Centuries of delving within the mines has somehow given Mountain Dwarves’ skin a tough, stoney aspect. Their beards, shared by all genders, are thick, wiry affairs which are both tough and sensitive. Cutting this hair requires specialized, hardened tools, and is, by all reports, an intensely uncomfortable experience. Most Mountain Dwarves describe allowing someone to touch their beard as being a level of intimacy akin to a kiss for other Lineages.

Valley Dwarves beards are more a choice of fashion, and have evolved to be easier to groom and shave, since they are no longer biologically needed to filter out the dust of rocks and dirt from the underground. Their hair is still remarkably dense, and it is not unusual for mosses or mushrooms to sprout from even the most well-groomed Valley Dwarf coiffure. Perhaps because of these growths, they are believed to be some of the best brewers and alchemists in Eos.

Aetheric Elves are sometimes known as High Elves primarily owing to some of the more outlandish tales of their creation, as well as their ease when working with the Weave. Some do not appreciate the nomenclature, but many simply accept it as the perspective of the mortal beings with whom they share the world.

The innate magic of Sylvan Elves is more attuned to the natural world than that of their Aetheric cousins, though their long lives give them a unique perspective on that connection. Those who have chosen to focus on non-magical pursuits, however, are often visually indistinguishable from similarly engaged Aetheric Elves.

The very existence of the Dhampyr appears to contradict the usual rule that Lineages are magically distinct and do not blend, for Dhampyr develop Lineage skills that are similar but distinct from the abilities of both Vampires and Humans. However, Vampires appear to be incapable of creating Dhampyr with any Lineage other than Human, putting Dhampyr firmly in the Humani category.

Though most Lineages have a presence in most cultures, Humans appear in numbers even in places where their biology should be a hindrance. They may appear working a mine shaft in Angthamr, or climbing the clifftops of the Aerie. Waset, famously the oldest continuous Human settlement, was founded long before the Nufian desert was tamed. 

By day, you would never notice anything was different. These rarest of Irregulars go about their lives, working, adventuring, and just trying to survive in Eos. When the sun sets, however, a startling metamorphosis occurs: their living form gives way to one of undeath, like that of a ghast, revenant or zombie. When the sun rises upon them, they revert once more to their living form.

Across the world, individuals are born with a strong, intuitive, and natural connection to one of the four major elements. Unlike most Irregulars, it is impossible to mistake a Primal for any other Lineage. The element to which a Primal is connected — referred to as their Birth Element — is always clearly evident in their appearance, with a distinct color and metallic luster marking their skin and sometimes hair.

Shifters, also known as Beast Shaped, are born with the mark of a beast somewhere on their body, typically a birthmark in the shape of a paw print or bite mark. When the Shifters reach puberty, they begin to have dreams and visions of speaking with the spirits of their animals. Once the
two come to an accord, they will become bonded, manifesting the balance of spirits in their corporeal body.

The Birdfolk descended from the great birds in ages gone by. Those who study such things believe that their flight ability was lost over time spent dwelling in cliffside dwellings lower to the ground, living now only in their histories and legends. Those who remain in the cliffs of their ancient homeland are lore keepers, protectors of information otherwise lost to the ages.

Treefolk are capable of spending years in a deep sleep, during which they are indistinguishable from ordinary trees. Since the fall of the Empire, more Treefolk have awoken and fewer have returned to their dormancy. The Treefolk themselves don’t seem to have a consistent opinion on the slow increase in their population. Many find it difficult to even explain what they thought or felt prior to awakening.

The bodies of Crystalis form a symbiosis with crystals which only form in the nearby mines. These crystals are as much a part of the Crystalis as the heart that beats in their chest. Believed to be the original creators of Resonance, their lives are bound to their corestones. For some, the crystal binds into their very flesh, for others, it becomes a talisman, always kept with them. But all are unable to be parted from their corestone without great pain.

Carved from the hearts of mountains, the first Gargoyles were created eons ago to guard the deepest secrets and most treasured sites of Mountain Dwarf cities. Through a mixture of magic and craft, the Gargoyles became self-aware and sapient. Now they travel out from the mountains searching for their own purpose, no longer bound to the caverns. Being made of solid stone, Gargoyles are a slow moving, but determined lot who are scared of nothing.

Unlike other Fabled Lineages, the green-skinned Gremlins are actually quite common. They are a fecund and often quarrelsome Lineage, which has resulted in them spreading all across Eos, usually in relatively small bands. Most people have encountered at least a few by the time they reach adulthood, but it is well known that each band has its own micro-culture, and very few generalizations hold true across more than a handful of bands.

An aquatic Lineage living primarily in the sea that bears their name, Naiads are a reclusive people with little interest in the doings of the folk above the waves. Rumor has it that their capital city lies on the sea floor south of the City of Palendra. Sailors in those waters both fear and love them, for their queen is said to be as beautiful and fickle as the sea itself, and her people unwaveringly loyal to her whims.

Satyros have been seen frolicking throughout the forests of Eos for as long as anyone can remember. These goat horned, furry legged people tend to live life at the extreme. Drinking, fighting, loving, nothing is done halfway, except perhaps hard work. Sometimes disparagingly called “Goat people,” for the most part the Satyros are an easy-going people, enjoying a good time.

There is some debate over whether Vampires, the famous sapient undead, are a Lineage in the strictest sense of the word, as new Vampires are turned, rather than born. Whether they reproduce via magical or mundane means, their ability to influence the minds of other Lineages makes their proliferation feared. As such, their territory within the Mountains of Night is given a wide berth by most.