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Are the Races of D&D races of Human or seperate Species according to lore?
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<blockquote data-quote="PsyzhranV2" data-source="post: 7792045" data-attributes="member: 7015332"><p>As far as I know, none of the official settings have Elves, Orcs, and Humans be offshoots or genetic relatives of each other. Similarly, how Elves and Humans can interbreed with each other isn't explained in detail. Orcs are setting specific.</p><p></p><p>Each setting has its own origin story for these races. For example, in two of the settings currently supported in 5e, Forgotten Realms and Eberron:</p><p></p><p><strong>Forgotten Realms</strong></p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Elves are the creations of Corellon Larethian, the head of the Seldarine pantheon. The exact story of their creation has changed between editions, but the common thread is that at some point they had settled the Feywild/Plane of Faerie before being forced to migrate to Toril.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Orcs are the creation of Gruumsh One-Eye, spawned as mortal avatars of his rage and his grudge against the other gods. Some Orcs are native to Toril, while others arrived on the planet through a portal which lead to the Orcgate Wars. Their ability to hybridize with Humans is a gift from the deity Luthic, who charged them to grow strong in number and to bring the strongest traits of the other races into their fold.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Humans are descended from a mixed stock; some are descended from Humans who naturally arose on Toril during the Days of Thunder, while others are descended from the people of Earth, their ancestors being forcibly taken to Toril as slaves. Their origins are unknown, with no deity claiming them as their own.</li> </ul><p><strong>Eberron</strong></p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Elves are descended from the Eladrin of Thelanis, specifically from slaves captured by the Giants of Xen'drik when they raided the city of Shae Tirias Tolai. The Elves found freedom when the Dragons of Argonessen crushed Giant civilization, with the majority of them fleeing to the island of Aerenal.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Orcs arose naturally on the continent of Khorvaire. They were pushed to the fringes by the Goblinoid empire of Dhakaan, but were instrumental in sealing away the Daelkyr Fiends that brought the Dhakaani low. When Human colonists arrived in Khorvaire, those that settled in the Shadow Marches integrated with the Orc population, giving rise to the Jhorguun'Tal Half-Orcs. It isn't explained how this is possible; as far as anybody knows, Orcs and Humans are completely separate species.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Humans arose naturally on the continent of Sarlona. However, a mixture of opportunity seekers and refugees fleeing the wars on the continent arrived in Khorvaire, quickly spreading throughout the continent and co-opting the infrastructure of the ruined Dhakaani empire. The establishment of the Kingdom of Galifar cemented their place as the dominant race of Khorvaire.</li> </ul></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="PsyzhranV2, post: 7792045, member: 7015332"] As far as I know, none of the official settings have Elves, Orcs, and Humans be offshoots or genetic relatives of each other. Similarly, how Elves and Humans can interbreed with each other isn't explained in detail. Orcs are setting specific. Each setting has its own origin story for these races. For example, in two of the settings currently supported in 5e, Forgotten Realms and Eberron: [B]Forgotten Realms[/B] [LIST] [*]Elves are the creations of Corellon Larethian, the head of the Seldarine pantheon. The exact story of their creation has changed between editions, but the common thread is that at some point they had settled the Feywild/Plane of Faerie before being forced to migrate to Toril. [*]Orcs are the creation of Gruumsh One-Eye, spawned as mortal avatars of his rage and his grudge against the other gods. Some Orcs are native to Toril, while others arrived on the planet through a portal which lead to the Orcgate Wars. Their ability to hybridize with Humans is a gift from the deity Luthic, who charged them to grow strong in number and to bring the strongest traits of the other races into their fold. [*]Humans are descended from a mixed stock; some are descended from Humans who naturally arose on Toril during the Days of Thunder, while others are descended from the people of Earth, their ancestors being forcibly taken to Toril as slaves. Their origins are unknown, with no deity claiming them as their own. [/LIST] [B]Eberron[/B] [LIST] [*]Elves are descended from the Eladrin of Thelanis, specifically from slaves captured by the Giants of Xen'drik when they raided the city of Shae Tirias Tolai. The Elves found freedom when the Dragons of Argonessen crushed Giant civilization, with the majority of them fleeing to the island of Aerenal. [*]Orcs arose naturally on the continent of Khorvaire. They were pushed to the fringes by the Goblinoid empire of Dhakaan, but were instrumental in sealing away the Daelkyr Fiends that brought the Dhakaani low. When Human colonists arrived in Khorvaire, those that settled in the Shadow Marches integrated with the Orc population, giving rise to the Jhorguun'Tal Half-Orcs. It isn't explained how this is possible; as far as anybody knows, Orcs and Humans are completely separate species. [*]Humans arose naturally on the continent of Sarlona. However, a mixture of opportunity seekers and refugees fleeing the wars on the continent arrived in Khorvaire, quickly spreading throughout the continent and co-opting the infrastructure of the ruined Dhakaani empire. The establishment of the Kingdom of Galifar cemented their place as the dominant race of Khorvaire. [/LIST] [/QUOTE]
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Are the Races of D&D races of Human or seperate Species according to lore?
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