They are called the Stone People, and unlike many names in Leonoria, this is not a misunderstanding, nor an insult, nor a title forced upon them by others. It is a statement of fact. They do not argue it. They do not reshape it. To them, names exist to reflect truth — and the truth is simple: they are no longer fully flesh.
What they once were is unclear. Some scholars place their origin close to that of the Oakspeople, suggesting they were once a branch of Common Folk who lived closer to the mountains and deep earth. But where the Oakspeople were embraced by life and growth, the Stone People followed a different path when the Great Death reshaped the world. When the Great Death spread its influence, these people did not flee to forests or open lands. They went downward — into caves, into mountain roots, into the deep and silent places beneath Leonoria. And there, something changed them. The transformation was not violent in the same way as with the Ravagers, nor as grotesque as the Swampbrood. It was slower. Heavier. Their skin hardened, cracked, and layered. Hair disappeared. Flesh became dense, mineral-bound. They did not simply survive the Great Death. They fused with the foundation of the world itself.
Transformation and Nature
The Stone People are short, stout, and immensely dense — resembling dwarves in silhouette, but far heavier in presence. Their bodies are compact, built like living statues rather than organic beings. Movement is deliberate, grounded, and efficient.
Their skin is unmistakable: cracked, grey, and rugged, like weathered rock. Some carry tones of granite, slate, or gravel. Others show faint mineral veins — subtle hints of metals or crystal beneath the surface. There is no hair, no softness, no wasted form. Even their faces seem carved rather than grown.
They do not age as others do. They wear down.
Despite their rigid appearance, they are not lifeless. There is awareness in them — slow, steady, and deeply rooted. They see themselves not as a people in the traditional sense, but as extensions of the earth. Spirits of stone given motion and will.
Because of this belief, they treat the act of mining with reverence. To break stone without offering is not merely disrespect — it is provocation. Across Leonoria, miners leave tokens, metals, or carved signs before cutting into bedrock. Whether this truly appeases the Stone People is unknown. But enough disappearances have made the tradition endure.
Beliefs and Domain
The Stone People live almost entirely removed from the surface world. Their cities are not built — they are carved deep within mountains, beneath ranges, and along ancient fault lines. These places are rarely seen by outsiders, and those who claim to have entered them often return with little more than fragments of memory or silence.
They also maintain presence in deeper subterranean regions, including parts of the Forgotten Kingdom. There, they exist in constant tension with the Dark Ones. Where one is shadow and concealment, the other is weight and permanence. Neither yields easily.
In the highest mountain chains, however, the Stone People are untouchable. Their fortifications are carved into sheer cliffs, hidden within vast cave systems, and protected by terrain that breaks armies long before battle is joined.
They do not seek expansion. They do not seek war. They endure, mine, shape, and watch.
Rumors persist that they hoard immense wealth — veins of Materium, ancient relics, and master-crafted works beyond anything seen on the surface. Whether this is true remains unconfirmed. Few have ever been close enough to know.
Strength and Combat
The Stone People are among the most resilient beings in Leonoria. Blades struggle to harm them. Arrows glance or shatter. Only powerful strikes — those backed by significant force — can truly break their form. Their resistance to Materium is equally formidable. Most magical forces disperse against them, unable to fully take hold. Only Arcane and Purelight magic affect them reliably, cutting through what other forces cannot.
In battle, they are not fast — but they are immovable. They favor one-handed weapons suited to their size and weight, shields and defensive formations, and close-range control over reckless aggression.
Their stamina in open terrain is limited. Extended movement across plains or cities drains them quickly, and they often appear sluggish outside their natural environments. But in mountains or underground, everything changes. There, they move with certainty. With familiarity. Even with a form of stealth — blending into rock, shadow, and terrain with unnatural precision.
They do not chase. They wait.
Magic and Craft
No race rivals the Stone People in Earthen Materium. Stone, metal, crystal — these are not materials to them. They are extensions of self. Their control is instinctive, precise, and absolute within their domain.
Every Stone Person carries an innate ability: once in battle, they may bind themselves fully to the stone around them. For a brief moment, they become invulnerable. Not resistant. Not hardened. Untouchable — an embodiment of the mountain itself.
Beyond magic, their mastery of smithing and jewelcraft is unmatched. What others forge with skill, they shape with understanding. Their creations are rumored to be flawless, enduring, and often impossible to replicate by surface craftsmen. Most of these works are never seen.
Playing a Stone Person
- Strengths: Extreme durability, resistance to most damage types, mastery of earthen magic, superior performance in mountains and underground
- Weaknesses: Low stamina in open terrain, slow movement outside natural environments, vulnerable to Arcane and Purelight magic
- Key Traits: You are unyielding — difficult to damage and harder to move. You excel in controlled environments where terrain favors you. You are not fast, but you do not need to be. Your connection to stone defines both your strength and your worldview. You value permanence, patience, and balance. The surface world feels temporary to you — because it is.
- Class Affinities: Ironguard Vanguard Warden Soulkindler Aegisbearer Scholar Elementalist Runescribe Geomancer