(Credit
http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/creating-art-innistrad-2011-09-05)
Races and classesDwarves
A strong and industrious race of the great western mountains and foothills. They value skill, mindfulness, and tradition, and divide their society into castes ruled by artisans and craftsmen. Many eschew humanity's sky-gods and treat instead with the deep things beneath their mountain homes.
Elves
A long-lived, secretive people hailing from the cold forests and plains of the far northeast. While the dawn elves remain distant in their ancient homes, the dusk elves have settled among human lands. Their light-shy and manipulative cousins are called night elves by humans, but other elves term them simply drow, refusing to acknowledge them as elves.
Halflings
Good-natured people said to have been created when a city of humans was cloven in half to the last and an angel took pity on the remains - hence the name. Considered a kind of human, they are well-aceepted but prefer to settle separately, for human cities are not scaled to them. All races regard them fondly, but often with an air of patronage.
Humans
Transient but resourceful, humankind expands with singular ambition. They are the masters of the two empires that cover the continent's center, and a dozen other kingdoms. It is their gods that light the earth, they say, though the church is younger than it likes to admit.
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Barbarian
A warrior who gives in to base nature in battle, discarding the pretense of civility that helps Men to sleep at night. While associated with primitive cultures, the "war-madness" has been observed even among soldiers. Especially in the historically war-torn central and southern mountains, the line between lawbringing conqueror and bloodthirsty warlord has always been thin.
Bard
Heirs of a diverse tradition who keep old wisdom alive in coded parables and music, working magic through resonance. A handful of highly respected colleges enjoy a degree of immunity even nobles are envious of. Not all can graduate to become a herald or influential courtier, but even common folk appreciate entertainment and inspiration.
Cleric
Wise and holy men and women favored by humakind's gods of Heaven - Skymother Celeste, Queen Sunna and King Mano, Sight-Fire Ain, Great and Gracious Deneb, and a myriad others. The dwarves have their own gods in Moradin and Mya, while the elves prefer to treat with worldly forces, but many members of both races have become integrated.
Druid
Shaman of a secret society venerating the ancient gods of the land - Wolf, Bear, Lake and Mountain, Snake, and more besides. Though humanity now looks to the heavens for salvation, the druids remember that this was not always so. Rumors that such circles guide kingdoms from the shadows are mostly baseless.
Fighter
Skilled and powerful warrior, above the simple rank and file. Those who choose to make war their profession attend schools dedicated to slaying, or apprentice themselves to a man-at-arms or mercenary company. There is always demand for those willing to kill for coin or cause, and true skill may bring glory as well.
Monk
Heretic mystics who believe in the divinity of the mortal body and soul. Rather than seek a place among the stars in death, they aim to embody their light on earth in life. Though the church is in truth fractured and houses many strange sects, this is among the strangest and least tolerated.
Paladin
Knights of several pious orders named for the attendants of a legendary king of antiquity. The largest and most powerful of these orders - the Knights of the Heron, Crane, and Shrike - are practically polities of their own. Though orders have come and gone, it is traditional for them to be named after birds, which are said to speak the language of Heaven and embody goodness and truth.
Ranger
Hunter and frontiersman with knowledge of wild spirits and occult trade secrets. Such individuals often patrol sparsely settled places to defend whatever they call home without sanction. In the south, they have sometimes led or aided bands of brigands that styled themselves freedom fighters against nobility or invading forces.
Rogue
Expert in stealth, devices, clandestine operations, theft, or murder - in short, a criminal. In certain areas, those who make it their profession to evade the law have begun to organize into secret cults allied with slinking, dark spirits of the night and claim to better their communities from the shadows. In this world, even the dregs of society need something to believe in.
Sorcerer
Scions of ancient bloodlines whose founders practiced dark alchemy and drank the blood of dragons for power. Nowadays, the families are large and the blood is thin, and the gift of true blood sorcery is rare. Lesser mutations are often taken for signs of inbreeding or curses by the ignorant, but old names still command respect among those who recognize them.
Warlock
One who has broken with the gods and treated with stranger entities. Beings such as cast-out stars, voices in the cracks, or spirit kings cannot, will not, or dare not bless mortals and shape destiny as the gods of heaven and earth do, but they have power and knowledge to spare, and are eager if harsh teachers to those with the will or desperation to use their gifts. The price may not even feel like a price, at first.
Wizard
A scholar of reality, who studies at the feet of the world itself and its spirits. Though wisemen have long been bizarre loners and often opposed the church, the human empires can leverage sufficient resources to formally instruct those wealthy and patient enough - and loyal enough.
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