[Will]

I don't think I've ever played a game with long and short descriptions. What's the reason for having two? (I'm genuinely curious.)

We always had characters start out with descriptions generated by combining a bunch of selected options for hair length, color, style, build, eye color, etc. Then when they reached a certain benchmark they became eligible for custom descriptions which described characters a little more in depth. The difference was something like...

You see Kavak, a middle-aged male celarti.
He is tall and slender and seems to be robust and dashing.
He has slitted ruby eyes, dusky skin and a cleanly shaven face.
His pitch-black shoulder-length hair is windswept and lightly tossled.

as opposed to...

Tall and slim with clean, angular features, he seems confident and stately,
even for a celarti. Dusky skin draws taughtly over high cheekbones and a
slender jaw, smooth as sculpted stone, its flawless surface marred only by a
pair of glittering ruby eyes. A shadow of ebony hair falls to his shoulders.