Editing Earthdawn (section)

==Setting==
In Barsaive, magic, like many things in nature, goes through cycles. As the magic level rises, it allows alien creatures called Horrors to cross from their distant, otherworldly [[dimension]] into our own. The Horrors come in an almost infinite variety—from simple eating machines that devour all they encounter, to incredibly intelligent and cunning foes that feed off the negative emotions they inspire in their prey.

In the distant past of ''Earthdawn''{{'}}s setting, an [[elf]] scholar discovered that the time of the Horrors was approaching, and founded the Eternal Library in order to discover a way to defeat them — or at the very least, survive them. The community that grew up around the library developed wards and protections against the Horrors, which they traded to other lands and eventually became the powerful Theran Empire, an extremely magically advanced civilization and the main antagonist of the ''Earthdawn'' setting.

The peoples of the world built kaers, underground towns and cities, which they sealed with the Theran wards to wait out the time of the Horrors, which was called the Scourge. Theran wizards and politicians warned many of the outlying nations around Thera of the coming of the Horrors, offering the protection of the kaers to those who would pledge their loyalty to the Empire. Most of these nations agreed at first though some became unwilling to fulfill their end of the bargain after the end of the Scourge, wanting to have nothing to do with the bureaucratic nation run on political conflict and powered by slavery. After four hundred years of hiding, the Scourge ended, and the people emerged to a world changed by the Horrors. The player characters explore this new world, discovering lost secrets of the past, and fighting Horrors that remain.

The primary setting of Earthdawn is Barsaive, a former province of the Theran Empire. Barsaive is a region of city-states, independent from the Therans since the [[dwarf (mythology)|dwarven]] Kingdom of Throal led a rebellion against their former overlords. The Theran presence in Barsaive has been limited to a small part of south-western Barsaive, located around the magical fortress of Sky Point and the city of Vivane.

The setting of Earthdawn is the same world as ''[[Shadowrun]]'' (i.e. a fictionalized version of [[Earth]]), but takes place millennia earlier. The map of Barsaive and its neighboring regions established that most of the game takes place where [[Ukraine]] and [[Russia]] are in our world. However, the [[topography]] other than coastlines and major rivers is quite different, and the only apparent reference to the real world besides the map may be the Blood Wood, known as "Wyrm Wood" before the Scourge and similar in location and extent to the [[Chernobyl (city)#Name origin|Chernobyl]] (Ukrainian for "wormwood") [[zone of alienation]]. Note should be made that game world links between ''Earthdawn'' and ''Shadowrun'' were deliberately broken by the publisher when the ''Shadowrun'' property was licensed out, in order to avoid the necessity for coordination between publishing companies. FASA has announced since then, that there are no plans to return ''Shadowrun'' to in-house publication, nor to restore the links between the game worlds.{{citation needed|date=April 2018}}

Three Earthdawn supplements cover territories outside Barsaive. ''The Theran Empire'' book (First Edition) covers the Theran Empire and its provinces (which roughly correspond to the territories of the Roman Empire, plus colonies in America and India). ''Cathay: The Five Kingdoms'' (Third Edition) covers the lands of Cathay (Far East).''Vasgothia'' (Fourth Edition) covers the Theran Province in more detail than originally presented in First Edition (Germany). 

===Races===
Known as Namegivers, the setting of ''Earthdawn'' features several fantasy races for characters and NPCs:

# [[dwarf (mythology)|Dwarf]]: Dwarfs in ''Earthdawn'' are similar in appearance to the classic ''[[Dungeons & Dragons|D&D]]'' or [[Tolkien]] dwarfs. They are the predominant race in Barsaive, and the dwarf language is considered the common language. Their culture, especially of the dominant Throal Kingdom, can be considered more of a [[Renaissance]]-level culture than in most other fantasy settings, and forms the main source of resistance to a return of [[Theran Empire|Thera]]'s rule in Barsaive.
# [[Elf]]: Elves in ''Earthdawn'' fit the common fantasy role playing convention; they are tall, lithe, pointy-eared humanoids who prefer living in nature. Elves in ''Earthdawn'' naturally live a very long time; some are thought to be immortal. Such immortal Elves feature in many cross-pollinated storylines with ''[[Shadowrun]]''. A subrace of ''Earthdawn'' elves are called the Blood Elves. The blood elves rejected the Theran protective magic, and attempted their own warding spells. These wards failed, and a last-ditch ritual caused thorns to thrust through the skin of the blood elves. These ever-bleeding wounds caused constant pain, but the self-inflicted suffering was enough to protect the blood elves from the worst of the Horrors.
# [[Human]]: Humans in ''Earthdawn'' are physically similar to humans in our own real world. Human adepts are granted a special Versatility talent to make them more mechanically appealing. Humans in ''Earthdawn'' are considered to be somewhat warlike in general outlook.
# Obsidiman: Obsidimen are a race of large, rock-based humanoids. They stand over {{convert|7|ft|m}} tall and weigh over 900 pounds. Their primary connection is to their Liferock, which is a large formation of stone that they emerge from. Obsidimen are loyal to the community around their Liferock, and eventually return to and re-merge with it. Obsidimen can live around 500 years away from their Liferock, and their ultimate lifespan is unknown, as they generally return to it and remain there. Due to their rocky nature and long lives, Obsidimen are rather slow moving and deliberate in both speech and action, and can have difficulty understanding the smaller races' need for haste. However, if aroused by a threat to self, friend, or community, obsidimen are fearsome to behold.
# [[Orc|Ork]]: The ork race in ''Earthdawn'' is physically similar to other depictions of orcs in fantasy role-playing. They are tribal, nomadic and often barbaric humanoids, with olive, tan, beige or ebony skin. They are relatively short-lived, and as a result many attempt to leave a legacy marked by a memorable death—preferably one that leaves no corpse. Before the Scourge almost all orks were enslaved by other races.
# [[Troll]]: The troll race in ''Earthdawn'' is also similar in appearance to many other fantasy role playing depictions of trolls. They are very tall humanoids, with a hardened skin and horns. Socially, they form clans to which they are fiercely loyal. Troll clans often raid one another, and a significant subset of the troll race are crystal raiders, which command many of the airships of Barsaive. Other trolls, known as lowland trolls, have merged with mixed communities around Barsaive, although most retain the fierce cultural and personal pride of their less-civilized cousins.
# T'skrang: The t'skrang are lizard-like amphibious humanoids with long tails and a flair for dramatics. Many of them exhibit the behaviors and characteristics which are stereotypical to a "swashbuckler". T'skrang are often sailors, and many t'skrang families run ships up and down the rivers of Barsaive. A rare subrace of t'skrang, the ''k'stulaami'', possess a flap of skin much like a [[flying squirrel]]'s patagium, allowing them to glide. While ''k'stulaami'' can be born as a random mutation in any t'skrang line, they tend to congregate into communities filled with their own kind.
# Windling: The windlings are small, winged humanoids; similar to many depictions of [[fairy|fae]] creatures, they resemble small elves with insect-like wings. They have the ability to see into the astral plane, and are considerably luckier than the other races. Windlings are often somewhat mischievous, hedonistic, and eager for new experiences, and are culturally similar to the [[Kender (fantasy)|Kender]] of [[Krynn]], but without the same [[kleptomania]]cal tendencies. They have wings similar to those of a dragonfly and are one to two feet in height.
# Leafer: A race native to the Dark Forest of Vasgothia, leafers are sentient plant people.
# Ulkmen: Another race unique to Vasgothia, the ulkmen have been merged with Horrors. In addition to their talents, an ulkman adepts gain a Horror power every four Circles. Despite their origins & horrific appearance, the ulkmen are a largely peaceful people.
# Jubruq: The only 'half-race' in Earthdawn, jubruq are half human or ork and half elemental spirit. They are native to the Sufik tribes of Marak.
# Jackelmen: Native to Creana, jackalmen have the body of a human and the head of a jackal. They are a warrior people and are thought to practice cannibalism.
# Gar: An Elven like race with considerably shorter lifespan. This is primarily due to their violent lifestyle and high rate of infant mortality. While native to the Cathay region they have mostly been driven out and live around the outskirts of the Five Kingdoms. A Gar's primary loyalty is to their tribe with personal glory being a close second.
# Ki Mao: The Ki Mao are another elven race native to the Cathay region that inhabit the Jungle of Endless Wandering. One distinguishing characteristic setting the Ki Mao apart from their elven cousins is their uncanny resemblance to tigers. They have the eyes of a cat as well as distinct patterning along their bodies resembling that of a tiger's stripes.
# Po Na: Also found in the Jungle of Endless Wandering, the Po Na are a humanoid race with long, prehensile tails and faces that resemble a cross between a monkey and a human. Po Na tend to be driven heavily by their curiosity while living there daily life and admire quick wit and word play, engaging in verbal jousts as a type of sport.
# Storm Children: At first glance they appear to be abnormally pale humans with solid black hair, their eyes, a solid bluish white without sign of a pupil, are a strikingly none human looking. The Storm Children are born during particularly terrible storms where a lightning bolt will strike the earth leaving behind a naked genderless fully-grown Humanoid. They are born knowing Cathayan, they are driven by a ravenous hunger for knowledge, but for the most part they are subject to the same merits and vices as every other race.