The Drifters, or more respectfully (rarely) called Ancients, are the original, native inhabitants of the world. The Ancients possessed mystical abilities, but used them all in the process of creating the equine species. The mystical equines were originally created to protect the Ancients and their land from threats. Folklore among the tribes is that there was a conflict between the Drifters and a dangerous race or species that threatened to take over Tir Dearthair. Though then Ancients had mystical abilities, they were not strong enough, as humans, to fend off the invaders. Instead, they combined strengths to gift their powers to horses that already lived on the land, creating several new elemental equines. Over time, they fell into the five species we know and recognize today.
To the Drifters, their territory is simply called hojiwah, which translates into "land" in their language. One of the most ancient sayings these people have passed down from generation to generation is "we all are one". That is, they were all originally of the same nation of people. Historical folklore says that these people have never warred with one another. When there were political, economic, or social disputes, they simply reorganized into tribes or sub-tribes. All tribes of the Drifters are called "Drifters" because they have traditionally been hunters and gatherers, moving across the land seasonally. Each tribe has their own general region in which they roam, and for the most part they respect their boundaries.
Today, there are two distinct nations of Drifters: the Ubili and the Issita. No one is quite certain what caused the rift that created the split in tribes, but many believe it is due to their differing beliefs where the mystical equines are concerned. Read on to learn more about the differences within each nation.
Reminder: "Hojiwah" is the word the Drifters use for "land" or "homeland".
Ubili
Ubili (like Issita to follow) is what is called a homeland. As a result, Ubili is used as a broader classification for how these tribes are described. This is similar to using American as a description for people from two different states - both are united by national ties, but each lives in a unique land. For the most part, each tribe can just be referred to by their tribal name, while the homeland name can be used to refer to the two tribes as a whole.
Ubili people have a unique appearance with fair skin, bright mahogany hair, and eyes ranging from slate to dark grey. They are usually shorter and stout, averaging 5'2".
Swervi are the first tribe in the Ubili-Hojiwah. Their homeland stretches from the mountains toward the north, generally in the coldest climate of the continent. They are the most hostile tribe, and also on the poorest terms with the other tribes. They've drifted from their ancestors' beliefs and, though they consider the Crosspyro sacred, they have begun enslaving Woolyfurs to use them for work. This is almost unforgivable by the other tribes and has led to many tensions. The Swervi believe the Woolyfurs are dumb creatures that are no better than any other animal and only there to do work. They are small and not especially fast or strong, but can be used as pack animals to carry the Swervi's supplies as they travel across the land.
Huirign are the second tribe in the Ubili-Hojiwah. Their homeland borders the shadowlands, starting in the cold region and moving toward the west. It's a fertile land that has more benefits than where the Swervi live, and they have been fairly fortunate there. They are still on familiar terms with the Swervi, but their opinions on the Outsiders can vary from ignoring to hostility. At best, the Outsiders are out of sight and out of mind, and at worst Huirign are as resentful of them as the Swervi are. Like the Swervi, these people worship the Crosspyro. They do not employ any of the mystical species for work, instead using normal wild horses when needed.
Issita
Like with Ubili, Issita is simply a word to name the homeland of these sister tribes. The tribie in the Issita-Hojiwah are more similar to each other than different, which is why they continue to consider themselves part of the same nation.
Issitan people can also be easily recognized by their appearance. They have tanned skin and dark violet hair with eyes of cinnamon and gold. They are much taller than the Ubili, averaging roughly 6'3".
Rign is the first tribe of the Issita-Hojiwah. Their lands stretch across the highlands, making them the first tribe Outsiders ever met. They are the most friendly of all the Drifter tribes and have taught the Outsiders much of what they know about the land. They idolize the mystical equines, though they consider the Crosspyro a spirit of evil. They are still unsure how they feel about the Outsiders bonding, but so far have not seen any bad come of it and are remaining optimistic.
Feliquis is the second tribe of Issita-Hojiwah. Their lands stretch through the warmer climates, and they've made the most of fishing and farming. The Feliquis have always been friendly toward the Outsiders, though they are not as open to them as their sister tribe. They mean no harm, but do not usually go out of their way to offer them refuge or knowledge. They are less friendly than they once were, mainly due to the Outsiders' practice of bonding. Since they, too, consider the equines scared, they see this as an extreme dishonor to their ancestors.
The Outsiders are easily the most important group of people in our RP setting. These are people that have come to Tir Dearthair by falling through the stone circles (such as Stonehenge) in the British Isles. The largest group of them have come from about 1500-1800 A.D., though it is possible for a person from any Earth era to fall through to any era here. That is, someone from 2015 could have fallen in year 1 or 100, at the same time as someone from 1400 fell through. This has undoubtedly created some tensions among the Outsiders, but the settlements they have created very much resemble Colonial/Revolutionary-era America with some influences from late Renaissance to early Modern themes from the British Isles. Though there are societal norms, the wide variety of people (with greatly different backgrounds) that inhabit the land has created a unique blend of cultural ideals. In other words, there's a subtle "cultural imprint", but not everyone fits the mold! Most of these people live within established settlements (either official towns or smaller villages), though a few have joined the Drifters and others have formed Peddler (some similar to gypsy) trade caravans.
The very first group of Outsiders fell through in the late 1500's - a group of 5 young men and women who had no idea what they were in for. They had no idea this was a new planet, and only thought they had discovered a "new world" (new continent) on Earth. They were Irish in origin and began calling this land Tir Dearthair, "brother land", because in many ways they Highland region reminded them of home.
They made peace with the friendly Drifter tribes and learned many of the ways of the land. As a few more Outsiders fell through in the next decade, they began to pull away from the Drifters and wished to create a society more like what they knew in their homeland. The original settlers had begun numbering the calender based on the day they fell, making the start of year 2 the end of four seasons of life in the new world. By the year 12, there were at least 30-40 known Outsiders, though most likely more who had fallen individually to remoate locations. By the year 15, a group of approximately 50 adult Outsiders banded together to form their first official settlement, which they called Gyddwald. At that point, they considered themselves "settlers" rather than Outsiders, though the Drifters have kept the term "Outsiders" to this day. ALL people not of Drifter descent are classified a Outsiders, whether born here or on Earth.
The settlement of Gyddwald flourished and grew, and more people continued to fall through. Almost all of them were Scottish, Irish, Welsh, or British in ethnicity, though a few others who were just visiting the stone circles fell through too. A form of the English language dominated, though there were still Gaelic dialects among some groups of people. These people who came from different times and different places began looking for the similarities among themselves instead of arguing about the differences. Thrust into a world where they had to work together, their former social classes, beliefs, etc. could not be allowed to stand between them. To this day, they continue to embrace those who are "fresh-fallen", even with the wildest differences, though there are a few Outsiders who are "native-born" that have begun to think themselves superior.
For more (much, much more) information about the Outsiders, check out the Lifestyles section. This describes everything you need to know about life as an Outsider - which will definitely come in handy since that's almost certainly what your character will be.
When the Outsiders formed their first settlement, they knew they needed more than just manpower to get heavy timber moved for buildings and to pull plows for fields. They did just what they'd always done in their old world and employed the use of equines (albeit a few strange ones) to pull carts and plows. They even trained some with wings to help lift logs for the higher parts of walls and roofs. It was all very natural - men and women practicing horsemanship as they always had.
Until one day... A young woman who had always loved horses more than anything else had been quite instrumental in helping tame and train the wild horses of the land. One she was working with was a gentle giant, a draft taller than any she'd ever seen before. He was a very noble stallion and her best friend. In the process of trying to find more and more ways to communicate clearly and train him to do any task she could imagine, she found something strange happening. All of a sudden she started hearing a voice in her head that was not her own, nor anyone who was around her. She soon realized it was her stallion - a wild Highlander who had, at that very moment, bonded to her.
She accepted the bond (what choice did she have?) and worked hard to figure out what caused it and how others could form bonds too. Her stallion did not know every answer, but tried to explain as best he could. Though other people had been working with the strange horses too, none had bonded. Eventually, one of the mares laid a nest of eggs (yes, eggs! more on that in the Equines section) and the woman realized this was the answer. If people could be present at the birth of the young foals, perhaps offering them a special token of friendship, the foals would know they could trust the people and would form a bond. It took some trial and error to get it right, but eventually one or two more people bonded to foals. When one of those fillies grew up, she had a nest of her own, and from it half of the foals bonded. It seemed that foals from bonded equines were more apt to bond at birth, and over time the rates of bonding increased. It is now rare to see a foal not bond a birth, though it still does occasionally happen.
If you're interested in bonding, you're in luck! Today, the equines and their Riders are the cornerstones of the community.
The people of Tir Dearthair had never seen or heard of them before, they call themselves The Maze (similar to "mace") and they come from a place Mazagazte. It's the capital of their kingdom and the only safe place left. The Maze prefer to live in small villages near whatever resource they are using. Farmers live in small groups near farmland, miners live near mines, fishers live by the sea...well, you get the picture. But most of the villages have been plundered and are barely hanging on by a thread of life, if at all. Mazagazte is the only refuge left and the last hope for saving their kingdom - and their race. Soldiers there have managed to keep intruders out of the walls, but even they cannot hold off the enemy forever.
With numbers dwindling dangerously low and no allies to be found in their own world, they were left no choice but to seek assistance elsewhere. The group of them we will come to know and hate love have grown up on legends of the Vasher. They came looking for them seeking assistance in winning their age-old war. The Vasher are ruthless fighters. So violent and feral it's hard to even call them humanoid. The Maze intended to recruit them, bargain with them...whatever it took to gain the Vasher's support.
So exactly who (or what?) are the Maze?
They are an ancient humanoid races coming from another planet in TD's galaxy. The planet is a bit larger than TD's, with several small continents with narrow strips of ocean between. It has long been inhabited by several different humanoid races. The Maze claim that they are the oldest and most pure, but no one knows for sure.
Do they look like humans? Well...no, not exactly. Their general figure and form is similar enough. They move with a similar gait and posture, though most of them seem more stiff and formal in the way they move. Every move is calculated; stealthy.
Once you see one up close, it's pretty obvious that they are not your average human. Their skin is a deep pinkish color, as if they have a permanent sunburn. Oddly enough, it seems to shimmer slightly and changes color with mood or physical state. It turns a deeper pink or red when they are hot or angry or lavender when they are cold or sad. Yellow tinted skin is considered a very bad omen, and blue is linked to deep passion or desire. That's right, their skin is almost like a mood ring. However, the color changes can be subtle and are much more noticeable to their own kind. Only a very studious human will be able to detect subtle changes in skin color that can be indicative of mood. Otherwise, humans may not notice it until the skin has made a drastic change.
Their hair is, at first glance, a sort of platinum color. It is almost like a pale blonde, sometimes silver. As the light and wind catch it though, it becomes much more exciting. It's iridescent, shining in every color of the rainbow. To the human eye, it's beautiful. To them, it's nothing special. Their hair is almost always straight as a pin and kept long regardless of gender. In fact, women are more likely to cut their hair short than men, though long hair is viewed as a status symbol. It's usually worn in a form of ponytail, bun, or braid. Multiple small braids are less common, but may be seen in warriors. Some of them will braid the sections at the top and around their face, while leaving everything underneath long and flowing.
The Maze have eyes of varying colors (usually moderately dark). Shades of blue, green, and silver are most common. It's not uncommon for a person to have eyes that fade from one color on the side nearest the nose to another color on the far side. Vertical gradients from top to bottom are rare. Their eyes are similar to humans in shape and size, but their iris is much larger, often leaving little to no white showing at the edges. (Think the size of a horse's iris.)
The average Maze is about 5'2" in height, regardless of gender. They are built very lithe with light bone structure that is surprisingly strong. In other words, they might look like they could snap like a twig, but such is not the case. They might actually have a little bit of elasticity in their bones...or so rumor says. They do exist in both male and female genders, though there is very little obvious physical difference between the two. Females may be a little heavier in weight, but lack definitive curvy, "feminine" figures. (It CAN happen, but it's definitely uncommon.)
So where did they get their name? It's believed to have come from their feet. They have a thick foot with a series of small spikes (seemingly metallic) along the underside. These spikes can retract and extend a little as terrain varies. Because of this, they have no need to wear shoes. Rocky terrain is no problem, nor is anything where they benefit from a foothold. They have one small spike that can extend from the underside of each fingertip, allowing them to climb trees and ledges. Unlike their foot spikes, their finger spikes are kept completely retracted most of the time. These unique features can pose quite a threat to thin-skinned species, but are not too worrisome to their own. Their skin is tough, though soft to the touch, and it would take a strong blow to do much damage even with spiked fingers.
The Vasher are a humanoid race of people that are believed to have fallen from an unknown planet. They are very rarely seen, as they tend to keep to the shadows unless they venture out to hunt or capture game or wild mystical equines. Stories say that they are quite tall and built with lean muscle, standing well over 7 feet. They rarely look that tall, though, because they slink around as crouched and quiet as they possibly can. Their skin is faintly tinted blue, while their hair is black as night. We hope you don't get close enough to ever notice their eyes...
These people are violent, as has been said, and have no qualms about killing anyone, whether Outsider or Drifter. They see the mystical equines as a resource, for they can take gem-horns and hooves and pearly hair and mystical feathers back to their home and sell it at great profits. It's believed these people do know how to travel back and forth from their homeland, though no one is quite sure how.