TEXT: Races of Geoff 
   
  Well now, you wish to know a bit about the races that make up Geoff?  I can tell you a bit 
  about them.  Of course, things aren’t as they once were.  The giant invasion has turned 
  the world upside down and given it a good shake to boot!   
   
  If you listened to my description of Gyric (or Geoffite in Common) culture, you will 
  know a good bit about the dominant race in Gyruff – the humans.  We’re predominately 
  Flannae with some Oeridian and Suel ancestors leaking in around the edges.  We were 
  spread throughout the entire land of Gyruff, living in the meadowlands, the forests, the 
  hills, the marshes, and the mountain foothills.  The greatest concentration of population 
  was to the east and south and along the Oyt, the Oyt headwaters, and the Olvewater.  
  Gorna was the largest town, but even Gorna was small and provincial compared to the 
  great cities of the lowlands. 
   
  Today, the humans have either fled the country or are enslaved by the giants.  The giants 
  have gathered their slaves together into the towns so the countryside is deserted except 
  for the giants and their minions.  Those that fled have settled in the Gran March and 
  Keoland.  When the Knights of the Watch reclaimed Hochoch, many Gyri returned to this 
  small portion of Geoff that is free. 
   
  The elves are the second largest group in Gyruff, but they are divided into three “kins” 
  that each dwell separately in one of the great forests of Gyruff.  The grey elves lived in 
  the Oytwood, which is the smallest forest, but that’s fine as their numbers aren’t great 
  anyway.  Because the humans lived on all sides of their realm, the grey elves had the 
  most interaction with the humans. The high elves of the Hornwood were the strongest of 
  the elven kins, and their prince was recognized as the supreme authority of all things 
  elven in Gyruff.  The wood elves lived in the vast reaches of the Dim Forest.  They had 
  two towns that I know of:  Derelion and Hocholve.  Strangely enough, the forest-loving 
  wood elves found much in the nature-worshiping Flannae to respect.  This bond, and 
  centuries of efforts against their joint enemies, the giants and ogres, had formed a cordial 
  relationship between human and elf.  Half-elves were not unheard of in the western Dim 
  Forest and they found acceptance in the lands beneath the branches.  Duke Owen had an 
  advisor from each of the elven realms at his court. 
   
  In the wake of the giant invasion, the grey elves of the Oytwood were driven into an even 
  smaller area of their forest and initially guarded it from all, including us.  Some have 
  resettled in the southern Dim Forest.  Others have traveled further away, mostly to the 
  elven kingdom of Celene.  There is little information about the high elves in the 
  Hornwood.  Some fled east to the Stark Mounds when the giants invaded.  Most, 
  however, were cut off by the giant army and trapped in the Hornwood.  I had not heard of 
  any reliable word from them since the invasion.  The Elves of the Dim Forest have lost 
  much as well.  A terrible beast of Shadow stalks the remains of their capitol city, and they 
  have moved into the trees of the southern portion of the Dim Forest. 
   
  
  The halflings were a recent addition to Gyruff.  They came in the wake of the Keoish 
  invasion and found the meadow lands in the center of the country to be to their liking.  I 
  am told that there are many types of halfings in the Flanaess, but those in Gyruff are of 
  the Lightfoot ancestry.  Halflings preferred to form small communities of their own on 
  the outskirts of larger human settlements.  There were halfling hamlets outside of 
  Oytmeet, Gorna, and Hochoch.   
   
  The few halflings who could, fled with the humans when the giants invaded.  The 
  halflings suffered greatly and lost many of their number to reported treachery by those 
  they trusted.  I do not know the nature of what happened, but I can tell you this, very few 
  halflings made it out alive.  The halfling community near Hochoch has grown 
  enormously since the town was freed, but many halflings have not returned, having found 
  safer pastures in Keoland and the Gran March. 
   
  The gnomes lived predominately in the Stark Mounds but could be found throughout 
  Gyruff.  The largest concentration of gnomes outside of the Stark Mounds was in Gorna.  
  Long a power in their own right, the gnomes in Gyruff are of the rock gnome variety.  
  They have many towns and settlements just under the surface of hills. 
   
  Out of all the races of Gyruff, the gnomes fared the best.  Most of their homes were 
  underground and their ability to disguise and confuse with illusions meant that only the 
  largest of the towns and their capital city of Moundgomery, were laid waste.  When the 
  Knights of the Watch began attacking the giants in the Stark Mounds three years ago, the 
  ground boiled forth with gnomish warriors who assisted the exhausted and battered 
  Knights.  Today, the Stark Mounds are free of giant rule, but do suffer frequent raids. 
   
  The half-orcs are the only race in Gyruff to have no real culture and society of their own.  
  Born almost uniformly of violence, most of these creatures mercifully did not survive 
  infancy.  Those that did survive faced a long and cruel childhood of teasing, beatings, and 
  alienation from the human children.  That half-orcs could be found throughout pre-
  invasion Gyruff attested to the savagery of orc raiders and their effectiveness at escaping 
  the border patrols.  While half-orc children were not rare before the invasion, now the 
  streets are filled with these horrid reminders of violence and bestial lust. 
   
  The half-orcs did not fare well in the aftermath of the invasion.  Some were able to blend 
  in among the invading orcs and adopt their ways; others were enslaved just like any other 
  human, but most fled east with the humans.  Even though they suffered as the other Gyri, 
  many people reasoned that only treason could have caused Gyruff to fall so quickly.  
  Never quite trusted, even in the best of times, the half-orcs were targeted by vengeful 
  refugees.  Frequent outbreaks of violence against them have convinced most half-orcs to 
  flee the country or into the woods. 
   
  The dwarves live three great clans.  The Stonereaver Clan are mountain dwarves who 
  lived in the Barrier Peaks.  The Deepholm Clan are mountain dwarves who lived in the 
  Crystalmist Mountains.  The Underfoot Clan are hill dwarves who lived in the foothills of 
  the Crystalmists. 
  
   
  The dwarves suffered a terrible loss on the eave of the invasion, when the Three-Hold 
  Thane died.  The Stonereaver Clan has not been heard from since the invasion and the 
  dwarves have not elected a new thane.  Clan Underfoot was also driven from their hold 
  and now resides under the hills with the gnomes of the Stark Mounds.  For years, Clan 
  Deepholm remained entrenched in their hold, with all of their exits sealed to the outside.  
  Only recently was contact re-established between the Deepholm and the rest of Gyruff.
   
  That’s what I know of the races of Gyruff.  If you wish to learn more, I can introduce you 
  to a member of each race, who can answer more detailed questions about their kin. 
   
  Morwenna the Fair 
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Living Greyhawk/Metaorg Material/Geoff/History and Geography/Revised Geoffian Races-Intro.pdf