There are five major races in Fronteira: halflings, humans, elves, orcs, and dwarves. In addition, in those regions on the edge of the material realm, proximity to the elemental energy of the borderlands occasionally causes a child to be born as a genasi.
Halflings
The halflings of Fronteira are a nomadic people. The majority of them make their home in the frozen tundra of the north, closest to the borderland of Air. A smaller number live in the cliffs of the Godscar Canyon that marks the southern border of the tundra.
The tundra nomads are a hardy people, Not only do they make their home in one of the harshest regions of the world, they do so with lightweight and portable shelter: tents made of animal hides, or more elaborate structures with lightweight wooden frames and paper walls. If it can't be packed up and carried with them, the halflings won't bother.
On the plains south of the tundra, where a warmer climate allows, the halflings raise horses. A halfling destrier is unmatched. The larger races often remark on the irony that the smallest folk raise the largest horses.
Those halflings who dwell in the canyon are, by necessity, less nomadic than their taiga-dwelling cousins. This sedentary lifestyle doesn't mean they stay in one place for their whole lives; it is common practice for a cliff-dweller to spend a few years traveling with a nomadic tribe.
The primary religion practiced by the halflings is the worship of Mother Sky. They believe that the world is the child of Father Sun and Mother Sky. While the Sun's light makes life possible, for a people who live in a world of ice too much direct sunlight can lead to slushy terrain or, worse, avalanches. As such, Mother Sky shields her children from Father Sun's direct gaze.
Those halflings who dwell in the canyon are, by necessity, less nomadic than their taiga-dwelling cousins. This sedentary lifestyle doesn't mean they stay in one place for their whole lives; it is common practice for a cliff-dweller to spend a few years traveling with a nomadic tribe.
The primary religion practiced by the halflings is the worship of Mother Sky. They believe that the world is the child of Father Sun and Mother Sky. While the Sun's light makes life possible, for a people who live in a world of ice too much direct sunlight can lead to slushy terrain or, worse, avalanches. As such, Mother Sky shields her children from Father Sun's direct gaze.
Humans
The humans of Fronteira are sailors and explorers. They live along the coast to the east, or among the islands of the Hinansho archipelago. However, as explorers, they are the most widespread race; it is not uncommon to find a human living among the elves or orcs.
Much of the world's trade is made possible by the humans' mastery of ship-building. Many of the river barges that carry goods long distances are crewed by humans. As such, humans make natural diplomats as well.
The ancient stories of human myth tell of a time of turmoil, before the world was settled by the sapient races. It was a time of war between two groups of gods, the Hitogami and the Jakugami. The Jakugami sought to subjugate all mortals and rule the world, as was their right. The Hitogami fought them, defending the freedom of mortals to live their own life. Eventually, light won out over darkness and the Jakugami were banished from the material realm, deep into the elemental borderlands where they plot their inevitable return.
The average human, however, is not overly religious. Of the five races, they are the least spiritual. Their priests wield as much power as those of the other races, and are respected and well-loved, but most humans view gods and faith as a distant parallel to their lives, rather than an integral part of it.
Elves
In the southeast of Fronteira lie the primordial forests, influenced by proximity to the elemental borderland of Wood. Here, the elves make their home.
Elves, as in most settings, build their homes among the trees of the forest. They seek to have as little impact on the natural world as possible; where humans colonize and adapt their surroundings to suit their lifestyles, elves do the opposite. They build their houses in the forest canopy, sculpting living wood into buildings.
To elves, the world is alive. Everything, from trees to grass to rocks, has a spirit, called shen. This divine energy permeates everything, even manufactured items such as buildings or weapons. By coaching a shen to grow in strength, the elves can channel this divine energy to assist them in their daily lives.
Chief among the disparate shen are the five great spirits, the Daishen. Where a rock may have a fairly weak spirit, a mountain's is mighty. The strongest spirits are groupings of many weaker, related ones. The Rising Stone is the spirit of the earth itself. The Great Sea is the soul of all water, whether in the ocean, the rivers and lakes, or even just small woodland streams. The Thousand Trees is the spirit of all wildgrowth, not just forests. The Surging Flame is the spirit of fire, from the mightiest shen of the sun to the souls of volcanoes and underground magma. The Roaring Wind is the spirit of the sky, of wind and clouds.
Elves build their homes around shrines to these spirits. Ancient trees are the most common, as most elves live in forests, but some elves build villages around large boulders or hills. A few elves, far from home, may build shrines atop a mountain.
To elves, the world is alive. Everything, from trees to grass to rocks, has a spirit, called shen. This divine energy permeates everything, even manufactured items such as buildings or weapons. By coaching a shen to grow in strength, the elves can channel this divine energy to assist them in their daily lives.
Chief among the disparate shen are the five great spirits, the Daishen. Where a rock may have a fairly weak spirit, a mountain's is mighty. The strongest spirits are groupings of many weaker, related ones. The Rising Stone is the spirit of the earth itself. The Great Sea is the soul of all water, whether in the ocean, the rivers and lakes, or even just small woodland streams. The Thousand Trees is the spirit of all wildgrowth, not just forests. The Surging Flame is the spirit of fire, from the mightiest shen of the sun to the souls of volcanoes and underground magma. The Roaring Wind is the spirit of the sky, of wind and clouds.
Elves build their homes around shrines to these spirits. Ancient trees are the most common, as most elves live in forests, but some elves build villages around large boulders or hills. A few elves, far from home, may build shrines atop a mountain.
Orcs
In most settings, orcs are merely monsters to be slain. Not so, the orcs of Fronteira. A proud culture of warriors, orcs call the most infertile lands home: the deserts and scrublands of the southwest.
The orc mindset is one of power and progress. Even moreso than humans, orcs seek to conquer the land they call home, to bend it to their will. This is a necessity, as the lands in which they dwell are not habitable in their native state. Many technological advancements have been brought to the world by the orcs, such as irrigation or the use of gunpowder.
Strangely, orcs are also the most spiritual of the five races. Rather than connect to the spirit of the land around them, as elves would, orcs look within. Their faith teaches that each orc houses divinity, the spark that gives them an intelligence greater than the beasts of the world. How they reconcile this with the existence of the other races varies: one orcish nation teaches that all races house divinity, and thus encourages cooperation with their brethren. The other nation sees non-orcs as impostors, beings forged from the souls of evil gods rather than the good gods who have granted the orcs their souls.
Orcs view their emotions as an expression of this divine spark. Each of the five primary emotions - Fear, Grief, Joy, Lust, and Rage - is a gift from another deity, one to be cherished. By experiencing a powerful expression of one of these emotions, an orc remembers the long-dead god that made such power possible. Some orcs strive to balance these emotions, doing what they can to experience each in roughly equal amounts; others pick a favorite and dedicate their lives to honoring the memory of the associated deity.
Recently, one of the orcish nations raised a massive army and invaded inland, seeking to expand their territory. This was driven as much by a need for more fertile lands as it was by the orcs' sense of superiority. Understandably, this has led the other races to distrust orcs. Unfortunately, this includes even the orcs who did not partake in the invasion; even those orcs who fought to oppose their invading kin aren't fully trusted.
Dwarves
The dwarves of Fronteira are an isolationist, even xenophobic, people. Whether this is a consequence of making their homes in remote mountains to the west, or a natural circumstance of their religious beliefs, non-dwarves can only guess.
Dwarves do occasionally trade with the other races. Some dwarves even choose to leave their mountain strongholds and dwell within the borders of foreign nations. These dwarves are the exception rather than the rule; the dwarves didn't even come to the aid of the humans, elves and halflings in the war against the orcs.
Dwarven religion encourages this xenophobia. They believe that only by achieving balance can a soul transcend this world and reach the paradise that awaits beyond. The other races simply lack the capacity for balance: only a dwarf can truly understand zakon.
Dwarves are death worshipers. Svet, their unknowable god, is lord of the afterlife and has the job of judging the souls of the dead, to determine whether they are worthy of joining the host of honored ancestors. The only way a living dwarf may know Svet's will is through one of the intermediaries, the souls of ancestors who have passed through the veil into death. To commune with one of these ancestors, a dwarf must allow her to possess him; this is achieved during great parties which celebrate every aspect of life.
At the head of the dwarven nation is a council of three leaders: one living, two dead. Whenever a living king dies, his body is mummified and then reanimated through use of a sacred ritual. Upon achieving his second life, he replaces the oldest previous dead king, and a new living king takes his place in turn.
Genasi
Finally, much rarer than the five races listed above, are the genasi. These are mortals who have been imbued, by proximity to the borderlands, with elemental energy. Each borderland produces genasi of a different type: the Verdant Borderland turns elves into green- or brown-skinned genasi with the power of the woods in their veins, while the Zephyreal Borderland turns halflings into white- or icy-blue-skinned genasi touched by a chill wind.
At the far reaches of the world, where the elemental borderlands meet the material realm, the genasi are cautiously accepted. Further inland, however, they are misunderstood and thus shunned. Few genasi, therefore, live far from the elemental borderlands.
Genasi have no culture of their own; there just isn't a large enough population. A genasi coupling is not guaranteed to produce a genasi child: only exposure to the raw elemental energy of one of the borderlands has a chance to do that. Most genasi are born to non-genasi parents, and are therefore raised in the culture of those parents.
Race to the Finish
That is, in brief, a look at the races of Fronteira: their faiths, culture, and the lands they call home.
Join me next week, when we'll get away from Fronteira and its Elemental Borderlands.
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