compiled by Kostivalo Torado -
Beastfolk
The beastfolk of Behenia are newly arrived in Kriadar. They live in clans broken down by tribes based on varying species of Beastfolk.
Aarakocra - The aarakocra, hawk-like peoples with the power of flight, fascinate many in the civilized world. While most records show that aarakocra tribes tend to fulfill scouting and sentry roles within their clans, there are rumors of tension between them and the other beastfolk, and that there are some clans where the aarakocra rule.
Harengon - Perhaps the closest thing to the common people, harengon, rabbit-like folk, are the blood and dirt of Behenia. Masters of agriculture, the harengon feed most of Behenia.
Leonin - In almost all tribes, the lion-like Leonin are the ruling class. Leonin are courageous warriors and skilled hunters.
Kenku - Strangely enough, these nearly mute flightless ravenfolk are the bearers of knowledge within the clans. There extreme memory and ability to reproduce sounds makes them excellent repositories for oral traditions.
Lizardfolk - Foot soldiers of the clans, the vicious lizardfolk are known for their bold and overwhelming military tactics. Rumors state that there is a subspecies of the lizardfolk, whispered as the true power in Behenia.
Tabaxi - Known for their love of the crafts, the cat-like Tabaxi traditionally fill the role of the craftsmen caste within the Behenian clans. Their skills vary widely, and the numerous Tabaxi fill many of the roles found within a mercantile class.
Dragonborn
The dragonborn of Kriadar are split between two distinct peoples, based on the two continents. Color seems to have little impact on peoplehood, though certain tribes tend to be of one color or another.
Valarzylym - The dragonborn of northern Letzel are considered a noble warrior people. Once a wild and savage people like their cousins, the eastern Trainbahor, the centuries of living under the Tieflings has shaped them. Fiercely loyal with deadly discipline, the Valarzylym are prized as servants and soldiers. (5e note: Predominately Draconblood subrace)
Trainbahor - In the homeland of the dragonborn, along the Pels landbridge, the savage Trainbahor tribes fight against incursions from the growing Sh'hoonic empire. Devoted to their Dragon Gods, the Trainbahor are organized into tribes led by shamans and chieftains. (5e note: Predominately Ravenite subrace)
Dwarves
Ages ago, the dwarves controlled a massive underworld empire. Most scholars agree that this empire was in another world, though where this world was is a topic for debate. At some point, their world was integrated into Kriadar, but in doing so it was broken apart into smaller corridors. The resulting chaos almost destroyed all the dwarves, until they found the Great Sea Above and were able to find new peoples to work with.
(5e Note: Dwarven subrace is per hold, not heritage.)
Dwarven society under their lost civilization was heavily caste-based, with each Hold containing dwarves of a single caste. With the Holds being separated today, there is little left of the old caste system. However, dwarves born outside the holds, who do not bear the tattoos marking their people, are looked down upon with pity and viewed as not truly dwarven.
Hlavrkung - Legendary descendants of the noble caste. There are no known holds containing the Hlavrkung. The Hlavrkung were marked by a crown tattooed across their foreheads and around their ankles and wrists.
Vavalfur - Dwarves descending from the warrior caste. Vavalfur dwarves tend to have red hair and light skin tones. Vavalfur dwarves are marked with two axes crossing a shield.
Hrounvor - Dwarves descending from the smithing caste. Hrounvor dwarves usually have lighter hair, darker skin tones and are shorter and bulkier in stature than other dwarves. Hrounvor wear the anvil tattoo as a marking.
Kvardrik - The Kvardrik are dwarves descended from the artisan caste of the dwarven civilization. Kvardrik tend to have dark hair and light skin tones. The Kvardrik are marked with a stylized Kvardrik rune bordering a symbol of their family's industry.
Kjolor - Dwarves descended from the mining caste are known as Kjolor dwarves. The Kjolor are diverse in appearance, in part due to their being widespread throughout the dwarven nation. They are marked by a stylized upside down pick.
Broathrik - The merchant caste of the old dwarven civilization, though many Broathrik claim they were an administrative caste. The Broathrik tend to be of darker hair and darker skin tones. They are marked by a stylized gem.
Thjold - If the fall of the dwarven civilization benefited any dwarves, it was the servant caste Thjold dwarves. The Thjold claim that there people were nothing more than slaves to the other castes. More diverse than even the Kjolor, the Thjold come in all shapes and colors. They are marked by a stylized mountain tattoo.
Horukneth - Also known as the Drowned, the Horukneth are those dwarves who are born outside the holds. They are viewed as less than dwarves, and find it difficult to ever find a place inside one of the dwarven holds. They have no accepted caste marking, though many do mark themselves in their own way.
Elves
It is well accepted by all elves that their people were first born to Kriadar in what is today known as the Shamay Isles. Most elves believe that they were the first to be born to the world, though some scholars disagree and believe that the halflings were in fact first.
The elven people are not particularly widespread, preferring to keep within their insular communities.
Shamayan - The High Elves of the Shamay isles, the original elves, the Shamay elves are rarely seen outside their homeland. The Shamay are famed for their mastery of the magical arts, though they rarely share them. An ethnically homogeneous group, the Shamay are almost entirely blonde-haired and light-skinned. (5e note: High Elves)
Mavan - The Wood Elves of the Mavom subcontinent, these wild elves are more commonly found than their Shamay cousins. It is believed that they moved to Mavom early in elven history as the result of a religious divide. They are more diverse in appearance than their cousins, though they still tend towards lighter complexions. (5e note: Wood Elves)
Viz - Deep in the swamps of Netviz are an offshoot of the Mavom elves that have developed into their own unique people. The Viz elves are an unruly, xenophobic group that has formed pacts with the darker Sheids of their homeland. It is through their connection to the Sheids that they have gained some mastery over shadows. Even more pale-skinned than their cousins, they have a wide variety of hair colors, with black and pale blonde being the most common. (5e note: Shadar-Kai)
Avir - Elves born in communities outside their ancestral homelands do not necessarily know where there people come from. Avir is a catch-all phrase for these more worldly elves, which include the elves of Nefalz, Klo'ais, and southern Sh'hoona. (5e note: Open to all subraces)
Firbolg
The firbolg are the only giantfolk who can be found in any region throughout the world. Their exact origin is a mystery. Some believe that they are like the Beastfolk, animals that somehow rose out of their primal status, while others, especially among more naturalistic Sheidic folk, believe that the firbolgs are the descendants of Sheids who wished to walk the land themselves. Most firbolg lore agrees with this second theory, though within the Congregation this is altered, and they are believed to be the creation of Gnukit.
Firbolgs tend to prefer to live in nomadic societies in regions of the world that are not developed by the trappings of civilization. The largest concentrations of firbolgs are in the Zahira Desert in southern Sh'hoona, the forests of Zinal Mavom, and the islands of Klo'ais.
Gnomes
While almost never found outside of their homelands in the Liberias League, gnomes have made quite the name for themselves as scholars. Legend states that the first gnomes escaped to Kriadar from their homeworld when it was conquered by the Dominion. Early on in their arrival, two gnomish brothers, Emolik and Romlik, traveled the world and engaged in a series of ever more challenging competitions. After years of this, the two returned to their people and set out on one more challenge, who could build a greater city.
While Emolik and Romlik are very close to each other, the culture of the two cities are very different, and gnomes are defined by which city they come from.
Emoliki - The gnomes of Emolik set out to create a city that kept to tradition and celebrated their historical roots as a forest people. Emolik is a forest, with the trees and great buildings of the city grown within the trees themselves. Emoliki are known to be a more secretive people, though they happily share the knowledge they have developed in the city's academy. (5e note - Forest Gnomes)
Romliki - The neighboring gnomes of Romlik decided that they wanted to build a city that celebrated the future and a new world. Romlik is a technological masterpiece filled with the workshops of inventors and tinkerers and an academy of the "natural sciences." Romliki love discovering how things work and creating new inventions. More curious than their neighbors, though still preferring the workshops of their home city, Romliki are more likely to be found outside their city than the Emoliki. (5e note: Rock Gnomes)
Goblins
Birthed in the swamps of Netviz, the goblins are an oppressed people, their land conquered millennia ago by the Viz elves and their people enslaved. Unpopular among other people due to their savage ways, there is little refuge for the goblins outside Netviz, though some have made their way to the Liberias League, and Zinal Mavom. Found outside of Netviz, goblins are usually roving bands, seeking to live off the land, raiding small settlements and fleeing before they can bring down the military forces of their enemies.
If there is a band of goblins, chances are there are hobgoblins in charge. According to goblin mythology, all goblins were once hobgoblins, yet their time in slavery has led to them weakening. Any hobgoblins today are considered to be blessed by their Sheids as leaders of their people and the hope for the future. Viz history, however, teaches that the hobgoblins were an experiment in breeding smarter stronger servants.
A note on bugbears - Great debates surround the bugbears as to whether they are a part of the goblin people. Physiologically, they are extremely similar to the goblins, and it has been recorded that they can intermix. Scholars debate as to whether bugbears are created through a goblin or Viz ritual, within a secretive caste, or even birthed magically when magical forces align correctly.
Goliaths
The Goliath people are the result of a selective breeding process of the Breeders. The population of giants who arrived with the Builder have dwindled over the centuries, dying off in the Builder's conquest and finding Deroh to be a poor homeland for them. The Builder bred these giants with the local firbolgs and human populations, creating the Goliath, natural warriors loyal to the Builder.
Halflings
An ancient widespread people, the Halflings compete with the elves for possibly being the first people to have developed on Kriadar. There are two major homelands to these folk, the Joylands in Letzel, and Monakat in Sh'hoona. Halflings appear to have a connection to the world that the other people do not, smaller Seams appear to shift and develop close to their settlements in a manner that keeps them more protected than others, and there are many tales of the halflings having an innate sense of how to navigate around these Seams.
Monak - The Monak people of Sh'hoona are a proud folk, who have survived years of oppression at the hands of humans. While today, they are not only free but live in prosperity in their homeland, there is still quite a bit of resentment between them and the local human populations in their land. A toughened people, the Monak tend to be traditionalists. Their faith is considered to have laid the foundation for the Congregation of Guardianship, and though many have joined the Congregation, they still hold to some of their older beliefs within the Congregation. (5e note: tend to be stoutfoot, though outside their borders other types may be found)
Kaltu - In west-central Letzel, the Kaltu people of the halflings have lived in relative peace for a long time. Their land, now known as the Joylands, sits in relative safety from the other nations, and is now protected further through its membership within the Paradon League. Kaltu halflings are more open to the world at large, and many strike out from their homeland to see the world.
Humans
The human nations spread out and multiplied across the face of the world. They are a diverse people, with many heritages. The exact origin of humans is hotly debated, some believing that they are naturally of this world, others that they were brought here when a new corridor was established. However they first arrived, the earliest records of their presence point to them having either arrived in Klo'ais or Deroh.
The following list of heritages are wider groups, or categorizations, with smaller subgroup heritages, usually based in nationality, usually found within each of them.
Renam - The Renam people are the natives of Letzel. Their civilization has hit several disasters, first the arrival of a group of Kamakar conquerors, the mysterious fall of the Ancient Empire, and then the invasion of the Tieflings. Most Renam peoples follow Sheidism, though Mawetism and to some extend the Congregation are also found in Renam lands. Renami tend to have medium skin tones ranging from light caramel to olive, and have dark hair and eyes.
Kamakar - The widespread Kamakar people are sometimes referred to as the Travelers. Kamakar are not native to any of the mainland continents, and their exact origin is a mystery. Kamakar civilizations tend to be along coastal regions, giving some weight to the argument that they originated in islands that are today forgotten about. Kamakar cultures are diverse, and heavily influenced by the local native populations. The Kamakari tend to have lighter skin tones, and diverse hair and eye coloring.
Elamas - The native peoples of Klo'ais, the Elamas people traveled over the Pels Landbridge to spread out across Sh'hoona. Spread over two continents, Elamas culture is extremely diverse. The Elamasi tend to have darker medium skin tones ranging from olive to tan, dark hair and lighter eyes.
Gemteh - Native to Deroh, despite being one of the oldest civilizations in the world, the Gemteh have had much of their history erased by the Builder's Empire. The last bastions of ancient Gemteh culture are found in Southern Deroh. Gemts tend to have dark skin tones, diverse hair, and darker eyes.
Ewol - The Ewol people are the natives of Nafelz. Once a single nation only recently broken apart, this is the only distinct ancient human group that has not been broken down into several subgroups. The homogenous Ewol people have fair skin, dark eyes and dark hair.
Tieflings
The Tieflings first arrived when Phenolor's Breach established itself as Corridor, and spread across northern Letzel. According to Tiefling mythology, Tieflings come from other worlds that have been absorbed into the Dominion. It is believed that different coloring among Tieflings is a signifier of what world they're ancestors originally came from, while the horn shape is a declaration of which Dominion Lord converted their ancestors into Tieflings. Tieflings are almost entirely devotees of the Dominion, though the level of dedication varies and many are only believers in name.
