Folk

One of the dominant races of Lume, the Folk appear almost identical to homo sapiens, bar a couple of important features. Firstly, they boast a wide variety of pigmentations, in endless combinations. Eyes of yellow, sky blue, pink, mint green, violet and pitch black can be seen alongside skin of ivory, tan, pink, gold, soft green, deep brown, even blue-black. Combinations appear to be erratic, so that an infant may sport colours not present in either parent. This happy occurrence has meant superficial prejudice is negligible among the Folk. Of note, there occurs more cases of albinism amongst Dunefolk, and mottled greens among the Druids.

The second distinct difference, and a likely cause for the first idiosyncrasy, is the quintessential feature that deems their race neo. They are made things, created much the same as the other Races of Lume, and can hardly claim ancestry over than their counterparts. As the Deumana came into power, they subordinated undesirable populations, who withered and eventually died off entirely. These ancient demigods resurrected the human race by regressing samples of their own DNA, tampering and adjusting as they went along. Like the other playthings of the Deumana, these neo sapiens were made and unmade again and again. Something in this process caused their cells to empathise with other elements on Lume at a genetic level. Their wavelengths are in sync with the matter the Deumana reconstructed; that is to say, everything. As such, all Folk who study and devote themselves are capable of willing a change in said elements. It is recorded that their creators envy of this trait hastened the Schism. All the Races have their peculiarities: the Slenders have great capacity for retention and logic, the Manidae are strong and resilient, the Gardeners immortal and elemental, the Frost Giants wise and enormous, the Mythos and Cryptids have each their own unique features; the Folk are able to Cast. The Folk are spread throughout the Continent, and communicate using the national common tongue of Barterspeak. Some cultures grew so distinct and independent they no longer consider themselves one of the Folk; the Druids and the Dunefolk are two examples. Typically Folk respect knowledge, wisdom and learning, and these hold more currency than accumulated goods.

To prevent an attempt at describing a people as diverse as Lume itself, we will elaborate on a typical Folk village from the Inland Forests. Nalia's home village is a suitable example for this purpose. Comprised of a handful of families, and another dozen or so separate individuals, this community is led by Nalia's grandfather, with Nalia's mother gradually assuming the mantle. One large barn stores their communal supplies, and is ringed by houses and huts. Each dwelling has a garden, water barrel, and rooms we would recognise. The houses make use of locally-sourced stone, wood, thatch, baked mud bricks, and gravel paths. Dogs and trogs help to keep fauna in line, and guard against danger. Mornings are spent hunter-gathering, cultivating the gardens and inspecting animals, the afternoons on constructive leisure; reading, games, writing, casting, art, construction, exploring, and palaver. The village meets and trades with surrounding communities, offering opportunities for adolescents to meet. The resident Gardener is an aloof sort, spending their time tending elderly trees and providing amusement by serving as an animated diving platform in the nearby river. Despite all this, the village is far from idyllic; people wander and are lost, animals that come and go don't always return, they have few resident casters and lack a local healer. Their proximity to a dense forest also leaves them vulnerable to attack from megafauna, and worse, inducing them to develop martial tactics; staff-fighting and archery for preference.

Aside a few atypical cases, Folk do not distinguish themselves by nation or even by village, cartography being still in its infancy. Necrosis set about countering this, absorbing and enslaving groups of people into his empire. Nalia's village is one such group. Towards the end of the Dead War when Necrosis is bested, the fledgling empire splinters once again, though strong ties and grievances are maintained. Drethen&Co utilize this recent merging as a foundation to launch their University.

The Folk are frank, open, friendly, and appear unassuming, right up to the moment they begin discussing the meaning of beauty, truth and justice, while chewing on a grass stalk.