In Atherfall, race is not lineage alone.
It is the shape survival took when the world accepted you.
Some forms are born.
Some are made.
Some are what was left.
Beings of living essence, Elementals are shaped entirely from fire, water, stone, wind, lightning, ice, shadow, or light. They do not merely wield their element—they are it. Their thoughts are often slow, alien, or dispassionate, guided by balance, pressure, and inevitability rather than emotion. Where they walk, the world responds.
Myth sustained into flesh. Yokai draw power from stories, belief, and cultural memory, their forms reflecting ancient fears, traditions, and legends. Tricksters, guardians, and omens, they blur the line between folklore and reality. A Yokai weakens when forgotten—and grows dangerous when feared.
Natives or echoes of the Feywild, Fey embody magic given personality. They are bound to emotion, bargains, and symbolism, often acting according to rules invisible to others. Their beauty, cruelty, and mercy are all sincere—and rarely aligned with mortal logic.
Aberrants come from places reality was not meant to touch. Their bodies reject conventional anatomy, shifting in impossible ways, perceiving angles, colors, or dimensions others cannot. The world resists them, bending strangely in their presence, as if unsure how they should exist at all.
Sentient creations of metal, stone, or arcane design, Constructs awaken with purpose but not identity. Many seek meaning through logic, observation, or self-modification. Though built, not born, they are no less capable of growth, doubt, or ambition—and often question what “life” truly means.
Defined by accelerated evolution, Monsters grow rapidly under pressure, mutating through survival, consumption, and conflict. Society marks them as threats, forcing them into constant struggle. Whether they become tyrants, protectors, or something stranger depends entirely on what they survive—and how often.
Creatures of instinct and immediacy, Beasts live close to hunger, fear, and territory. Some never develop beyond survival. Others awaken intelligence through trauma, bonding, or prolonged exposure to magic. A Beast’s strength lies in reflex, emotion, and an unfiltered connection to the world.
The most socially accepted and structurally stable form. Humanoids vary widely in culture and appearance but possess no inherent extremes. Their adaptability lies not in raw power, but in cooperation, invention, and organization. Civilization favors them—but does not protect them.
Manifestations of animal souls, ancestral wilderness, or primal land-magic given humanoid form. Nature Spirits carry instincts older than language and often struggle between reason and impulse. They are living expressions of the wild’s memory—neither fully beast nor fully mortal.
Race in Atherfall is not hierarchy.
It is starting friction.
No form guarantees safety.
No form denies potential.
The world does not ask what you are.
It asks:
“Can you persist like this?”