During the time of exile, before the First Age, the Elemental Lords began to draw tribes of men after themselves. It was the hope of these Elemental Lords to use men to establish a foothold in the material world. It is thought that the influence of the Elemental Lords is responsible for the differentiation of the eight primary races of Mann, for their Creator had first made them as one race.

Name: Aishen

Appearance: Tall, light build, dark hair and reddish-brown complexion. They dress in loose silks.

Home Region: Sub-desert planes.

Housing: Tents or walled stone and adobe villages.

Diet: Primarily herdsmen, with limited agriculture.

Social/Political Structure: Highly tribal, ruled by elders, but there is also a hierarchy of tribes with a senior elder over all the tribes.

Additional Information: Aishen are known to be excellent horsemen, learned scholars, and powerful leaders. They are often seen as a sober, serious people, though they are always courteous and generous to strangers.

Name: Hrtryn

Appearance: Average height and build, tan skin, brown hair. They dress in simple utilitarian clothes made from natural fibers.

Home Region: Central plains area.

Housing: Mostly rural or small villages. Buildings are made primarily of wattle and daub or wooden construction, occasionally some stone buildings in larger villages.

Diet: Well established agricultural base provides ample grain and vegetables, also plenty of meat from ranching. Fish is scarcer and restricted to river and lake varieties.

Social/Political Structure: Loose political structure, ruled primarily by elders or elected aldermen.

Additional Information: these peaceful, agrarian people are the oldest and most numerous of the races. Though primarily farmers and ranchers, they are also successful traders. They are a simple people, fond of wit, music, food and clever games.

The relationship between the sexes is somewhat egalitarian, though utilitarian is probably more accurate. While their society is traditionally patriarchal, women take an active role in every aspect of life. The majority of women manage their households while the men are expected to "earn a living", yet women are at least as likely to be found in the market place selling the fruit of their men's labors. It is not unusual to also find a few businesses owned by women, and women have occasionally been known to rise to the rank of guild master and other city leader.

Name: Rahidyn

Appearance: Tall, light build, light skin but dark hair. They also have large slanted, oval-shaped eyes. They generally wear ornate robes and are fond of jewelry which is often magical.

Home Region: Foothills of the Argent Mountains.

Housing: Large cities and villages. Buildings are of wood and stone.

Diet: Rich and varied, mostly traded for.

Social/Political Structure: People are organized by fraternal organizations which represent special interest groups and ruled by a magearchy.

Additional Information: Rahidyn have a natural tendency towards magic. they are a rich and powerful people; even the lower classes are generally well educated and aristocratic in their bearing.

Name: Ruakyn

Appearance: Tall with a muscular build, black skin and hair. They are fond of wearing the skins of large predatory animals.

Home Region: Arid, western mountain areas.

Housing: Hide tents or temporary wooden shelters.

Diet: Hunter-gathering society.

Social/Political Structure: Organized on tribal, elder lines and ruled by a warrior king.

Additional Information: Much like the Tzorvyn in attitude and temperament, yet less organized socially. Aggressive and militaristic, they value the individual warrior above all.

While their society might at first appear to be rigidly male-dominated, that is not at all the case. The short, violent lives of the men have made this a matriarchal society. Land and other real property are typically inherited through the women. Men must earn the right of marriage through combat prowess. Sometimes women will set a task that her suitor must accomplish (such as killing a feared predator) though a suitor will often simply kill all rival suitors. While a woman can be "won" by combat (by killing her former husband) she still has the right to say no (generally by choosing another champion to fight her suitor).

Marriages are almost always monogamous. Though a woman taking a second husband has been known to occur, such marriages generally end in bloodshed.

Name: T'howmin

Appearance: Average height and build, light skin and hair. They wear either common clothes or sailing garb.

Home Region: Primarily along the southern coast and along major rivers and lakes.

Housing: Wood and stone buildings in coastal cities and villages.

Diet: Largely seafood, supplemented with trade goods.

Social/Political Structure: Weak traditional monarchy, working with strong fishing and trading interests.

Additional Information:

Name: Tlassi

Appearance: Short, light build, dark hair and skin. They dress in loose robes.

Home Region: Deep desert.

Housing: Tents.

Diet: Nomadic hunter-gatherers and herdsmen.

Social/Political Structure: No formal structure. Occasionally a warlord will gather some of the family groups, but such organizations are short lived.

Additional Information: Tlassi are generally known as mystics. Though highly skilled in combat, they are fond of esoteric knowledge and are often trained in some form of magic. They are generally a friendly and hospitable people, though their assassins are feared all over the world. Their main economic products are their herds, handicrafts and spices.

Name: Tzorvyn

Appearance: Tall, muscular, with light colored hair and pigmentation. They wear mostly furs and skins. They wear their hair and beards long and generally braided before going into battle.

Home Region: High northern mountains

Housing: Long communal wooden houses or stone citadels.

Diet: Primarily hunter gathering society who have only recently settle down. They eat game, roots, berries and have begun to grow grains. The discovery of brewing has been a major civilizing force.

Social/Political Structure: People are organized by tribes under a complex feudal structure.

Additional Information: Once a nomadic race, they outgrew their hunting areas and were forced to live in semi-permanent settlements. Years of infighting have resulted in well-established tribal territories being carved out. A complex feudal system and frequent intermarriage links the tribes together and helps maintain an uneasy peace. They are an aggressive, outgoing people, not given to much introspection, and are kept together by a complex code of honor and a sense of duty to the Higher Lords.

Name: Voshin

Appearance: Short, heavy build, bronze skin and light hair. They dress in kilt-like tunics.

Home Region: Underground caverns, generally near valuable veins of metal or crystals.

Housing: As above.

Diet: Voshin are wealthy enough to trade for all kinds of food, but the traditional diet includes various subterranean roots, fungi, molds and invertebrates (mostly worms and bugs).

Social/Political Structure: Highly organized collectives ruled by craft-masters. They are an egalitarian meritocracy. Men are still more common in positions of leadership only because of the demands of child-rearing which is exclusively done by the women until the children are apprenticed at the age of seven.

Additional Information: Voshin are best known as miners, smiths, gem-cutters and craftsmen. They associate closely with the Duergar.