From publisher blurb:
Twenty Lineages
Briartouched. To be born briartouched is to have a long memory of the service your ancestors made to the Brackenlaird. Any person can be born briartouched and not know it for years until little signs begin to manifest: your skin takes on a light greenish hue, your hair in certain light looks almost like vines or thick brambles, or plants might seem to blossom and grow around you in any season. For a few generations, the briartouched were ostracized from Eteran society, but old wounds have now healed, and the briartouched are seen as the connection between the good druidic and fey powers that dwell within the Briar and the lands of Etera.
Bulbit. Hardy northern cousins to the pobbi, the bulbit are tuberfolk who are rugged and wild, dwelling in fierce clans in the highlands of Alera, Un’karach, Geverrach, and Verchoille. Their lifespans are far longer than those of the pobbi, who tell tales of the mythical, immortal bulbit warriors of the northlands. Sometimes, pobbi families will send their youth to the north to train under bulbit swordmasters, with one swordmaster serving many generations of pobbi.
Chuhaister. Towering forestfolk, the chuhaister are thought to be descendents of an ancient giant who faded into the woodland realms of Faerie long ago. They are protectors of trees, beasts, and birds, keeping great territories that they roam. It has been said that the chuhiaster have a darker side, which awakens when enraged.
Elsikarra. For many years, the Elsikarra have been the ghosts told about in tales to young children in the Caers, though were believed in by those young and old. Thought to be the reanimated bones of Seelie and Unseelie traitors and exiles, elsikarra are horned creatures believed to be scattered to the outlands of the Briar to wander and perish. Their mythologies were used as warnings to all that crossed the fey leadership.
Gurgn. Stalwart and friendly, the gurgn are a small, hairy people with big hearts and even bigger stomachs. Originally driven into hiding by the Brackenlaird, as the warlord tried to drive naturally altruistic people from the Briar, the gurgn have since returned to the lands of Etera, keeping wonderfully fruitful vegetable farms and hog ranches.
Jengu. Jengu are born from special springs around Etera called “springs of life.” Little is known about these springs besides the fact that, every cycle, five to ten more jengu are born from them. Jengu see their role as protecting the springs and ensuring the land of Etera will continue to be provided with the waters it needs. If they get to play a trick or two while doing so, then that is all the better.
Kelpie. Often left to their own devices, the kelpie have given themselves a spot in Eteran history by assisting in mitigating a potential border war between two clans of giants dwelling in the northern reaches of the domain. Since then, many noble houses and even the court of the Steward have held kelpie counselors and advisors, even with kelpie being known for alien rituals and chthonic culture.
Leprechaun. Strange, gangrel smiths who dwell within the dark hills that border the Briar, leprechauns are mysterious and standoffish, preferring solitude to any company at all. They are powerful weapon makers, with most knights of Eteran legend having wielded leprechaun swords, spears, or axes. However, dishonor or enrage a leprechaun, then their helm will be removed, and their molten breath will fire forth.
Ogre. Brethren to the wulver who followed their lupine neighbors into the lands of Etera, the ogre are a proud herdsfolk. They tend to great paddocks of sheep and goats, and make amazing cheeses renowned throughout the stewardship. They are also fierce warriors, their powerful sense of smell and colossal bulk making them a force to be reckoned with.
Pixie. Beautiful and terrible, the pixies were ancient allies of the Brackenlaird; a splinter-cell of Unseelie who joined forces with the Briar at the secret behest of Queen Mavryth. Today, they keep jagged holdings across the landscape, blue-black spires of burnt glass jutting from Briar groves. They are cold and wary of others, and value their honor above all.
Pooka. Known by many names in the mortal world—púca, pwca, phouka, puck, goblin, boggart, scamp—the pooka are either bringers of good fortune or ill fortune, depending on who you ask. Once the willing allies of the Brackenlaird, serving as their seers, the pooka now mostly keep to themselves at the edges of modern Eteran society, knowing that it will take many generations before they are trusted again.
Pobbi. Rotund and mischievous plantfolk, the pobbi were one of the original Briarfolk that Eternaliana met when she snuck into the Briar. The life of a pobbi passes in what would be days for other peoples, with generations of these little individuals happening over the course of weeks. Each pobbi carries the memory of the generation before them. Because of that, their memories are long and hearts full.
Redcap. Redcaps are shambling scarecrow-like faeries that once served as sharpshooters for the Brackenlaird. Their power and life resides in the hats and scarves they wear, enchanted with ancient necrotic magic the Brackenlaird called upon. Redcaps seek to kill and hunt to survive, needing to replenish the hungering runes in their scarves and hats to stay alive.
Sapling. Cousins to the sod, the sapling are to the trees what the sod are to the grasslands—only the sapling tend to be more helpful than the sod. Often, sapling will help travelers lost in the woods of Etera or take them up into their canopy homes for a night of respite. One of the few peoples who were not conquered by the Bracknelaird due to their powerful druidic magics, the sapling have worked to preserve and share histories and stories of this land once thought lost.
Sod. Mischievous and tricksy, the sod love nothing more than to throw off travelers by sending their whole colony scurrying around to reform a hillside or a meadow. Pure elemental beings, sod were once reconnaissance agents for the Brackenlaird during the early days of the Conquest—until the would-be conqueror realized the sod were not the most reliable.
Sporr. Although spring is the longest season in the realm, all things must meet their own winter and return to the earth. Thus the fungus of the domain has been well fed, so much so that some of it has become sentient. The sporr tend to the fallen things in Etera, acting as wardens to the dying and the dead. Many spend their whole lives not far from where they first budded, but others are drawn to exploration, seeking out others whose pains they can allay.
Spriggan. The spriggan are all that remain of an once-great empire that stood for thousands of years in the mountains of the Fey Realm—until the Brackenlaird conquered their lands, and put the spriggan to work taming and breaking the Brackenlaird’s warmoose. Today, the spriggan freely raise herds of sylvanmoose, colossal creatures whose thick green fur and massive, foliaged antlers make them indistinguishable from the woodlands they roam.
Sylph. Fast and nimble, the hummingbird-like sylph are creatures of the air and of the morning, flitting across the landscape to collect the dewdrops filled with the first rays of dawn. They bring these drops to their hidden communities to fill great water globes that use sunbeams to produce energy. This magical technology is known only to the sylph, yet some want to share with the Steward to better prepare for the potential danger of the future that could come.
Wisp. Beings of light and legacy, the wisp are remnants and reminders of the terrible Conquest of the Brackenlaird. They are souls whose bodies were lost to the Briar during the centuries of war, but whose spirits have been unable to pass into the Otherworld. Often, wisp are misunderstood, seen as a dark omen when all they want to do is help and guide. Wisp do not speak, but instead communicate through feeling.
Wulver. A proud warrior people, the lupine wulver were once the vassals of Faolbrand, but many saw his unwillingness to fully stand up for Eternaliana centuries ago as weakness. They came to reside within the lands of Etera, choosing exile over dishonor. Impressive masons and master smiths, the wulver are fierce and stalwart.