From publisher blurb:
Six Lineages
I'ilo. Nocturnal, reclusive, and mystical, the I’ilo make their homes in midnight jungles, tropical forests where the canopy is so thick daylight cannot eke through. They are often rangers, apothekists, or wyrds. The elders of I’ilo clans are often sought after by researchers outside I’ilo culture for insights that cannot be gleaned through purely scientific experimentation. While they have not established well-regarded institutes as the Shifak have, they do have informal organizations of wyrd researchers known as Gnarls. Between spirit and science, they lean heavily toward the spiritual realm.
Sifa'fun. Adventure runs in sifa’fun blood, as some would say. They are eager explorers of the unknown, both in discovering new lands, ideas, languages, and food. If a frontier is to be explored and charted for new settlements, chances are a sifa’fun will be heading the expedition. They have a special connection to the rain, as rain delivered the sifa’fun people from a deadly drought years ago. Many sifa’fun homes and ships have raincatchers, which have both practical and spiritual significance. Some sifa’fun believe the rain are the tears of a Great Being, a shared sifa’fun ancestor, who cries tears of joy at how much the sifa’fun people have discovered and how far they have spread.
Mou-mou. The short-statured mou-mou have fought a perception of helplessness for ages. Short they may be, no other lemura clan has produced the number of assassins and commandos as the mou-mou. Known for their discplined martial arts traditions, they make fearsome foes in close combat and effective—if intense—spiritual guides. Mou-mou are also known for being requested by the Shifak for experimental studies of genetics. Mou-mou genes happen to experience rapid development and various mutations. They often live in subterranean mountain monasteries or underneath midnight jungle canopies.
Rudaren. The largest and brawniest of the lemura, rudaren go and make their living where they please—usually by the water. Many are talented boaters and fishers and, as a culture, have defined many sustainable fishing practices over generations. Rudaren are also known for their fastidious self- and social grooming practices. Public baths are a common social practice, and they have developed several medicinal bath tonics for physical and spiritual healing.
Ringarang. The ringarang are the most social of the lemura: they are the philosophers, debators, orators, and ambassadors. They tend to have large and lively families, related by blood or choice, and foster systems set up by ringarang are known for being holistic and rewarding for the children and fosters. They love discovering new ideas, especially from folk like the I’ilo with their wyrd visions. Public debates are a traditional pasttime of the ringarang, taking precedence over any physical sport as entertainment. Ringarang are known for their usual civility and suavity when it comes to such events. However, when a particularly difficult or triggering topic sets a ringarang off, cordial conversation can devolve into a stinkfight—a rinagarang ‘quirk’ that has sent many fleeing social parlors and debate halls.
Shifak. Some of the greatest scientific institutes have been established by shifak, a people enamored with the wonders and possibilities of experimentation and advancement. Not as culturally sociable as other lemura, they are sometimes accused of lacking empathy and tact. However, a visit to any shifak-run workshop or laboratory quickly disproves this perception, as shifak work seamlessly and amicably with a common goal in mind. They are often xenoscientists, engineers, sparkers, and apothekists—any career that allows for research, experimentation, and production.