After mentally clicking the “Create Character”-Button, there was a sensation of rushing forward and upward, almost like on a rollercoaster, and moments later, the world dissolved into white light as I hurtled into the sun. At least that was what it looked like to me.

Suddenly, I was in a field of white nothingness, strange streamers of scintillating colour blinking into existence, only to flare for a second and vanish right after. I felt similar to the first stages of the chip-calibration just a few days ago, strangely discorporeal and as if I was dreaming, when around me, figures started to appear.

Right in front of me was a pair of humans, male and female, and when I focused on them, a blue box appeared.

Human

For countless years the Humans of the Empire have lived in prosperity, keeping their borders strong and secure. Their ingenuity and numbers allowed them to live peacefully, slowly expanding on the fertile plains north-west of the World Pillar. Over the years, orc-raids into those plains became more and more common, until it was decided that something had to be done. Ever since then, humans have launched one expedition after the other into the western steps, to subdue the orcs.

Humans are balanced in their start-attributes. Their later racial abilities are geared towards versatility, giving them a bonus to Willpower and increasing the speed at which they learn skills, up to the Journeyman-level.

Sounded rather generic but I realised that I had failed to look into the different attributes and what they did. I considered logging out and looking up what the attributes did and all that, but decided to look around first. I was quite sure I knew which race I wanted and what kind of class, so unless there was something seriously sticking out, I would just go with what I had planned.

Next to the humans, a pair of elves stood, I almost skipped over them, with their stupid Barbie-doll looks, even the male elf looked like some sort of male Barbie. Not that I considered playing a male character, not for a full-dive, I had no real idea how realistic those aspects were in full-dive. No, thank you very much.

But, focusing on the elves, I got their blurb.

Elf

Centuries ago, the elves arrived in the lands around the World Pillar, on ships from the east. They were a harrowed people, driven from their homeland by an unnamed calamity and peacefully settled in the vast forests of the North. But not all elves were content with their lot as serene forest-dwellers, some of them still thirsted for the hunt, they stalking and the thrill of the kill. Horrified, as those feelings were what brought the calamity upon them, the other elves cast them out, driving them into the ancient woods away from the World Pillar, where reality becomes malleable, to be never seen again.

Over the years, the elves and the humans started to trade and allied with each other.

Elves start with a bonus to Agility but pay for it in a lack of Endurance. Their racial abilities are testament of their balance with the natural world, giving them advantages to move silently in the woods and when wielding Nature’s power.

So, sneaky tree-huggers extraordinaire? Even without their Barbie-looks I wouldn’t have been interested.

Turning my head further to the right there were two gnomes, again, male and female. The male looked so much like a garden-gnome that I laughed out loud, wondering how anyone could take the race serious. But maybe that was their charm, that nobody actually could take them seriously.

Gnome

Gnomes are an ancient species who long since dwelled in the mountainous regions around the World Pillar, mainly in the south-western mountains. Their ability to use science and magic is legendary, their enchanted goods fetching high prices on whatever market they appear on. Two centuries ago, one Gnome whose name has been struck from the records attempted to create a new race of servitors for the Gnomes, but his experiments ended in failure and he was exiled for them.

Gnomes start with a bonus to Dexterity and Intelligence but they are naturally less physically capable than other races. They make up for it by using masterful magic, even if others sometimes view their experiments as questionable.

A race of mad scientists, all likely with a napoleon-complex? What could go wrong? Aside from everything. No, thank you very much.

Continuing my circle to the right, there was a bit of a gap between the gnomes and the next figures. What I saw was a large but slightly lanky figure of what I thought to be a troll, next to their female counterpart, whatever that was called. Focusing on it, brought up another blue screen.

Troll

Trolls are said to be born from the land itself, the rivers and the fields. They are generally peaceful, unless provoked, but if they are, distance is the best thing to have. Some claim they live forever in their small communities south of the World Pillar. When the Dwarves came to the surface, a little over hundred-fifty years ago, the trolls were the first to welcome them, helping them to establish themselves in the foothills near them.

On the other hand, the trolls have an ancient feud with the Kobolds, something neither race ever explains to outsiders, asking a troll about it is a sure way to make them angry.

Trolls have a powerful natural life-force, giving them increased Vitality but most other beings are revolted by their natural smell, reducing their Charisma. Their innate regeneration, channelled through their connection to Nature, allows them to heal their allies of even the worst injuries.

So, stinky hulk-hippies? I had to laugh at the idea but it was not what I wanted, even if it sounded like they might be the best healers. Still, I would rather not.

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Next to them, were the other type of elf, even if they were called Sidhe and looked like they should consider a membership at the tanning salon.

Sidhe

For millennia, the Sidhe dwelled under the hills of the eastern Islands, until Lugh, the Lord of Light, guided them from their subterranean domain, to retake what was theirs. Since then, the Sidhe have waged war on the Fomorii, trying to drive them from the Island the two races inhabit.

Sidhe pride themselves on their Intelligence and magical might, looking down upon those they consider inferior. However, the years of dwelling below the surface lowered their Intuition, causing them to overlook the obvious from time to time.

So, we had tree-hugging elves and the haughty, arrogant elves? Maybe they needed something to give both races something pretty to look at.

The next race to the right were the Orcs and they looked quite fierce, maybe even attractive, in a primal, savage way.

Orc

The Orcs dwelled on the western steps, as far as their tales go back, They are nomadic in nature, travelling the steps in small tribes, with only few permanent gathering places located far away from the World Pillar. Over the years, the foraging became harder and harder, until they were forced to start taking what they needed from the human settlements that encroached upon their ancestral home. Ever since then, the humans tried to subdue them, forcing them to unite under council of tribal leaders to keep resisting.

Orcs are fierce warriors, their muscles stronger than one would think but the lack of permanent settlements made it hard to establish an intellectual tradition. The life in the steps made them resilient against exposure to the elements.

So, another blurb, but this one more or less contradicted the one of the humans, which made me curious.

I continued my slow turn and was greeted by a cat-person. I hadn’t seen a lot of them in the trailer, the shape mostly hidden by shrubs or a large wolf, but now, I was able to see them clearly. There was nothing cute about them, giving the impression of a savage predator, ready to pounce.

Catfolk

Little is known about these fierce predators from the deep forests north of the World Pillar. They only recently emerged, after having become the strongest predators in their home-range, they now look for new prey. When they happened upon the elves, they found an elusive prey to hunt, which they do with relish.

Catfolk are naturally stealthy and able to sniff out lies, making them skilled negotiators, be it with the dagger or with words. In turn, their claws make it hard for them to work small objects and their slender bodies lack the toughness of some other races. Their predatory instincts serve them well, in all their pursuits.

These had some potential, I had to admit that to myself, they sounded like excellent rogues, or Scouts, as they were called in Irminsul. Still, I continued my slow circle.

Next were the dwarves, looking almost square in proportion. It also showed that the figure in the trailer was likely a female, the second figure looked very similar to the first, only one had a beard and the other small breasts, which would easily be hidden beneath armour.

Focusing on them brought up their summary.

Dwarf

The Dwarves came to the surface a little over hundred-fifty years ago, quickly allying with the trolls who welcomed them for some reason. Little is known about their history before that but they quickly made themselves a reputation as stoic warriors and are considered the best craftsman when it comes to working with metal and stone. They are willing to sell to everyone, but the gnomes for whom they have an almost irrational hatred.

Dwarves are a stoic, methodic people, able to patiently work as slow as needed. They have almost supernatural endurance and dexterity. It is said that the mountains would break before a dwarf breaks their word.

Again, while the race sounded interesting, I was not sure I wanted to play as a small person. Well, I was quite sure I didn’t want that, so I continued further to the right.

There was another larger gap and next were the scaled, canine forms of the Kobolds. Focusing on them, gave me the blue window with their summary.

Kobold

For thousands of years, Kobolds lived a simple life in the mountains on the eastern coast, occasionally warring with the trolls of the lowlands. They are masterful miners and worked extensively with the Gnomes, trading raw materials for their worked goods, until the Trolls settled the Dwarves in the area of their major trade-route, effectively cutting them off. Since then, they made an alliance with the humans to facilitate their trading.

Kobolds have naturally high Intuition, allowing them to easily find earth beneath the mountains. They also have an affinity for everything fire and their scaly hides help them resist heat but in turn, they are less agile.

Did I want to be a scaly dog-person? I had to admit, I kind of wanted to be one, it might be fun. Shaking my head, I turned to the last race, between Kobolds and Humans.

Fomori

The Fomorii have lived on the eastern Islands peacefully for centuries, keeping to themselves, until the Sidhe emerged from their underground realm, trying to eradicate the Fomorii. Searching for allies, the Fomorii allied with the Kobolds on the continent to resist the Sidhe.

Fomorii are resilient fighters, able to take a lot of punishment, thanks to their high endurance but they are lacking in other departments, mainly their weaker intelligence and magical power.

Having seen all the races, I slowly turned in a circle, looking at all the interesting choices to make. Finally, I smiled and made my choice.