The following humanoid races are the ones that canonically exist within the world and lore of the group and will commonly appear within in the group’s activities and events. Don't worry if your handler is of one of these races and doesn't match the description; these are meant to provide ideas for your handlers and what the NPCs you will run into in this world are like, but should not be considered set in stone. 

Origins: Humans are the most common race seen in Midgard as this is their native realm. Created by the Aesir gods, man is a powerful race, and while they lack the magic and ingenuity of their cousins, the elves and the dwarves, humans are without doubt the bravest and most courageous of the three. On top of that they are curious and fast learners, something that allowed them to develop several different cultures and ways of life.

Realm: Because of the Midgardian shifting day and night cycles, and the stark difference in the realm’s seasons, humans have become one of the most adaptable and diverse mortal races in the nine realms. They are able to travel and live in most of the other realms without deadly consequences but may find some inconveniences living in the more extreme climates. It is, however, never uncommon to see humans in other realms, traveling, or in search of glory and riches.

Biology and Traits: When it comes to height a human averagely stand between 5’0-6’1 foot (160-185 cm) with females commonly being the shorter of the two sexes. Human skin ranges from ivory light to ebony dark and every shade in-between. Their hair come in almost any earthy colour imaginable and may be straight, curly, or kinky. Because of the diversity within this race, the line of what is seen as common or normal can become quite blurred, changing quite drastically between tribes spread out on the Midgardian continents.

Humans have the shortest life span among the mortal races and very rarely live past a century, something the older races might blame on their thirst for adventure and battle. However, despite being a combative race, humans are also the most empathic. They care deeply for the people around them and have a propensity to protect and nurture creatures that are smaller or weaker than them, may it be a child of another race or an animal.

Skill: The greatest skill available to humans is without a doubt their ability to adapt and learn. Most of the other races prefer to stay loyal to their ways and traditions while humans have a habit of picking up new ways of life and even worship, seamlessly integrating them into their daily lives. Humans also have the habit of picking up skills from the other races, mostly their languages but in some cases even magic or different types of craftsmanship. While they may never be as good at these as their cousin races, the dedication and ambition that make humans able to learn these are quite impressive in their own rights.

Blood: Human blood runs red and hot, a sign of their resilience and undying determination.

Origins: Elves, or light-elves, are beings of light and magic created by the Vanir gods. Elves don’t look too different from humans but have pointed ears, are usually taller, and more graceful. They are the oldest of the mortal races and the ones with the strongest connection to the gods, which have made them able to learn and master different types of magic.

Realm: Elves originate from Alfheim, a bright and lush world with long days and short nights. The realm’s natural light is one of the sources of the elves’ magical abilities. However, since elves are so dependent on sunlight they will suffer greatly, if not even die, should they be absent from it for too long. Because of this, they need to travel with a strong light source when visiting darker realms or areas for a prolonged period of time.

Biology and Traits: Elves are tall, graceful, and beautiful beings who stand above 6 feet (180 cm) on average. They are commonly taller than humans but usually weigh less due to their slender bodies. Most elves have a fair skin complex, but this isn't always the case as the elves who live in the golden plains of Alfheim get more sun than the ones who live in the shade of the woods, and therefore commonly develop tanner skin. Their skin colour is quite similar to humans but can have a slight hue of green or blue.

Traditionally, elves have quite long hair that mostly ranges from blond to light brown, and in rare cases black, red, white and dark blue or green. It was once a belief among the race that cutting one’s hair would sever the bond they had with their gods and ancestors, robbing them of the ability to use magics. Even though this belief has long since been proven false most elves still prefer to keep their hair long, only trimming it slightly for convenience. There are still some who never cut their hair and these individuals can be seen wearing intricate braids to manage the constantly growing length. While it's no longer uncommon for elves to cut their hair, short hairstyles are still frowned upon and seen as a sign of punishment or exile.

Elves can live up to 7 centuries and therefore have a bit of a timeless perspective on life. They seldom stress or hurry about tasks or relationships, and instead take all the time needed to perfect everything they work on. Their lack of urgency may at times make other races view them as arrogant or distant while they are simply taking their time to present themselves at the best of their abilities.

Because their closely knitted ties with the gods some elves may also take it upon themselves to seek out and educate or protect the younger races, for better or worse. Sometimes this might come across as if the elves pity the “lesser races” and can cause more harm than good, but many times, especially when involving humans, elves are viewed as minor gods or guardian angels, and their aid is greatly appreciated.

Skill: Elves are quite adept in the art of archery but what stands out even more is, as previously mentioned, their exceptional skill when it comes to magics. All elves are born with magical abilities; although rather weak, these allow the user to sense and resist low class magic spells. Some elves are satisfied with this and do not attempt train their magics further. However, should an elf dedicate themselves to the arts of magics they can learn a lot more. The most common magic for these elves are nature and elemental magics and they come to great use in many aspects within elven society, with the most common one being within architecture. Elves do not like damaging the land that they live upon, and instead use their magic to "encourage” forests, mountains, and fields to shape into lush, arching, and dazzling citadels. Some factions of elves will also use their magic as protective means to keep giants and other dangerous beings at bay. However, they only use their magic to harm should they be fighting another magic user, and prefer to keep battlefields fair with non-magic users by instead fighting with swords, spears or arrows.

Blood: Elf blood runs green and light, a sign of their magic and endless grace.

Origins: Trolls are a lesser breed of the ice giants residing in Jotunheim, and while they can reach the same size as the giants, if not even larger, they grow at a much slower pace. They’re beings of mountains and forests and can be found throughout all the mortal realms. Despite this they are rarely seen, staying far away from the other races within the deep uncivilized wilderness.

Biology and Traits: Troll come in all shapes and sizes but will grow proportionate to the wilds that surrounds them to better blend in. If they grew up amongst rocks and boulders they will likely appear more round and stocky, while ones that were raised within tall tree forests will grow skinny and lank. Their arms are always quite long, with their hands reaching past their knees. They have large ears and noses, cow-like tails, and some trolls may even grow horns or antlers. Their hair grows long and messy and will usually be a patchwork of at least three colours. Troll skin is either rough like bark or stone, coloured in different shades of cool and warm greys, or their bodies are covered in coarse blond, brown, or back fur.

They can survive without food or water but will gradually become more sluggish without them. Because of this, it’s not rare to sight them standing just as still as the rocks and trees around them, sometimes for days or week at time, waiting for passing prey. Some of them might remain still long enough for mushrooms or mosses to start growing in their hair or on their clothes, making them even more camouflaged. When standing or walking, trolls will commonly take on a hunched posture, making them appear a lot smaller than they actually are.

Trolls rarely die of old age and can survive for millennia if they aren’t killed. They grow slowly but never actually stop; simply put, the older a troll is, the larger they are. If the ground shakes and a tall mountain rumbles, it may in fact be an ancient troll, trapped in a deep slumber as the wilderness could no longer sustain them. Smaller trolls will at times form small family groups or villages by these mountainous trolls to honor their ancestors, but many of them prefer a life in solitude with animal companions instead. It’s not unheard of for trolls to gather and tend to herds of livestock such as sheep, cows, or even deer. They are known for stealing domesticated animals from humans should they see the animals mistreated, and generally share a distrust and dislike towards the other races for how they chain, pen, and use these creatures. Because of this, trolls and humans rarely get along, and some humans might even hunt them down, collecting their tails as proof of a kill.

Skill: Living in the wilderness, trolls have an expanding knowledge of how to use plants and herbs to make medicine and potions. The concoctions they make can have all kinds of different abilities, from healing,  shapeshifting, love potions, and other mortal races will, in times of disparity, seek the trolls out for these skills. Trolls are also able to commune with animals and can sense shifts in the seasons and nature.

Blood: Troll blood runs blue and cold, a sign of their giant heritage and connection to nature.

Singular: Tomtenisse, Tomte

Plural: Tomtenissar, Tomtar

Origins: Tomtenissar, or tomtar, are a small humanoid race that can be found in most realms, including Asgard. They’re helpful but also mischievous beings that take care of homes, farms, and animals -- as long as their usefulness is rewarded. Their origins are unknown but some speculate that they were created as servants for the gods.

Biology and Traits: Tomtar stand about 3 feet (90 cm) tall with body types varying between plump to lanky. They naturally have white hair but like to dye it to any colour they prefer. Their skin is either white, creamy, or rosy, but will, in rare cases, have darker tones. Like elves, they have slightly pointed ears. Tomtar don’t seem to have an specific gender specifications as they all seem able to grow beards and have rather gender ambiguous faces and voices.

Tomtar have been known to live for around 5 centuries and always try to make the best of their time to live life to the fullest. They are a very social race and live in big societies in well-lit earthy tunnels and holes, usually close to a farm or town inhabited by another race. They’re natural helpers and will take care for other people’s animals and various household or farm equipment at night when no one is awake to see them at work. Should it be noticed that a Tomte has been by and helping during the night, one should always leave a gift of food, clothes, or money outside to repay them. Failing to do so will result in the Tomtar rigging the household they previously helped  with various pranks and traps, generally causing a mess that will take days clean up.

Skill: Tomtar have a knack for fixing things and building small helpful trinkets from scrap. If something is deemed unfixable a tomte will gladly take on the challenge just to prove it wrong. Tomtar are also incredibly strong for their size and can easily move heavy objects several times their size and weight, something that comes quite in handy when climbing atop cupboards and rooftops.

Blood: Tomte blood runs purple and quick, a sign of their eager and mischievous nature.

Origins: Demigods are the children between the Norse gods and the mortal races. They are depicted as strong and heroic and are in most cases treasured by their people. It is, however, just as easy for them become heroes and protectors as it to become power-hungry and bloodthirsty.

Biology and Traits: Demigods will always share most of their physical traits with their mortal parent, with their godly parentage bleeding through in small traits such as hair or eye colour. They may also be recognized at birth by a birthmark in the shape of a sign that the defines their godly parent -- a raven for Odin, a lightning bolt for Thor, etc. If their godly parent was a goddess, the child will turn up wrapped in warm furs and fabrics at the father’s home as the gods rarely care for or even acknowledge their mortal offspring.

Demigods may lead very different lives depending on how they’re raised and treated while growing up. It’s easy for them to let their godly parentage go to their head should they be treated as better than their peers while growing up. On the other hand, giants and other monsters who are enemies of the gods can usually scent godly blood or sense the presence of one, meaning without the right caution and protection, dangerous creatures might seek demigods out. This may cause demigods to voluntarily isolate themselves to protect the people the love, or, aware of the danger a demigod may bring, some parents or villages might exile the child to save themselves future trouble, causing the demigod to grow resentful toward their own people and eventually becoming a more villainous figure should they seek revenge.

While demigods have the same lifespan as their mortal parents, they usually die young due to dangerous creatures frequently trying to hunt them down to spite the gods.

Skill: Demigods have the same skill set as the parent on their mortal side but usually gain some magic qualities from their godly side as well. Children of Odin are incredibly wise and strong, can commune with ravens, and sometimes even see glimpses of the future. Children of Thor are resistant to lightning and don’t feel the cold of rain, and can even create small shocks of electricity and light. Children of Loki have the skill of deception and can create illusions as well as shapeshift for a short period of time. Etc.

Demigods also heal faster than their mortal race and have a little more physical strength.  

Blood: Fresh demigod blood runs gold like the gods, full of power and might, and changes colour to that of their mortal heritage when dried.

Origins: One of the oldest races, the Jotunn are born of the giant Ymir in the primeval chaos known as Ginnungagap. They came to populate the ice realm of Niflhelm until Ymir was slain by Odin. Ymir's flesh became stone and formed the world, and the region where the ocean met the end of the world was named Jotunheim and given to the descendants of Ymir.

Biology and Traits: As Ymir became the stone the world is made of, the rest of the Jotunn too have nearly the strength and sturdiness of stone.  Even the Aesir respect them for their superior strength and known skill in battle, though they often war with one another. Their size is great, though perhaps not much greater than the Aesir.

The Jotunn have variability in appearance, ranging from being called beautiful to being described as monstrous. The Aesir view them as perhaps similar to a different culture not quite as powerful as their own; frequently at war with one another and intermarrying. Aesir take giantess Jotunn as brides, but rarely accept Jotunn men pursuing Aesir goddesses. 

Their skin has a characteristic grey or blue color, which can range from ashen to slate blue to bright blue. 

Skill: The Jotunn are famous for their connection to stone and their size. Not much bigger than the Aesir, they nonetheless have superior strength. Some have the ability to shapeshift into animals or control nature, such as causing earthquakes or moving islands. Many consider them to be minor gods.