Let's start with the manual entries:
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MIST ELVES -- Mist Elves are a truly ancient race, literally born from
the mists of time. They are almost immortal and some of their ancient
members are believed to have been present at the dawn of creation.
Their incredible lifespan gives them a very different and aloof outlook
on life and civilization as they regard even Gray Elves as mere toddlers.
Combined with the fact that Mist Elves are a very magical race, their
bodies being made from magically solidified mist, they appear frightening,
uncaring, cold and wise at the same time. They scoff at the views of the
younger races and life doesn't mean much to them, having seen many empires
rise and crumble within the span of a single Mist Elves life.
Mist Elves are even larger than Gray Elves but thin and frail beings.
Their skin is almost white, their hair is pearly white and it seems to
move with a slight breeze all the time. Their breath is misty and their
eyes are pearly, violet, pink or yellow. Mist Elves move almost without
sound. They physique is weak and they are not very strong. Additionally
they are the most fairy-like of elves, going so far that the prolonged
touch of mundane metal burns their skin like acid. Thus their prefer to
wear and wield weapons and armaments of precious metals, like mithril
or adamantium. Despite their weak physique they are dangerous warriors
as the mist-like makeup of their body greatly reduces damage taken in
melee combat.
Grey Elves despise Mist Elves, viewing them as uncaring beings devoid
of emotion and lacking the general elven love for life. Mist Elves just
chuckle about the antics of their baby cousins. Mist Elves, having been
lifted from the mists of time themselves during creation, have a very
specific grasp of necromancy. Most of them - if not drawn towards Chaos
due to boredom - hate undead and are very powerful in combatting them by
using their magical powers to wreak great harm upon undead. Mist Elf
necromancers are able to create special creatures and engage in an act of
creation rather than in infusing dead beings with unholy energies, called
white necromancy by themselves.
Mist Elves are the rarest of all elves. You will encounter a thousand
Gray Elves before you see one Mist Elf. They are rumored to live in misty
areas high in mountain valleys or deep in the hills but no mortal known
has ever seen one of their settlements. Some sages believe them to be
physical manifestations of the dreams of gods, others regard them as
leftovers from the act of creation itself. Mist Elves just chuckle and
move on at such useless ponderings.
Mist Elves train in the following skills: Literacy, Stealth,
Concentration, Dodge, Alertness and Necromancy
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RATLING -- Ratlings are one of the numerous yet rarely noticed races.
These humanoid lean and wiry rats thrive in larger settlements and
enjoy interacting with other races. Whether they are the result of an
ancient lich trying to create a servitor race, chaos-spawned descendents
of plain rats from the dawn of time or just one more example of the
abundance of life forms in Ancardia still is a matter of dispute with
sages. No matter what they are accepted as skilled traders, quick
warriors and crafty thieves - acceptance in the latter case meaning
careful observation and quick reaction from other races.
Ratlings grow to about 5 and a half feet in size and weight
90 to 120 punds. They usually sport brown hair although black, gray and
a rare albino white are not unheard of. Their eyes are either black,
brown, yellow or red in color, black being dominant.
Ratlings train in the following skills: Appraising, Climbing, Detect
Item Status, Haggling, Stealth, Survival and Swimming.