Species
Writing a Fantasy novel like Embraced by Darkness and getting the chance to create my own species outside of the typical of what one would normally expect from a fantasy book was a fun part of writing this series. I used some of the cliche stereotypes to steer people toward what my species were a little alike but not identical to. The Vamepire are, yes, sharp toothed and humanoid but not the walking dead, they do not sleep in coffins, however I used a similar name to give my readers a jump on what to expect. Same with the Fai and the Elf, my creatures are similar but in other ways extremely different then what is considered typical.
Human
Of the Humans there are three main strains. The Stonedowner are fair skinned, blond headed and big bodied, typically with blue eyes. The Diggamara are a smaller built type of human with black eyes and hair and coffee colored skin. The Willower are very fair with dramatically colored eyes and dark hair. In the beginning of their freedom from the other species the Humans were very segregated. Within the last few hundred years however, the pure strains have diminished considerably and though people still consider themselves “Willower” or “Stonedowner” depending on where they were born, there are few truly pure blooded Humans left of any one type. Though that does not begin to stop the leaders of the capital cities to claim their own pure blood and squabble racially with the other types of Humans.
Centaur
In the beginning the Centaurs kept tightly to their own people, never dealing in the affairs of Humans or any of the other species that graced the land. They lived simply and peacefully until the Keltch began terrorizing their homes. It was decades before all out war was finally declared on the Keltch but in that time the Centaurs paired with the Human Wards and allied themselves to them. In the eyes of the Wards (at the time ruled by Shankan and Telenay) it was a mutually beneficial partnership. In the eyes of the rest of the Human however, the Centaurs remained women stealing savages.
Draegoone
The true history of how the Draegoone came to be born has long since been lost in the thousands of years that they have ruled the north west. Humans see them and often, if they are not simple minded enough to first think them demons, think they are a cross between Humans and Dragons. Which cannot be blamed. The Draegoone truly do not know. They are very long lived, if not reaching a few hundred years each sometimes, and care little for history. They are single minded, focused, stubborn and essentially without arrogance or greed. They ruled for thousands upon thousands of years before the Fae stepped up to challenge them. And now, they fight in the north west, always against the black swarms of Vamepire while the dragons themselves dwindle. They are completely scaled in soft, small scales, sometimes towering as high as eight feet and coming in at whopping weights. Some are horned and they are all taloned and winged.
Vamepire
It is not known how the black blooded creatures the Vamepire came to be. They do not seem to be capable of breeding but their numbers swell and swell. They look essentially Human, very rarely any bigger, there wings are wide and eel-like, black and leathery. They prefer fresh meat and blood though they could survive on cooked foods. They are clawed and their claws are as black as their skin is gray. They are intelligent, spiteful and very conniving. It is their essential nature to want to take over and their sights have been on the entire west for centuries.
Fai
The Fai warred against the Draegoone for thousands of years, essentially fighting over the Human realms, fighting over slaves. They are generally smaller than Humans, though they are fierce warriors, their wings are small, delicate and not unlike those of a humming bird. Their ways and their living are much a mystery among the Humans for there has been little to no dealing with the South and Fai since the Humans were set free.
Elf
The Elves have never once trifled with the wars or the dramas of the other Species in the land and no other Species has ever had the stupidity to attack them. In the three great forests the Elves live peacefully and, as the Humans know it, no Human has seen one of them in centuries. The trees split at the base and from it an Elf is birthed, squalling as any infant, slowly growing and separating from the bark and leaves and life-giving sap that sustains them. Their bones are entirely wood and they never have survived the death of the tree that gave them life.