On Alterra, there are:
The Verandi, average male height and weight around 5'6", 140 lbs, women slightly smaller, light brown to blonde hair, medium to dark complexion, dark eyes. Originally from a desert enviroment, native culture is very religious (a comlex system of angel worship) and warlike. Very powerful clerical magic is very prominent and legendary around the world. At one point they entered a culture wide religious war and conquered most of the world, ruled for roughly a thousand years, and eventually fell to internal tribal bickering and religious division. Alterran Common is actually Low Verandi, a simplified form of thier language.
The Medaeans, average male height 5'5", 140 lbs, woman slightly smaller, almost universally dark black or brown hair light complexion, blue, grey, or green eyes most common. Originally from a rocky, mountainous enviroment. Culture was at one time very warlike, but became very peaceful after the culture formed a large empire covering most of the largest continent on the world. Philosophies of personal perfection have replaced prehistoric war gods (cultural heroes rose up and sealed off Medea, the chief god of the empire) Psionics is very prominent (Alterran psionics developed from a Medaean school of philosophical thought, and the Monk class is a psionic/philosophical tradition all itself) The Medaeans have had extensive cultural exchange with the Zhen Tao, both cultures development of sorcery was very dependant on the others.
The Zhen Tao: 5' 7" 160 lbs, dark hair, dark eyes, light complexion. Originally from a temperate forest enviroment, very contemplative. Have an animistic religion in which trees play a very important part, the rulers of which have personal tree spirits as advisors. The trees of dead Emperors are arranged in groves to serve as a council to aid later Emperors. Ruled by sorcerous noble Houses, the Emperor is selected from among them out of the House with the most Sorcerers and most Trees. Extensive cultural exchange with the Medaeans, sorcery and psionics share close ties and had a cross development between the two.
The Goth: 6' 2", 190 lbs, dark hair, light eyes, very light complexion. A cultural offshoot of the Medaeans, the most northern and warlike tribes who stayed loyal to the old gods and migrated north into the Cold Waste. Near arctic enviroment. Fairly civilized tribal society ruled by chiefs who are advised by shamanistic priest of the old gods. Shamen have a rivalry with demon enslaving sorcerers who also serve as priests. Intertribal warfare is common, but contact with outside cultures is rare except among adventurers and the odd raid on northern Medaean or Verandi settlements. The Goth were able to resist the Verandi conquest.
The Thaan-Ti, 6' 1", 170 lbs, light hair, light eyes, very dark complexion. Junlgle enviroment, very advanced society governed by warrior kings. At one time was various tribes but united under the Thaanti tribe in defense against the Yuanti tribe, who fell to worship and enslavemnt by Abomination, who is imprisoned just miles off the coast of the Yuanti ancestral homeland. Clerical
"light magic" (derived from the power of good and no specific gods) is very prominent and stands in opposition to the "shadow magic" and demonic sorcery of Abomination and the Yuan-Ti. Largely isolated from the rest of the world, the Thann-Ti were able to resist the Verandi conquest.
The Antirans, 5' 10", 160 lbs, reddish to light hair is common, light eyes, light comlexion. Originally from a large island, a culture with a long tradition of contact with the elves and secret magocratic rulership. Monarchies are common, but most nations have been secretly controlled by the Eletec Houses, a handful of families who were taught wizardry by the elves many thousands of years ago. The mainstream culture largely collapsed under the Verandi as thier clerics overpowered the defending wizards, and arcane magic was officially outlawed during the Verandi occupation. The new culture is fearful and highly supersititous, and has embraced a variant of the Verandi religion.
