Kith
Kith is the broad term used to refer to most of the civilized peoples of mortalkind. Of course, the definition of 'civilized' has brought many to debate exactly who is considered kith and who is considered outside of the definition. However, there is a list of peoples unanimously agreed upon to be kith.
Within the Kith, there is a variety of ethnic subtypes and nationalities. Sometimes these differences are dependent on what race they belong to, and other times not. For example, the Kheravazan Empire is native to many different Kith, whereas those of Kaluyan are almost unanimously elven and those who are not are an exception to the norm.
Most kith in Divaan possess similar lifespans to humans. A notable exception to this are elves, who are in many ways immortal. Once an elf reaches physical maturity, their age slows down significantly so that only elves many centuries old appear comparable to a human in their late fifties to early sixties.
Kith of Irulia
Human
The most numerous and yet most divided of the peoples of the Known World, humans have long held dominance over Irulia. Dwarf and orc histories both chronicle times where humans did not walk the world. At least, not to their knowledge. Scholars believe that the first humans came from the tropical archipelago now known as Baresaan by the daarak'han. While the daarak'han do not allow many foreigners in their lands, the few times they have allowed archaeologists and scholars they have reported findings of ancient civilization remnants and large stone towers. Some have even posited them as candidates for manmade wonders, though with the difficulty of getting to see them, they have yet to be officialized as any such wonder. Humans predominantly exist in the Kheravazan Empire, Ardoren, Lhynoon, and Veilderan. These four nations, while by no means exclusively human, have long held human peoples in positions of power. All of these nations agree upon a single ancestor tribe hailing from Baresaan, which they dub the Manussar Tribe. The Manussar Tribe is believed to have originally settled the land that would become the Khyrric Kingdom, and split off into separate tribes that would become other kingdoms: Kavaarth, Caldun, and Barrexoan. All but one of these tribes would not remain the same, having evolved immensely. The Khyrric people became Kheravaz, Kavaarth would be conquered by Caldun which later became Ardoren, and Barrexoan became Veilderan. The only one who kept their name was the tribe of the Crenaux, who occupy the land now known as Lhynoon after the founding of the Weavers in Crenaux culture.
Humanity's dominance over Irulia has not always been as seemingly indomitable as it is in the modern era. The dwarves existed underground for much of ancient history, the elves lived far away in their ancient homeland, and the daarak'han were unknown to the rest of the world. The only other people on Irulia during the ancient history of humans were the orcs, who clashed with the humans on a regular basis. Even in the modern day, this constant headbutting still persits, with the orcish nation of Karel and the Kheravazan Empire engaged in a cold war. Before Karel's independance, however, it was a province of the human Khyrric Kingdom. By the time dwarfs came onto the surface, humans had already expanded across the breadth of Irulian lands and laid their stake across it all. By the time elves fled their home and came upon refugee ships, human nations had firm and impenetrable roots in the ground. By the time the daarak'han flotilla, it seemed nothing could uproot the human world from Irulia. In Temenere, this dominance is far less sure-footed, with much of the continent under the rule of other peoples, including a vast nation of orcs.
Elf
Refugees from a broken land, the elves are the victims of no one but themselves. In ages past, the elven people existed in the Wild Mirror among the other Fairfolk. It is unknown if they were worshipped as some cultures venerate the faeries in the modern eras, as elven historical records make little mention of their time as spirits of freedom. They were children of the god of the elves, a being with no permanent shape, a perfect manifestation of freedom and chaos, a god known as Ibonala. To attempt to name Ibonala's form is a practice in futility, for they are the purest personification of chaos and free will. The other elven gods found joy and whimsy in their antics and always accepted their forms no matter how archaic they might have been. All except for the pitiable goblin gods, created by another elven god to be servants to the elves. Embittered by the hypocrisy of the chief god of the elves personifying free will when they kept goblin servants, the goblin god Arawan struck out at Ibonala, and used the ensuing chaos to gather his kin and escape the elves. The blood that spilled forth from Ibonala's wound is said to be the birth of the first elves, elves who were more like Ibonala. Chaotic, free, without any singular 'true' form. The legends from this point branch into many different ideas about what happened next, some say Ibonala favored certain members of these primal elves and bestowed upon them great power while the rest grew jealous, others say the elves were tricked by the goddess of spiders, other tales speak of the elves' growing desire to make meaningful change in the world, and many other explanations as posited by elven scholars. Whatever the engine for this shift might have been, the result is always the same across all the legends. The elves lost, or gave up, their changing forms for permanent bodies. This was the first chip in a rift that would grow wide between the elven peoples and Ibonala. Deeply offended that they threw their gift away, Ibonala cast all the elves out from the realm and into the Material. The only exception to this were those who would come to be known as the wyld elves or the wood elves. They had refused to give up their forms, but were cast out with the rest of the elves despite this. Not entirely unforgiving, Ibonala allowed the wyld elves to keep some of that spark of freedom, with the wyld elves being more likely to carry the gift of Ibonala. A gift that allows elves to shape parts of their body at their whim.
After this exile, the elves had to find their way on their own. Their gods had turned the cheek to them, at least until they could atone for wounding Ibonala so deeply. For a time, the elves did nothing but work towards this goal. While Ibonala and the other gods do not shun them so completely anymore, the elves are still banished from their heaven until Ibonala can truly and completely forgive that dire transgression. Something that is unlikely to happen in any expedient manner, for the elves would soon anger their gods again. After centuries, or in some stories millennia, of working for atonement, it is said the elven people grew tired of it. The elven high mages formed a new plan, a new way to get back into heaven. A heaven without their gods. The exact methods of the ritual are unclear, but a few key factors are well known. For one, it involved a mage from each elven culture to complete, though some stories say the wood elves still did not participate in the ritual much like they refused before. It also involved what is considered to be the largest casting of magic known in written history. And finally, the elves soon to be known as the drow spoiled it all. The elves planned to break a piece off of their heaven and wrench it down to earth so they might live as they once did, but the drow sabotaged the ritual. The ritual collapsed part way through, and the continent the elven people had called home for many of their very long-lived generations was sundered. In an instant, it became a wasteland of broken reality and wild, uncontrollable magic. The elves fled their home, left with no other choice, but refused to take the drow with them. The drow were left stranded on the old continent, and the elves set off on refugee ships. They landed in Irulia, and found kinship in the Shapeshifters of Carne, recognizing their similar gifts even if the elves' gifts were suppressed. The Carnish people agreed to give the elves a slice of land and some islands to make into their home, and what was once a sprawling empire became a thin spit of land for all elves to commune.
The many different elven cultures do not always get along, for their differences are vast and many just like the humans that occupied this new continent. But they began to find their footing again. The sun elves still hold their position at the top of the food chain in elven kind, being considered the leaders of their people. They exist primarily upon the islands given to them by Carne. The wyld elves occupy the forests of the soon-to-be-named Kaluyan, however they spread out far across the continent. Especially within the bounds of Carne and Lhynoon. The sea elves make coastal villages along the shore of Kaluyan, but predominantly exist underwater, enjoying the coral reefs in the area. The moon elves sequester themselves high in the mountains, closer to the stars. The elusive and storied mithral elves, also known as star elves, went with the moon elves originally, however they were few and only occupied one city. One day, that star-studded city vanished. Not only the people of the city, the entire city itself was gone. Not even the remnants of the city's foundation exists, trees grew in it's place as though it never existed at all.
Refusing to be forgotten, the drow found their way to Irulia as well. Although their journey was more perilous and much longer, having to navigate underground passageways that threaded under the oceans. The drow now occupy a large swath of the Underdark, coming into frequent conflict with the dwarven peoples. The drow are rare to see on the surface, for centuries trapped underground have warped them into something different, something anathema to sky and sun itself. Their hatred runs so deep for the other elves the drow even go so far as to inject themselves with a specially curated spider venom, laced with cold iron, to strip themselves of their fae ancestry. What exactly happened to them on their underground odyssey to Irulia is unknown as they are deeply hostile to any attempts to have any form of mutual exchange. What is known, however, is that they have become shackled by a trio of elven gods who long since abandoned the others. The spider god, the bat god, and the eel god. Other, more minor, deities followed with, but the trio of gods are most prominent. A hatred for all over elvenkind, and to an extent all of the Fairfolk, has festered within drow society, for the generations have never let them forget.
Dwarf
Dwarfs in Irulia are a solitary bunch. The bulk of the dwarven people are the underground dwarfs, who have carved out expansive cities of stone in the earthen crust. It is rare to ever see an under dwarf come up to the surface, for it is deeply taboo in their culture. This has not stopped them from entering the space of the surfacefolk entirely, however, and a caste of dwarfs known as the surface dwarfs have come to interact with the outside world. At first, this was done out of necessity, to trade and explore. Once they exchanged goods, established trade routes and deals, and exchanged culture with the surface world, the dwarfs once again kept themselves in the bosom of the earth. Dwarf kingdoms are known for their exceptional craftsmanship, especially in regards to stonework, and expansive mining routes through a network of tunnels known as the Wurm Ways. Having mastered clockwork and rather limited steam powered mechanisms, the dwarven people are also well known for their strange mechanical cities and passageways, and many scholars seek entrance into the underground kingdoms to study. However, dwarfs rarely let outsiders very far into their cities.
Surface dwarfs, however, are an entirely different matter. Some of the dwarfs who were selected to explore the surface during the first emergence vanished from dwarven histories. At first thought lost to the dangers above, it was later discovered that, while some of them did indeed give their lives in the pursuit of discovery, many simply decided they enjoyed life above to life below. Given dwarven religion, this was deeply taboo for the underfolk, and they were stricken from ever having existed in dwarven culture, and barred from access to the underground. These surface dwarfs, however, quickly established themselves in the surface world as a merchant's guild in the kingdom of Ardoren, though not a part of the kingdom itself. This guild grew in power and influence, and was the founding of the common language of Brasstongue as well as a common currency for the continent of Irulia. This dwarven guild was one of the founding families of Rhûv, sent on the initial expedition to explore the islands and establish trade routes. This guild now even holds significant power in Kosterdam, capital of Rhûv and one of the busiest trade ports in the Known World.
The underfolk, and a rare few surface dwarfs, follow a religious doctrine known simply as the Stone. Other names for it do exist, Lady Stone, Mother Earth, the Pillars, just to name a few, but the Stone is what it is most commonly named. The Stone does not have any divinity as most cultures see it, but rather perceives the world of Divaan, a name that came originally from the dwarfs, as a living being itself, a god in its own right. The dwarfs perceive civilization, the natural cycle, and all the people therein to be micro organisms living on, or in, the flesh of this divine being and only by the grace of that divine being are they provided for and kept safe. In this way, the dwarfs see their peoples as something akin to antibodies or white blood cells within the veins of the earth. This doctrine says that the dwarven people were hewn from the very same divine rock that encircles them and keeps them protected from outside threats, and it is their charge to make sure the Stone is protected in turn. In some ways, one can interpret their religion as little more than symbiotic relationship like that of the mutualistic relationship between bee and flower. The bee pollenates the flower, and in turn the bee receives nectar.
Dwarfs also believe they are related to other beings of the underground. While they believe they are hewn from the same rock of the Stone, they do not believe themselves so lucky to have been hewn directly from that rock. Rather, they believe themselves to be descended from the great titans. Beings of living rock and metal that once sifted through the underground and surface as they saw fit. What happened to the titans is unknown, but in their wake was born several different peoples. The fearsome giants, firstborn of the titans, who retained the stature and great strength of their progenitors. Next came the dwarfs, who had little of the titans' size but retained their great minds, their propensity for creation. Finally came the dredge, the hollow men of stone, who were left with none of the titans' size, none of their wit, but inherited the titans' affinity for the Stone Song.
Orc
The history of the orcs has been poorly preserved, as for much of their time on Divaan the orcish people passed down their histories orally or, as some scholars theorize, through writing it upon perishable materials such as hides, wood, and cloth opposed to more long-lived and hardy parchment scrolls and stone carvings. The most of what is present for ancient orcish history are peculiar sigils etched into bone and stone or painted on cave walls. To complicate matters, during the founding of the Khyrric Kingdom, the orcish peoples were conquered and assimilated by the human tribe and forced to conform with their ways of life and practice their histories and religions. Due to this, the history of the orcs is muddy at best. The orcs still tell their stories, but the details are seldom consistent from one orc to another. The most consistent facet of their stories involves the idea of the orcish people descending from a great colossus of moving roots, vine, and iron. Where this colossus came from, what his purpose was, or even how he was the progenitor of the orcs is broadly left unsaid by these tales. All that is known is that this colossus is named Gwraen and is venerated by the orcs as a source of strength. Orcish culture has long been defined by rugged living and harsh circumstance, and as such they are largely a pragmatic people who value things of purpose.
In antiquity, the orcs followed the ways of animism, and deeply venerate the natural spirits of the land. While they do pay tribute to the Fairfolk, they predominantly concern themselves with elemental spirits. They believe every elemental spirit is also wrought from the same root and iron as they are, tracing their blood to Gwraen. One of the most prevalent elements in all orcish myths and stories is the presence of shamans, warlocks, and witches who help their people navigate the tumultuous whims of elemental and fae spirits alike. These shamans, as they are all often called as an umbrella term, have influence that crosses the boundaries of orcish herds and allows them to be mediators not only in ways of spirit, but ways of their people as well. While they seldom get involved in broader political discussions, more pragmatic disagreements between clans are often mediated by them, and shamans adjudicate court hearings for accused orcs.
These customs have been dampened and hold less sway in modern times, however, especially after the Khyrric Kingdom's subjugation of the orcs. These facets of their culture are still highly prized, especially within smaller communities, but orcs from large cities seldom adhere strictly to these practices. This has led to a schism in orcish peoples, the city orcs who have adopted many of the human peoples' ways of life, and the Wyrdwir orcs who have refused to let any more of their history fall to the wayside. While the two groups come into conflict on occasion, they largely attempt to simply stay out of each other's way. This is easy for the Wyrdwir orcs currently, as the city orcs are preoccupied with the cold war quietly seething between Karel and the Empire. While the city orcs concern themselves with the Empire, the Wyrdwir orcs seek to reclaim their lost culture. Many of the clans are nomadic in nature, though the clans that travel in Karel are much larger than the ones that travel in the Empire or Ardoren. Wyrdwir orcs are seldom welcome in Imperial cities, not even allowed to settle temporary camps on the outskirts, and must keep moving as a means of survival. The Wyrdwir are, however, renowned for incredible knowledge in herbal remedies, just as the orcs of Karel are well known for pioneering many medical advancements. These roving clans are jointly led by the shamans and an individual referred to as a walcaer, who serves as a more physical guide and leader rather than a spiritual one.
City orcs, referred to with some disdain as dinasoden, meaning city rats, by the Wyrdwir, are mostly concentrated in the nation of Karel, where orcs hold power. Many other city orcs, however, populate the Empire as well as Ardoren. In both places, they seldom see any opportunity to let them get ahead in life. Often found in destitute slum wards, the city orcs outside of Karel are often treated as something lesser. No laws exist in Ardoren or the Empire that officially prohibits these city orcs from escaping the slums, but those who do manage it only find more ridicule and bile spat their way. Any human or elf who moves in with the orcs is similarly treated, and seen as a degenerate who associates with brutish barbarians. Within the other lands of Irulia, however, the orcs are welcomed and even valued for their bulky frames and often find work in physical labor. Raelian orcs are sought after for medical knowledge and many who need advanced treatments make the journey to Karel to receive the procedures.
Daarak'han
The daarak'han are horned giants from a far off land. Exactly what land is unknown, but it is known it is neither the elven home continent nor the continent of Temenere. The probability of them originating from the New World of Farrdethiya is incredibly unlikely, but has not been ruled out by scholars. What is concretely known about them is few and far between, but the most well known fact of their existence is their ancestry. Connected to ancient dragons, the daarak'han are ferocious, towering, and densely muscled with an affinity for elemental power. Much of the population of the daarak'han favors fiery elements, though other elements are not unheard of. Misunderstood and feared by the other kith, the daarak'han are seldom seen among other peoples and keep to their jungles and mountain domain upon the island of Baresaan.
It is unclear what, precisely, the daarak'han's connection to the ancient dragons is. Some believe they are descended directly from the dragons, others believe them to have been created as a servitor race like goblins were to the Fairfolk. Others, yet still, believe them to be a lesser dragonkin in the same category as drakes, linnorms, and dinosaurs. Their connection to the dinosaurs is, at the very least, well documented enough that many believe them to be the daarak'han equivalent of the relationship between primates and humans. Daarak'han utilize dinosaurs far more directly than humans do primates, however, and train them to be beasts of burden, engines of war, and companions.
Just like dragons, the daarak'han venerate age above all things. The older something is, the more weight it carries within their culture. While this does not translate to their leadership, the daarak'han do venerate their ancestors as 'close divinities.' They prefer to work with stone and metal with sufficient age, and have pioneered certain magical processes to age material in such a way where the age strengthens the material rather than compromise its integrity. Most prevalent of all is their fascination with verdigris, allowing metal to age in similar ways to how one might mature wine or beer. Rather than corroding the metal, this process allows the verdigris to become an extra layer of strength.
Daarak'han religion does not stop at ancestor worship, however. Their god, Naakabor, is a god of perpetual motion, excess, desire, and more. This god, while not as ubiquitously worshipped as ancestors, does not contradict the ancestor worship and many daarak'han follow both faiths. Naakabor's primary doctrines is simple, one must chase their desires with everything in their power. If one does not pour blood, sweat, and tears into realizing their aspirations, their goddess sees them as weak, undeserving of peace, and unworthy of entering Her embrace. While the ancestors are often depicted as fiery spirits of passion, Naakabor's domain is the abyssal sea. These are not opposing forces as one might think, but rather two sides of the same idea. Water will always find the shortest path to the ground, just as fire will never stop burning until it consumes everything it desires.
Fetch
Lacking any form of codified culture to call their own, the fetch are something of an outlier amongst the kith. The exact date of their first appeance in society is debated, but what is known for fact is that they first emerged out of Veilderan, back when it was a duchy known as Starochia. Fetch are not a unique people with their own history and stories of how they came to be, rather they are other kith marked by sinister forces. Fetch are in large parts demonic, with curling horns, sharp teeth, slitted pupils, long nails, and spaded tails. Some even possessed goat legs and rectangular pupils, others have thin layers of fur, and an exceedingly rare few have full animal heads. Fetch are not only demonic in appearance, but also crystalline. Believed to be influenced by the chaotic realms of daemons, they incorporate both elemental and demonic features. The aforementioned traits most commonly appear, but so too do they have crystalline growths upon their horns, full crystal horns, swathes of skin replaced by crystals, scar tissue that becomes crystalline instead of flesh, or rocky protrustions of crystals along their skin. These crystals denote what element they are attuned to: Earth, water, fire, or air. Because of these traits, and the theories of scholars that believe them to originate where demonic magic touches the land in sufficient quantity, the fetch are seldom welcome sights by the populace of Irulia. As far as any scholar or historian is aware, the fetch have only ever appeared in Irulia. No mentions of them in Temenere or in the New World exist. If they do, they have yet to reach Irulian shores.
Anything that can be considered 'fetch culture' codifies within the slums and destitute places of the nations of Irulia. And what little there is changes from slum to slum, with little crossing of the streams. Many fetch, due to their difficulty finding jobs in a land that shuns them, are forced to resort to petty crime to get by. As if this was not enough, the crystal growths of the fetch are valued by arcanists and alchemists alike. Due to this, some unsavory individuals practice a profession of poaching the fetch and their crystals. Very few fetch survive the process of having their crystals removed, for many times they are embedded as deep as the bone. Even fewer live afterwards due to infection, being put down either out of cruelty or mercy by the poacher, or being too weak to provide for themselves while they recover and passing away due to other factors. Those very rare few who do survive however, are changed. Not only mentally and physically, but spiritually. These so called 'void fetch' are fetch whose element has shifted from their element of birth to negative energy, nothingness brought into the world. These fetch are considered arcane anomalies and highly dangerous by many nations, and their subsequent persecution is more fervent and zealous than is normal for fetch, making the presence of void fetch even rarer. The Kheravazan Empire especially has harsh rules around the void fetch, considering all of them to be kill on sight targets. Bounty hunters net high paychecks for bringing in a void fetch, making even mercenary work and criminal work highly dangerous for those unfortunate few.