I’ve been thinking a bit about race design for RPG and novels in general and something that I think makes a race stand out among others is the culture and theme of a race. When someone says, Orc, Elf or Dwarf, I can close my eyes and not just imagine the physical features of the race, but also their culture, attitude, what their “stuff” looks like, and i’m curious if others have races that you think really hit the nail on the head.
Most of the ones that stick to my mind come from a while ago, or have been used in several different novels/games which helps flesh out their “lore” so I’m curious about any modern fantasy/sci fi races that you think really capture the essence entirely of a specific creatures lore.
The Ogier in Wheel of Time for example i would classify, Gnolls, Goblins, Tieflings, most of the “traditional” d&d fantasy races I would say also fall into this category, so go ahead, spill it to me, what are some of your favorites and why! How do they capture the essence of the race entirely?