Conversely, the only demihuman race of any real note within Aerdi are elves, because of their presence in the Adri and Grandwood forests. There are a handful of evil half-elves serving Aerdi noblemen, but they are rarities. These areas always have been important because of their resources, and elves play a dominant role in dealing with woodsmen and Aerdi merchants who come to trade in the fruits of the forests.

The elven presence is important because of the way elves have become a bastion of resistance to the changes in Aerdi under the House of Naelax; while the wood elves (and fewer high and gray elves) have adhered to the values of Good, they have even more strongly tended to emphasize the value of Chaos, and self-determination.

There is little doubt that resistance to Ivid’s oppression, and those of his forefathers’, have been made easier because elves retreated into seclusion and self-sufficiency rather than moving to aid those who opposed the overkings more directly. Times are changing, and the druids and rangers of the east find many allies among the elves now. In the Grandwood and Lone Heath in particular, the alliances of elves with humans are vital to the defense of homelands. Still, many such as the Sentinels of the Adri, or the grugach, remain aloof and uncaring of the fate of humanity.

The other demihuman races are not of importance in nation-wide terms, though a few pockets of dwarves, gnomes and halflings are of note in specific areas.

The Former Great Kingdom of Aerdy