The Elves of Krevborna

Are you even playing a fantasy game if there aren't a million different kinds of elves running around? 

The current campaign has no less than three different elf characters in it, so the time has come to roll up my sleeves and give elves some thought.

There are many ways to taxonomize the various flavors of elf: habitat, social caste, skin color/morality (uh oh), but for Krevborna I wanted to lean into the fantastical a little–so instead of elves choosing habitat that suits them, I wanted to play with the idea that the land itself changes the elves who live there, and that a “type” of elven existence may not be a permanent or fixed state. 

I also wanted to do away with the notion of there being a single “bad” type of elf by both distributing “drow-ish” traits among several kinds of Krevborna elf (also known as the aelvani) and by letting the potential for any elf be gray-to-evil be obvious.

The Aelvani

All creatures are influenced by their environments, but none more so than the elves. The aelvani retain the infinitely changeable nature of their fey ancestors, but it manifests as a peculiar propensity for taking on the native character of the places where they live. As such, the elves found in Krevborna can be grouped into basic types depending on where they’ve chosen to reside.

An elf who moves from one environment to live in another may find themselves altering into a different kind of elf with time—but this is certainly not a given. The amount of time it takes for an aelvani’s demeanor, ways of thinking, and their physical body to alter themselves to match their new home is extremely individual. For some, it may happen quickly. For others who hold on to a fixed sense of identity, it may not happen at all.

The following types of aelvani are the most common in Krevborna, but other categories of elf certainly exist in the wider Mortal World. (All stats for Savage Worlds, since that's the system we're using in our campaign.)

Bog Elves

Bog elves live in desolate swamps and alongside isolated cranberry bogs. Even among other aelvani, they have a dark reputation for duplicity and viciousness. Their druids also pursue horrid necromantic magics that allow them to bind lost spirits to wicker men to make ambulatory servants. 

Bog elves have sickly green skin, with hair that ranges from wine red to the light color of candy floss. 

    • Bloodthirsty (-2): Bog elves never take prisoners unless under the direct supervision of a superior. Their viciousness causes enemies to respond in kind, often costs vital information, and creates constant enemies.

    • Bog Dweller (1): Bog elves can hold their breath for 15 minutes before checking for drowning.

    • Deceptive (2): Bog elves may make foe resist with Smarts or Spirit when making a Smarts or Spirit-based Test.

    • Haughty (-1): The thin-skinned bog elves subtract 2 when resisting Taunt attacks

    • Immune Poison and Disease (2): Bog elves are immune to poison and disease.

    • Outsider (-1): Bog elves subtract 2 from Persuasion rolls made to influence those who aren’t of their own kind.

    • Ruthless (-1): Bog elves will do anything to accomplish their goals, stopping short of true harm to anyone except those who directly oppose them.

    • Survivalists (2): Bog elves start with a d6 in the Stealth skill and d4 in the Survival skill. Their maximums of those skills increases to d12+1.

Cave Elves

The cave elves are descended from aelvani who fled the wars between the elves and mankind for the safety of their subterranean domains. Because of their retreat from the world, other aelvani sometimes disparagingly refer to them as “coward elves.”

Cave elves are generally gray skinned, with mossy green hair and bright eyes adapted to the darkness of the world’s deep places.

    • Erudite (2): Descended from aelvani scholars, cave elves start with a d6 in Smarts instead of a d4. This increases maximum Smarts to d12+1.

    • Low Light Vision (1): Cave elves ignore penalties for Dim and Dark Illumination.

    • Outsider (-1): Cave elves subtract 2 from Persuasion rolls made to influence those who aren’t pomenysh. 

    • Recreant Glamour (2): The magical glamour of the cave elves add +2 to Stealth rolls in any environment (+4 if completely motionless).

    • Timid (-2): Cave elves subtract 2 from Fear checks and when resisting Intimidation.

Forest Elves

The most numerous of the aelvani, forest elves live deep within Krevborna’s oldest woods. They are isolationist by nature, and fervently defend their secret enclaves.

Forest elves are usually tall, have a bar-like texture to their skin, and sport wild hair the color of autumnal leaves. 

    • Agile (2): Forest elves start with a d6 in Agility instead of a d4. This increases maximum Agility to d12+1.

    • All Thumbs (-1): Forest elves have an inherent dislike of mechanical objects in traditional fantasy settings, giving them a −2 penalty when using mechanical devices. If they roll a Critical Failure while using such a device, it’s broken.

    • Outsider (-1): Forest elves subtract 2 from Persuasion rolls made to influence those who aren’t pomenysh. 

    • Ruthless (-1): Forest elves will do anything to accomplish their goals, stopping short of true harm to anyone except those who directly oppose them.

    • Woodskilled (3): Forest elves start with a d6 in Notice and Stealth, and a d4 in Shooting. The maximum for those skills increases to d12+1.

Snow Elves

During the aelvani diaspora, the people who would become the snow elves ventured into the frozen north to find the strength necessary to protect themselves from the scourge of mankind. They found the might they sought, but in the process became as cold and cruel as the environment they now call home.

Snow elves invariably have white skin and pale hair. Their eyes, however, range widely—from the color of rime to a vivid violet.

    • Arrogant (-2): Winning isn’t enough for a snow elf. They want to dominate their opponents and prove there’s no one better. Arrogant individuals look for the greatest threat in battle, hacking their way through lesser minions only because they’re in the way.

    • Born to the Cold (1): Snow elves receive a +4 bonus to resist cold. Damage from cold is also reduced by 4.

    • Environmental Weakness (-1): Snow elves suffer a –4 penalty to resist heat. The penalty also acts as a bonus to damage.

    • Outsider (-1): Snow elves are distrusted by most residents of Krevborna. They subtract 2 from Persuasion rolls made to influence those who aren’t pomenysh.

    • Low Light Vision (1): Snow elf eyes amplify light. They ignore penalties for Dim and Dark Illumination.

    • Tough (2): Snow elves are toughened by the harsh clime in which they live. They start with a d6 in Vigor instead of a d4. This increases maximum Vigor to d12+1.

    • Warlike (2): Snow elves start with a d6 in either the Fighting or Shooting skills due to their culture's emphasis on martial training.

Spire Elves

The spire elves are the aelvani who have been changed by the time in the pomenysh city of Aeldentree. In the eyes of their “wilder” kin, they have become decadent and estranged from the world, though they still maintain a powerful connection to the magic of the fey—most notably through their powers of personal glamour.

Spire elves tend to be frail and beautiful. Many of their number are tall, possessing blonde or red hair, high cheekbones, and a certain undeniable allure.

    • Aelvani Melancholy (-2): Due to their pronounced sadness over the fate of their people, spire elves have a -1 penalty to Spirit rolls.

    • Attractive (2): Spire elves add +1 to Performance and Persuasion rolls if the target is attracted to their general type (gender, sex, species, etc.).

    • Fey Glamour (4): The innate magic of the spire elves gives them a +2 bonus to Persuasion and Intimidation rolls.

    • Frail (-1): Spire elves have a -1 penalty to their Toughness.

    • Thin Blooded (-1): Spire elves are particularly susceptible to fatigue. They subtract 2 from Vigor rolls made to resist Fatigue

Town Elves

Town elves are those who have chosen to live side by side with mankind, residing in human-dominated villages, towns, and cities. More militant aelvani regard town elves as traitors to their people.

Though they often retain a few markers of their elven heritage, such as pointed ears and willowy forms, the act in much the same way as their neighbors and often find that their lives shorten to a more human-like span. 

    • Adaptable (2): Town elves begin play with any Novice Edge of their choosing. They must meet its Requirements as usual.

Sidebar: The Diminishing

Alevani can have incredibly long lifespans, but when an aelvani falls in love with someone not of their ancestry they may experience a phenomenon known as “the Diminishing.” An elf subject to the Diminishing finds that their lifespan shortens to match the natural time allotted to the ancestry of their beloved. 

Additionally, elves who live in proximity to a loved one not of their ancestry sometimes take on physical traits associated with their partner’s ancestry. For example, an aelvani who lives with her cambion lover may eventually have horns or a tail of her own!

The Diminishing is the subject of many romantic ballads, but as with all things related to matters of the heart the reality is almost always far more tragic than it appears in art.

Cauldronborn

Since these guys have popped up a few times in the current Krevborna campaign, I thought I should add them to the world-building blog posts. If it wasn't obvious from what follows, the cauldronborn are Krevborna's answer to the idea of "orcs."

 

Cauldronborn

As a last-ditch tactic in their war to push mankind out of their territory, the aelvani submerged their human prisoners of war in magical cauldrons gifted to them by Baba Vasaga, the Hag-Queen of the Autumn Court. When these captives emerged, they were the first of the cauldronborn—a race of transmogrified warriors who were stronger and more savage than the raw material that created them. When it was obvious that they had lost the war against humanity, the aelvani freed the cauldronborn from servitude. Only small pockets of cauldronborn remain in Krevborna.

Cauldronborn are hulking and brutish in appearance; they often possess gray or greenish skin, sloping foreheads, and jutting teeth. They tend to be physically imposing, strong, and resilient.

 

Suggested Stats: I just use the orc stats from the Fantasy Companion for cauldronborn. 

The Tainted

This post covers the last batch of "ancestries" typically available in my Krevborna games: the tainted. The tainted are deviant branches of mankind’s family tree. They are strange peoples who owe their existences to ancestral curses, the introduction of monstrous bloodlines, or the warping effects of sin.

Bagheeta

The accursed bagheeta trace their origins to the lands of Old Mudraal. The magical calamity that destroyed the mighty necromantic empire of Old Mudraal also created the first bagheeta by fusing human bodies with the feline spirits of great cats. 

After the cataclysm reduced Old Mudraal to a wasteland, the bagheeta left to settle elsewhere. Some now call Krevborna their home, though they take pains to conceal the truth of their tainted ancestry and try to blend into the local populace. Bagheeta usually look fully human, but a bagheeta’s facial features become feline and they gain sharp claws and fangs when they are angered.

Cambions

In the ancestry of all cambions is a progenitor who fornicated with a devil. The fruits of this blasphemous union are a family inheritance of diabolic traits including horns, a tail, and cloven hooves. Not all members of a demonically tainted bloodline are born as cambions; the corruption appears seemingly at random within a family.

In areas of Krevborna dominated by the Church, cambions are shunned at best and hunted at worst. Cambions are drawn toward vices and sin; some cambions valiantly resist this temptation, choosing instead to live as paragons of virtue and restraint.

Dhampir

Dhampir are people with a mixed vampire and human heritage. As such, they are most commonly found in vampire-haunted Sibersk, though they may be found throughout Krevborna. Some houses of vampiric nobles treat dhampir as equal members of the family, while others regard them as inferior, weak-blooded aberrations. 

Though pale and possessing an undeniably morbid aura, dhampir are not immediately obvious as people of inhuman ancestry. All dhampir thirst for blood, though some resist the urge to imbibe mortal essence. Ironically, some of the most proficient vampire hunters in Krevborna are dhampir.

Drakoi

No one is “born” a drakoi. Rather, being a drakoi is a condition, something akin to a dreadful disease—albeit a malady of a spiritual nature. Drakoi are sinners so consumed by their misdeeds that their bodies evidence the foulness of their souls. Since dragons are emblems of sin, it follows suit that the drakoi are human beings who have become dragon-like. Their bodies grow squamous, their teeth elongate into fangs, and their fingers curl into claws; some grow tails or horns.

Despite their sinful natures, the drakoi serve a dual purpose to the Church of Holy Blood: they are cautionary tales that allow the Church to enforce its strictures and are sought-after converts. After all, what could be a better mark of the Church’s power than bringing about the atonement of someone so enmeshed in perfidy that their body has transformed into something biblically monstrous?

Greshnik

Greshnik are the descendants of humans transformed by the eldritch power of Zhylassa, an abomination from the Outer Dark who currently sleeps within the depths of the Khorva Sea. Most greshnik possess normal human appearances when they are born, but during puberty they begin to take on a fish-like forms. Eventually, a greshnik becomes hairless, loses their lips, ears, and noses, and gains bulging eyes, rubbery skin, and gills. 

Greshnik are most commonly found in coastal areas, particularly within the city of Piskaro; they cannot bear to be far from the sea for very long. Greshnik are always plagued with nightmares—they dream of the sea's secrets, of dedicating themselves to Zhylassa’s foul service, and finding the mad sunken city of Fathom’s Reach.

Lycans

Lycans, also known as “wolfbloods,” are humans whose bloodlines have inherited the curse of lycanthropy in a minor, but persistent and incurable, form. Lycans generally pass as normal members of mankind, though their bodies possess obvious bestial traits, such as sharp teeth, yellow eyes, or a profusion of thick hair. When angered or provoked, a lycan’s form becomes more wolfen, sprouting shaggy pelts, claws, and ravening fangs.

Lycans often heed the call of the wild and find themselves drawn to places of fierce natural beauty. Forging a life in the savage wilds is frequently a lycan’s best bet for continued survival. 

Nefari

Long ago, a flight of angels tasked by the Word and the Light with keeping watch over mankind were tempted by great lusts and seduced their charges instead of safeguarding them from sin. The nefari are the progeny born from these sacrilegious trysts. Even though the initial nefari have interbred with mankind over generations, the taint of the fallen angels remains within their bloodlines; children born to angelic-infected lineages are invariably nefari.

Each nefari possesses the divine power of the Word and the Light’s angelic servants. They are universally comely, perfectly formed and terribly beautiful to behold. A nefari can draw upon their heritage to manifest angelic wings and halos of divine light that prove their otherworldly nature.

Savage Worlds Stats

Below are some notes on using these ancestries in Savage Worlds.

Bagheeta: the stats for the rakshasans in the Fantasy Companion are almost there, but swap Ancestral Enemy for Amorous. 

Cambions: the infernals in the Fantasy Companion are already a great fit.

Dhampir: the graveborn in the Fantasy Companion is a good fit, though I wonder if the Sunlight Sensitivity shouldn't be replaced with something else. Not that dhampir in Krevborna aren't actually undead.

Drakoi: the dragonfolk in the Fantasy Companion work well for this, especially given the variant possibilities.

Greshnik: To make a greshnik character, use these abilities and penalties:

• Aquatic: Aquarians cannot drown in water and move at their full Pace when swimming.

• Low Light Vision: Aquarians are used to the darkness of the depths. They ignore penalties for Dim and Dark illumination.

• Night Terrors: Because of the horrific dreams that assail the greshnik, they subtract 1 from all Spirit rolls.

• Outsider: Greshnik subtract 2 from Persuasion rolls made to influence those who aren’t her own kind. 

• Toughness: Life in the depths of their watery world has made aquarian flesh dense and resilient. Add +1 to their Toughness.

Lycans: to make a lycan, use this assortment of ancestral abilities and penalties:

• Accursed Ancestry: Lycans suffer a -1 penalty to all Spirit rolls.

• Bestial Rage: The beast is always ready to spring forth and cause carnage. All lycans possess the Berserk Edge.

• Bite: In their bestial forms, lycan fangs cause Str+d4 damage and may be used on grappled foes.

• Bloodthirsty: Lycans never takes prisoners unless under the direct order of the person they consider the leader of their "pack." 

• Claws: In their bestial forms, lycans have claws that cause Str+d6 damage and are AP 2. 

• Easily Angered: Lycans subtract 2 when resisting Taunt attacks.

• Heightened Sense of Smell: A keen sense of smell gives lycans +2 to Survival rolls made to track if the target has a scent and the trail is no more than a day old.

• Hunted: Lycans must always be wary of monster hunters who might mistake them for full-blooded werewolves. 

• Low Light Vision: Lycans ignore penalties for Dim or Dark illumination (but not Pitch Darkness).

• Monstrous Weakness: Attacks made with silvered weapons deal +4 damage against Lycans.

Nefari: The celestials in the Fantasy Companion are well-suited for the nefari.

The Created

Today's blog post continues the exploration of non-human people you might play as characters in Krevborna. This time we're looking at "the created." Products of sorcery or mad science, the creatures within this category are artificially created beings that range from unique individuals to entire species engineered by design.

Golems

Most golems are unintelligent constructs built to serve their creators, but occasionally a golem achieves sentience or develops their own free will. The materials make to craft golems vary wildly. The “cauldronborn” servants made by witches are comprised of fungal matter and the viscera of slaughtered swine, while the automatons made by rogue inventors are constructed from iron, clay, or corpses. A golem might also be an ambulatory statue, an animate scarecrow, or a wooden marionette given life. Because they are not viewed as “real” beings, golems have no fundamental rights in most regions of Krevborna.

Gargoyles

At the height of the Church’s power its theurges used divine magic to animate the stone gargoyles carved atop its cathedrals. Created to defend holy sites, gargoyles have no lives of their own—until the places of worship they are charged with defending are destroyed. Most gargoyles die in defense of their bastions of the faith, but those few who survive discover that they now possess free will. Most fly away to parts unknown and are never seen again; a few remain to seek meaning in an existence now bereft of sacred duty.

Siziks

Siziks are the results of strange experiments carried out in the laboratories of Creedhall University; these experiments birthed a species of ratfolk with minds equal to those of humankind. Some siziks managed to escape captivity and have sought shelter in the city's sewers, but a portion of that cohort has fled Creedhall altogether. 

So far, the sizik have managed to keep their existence secret from the majority of mankind. They venture out of their warrens only under the cover of night to scavenge for food and goods. The most militant of the sizik want to strike back at the scientists of Creedhall University and free their fellows who remain test subjects in torturous laboratories.

Urska

The urska were sorcerously engineered by the vlaak as an attempt to design a race of impeccably loyal soldiers. Similar to humanoid bears in appearance, urska are generally regarded with awe and fear. Since the fall of the vlaak, they have founded their own enclaves in Krevborna’s northern reaches or joined communities willing to welcome them. Urska sometimes rally under the banner of a strong leader who commands their stalwart loyalty. Such leadership roles are only ever assumed when an urska manages to best all challengers in deadly, ritualized combat. 

Urska often favor attitudes best characterized as stoic and militaristic, though they also love crude humor and raucous bouts of feasting and drinking to excess. Urska generally cannot tolerate dishonesty; when an urska gives their oath, they would rather die than betray their word and bond.

Savage Worlds Stats

Below are some notes on using these ancestries in Savage Worlds.

Golems: the Construct ancestral ability is a must, but beyond that every golem character should be a unique creation dependent on the materials used to construct them and the purpose they were constructed for.

Gargoyles: here are the abilities I'd recommend for a gargoyle character

• Construct: They add +2 to recover from being Shaken, ignore one level of Wound modifiers, don’t breathe, and are immune to disease and poison. Wounds must be mended via the Repair skill. Each attempt takes one hour per current Wound level and ignores the “Golden Hour.” 
• Armor: +4 armor.
• Flight: The species can fly at Pace 24 and may “run” for 2d6″ of additional movement. 
• Claws: Str+d6.
• Camouflage: +2 to Stealth against stony surfaces.
• Reduced Core Skills: Gargoyles possess no core skills.
• Can't Heal: No capacity for natural healing or self-repair, but may otherwise be healed normally.
• All Thumbs: −2 penalty when using mechanical or electrical devices. If he rolls a Critical Failure while using such a device (and it doesn’t already have a built-in effect), it’s broken. 
• Can't Swim: −2 penalty to the Athletics skill when swimming and each inch moved in water costs 3″ of Pace. 
• Illiterate: Cannot read or perform higher math.
• Outsider: Outsiders subtract 2 from Persuasion rolls made to influence those who aren’t her own kind. It also means the character has few or no legal rights in the main campaign area. 
• Monstrous Form: They can only wear customized armor and subtract 1 from Trait rolls when using non-customized equipment and vehicles. Items can be customized to work for the character for 100% of the base cost.
• Attribute Penalty: -2 penalty to Smarts rolls.

Siziks: The ratling ancestry in the Fantasy Companion is perfect right out of the book.

Urska: here are the abilities I'd recommend for an urska character

• Blunt: Taught that might makes right, urska struggle with diplomacy and tact. They have the Mean Hindrance.
• Claws: Urska claws cause Strength+d6 damage, adding +4 if the character runs at least 5” (10 yards) and hits with them.
• Cold Resistance: Urska receive a +4 bonus to resist cold effects. Damage from cold is also reduced by 4.
• Heat Weakness: Urksa suffer a –4 penalty to resist heat effects and take +4 damage from heat and fire. 
• Hulking: Urska are tall and broad, adding +1 to their Toughness. They are Size +1.
• Martial Code: Honor is very important to urska. They generally keep their word, don’t abuse or kill prisoners, and feel duty-bound to respect those who have bested them.
• Tough: Urska starting Vigor is d6, increasing the limit to d12+1.
• Uneducated: Urska society favors physical prowess over intellectual ability. Smarts rolls are made at −1.
• Unwieldy: Their muscular frames causes urska to subtract two when using equipment designed for smaller beings, and they cannot wear humanoid armor or clothing. Equipment, armor, food and clothing cost double the listed price. 
• Very Strong: Urska start with Strength d8, increasing their maximum Strength to d12+2.

The Pomenysh

I've been working on expanding the available information on the various non-human (and semi-human) ancestries available to players in Krevborna. The ancestries can be sorted into three basic categories: mortal children of the fey, humans altered by curses, magic, or mixing with inhuman bloodlines, or creatures that were created through magic or science (or magical science). For the first installment of these deeper-dives, I'm posting about the pomenysh--those whose origins lie with the fey.

The Pomenysh

The pomenysh are the mortal descendants of the fey who lost their immortality by tarrying too long in the mundane world. Despite being incredibly varied in appearance, humankind tends to view the various peoples that make up pomenysh as possessing a stable group identity; in actuality, they are very different ancestries who are as likely to hold each other in antipathy as they are to find common cause. The one thing that truly unites the pomenysh peoples is their status as outsiders in a human-dominated world. 

Dwarves

Hard-working and industrious, the dwarves yearn for the mines—or are at least called to toil in the dark places within the earth. Dwarven society lauds excellence and skill; expert craftsman, canny traders, and blooded warriors are regarded as possessing a nobility of spirit and are afforded honor among their people.  

However, equally important to dwarven psychology is the importance of revenge and recompense. Dwarves hold grudges with the same fervor that pious priests treat their faith; to a dwarf, a grudge is a sacred burden that must be settled. The stubborn intensity with which dwarves pursue their grievances has led to inter-familial feuds, genocidal wars, and suicidal vendettas. 

Elves

The elves are often viewed as the most “aristocratic” of the pomenysh, though the true fey regard elves as degenerates who have strayed too far from the capricious magic of the Verdant Lodge. Mankind’s treatment of the elves has been no better; historically, negative stereotypes about elves, such as that they steal human children to leave changelings in their place or that they are soulless and cannot be redeemed, have been used as justification for annexing elvish land and implementing anti-elvish pogroms.

Elves take on aspects of the environments in which they dwell, which explains why forest elves are brown-skinned and as tall and lean as trees, while the snow elves are alabaster-pale and coldly cruel. Most elves are plagued with melancholia over what they have lost—be it the immortality of their ancestors or the lands that were stolen from them.

Gobkin 

Hunchbacked and twisted of limb, the gobkin were once the subaltern servants of the elves. When the elves lost their status as rulers of the land, their hold over the gobkin was also broken; freed of their magical oaths to serve the elves, the gobkin sought shelter in the most remote corners of the natural world, such as perilous bogs, deep cave systems, and wind-blasted moors.

In ancient times, the tsars of Krevborna kept gobkin as their court jesters—their malformed bodies and mischievous wits were regarded as the height of royal entertainment. The gobkin have never forgotten—or forgiven—their abject status among men and elves; they hold both peoples in malicious contempt. The gobkin have the worst reputation of all the pomeynsh, and not without good cause. While not every gobkin is a sharp-toothed murderer or an unpredictable scoundrel, those are apt descriptions for the majority of their kind. The rare gobkin who strives to do better faces a steep uphill battle against prejudice. 

Hobbfolk

Of all the pomenysh, the hobbfolk are the most integrated into human society. Perhaps their resemblance to human children aided their assimilation; indeed, humans often treat hobbfolk as naive rustics or untutored simpletons in need of guidance and protection. Some hobbfolk play up their diminutive helplessness, effectively turning mankind’s paternal attitude to their advantage.

Hobbfolk usually form tight communities based on mutual reliance, but in rare cases a hobbfolk is struck with an incurable urge to travel the world and seek adventure. Hobbfolk given to wanderlust are regarded by other hobbs with a mixture of horror and heroic admiration. 

***

Savage Worlds Stats

Since we tend to use Savage Worlds for our Krevborna games these days, here's how I'd stat up this batch of ancestries.

Dwarves: The dwarves straight from the Fantasy Companion are basically perfect.

Elves: The elves from the Fantasy Companion work well as-is, especially when you take into account the advice for creating variant branches of the elven family tree. I've already posted my specific stats for the snow elves here.

Gobkin: Use either the goblins or the orcs from the Fantasy Companion, depending on what flavor of gobkin you're going for.

Hobbfolk: Half-folk are the answer. I'd ignore the alternate half-folk suggestions, though.

Urska

Did you know that Krevborna has bear people as a playable race? It's true. Below are the Savage Worlds stats I've cobbled together for them; I think I might have based them somewhat on the minotaurs from the Fantasy Companion.

Urska

Similar to humanoid polar bears in appearance, urska are generally solitary–though they sometimes rally under the banner of a strong leader who commands their stalwart loyalty. Such leadership roles are only ever assumed when a urska manages to best all challengers in deadly, ritualized combat. Urska often favor attitudes best characterized as stoic and militaristic. 

• Blunt: Taught that might makes right, urska struggle with diplomacy and tact. They have the Mean Hindrance.

• Claws: Urska claws cause Strength+d6 damage, adding +4 if the character runs at least 5” (10 yards) and hits with them.

• Cold Resistance: Urska receive a +4 bonus to resist cold effects. Damage from cold is also reduced by 4.

• Heat Weakness: Urksa suffer a –4 penalty to resist heat effects and take +4 damage from heat and fire. 

• Hulking: Urska are tall and broad, adding +1 to their Toughness. They are Size +1.

• Martial Code: Honor is very important to urska. They generally keep their word, don’t abuse or kill prisoners, and feel duty-bound to respect those who have bested them.

• Tough: Urska starting Vigor is d6, increasing the limit to d12+1.

• Uneducated: Urska society favors physical prowess over intellectual ability. Smarts rolls are made at −1.

• Unwieldy: Their muscular frames causes urska to subtract two when using equipment designed for smaller beings, and they cannot wear humanoid armor or clothing. Equipment, armor, food and clothing cost double the listed price. 

• Very Strong: Urska start with Strength d8, increasing their maximum Strength to d12+2.

Lycans

I've begun figuring out what a "lycan" (aka Werewolf Lite) should look like mechanically in my Savage Worlds Krevborna games. Here's what I've come up with for an ancestry that has the werewolf flavor without being as busted-for-normal-campaigns and inconvenient-to-play as the werewolf rules in the Horror Companion.

Lycans

Also known as “wolfbloods,” lycans are folk who have inherited the curse of lycanthropy in a minor, but persistent and incurable, form that sets them apart from other mortals. Lycans appear to be members of other ancestries, but their bodies possess obvious bestial traits, such as sharp teeth, yellow eyes, or hair as thick as a shaggy pelt. When angered, a lycan’s form becomes more animalistic and fierce. 

Lycans as Savage World Ancestry

Lycans can usually pass as normal humans unless they are under close scrutiny. As a limited free action, they can transform into a more bestial, wolfish state; while in this form, they gain access to their Bite and Claw ancestral abilities.

Accursed Ancestry: Lycans suffer a -1 penalty to all Spirit rolls.

Bestial Rage: The beast is always ready to spring forth and cause carnage. All lycans possess the Berserk Edge.

Bite: In their bestial forms, lycan fangs cause Str+d4 damage and may be used on grappled foes.

Bloodthirsty: Lycans never takes prisoners unless under the direct order of the person they consider the leader of their "pack." 

Claws: In their bestial forms, lycans have claws that cause Str+d6 damage and are AP 2. 

Easily Angered: Lycans subtract 2 when resisting Taunt attacks.

Heightened Sense of Smell: A keen sense of smell gives lycans +2 to Survival rolls made to track if the target has a scent and the trail is no more than a day old.

Hunted: Lycans must always be wary of monster hunters who might mistake them for full-blooded werewolves. 

Low Light Vision: Lycans ignore penalties for Dim or Dark illumination (but not Pitch Darkness).

Monstrous Weakness: Attacks made with silvered weapons deal +4 damage against Lycans.

The Snow Elves of Eisengraz

Illustration by Alexis Flower
from the comic I Roved Out

The populace of Eisengraz is mostly comprised of snow elves. Snow elves are immediately recognizable due to their alabaster skin and blizzard-white hair. Snow elves share the sharp features and ethereal presence of their kin, but they have the appearance of elves who have had all color leeched from their flesh.

Despite the way their culture endorses rugged survival, the snow elves are not necessarily rabid individualists. They celebrate the power of strong communal ties that enable the survival of the many rather than praising self-concerned individuals whose ascent endangers their fellows. 

To that end, the snow elves count a number of other peoples as members of their confederacy in Eisengraz. They employ urska servants as hunters, trackers, and as the honor guard of Lady Eriandel. In the mines beneath Eisengraz, allied clans of duergar excavate darkiron and craft the fearsome jagged blades prized by the snow elves as weapons of war.

Here are the stats for snow elves in my Savage Worlds game:

ALL THUMBS: Snow elves stick to the tried and true technology of a bygone age.  They have a −2 penalty when using mechanical devices. If they roll a Critical Failure while using such a device, it’s broken.

ENVIRONMENTAL RESISTANCE: Snow elves receive a +4 bonus to resist cold. Damage from cold is also reduced by 4.

ENVIRONMENTAL WEAKNESS: Snow elves suffer a –4 penalty to resist heat. The penalty also acts as a bonus to damage.

LOW LIGHT VISION: Elven eyes amplify light. They ignore penalties for Dim and Dark Illumination.

TOUGH: Snow elves are toughened by the harsh clime in which they live. They start with a d6 in Vigor instead of a d4. This increases maximum Vigor to d12+1.

OUTSIDER: Snow elves are distrusted by most residents of Krevborna. They subtract 2 from Persuasion rolls made to influence those who aren’t their own kind and they have few or no legal rights outside of Eisengraz.

WARLIKE: Snow elves start with a d6 in either the Fighting or Shooting skills due to their culture's emphasis on martial training.