Setting Details - Major Species

Update: I cut some of the sections down, and moved some descriptions to places where I thought I had overlap. I'll leave it to you to guess where and whatever I switched.

Sentient creatures of Agartha
"Why was that man wearing those large beads?" - "He's an orc."
"And the braid?" - "He thinks it makes him look younger."


Agartha is a world not unlike Earth, so you might expect that things work the same way they do here. Day follows night, and night follows day. The tides rise and ebb according the pull of the moon. Big things eat smaller things.
However, unlike Earth, there is more than one intelligent species residing on the stale crust above sea level. To imagine the implications of a global environment dominated by more than one group of intelligent creatures is quite an undertaking, but for the sake of fantasy, we'll abandon the major problems and say that the 4 groups of intelligent beings on Agartha function like cultural divisions rather than evolutionary ones.
For the most part, Humans are the same unbearably resilient people that they are on Earth. Every story that people have to tell about humans on Earth has a parallel on Agartha. You know how nearly each trait you can think up to describe the Human condition has entire libraries of fiction and non-fiction devoted to examining it? Well, it's the same way on Agartha. Humans do not represent one idiotically broad concept, but can develop in as many ways as there are people to be developed. In specific, however, people who live together on the same continent, in the same country, in the same geographic region, and right down to the same town will tend to exhibit similar traits.

Calderans - Caldera was once a hotly contested tropic continent. The Efreeti reduced the jungles to ash and sand. The Ancients warred with them to gain control of the strangely strong Mana of the continent. When they drove the fireborn from their lands, the Ancients worked to replenish the jungles. Through their efforts, much of the lush environment was restored to its previous vibrancy. When the Ancients were themselves reduced to cinders, the ruins of their cities allowed the (admittedly primitive) humans to start strong in a harsh environment. Even with what little information they had on the Ancients, Calderan humans were able to make great strides in a relatively short span. Now, the Calderan Empire is working diligently to uncover the secrets of the Ancients, other previous rulers of the continent.
They are a resourceful bunch, and strive hard to achieve their goals. They are often obsessive to a fault (Imperials), and are known to have a fondness for exorbitant amounts of wealth(Guildies). The Empire was once incredibly aggressive, and at various points had control of several colonies on other continents. Through repeated defeats in these distant lands, however, they've learned to keep more to themselves. They maintain good ties with the Guilds, who are technically more powerful than them. The Guilds, born out of Caldera, are now world-spanning organs that serve several countries. In Northern Caldera, it is customary for men to wear a ceremonial sash or kilt called a Serasen. This sash is usually made out of the hide of the area's primary livestock, specially treated to gain an uncanny vibrancy. However, particularly powerful men have their Serasen crafted from the hide of a powerful animal, and, in rare cases, Wyvern scales.

Fyrissians - Upon the tideswept shore of Fyriss did Man first walk his first steps on the road of life, or so the Fyrissians believe. Where else could Humanity have first flourished other than the island paradise of Fyriss? There is no denying that the islands themselves, thousands in number, are of a beauty unheard of anywhere else. However, the actions of more recent inheritors of the island nations (the past 100 generations) have cast serious doubt on the validity of that statement. The waters of Fyriss have been plagued by piracy for the past 400 years, and to make matters worse, there is talk of tribal madmen and cannibals dwelling on numerous islands. Fyriss is known as the Gilded continent, and not without reason.
The civilized portions of Fyriss house a wide variety of island cultures, all stemming from a thousands-old tradition of migration and cultural division. It is a common practice in Fyriss for children who reach adulthood to embark on a journey across the oceans, being allowed back onto their island when they bring back a symbolic item of their own maturity. The failures of earlier generations settled on other islands. In general, Fyrissians tend to be a bit more jovial and sociable than other humans, if they aren't savages, of course.

Lemurians - Long before the continent of Lemuria split into present-day Lemuria and Mu, the ancient Lemurians were a divided people. The Easterners believed the Westerners needed killing due to their blasphemous ways, while the Westerners thought the Easterners were a bunch of cowardly fools with too much power for their own good. So, they went to war. What ensued was one of the bloodiest feuds ever enacted on the face of Agartha, led by the two Gods Igni and Magni, the brothers of war. Tirelessly they waged fierce and brutal conflict upon each other, until after one thousand years of intense rivalry, the two sides were seperated in the great Cataclysm that shook the very core of Agartha and split the continent in half. What was left of the ancient Eastern Kingdom became the new Lemurian Kingdom, and the Western Kingdom became Mu. The old civilizations are long since dead and gone, and the only records of these events are the accounts of two historians discovered on Mu and Lemuria.
Present-day Lemurians have calmed down since the old, bad days, but they still have the same air of superiority and entitlement that they used to. Their kingdom is great, no doubt, but its people are bit xenophobic and racist.

Muus - After the Cataclysm, it is believed the new continent of Mu was carried across the oceans over thousands of years to its new location half a world away by a gigantic sea turtle. Well, that's not the only belief, but that one is pretty popular. For a long while, the denizens of the hilly continent had no idea they were even related to the Lemurians, until the uncovering of the old legends came about. When the citizens of Mu learned of their roots, some ancient mysteries began to make sense.
Still, modern day Muus have no care for the blood-feud, having long since forgotten where they originally came from. Many of them are quite adaptable to new ideas, and this one is just another in a long series of stories they are told to believe by the Kingdom.

Elves

Had the world of Agartha never been connected to Mana, it might have never seen the face of the Elves. When the denizens of the outer Spheres looked into the jewel that was Agartha, they saw a world ripe for the taking. The firey Efreet saw to it that the jungles of Caldera be reduced to a desert more like their arid homelands. The Giants moved mountains of rock and stone to lift an entire continent's worth of land into the sky. The Jord forged ice and iron into glorious mirror-sheened palaces. On and on this mechanism of change went, bringing more outsiders into the realm of Agartha. Eventually, some of the great mages of that time decided to mold the forces of Mana to make for themselves eternal servants. While their attempts at replicating their own immortality yielded no results, their numerous experiments were eventually termed "Elves."

Elves that were born from different masters exhibit different natural talents, suited best to the tastes of their previous masters.

Calderans - The strive for survival is the spark that drives the elves of the desert, having long ago usurped their masters in this realm. The Efreeti left Agartha due to the war with the Ancients, but their cities still stood. The Elves were quick to assume the same positions as their firey masters, adopting their customs and practices, the most famous and brutal of which is the Trial by Fire, a contest of arms and magic between males reaching adulthood. The desert is a harsh, lethal environment, and the elves seek to cull the weak from their ranks to ensure their continued existence.

Tigiritians - The forests of Tigris were once home to the Dryads, who molded their servants from the earth and the trees, harboring in them a reverence for nature in all its forms. When the Dryads went into their eon-long slumber, the Elves were left to tend to their work. Much like the Dryads themselves, the Elves of Tigris are flighty but deeply empathic and intuitive. They dislike direct confrontation, and when coerced into fisticuffs they prefer to either assail their opponent from a distance with spells and ranged weaponry or, if there isn't much at stake, simply flee the area. At times they seem to have an uncanny awareness of terrain, especially within an abundance of foliage. Some even appear to have a unique bond with certain fauna as well, as their cities are known to use various exotic animals for labor or transport. It is not uncommon to see a Forest Elf who is wearing a mask over the lower half of their face, called a Moriki. This covering is symbolic of the Elves' ties to the Dryads, as the Dryads themselves used to wear such a covering made of giant fronds.

Midgard - The Jord, or Frost Giants, were callous and malicious people, and when they carved their simulacrums from the ice and earth, they instilled into them the same hatred for other beings. The Jord began their long slumber many millennia ago, hiding away deep within Agartha, at the roots of the world, waiting for the time of the Isneverden, or Frozen World. The elves, left to care for the kingdoms of the Jord, immediately sought to conquer the whole of Agartha. While they hold only a portion of the tremendous strength of the Jord, they have gleaned a measurable cunning and foresight and hold an incredible contempt for the other races. They have been preparing, for the longest time, for a great engagement that may very well shake the whole of Agartha. But, for now, they are content to wait in their frozen holds. Thought to be vampiric, or, at the very least, bloodthirsty, the Frozen Elves have gained the amnesty of a great many people. Frozen Elves wear the furs of numerous polar animals, sometimes etching within the hides runic symbols that tell stories of how the beast came down. In the case of a particularly vicious beast, the Frozen Elves will adorne their armors with the horns, fangs and skulls of their previous foes.

Orcs

Brutish, rough and straightforward, Orcs occupy a place in the Agarthan strata of society that te upper rungs go "ew" at. That's not to say that Orcs aren't without their own graces and polite customs, but they are a people who have crafted their civilizations upon a series of intertribal wars that last for generations. So, it stands that they aren't very patient with the facades the other cultures, even other orcs, like to keep.

Fyrissians - Although they have grown a bit weary of the near-constant war, Fyrissian Orcs are still no slouches when it comes to fighting. They have shown themselves more than capable of establishing a rigid and steady dominance over a majority of the southern islands, and very few organizations care to try and uproot them. Throughout their history, they have been known to be capable magicians and deeply spiritual combatants. Their best warriors are signified by the large ceremonial beads draped on their shoulders. Orcs are a warborn people, and Fyrissians in particular are a special breed.

Tigritians - Woolly and untidy, the Orcs of Tigris don't get along with a lot of people. They have little in common with their tropical cousins, instead they seem to have a kinship with the bipedal creatures in Enlil called Yeti. These Orcs have cosigned themselves to be the outcast culture, owning little land of their own, and having no real kingdom to owe a debt of alliance to. Instead, the Orcs are content to war with one another over the tiny crusts of land the other cultures thought to cut off from their sandwiches. There are a variety of Orcish clans, but too many of them die out or are destroyed by another clan before there any have the time to establish real traditions. The only real surviving ritual that any Orcs can agree on is that they hate each other.

Therians

Talk to 10 different Therians about where their people come from, and be prepared to get 11 different answers. Yes, they are that unsure about their own origins. Regardless of how they actually come to live on Agartha, they're here, they're weird, get used to it.

Many short-lived people mistakenly label the Therians "Beastmen," usually within earshot of one. This is, of course, severely insulting to the Therian. Though apt after the Therian's done with the idiot, the term drums up a few unflattering images as to the Therian's character as a species. Yes, it would seem that Therians are a mixture of a bipedal sapien of some ilk, and an indigenous mammalian predator, hence the colloquialism. But Therians are so much more than that, at least according to the Therians.

Lycan - Midgard is a harsh land at the very roof of the world. Much is taken by the relentless cold, and little is given back. Still, somehow there have formed disparate tribes of the wolf-like Lycan trying desperately to eke out their existence in this unforgiving land of ice and snow. They have learned the meaning of sacrifice, and have become as cold and unremitting as their environment. They show no hesitation when their lives are on the line, and keep a merciless cunning born of thousands of years of bitter strife. A common export from the Therians of Midgard are the parts of the great Reamfish, or Narwhals. A great many of them are hunted by whaling vessels, and their "tusks" are especially valuable.

Pantheran - Pantherans are a mixture between any of the panther sub-family other than Lions, such as Panthera tigris or Panthera pardus. They dwell on the southeastern islands of Fyriss and the western coast of Mu. Considered by many to be the world's greatest martial artists, Pantherans are gifted in that respect. The Striped branch in particular are renowned for their ferocity and grace, garnering a reputation as invincible combatants. That's not actually true, but I'm sure the Striped don't really mind. The Spotted branch is known to favor a mixture of magic and physical might when they are pressed into battle, however reluctant they are to do so. Lastly, the Onyx branch are known to employ a fighting style that, to many, is impervious to attack. Opponents of Onyx Pantherans say that fighting one is an exercise in futility.

Leon - In Tigris, it is believed that Leons came from clay, shaped by the gods to impart their will on the world, given wisdom by the winds and knowledge by the trees. In this way, the lion-like Leon Therians of Tigris have developed a deeply ingrained sense of self-worth and a mind for philosophy. Even though they have split themselves into numerous city-states, each fostering their own unique view of the world around them, they all show a pride in their accomplishments far outside what is really necessary. At times they seem arrogant and high-minded, but they are not without their own humility. Victors of athletic or military events are gifted with a laurel made of the leaves plucked from an old Ironwood tree. These trees are typically guarded fiercely by the Forest Elves, so being awarded such a gift indicates a great honor.

• Behind the Curtain: Obviously there's a lot of huhbub when a Therian walks into a bar. I mean, come on. If you saw a 9-foot tall bear-headed guy just waltz right into your diner, you'd need a new change of pants. Two, even. So, it makes sense that Therians aren't real welcome in a lot of places. That's a big flavor element that I'm not really willing to get rid of, seeing as "being accepted" or "triumphing over initial prejudices" is a big element of a lot of fantasy fiction, especially FR crap.
  

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Scary Monsters i.e.: Here be Dragons.
"I once killed a drake thi~s bi~g."

There are a few things you're gonna have to accept when you build your house in the middle of the Drakodan Valley. First thing: You're house isn't staying there for very long. The second? Property values are really low, so buy in bulk!
The planet is populated by all manner of ferocious beasts, magical or otherwise, that all want to kill you. On Earth, it's a big deal when a bear mauls three people and eats their food. On Agartha, that's old hat. What's really cool are the dragon raids, the Mana beasts, elementals, etc. There's a big part of fantasy fiction devoted to describing and detailing all kinds of weird creatures, and a lot of them have some play on Agartha. Here, however, I'll be talking about the changes to some major presences in sci-fi literature, and some new ones that I think are original. Kinda. Maybe.

Dragons - Dragons of Agartha are magnificent beasts who are more akin to a forces of nature than monster. In the past, dragons were of surprising intelligence, imparting their great wisdom to those of the the lesser intelligences who proved themselves worthy of regard. Today, they are more primal and instinctual than logical and minded. Still, they are not without a ferocious cunning, and it is unwise to face a dragon thinking them to be simple beasts. There are numerous species of dragon, but all follow a basic description; they seem as though they are made from raw elemental forces, and take a shape akin to a large reptile. Certain kinds are known to manipulate the forces of Mana with incredible finesse, while others seem only capable of the most basic magic.

Mana beasts - Mana beasts are incredible creatures, monstrous and wondrous at the same time. They are physical manifestations of Mana in an area saturated with a particular element. At times, they seem to form when a specifically powerful force has disrupted the area, and at other times they seem to coalesce out of nowhere. Whatever the case is for their creation, they are not to be trifled with. There are some Beasts who are so powerful or dangerous that they have become worldwide legends. For example, there is Cohkul the Rot, a beast formed of Void and Leaf, who is believed to have poisoned the waters around the Jolinne Lake in Tigris, causing all plant life in the area to become diseased and wicked.

Elementals - Elementals are ordinary (if you might call them that) creatures who become infused with a particular element from prolonged exposure, so much so that their very nature becomes defined by that element. So, the Flame Boar of the Hamahn village in Caldera was a Boar who was exposed to enough of the Raging Fire to become a boar literally made of flame.

• Behind the Curtain: Elementals can be made from any creature, mundane or fantastic. So, expect to see Fire Zombies or Ice Gryphons or Void Boa Constrictors.

Netherspawn - Netherspawn are the antithesis to Mana Beasts. They are utterly devoid of any connection to Mana, and in fact are immune to its effects. To some, the Netherspawn are masses of inky darkness illuminated from within by an eerie colorless glow. To others, particularly to powerful mages and the like, they are a vague terror that they know in their heart of hearts is the essence of the abyss. It is difficult to describe the Netherspawn, for they seem to be utterly alien creatures, whose origins must lie far from this realm. Ever shifting, ever changing, they are the essence of nothingness made flesh.

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