Thieneres, Kurkhs and Enzels

I shall now explain the differences between the Thieneres, Kurkhs and Enzels that you probably saw mentioned several times inside the game.


There has been at least 7 different human races in this world, but only three of them survived to witness the cycles and the first Anamnesis. Their origins are hard to trace and, like saurians, they don't seem to have originated in a natural way, which brings some validation to the beastfolk creation myths that attribute the saurians with the creation of humans. Renascents are not able to shed any light on this matter as they are not older than the first Anamnesis, but it is widely believed that there might be at least some truth to the whole thing.

Archaeological evidence speaks of widely diverging races without any clear connection inhabiting the area of The Steppes and Malahs Kovoss at clearly differentiated intervals of time. They all suddenly spurted and vanished as suddenly leaving but their bare bones, and it is quite possible that some didn't even leave that much behind. The beastfolk usually blame those races' disappearances on their respective follies for failing to fulfil the requirements of their saurian masters and creators. According to beastfolk myths, a varying number of human races were just discarded and wiped out through some unspecified method.

A popular theory worth noting in this matter, which originates from abducted individuals, is that either one or several of these vanished races either became or joined the so called fey folk.

Most modern humans are in any event anatomically far from any of these races. The inhabitants of The Steppes have gone through heavy interbreeding during the years and the characteristic traits of each of the surviving race became diluted.

The most primitive and less intermingled humans are to be found in Hieronhorte among the savages. By contrast, also in Hieronhorte, an isolated group of Kurkhs started their own evolutionary path of adaptation to become the ogres, but they are not a real race on their own yet.

While not universal by any means, certain physical and psychological traits can help to ascertained most individuals' ancestry.

Thieneres are considered to be the oldest surviving human race and the second oldest to ever exist. Their numbers are few and they can only be found in The Steppes and very rarely in Malahs Kovoss. They can be easily identified by their large, wholly black eyes and their reduced size.

They are not just short with their 1.5 metres of height of average, but they look like scaled up versions of themselves since their physique is as a rule slim and athletic. Pure Thieneres have been known to be as small as 1 metre tall and to have been almost unable to digest red meat, but most modern individuals are almost as capable meat eaters as anybody else.

They have a reputation for being diligent and tame, almost to the point of being sheepish. It is for these reasons that they are most often found supporting The Court rather than The Influence and that they are usually treated with care and even condescendingly. Notable Thienere renascents include Feelias, Thianneh, Lenn-Ranel and Rhaeslyevh.

Kurkhs are believed to be the fifth oldest race and are currently doing well enough in numbers and future prospects. They tend in fact to be the industrial and military backbone of any community, as they are usually significantly larger and stronger than the other races.

A modern Kurkh from The Steppes can measure up to 3 metres in height, but most won't make it past 2.2 metres. It is not unusual for purer hieronhortean Kurkhs to be as much as 4 metres tall and to be considerably bulkier than other races. Hybridization however has been favouring smaller and more sinewy individuals in The Steppes.

Their strength never made them necessarily dumber or less intellectual than the other races, but they do tend to be patronizing, stubborn and ruled by a strong sense of honour, which often makes them the most radical individuals to be found among both stalwart and influenced sides. Some notable Kurkh renascents are Achasban, The Lambda Swashbuckler, Akhdan the Maimed and Rhasmos

Finally, the most recent and populous race of all seven are the Enzel. The hybridization of The Steppes has revolved around them as they stay at an average of 1.8 metres in height and offered a healthy middle point between the 1.2 metres of height of pure Thieneres and the 3.5 of pure Kurkhs.

As a result, typically Enzel characteristics can be found to a greater or smaller extent in most modern humans of The Steppes. Their ears are slightly pointy, their canines are slightly elongated, and they often feature a pattern of grey marks on their skins. This pattern can take any form. The most usual is for small dispersed patches around the body, but some individuals, usually purer Enzels, can have large portions of their bodies covered in spots or stripes.

They are considered to be lecherous (for obvious reasons), and uncommitted. Purer Enzels are also believed to be cruel, antisocial and even predatory in nature. Notable Enzel renascents are Ehn-Vaen, Gelss, Volverlhiarth and Mealessea.