When humans came to this world, it wasn't only inhabited by wildlife and savage Conjunction
beasts. No, when the First Landing took place 500 years ago, the Continent was already colonized,
settled by gnomes, dwarves, halflings, and elves – the Old Races.
The oldest are the gnomes and the halflings, if dwarven lore is to be believed. They inhabited
the continent for thousands of years before the elves and humans came – and continue
to do so to this day. Gnomish swords and technology are the best in the world, superior even to
dwarven craftsmanship, while gnomes themselves are among the most capable trackers living.
Halflings, on the other hand, seem to prefer agriculture to industry. These two races prefer
to stay out of the power struggles of the continent, unlike the younger races; those
being the elves, dwarves, and of course humans.
The short, stocky men with their large beards and powerful arms are known for their legendary
ability to empty entire vats of booze and remain upright, achievements in industry and
technology, as well as martial ability. They are excellent warriors – what they lack
in height, they more than make up for with their strength, durability, and sheer tenacity.
In many aspects, they are just like humans. In some, they are not. Where humans reach
adulthood in their late teens and are set loose on society, dwarves only become adults
when their beards reach their waists, around 55 years of age. Success in war, trade, or
industry is also valued incredibly high. In fact, dwarves without notable accomplishments
to their name are unlikely to even be considered as husbands by coveted dwarven “beauties”
– or their families.
Practical goals create a pragmatic approach to life. This allowed them to integrate themselves
into human society better than other Old Races. As talented blacksmiths, fierce warriors,
traders and bankers, dwarves can live good lives, mostly without fear of being persecuted
for the simple fact of being non-human.
The fourth of the Old Races was once a mighty people with a rich culture. The Aen Seidhe:
Elves.
They are long lived and practically immortal by human standards. Their beauty is unparalleled
and does not tarnish with age. Inborn magical affinity makes elves extremely powerful mages,
while their reflexes and strength make elven archers the most powerful ranged fighters
the continent has ever seen.
The elves are all but perfect – and firmly believed in their superiority. Their culture
emphasized patience, gravity, and controlling their emotions. The arrogance led them to
ignore humans when they landed 500 years ago. After all, the elves ruled the continent for
a thousand years by then. They defeated the dwarves and exterminated the Vrans and claimed
their cities as their own. How could anyone threaten them?
The elves believed humans would soon move on or die out. They even indulged them, as
it was when they accepted human children for magical training at Loc Muinne, not long after
the First Landing. They did not understand that human thirst for power and control rivaled
their own.
A few years after the children completed their training, a Redanian army marched into the
city and slaughtered the elves, triggering the first Elven-human war. Elves fell back,
surrendering their cities to humans. From these foundations, human cities like Novigrad
and Vizima rose. Part of the reason for their retreat was that, unlike humans, elven women
lost the ability to conceive after the first decades of their life and even then, they
could only bear children once every ten, twenty years. Humans did not have that problem.
Elves realized they would lose to attrition – though, perhaps, it was also the discovery
that humans and elves could interbreed. In fact, human men could cause elven women to
become fertile, not just once per decade, but after every coupling. An uneasy peace
followed, but only for a time.
Two hundred years ago, a young elven woman, Aelirenn, led the bulk of elven youth against
humans, to restore her people to glory. Her uprising was crushed without mercy. The elves
became an endangered species overnight without their youth. Survivors sued for peace. It
once more was granted and lasted for an even shorter time, until Lara Dorren
and Cregennan of Lod, a human mage, fell in love. The lovers were a symbol of
peaceful coexistence between races.
And then they were killed, starting a war between humans and elves that lasts to this
day. It takes the form of massacres, guerrilla raids, punitive expeditions, persecution...
Of course, it isn't evenly spread. The Northern Kingdoms are infamous for their treatment
of elves, while the Empire of Nilfgaard has actively courted them and other non-humans.
The Empire even fielded an entire elven brigade and secured the loyalty of non-human guerrillas
in the North: The Scoia'Tael.
But that- is a story for another day…