At the heart of each world is the eternal struggle between good and evil for supremacy. In the last article, we took a look at the good fantasy races. This time, we turn over to the other side of the coin, those species who serve the villains.
While you can make your own ‘bad’ race, many works in the genre use the same species to act as agents of evil. Their goal is to assist the villain in taking over the world and destroying all opposition. Moreover, these guys all share a hatred of their good counterparts; and are all too willing to jump in to kill their enemies.
In this article, we’ll cover the same details we did for the good guys. Speaking of which, if you haven’t read it, you can do so here. It’s a good read!
If you need a refresher, here they are:
Let’s start with a race everyone knows all too well: orcs.
A standard grunt in the villain’s army, out of the evil fantasy races, orcs are known for their savagery in battle and their deformed appearance. Appearing in many works, especially the Lord of the Rings, orcs and their close cousins goblins are depicted as mindless monsters whose only purpose is to stuff out the light. They overwhelm their enemies with greater numbers and feast upon their flesh.
Orcs come in all shapes and sizes but the one thing they all have in common is their deformed appearance. They’re bred by the dark powers, created specifically to kill their master’s adversaries. As such they receive little to no nourishment. They hunt in groups and have no qualms about eating whatever they can get their hands on. In fact, they’re likely to kill each other for survival!
There’s no such thing as a nice orc. These brutes are mean and savage with an appetite for killing. With very few exceptions, the vast majority have no smarts and that’s because they were bred to kill. They follow their master’s orders, not because they love him or support him, but out of fear. They know that failure means death and they’ll do anything to stay alive, even blame other orcs for their mistakes.
Serving as instruments of war, this fantasy species’ longevity is comparatively low to that of humans and elves. Their high mortality rate is a direct result of fighting the good guys and also among themselves. Many orcs don’t get along with each other and one insulting another typically leads to a full-blown skirmish, ending with many dead. When battling their enemies, they suffer high casualties as they use rudimentary weapons against foes with superior equipment.
As for dwellings, orcs favor dark places, far removed from the light. Mines and mountains are perfect for them as they can breed in the depths and multiply quickly. Abandoned castles and other structures are ideal spots for them as well.
They use simple weapons in war and they overwhelm their foes in greater numbers to compensate. The majority of orcs use swords with no frills and cheaply-made bows and arrows. Orcs in positions of authority use heavier blades and some even favor maces over swords.
The big bad of the story doesn’t just rely on a standard grunt to defeat his adversaries. He uses a variety of servants in his army. One such is the mage/sorcerer. They’re more cunning than orcs and due to their knowledge of magic, they pose a formidable threat on the battlefield compared to the other fantasy races.
Their physical appearance depends on the setting they’re in. Some use colored garbs whereas others dress all in black to show how committed they are to the dark side. Many of them were once men and wizards who were seduced by the dark side. Falling into darkness cost them their souls, turning their handsome faces into soulless ones.
A great deal of mages are intelligent. It’s for this reason that they’re a major threat to the good guys. Years of studying magic increased their knowledge and they’re capable of performing complex spells to devastating effect. Additionally, they’re able to anticipate their opponents’ next moves and plan around that. Their intelligence is why many mages are placed in higher positions of power in the dark forces.
There’s no set average for longevity for these guys. It’s because they’re able to use spells to delay death, not infinitely though. They conduct experiments to unlock the secrets of immortality. Many mages live to the midpoint of their lifespan with only a few reaching old age. A great number of them perish from experiments gone awry or they’re cut down on the battlefield.
Mages and dark sorcerers congregate in places that augment their power, like an abandoned castle brimming in dark energy. They seek out that energy to harness it for their purposes. Deep forests are another place where they can hide out in and work to steepen their affinity with the dark side.
These magicians are deadly on the battlefield. Many use rods to cast their spells but the elite can use either their hands or a weapon specially designed to use magic. The dark arts they deploy against their foes are fire, black magic, and necromancy. The fact they possess the ability to raise the undead and use them to destroy their enemies illustrates just how much of a threat they are.
The powers mages and sorcerers command are why they’re among the most interesting fantasy races.
Appearing in many worlds, trolls are powerful creatures who shun the light. These servants of darkness play several roles in war and their sheer size and weight makes them quite difficult to kill. Their abilities to wield large, heavy weapons make them powerhouses on the battlefield as they can inflict massive damage in just a number of seconds. They’re the workhorse of the evil fantasy races.
Trolls are large, humanoid-like monsters with several deformities visible on their bodies. They usually wear ragged clothes and they move slowly. From birds to beasts, they eat whatever they can get their hands on. They have a deep aversion to light because exposure to light leads to them being frozen in rock.
This species is known for being stupid. While they can communicate, they mostly just grunt and make other kinds of noises and they’re slow on the uptake. Their sheer size causes them to move slowly.
In terms of longevity, trolls live longer than humans. This might be because they were bred specifically to be instruments of war. They being difficult to kill in battle is another reason, for a troll can take many blows before falling to the ground.
Trolls love dark places with little to no sunlight. Caves and mountains are their favorite hiding places though they like mines as well. Castles in dark places also attract them.
In war, trolls, due to their size, are far more versatile than any other race. For instance, these monsters can push or pull heavy weapons and siege towers. They can also operate catapults and other weapons. Maces and other heavy weapons are their go-to in battle. Furthermore, they can wear armor and go to the front lines to shield their allies from being attacked.
Out of all the fantasy races, dragons are one people associate with the genre. People love dragons because they have a formidable presence no matter what world they’re in and they’re awesome. Their elongated wings and massive girth is only a fraction of the power they wield. Their true power comes from their ability to breathe fire. Not many fantasy beasts can do that.
Everyone knows what a dragon looks like. It’s a beast with long wings, sharp claws, horns, and a long tail. Their hide is razor-tough but they come in many sizes. Volvagia from The Legend of Zelda is nowhere as large as Smaug from The Hobbit. Their many different appearances across the genre is one reason why dragons are one of the most popular fantasy races.
Dragons are considered the most intelligent of all fantasy creatures. A lot of works depict them capable of communicating conversationally with humans. They’re master manipulators, sowing seeds of doubt and discord in their enemies by offering them false promises, and they can easily recognize a lie.
This species can live up to several hundreds of years because they age slowly. It takes a young dragon decades if not a century or longer to fully mature. Another factor in their longevity is how difficult it is to slay one. Dragon hide is resistant to many things, not to mention their would-be killers have to survive being impaled by fangs and claws and dragon-fire.
There’s no specific area where dragons live. Some like high places like mountains far away from towns and cities. Several make their homes in the deepest parts of a cave where they wait for those travelers unfortunate enough to wander in and walk straight into their maws and realize it too late. Others prefer dark places like mines. Yet another reason why they’re a popular fantasy race!
Dragons are considered the elite soldiers in the armies of the villain. Killing-machines, they effortlessly dispatch many soldiers in a number of seconds due to the powerful weapons at their disposal. While they like to breathe fire and shred people with their claws, they use their massive weight to their advantage as they pulverize people when they land.
Fans of fantasy love watching dragons lay waste to a battlefield. Out of all the fantasy races, only a very few come even close to the fearsome power dragons wield.
Together, these four fantasy races make up the bulk of the dark forces the good guys face. They aren’t to be trifled with. Each brings their own strengths to the battlefield and use everything at their disposal to crush all opposition. They stand united in their hatred of all things good.
Destruction is their forte. They have no qualms about spreading mayhem across the world and slaughtering innocents. Only by standing in their way will the good guys stop them and bring about an end to their tyranny.
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Sunfire
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