In the land of Luxure, there are few constants. Kingdoms rise and fall, civilizations end and are replaced by new, and villains and heroes alike wax and wane in relevance as others appear to replace them. Despite all this, one thing remains constant, no matter who, what, or where you are. In Luxure, no matter who you are, you can be had - for a price.
On the same street in Maerwin one might find a princess selling a night of pleasure in exchange for a castle, a sorceress offering a noble her wondrous enchanted armor for an hour's time, or a blacksmith bartering a few thousand gold for a farmer's daughter's year of service. There are legends about when this tradition started - tales of a wizard's spell that altered the minds of every man, woman and child; of dragon's magic from ancient times being reawoken in the races of Luxure and molding every living citizen into beauteous forms so that no one might ever be born unattractive; even whispers of dark forces that enacted the first contracts to enslave the people, and eventually the dark magic consumed the world.
But those are just legends. Wizards frequently attempt spells with catastrophic results, but none has ever altered a kingdom, much less the continent. Dragons still roam, but many are hostile and few are so petty as to alter the humanoid races. If a dark force intended to enslave the people of Luxure, they did a poor job, for the only masters they follow are those who pay. Only scholars and historians attempt to discern where the tradition originated from, and even they are often too busy enjoying its rewards to delve too deeply.
You yourself are but a mere adventurer at the start of your journey. Your family and friends left behind, you set out for the city of Allanarn. The kingdom of Maerwin was little more than a hamlet in comparison to some of the greater empires, but its small stature might perhaps make it easier to stand out among the rest of the heroes and mercenaries out there, selling their swords for coin or more intimate goods. How far you'll go depends on the choices you make, the allies you recruit, and the challenges you choose to face - and whether or not you're strong enough to face them.
Your first "decision", of course, was more a matter of birthright - which of Luxure's many races were you?
Humans were one of the most battle-scarred races; not physically of course, but ingrained in their culture. They were one of the first races to raise castles, and among the first to raze them. Even in times of peace a barracks' training grounds are never empty when the garrison is led by a human commander. Despite the stubbornness of many of them, they have a certain affability to them; human diplomats are polite, but not yielding. In fact, they are some of the fiercest negotiators in the land.
The eternal Elves hold the title of the most elegant race in Luxure, a title not insignificant considering some of the denizens. Their noble ways and regal appearances give them great stature, even among the already-beauteous races of the continent. Because they typically dwell in remote locales such as forests, valleys, and distant hills, they are often skilled in more defensive and varied forms of combat than races locked in close combat, and their magical talents are naturally heightened.
The Dwarves, though often staying close to home, do occasionally venture out. Some of history's greatest heroes came from those too short to ride a proper horse. Their hardiness comes from a natural toughness, unlike the humans - few races can boast the same level of endurance and stamina that the dwarves possess. Their shorter appearance and fondness for hair makes them somewhat undesirable by some, but their reputations as fierce warriors and skilled craftsmen often leave them with a racial reputation that escapes few, whether earned or not.
Orcs are one of the more recent races to become civilized - they are harsh and brutal to others, but to their own kind there is a certain order to everything. Rank and hierarchy mean great things, and the word respect carries weight above and beyond what most others give it credit for. Other races often fail to understand this, as well as the value of strength to an Orc's status, so they can often frighten others into giving what they want. All the better, because their unusual skin colorations and "brutish" appearances don't win them as much favor as the more elegant races. Their history of combat has yielded them advances in combat styles and strength, but also surprisingly brought out new methods of mending the wounds from their many battles. Other races even study among some of their medicine men and shamans.
A few hundred years ago a race calling themselves the Nekos started arriving on the eastern shores. Despite the previously untamed nature of the place and the unassuming appearance of the feral humanoids, they quickly proved they were experts at adapting and surviving in harsh environments. That didn't stop them from being labeled as one of the cutest races in Luxure, though. They are thought to be a descendant of offspring between the Ferals and Humans, having the strength and some minor features of the former while possessing most of the anatomy of the latter.
Kitsune are a mysterious race - in more ways than one, as they're one of the few races to maintain a large enclosed area which few others are allowed to visit. The Kitsune hold domain over Etannya, one of the largest and most secretive kingdoms on Luxure. They forbid any from entering past the Darrin Mountain range without invitation, something given out so rarely that the invitations themselves are nearly a legend. Known as tricksters and the ultimate magic practitioners, they're not known as the most trustworthy race, but many consider them the most beautiful, and those that don't must still respect their innate magical genius.
No one is quite sure whether Elementals should be given their own race, or whether they should be considered a race at all. Any place where there is a high amount of magical energy and a significant amount of the respective element has a chance of birthing an Elemental. Ancient battlegrounds run over with forests, volcanoes subjected to magical experimentation, or burial sites and tombs laden with magical artifacts - any of these can spawn an elemental, but no one has yet determined the exact conditions. While Elementals have no real culture (being elusively rare and often not meeting or seeking each other out), their physiology has been somewhat studied - no matter what they are constructed from, Elementals have heightened magical prowess and are considerably more durable by nature than others. That being said, their inhuman nature leaves them a bit lacking in the appearance department to many, though something can be said for attempting to send someone fleeing while literally being made of fire.