aeons.
The Shadowed
The Demons were not the only ones who corrupted the mortal races.
The Lords of Darkness to create the Deep Gnomes, Gray Dwarves and Dark Elves.
Over the years the influence of Dark Gods on the character of the Deep Gnomes and Gray Dwarves has faded but the Dark Elves are very much thier creatures.
Beastfolk
Druids have always had the power to “awaken” animals, giving them sentience and free will.
This sometimes happens spontaneously near sacred places and places of power.
In some areas, species of awakened animals exist who are able to create awakened offspring. Talking horses, cats and dogs were relatively common for a time.
During the Maelstrom, any animal that came anywhere near one of the nature Gods was immediately awakened. These Gods were also able to “raise up” these awakened animals creating humanoid creatures to serve them.
After the war, the survivors discovered that they bred true with their own kind so many new species emerged.
There are dozens of kinds of Beastfolk.
Types of Beastfolk often found in Murgulmuir: Cat (Tabaxi), Crows and Ravens (Kenku), Frogs (Bullywug), Lizardfolk, Mouse (Eebix), Rat.
Tieflings and Aasimar
Interbreeding of the mortal and the immortal creates Aasimar and Tiefings.
Technically the mortal parent can be of any race but the resulting crossbreed will appear to be a human variant.
Dragonborn and Kobolds
Humanoid creatures with draconic blood.
Both were created through obscene magic
