In world-shaking catastrophes where magic, disasters, and monsters ran rampant, there were those that gritted their teeth and adapted to survive rather than flee their homes. Such cataclysms are now stories of a distant past, and descendants of the survivors continue to channel and embrace the unpredictability of the magical energies surrounding their ruined lands. 

Despite having lost most everything—sometimes more than once—these people remain optimistic. They are not bound by tradition and are the culture least likely to be obsessed with the glory of past kingdoms. 

The forgotten folx are even more secretive than the notoriously reclusive forest gnomes. These communities almost always share a strong, familial bond with each other, even those they aren’t related to. Entire villages raise children communally, provide for each other, and survive primarily by bartering craft goods. These settlements have a lot of love to give and are more than happy to take in wanderers or adventurers who stumble across their homes.

Forest gnomes live close to nature. They are not often seen, for they dwell in small, hidden villages in deep woodland. Most forest gnomes are shy and feel more comfortable around animals than they do humans, dwarves, and other peoples—indeed, many never leave their village.

These elvish people are the most accustomed to life in the Dreaming—what some call the Feywild. Some people say eladrin are the most ancient lineage of elves with the closest blood link to other faeries, while others claim that the elves expanded into the Dreaming and were there transformed. Settlements of eladrin empires (and the ruins thereof) can be found scattered all across the Faerie Realm, and some appear in the Material Plane where the boundary between worlds is thin.

Dragonbound clans live under the direct rule of a dragon; in the case of dragonborn characters, that dragon will usually be their progenitor dragon. Whether that dragon is malevolent or benign, the clan exists to serve it. Living under a kind and wise dragon can be a safe and joyful upbringing, though one of strict control. Life under a cruel dragon can be fraught with the uncertainty of survival, scrounging off what a dragonic overlord deems a servant worthy of. Dragonbound living can often be comfortable or even enjoyable, but it is not living for oneself.

Dragon cults exist in most major cities, hidden deep within forgotten cellars or ancient crumbling ruins, plotting their draconic overlord’s return to power. The life of a dragon cultist is often filled with hushed conversations in darkened rooms, acquisitions of “sacrifices”, and the ever present tantalizing promise of a taste of their dragon god’s power. Dragon cultists often live entirely mundane lives by day, only to shuffle down some darkened stair to their “true lives” down below. 

Thriving in the darkest, most remote depths, deep gnomes excel when working in darkened or stealth conditions. In general deep gnomes tend to be thin and muscular, and typically bald. They have adapted to underground environments and are at home in the darkness, easily blending in against rocks and stonework. This cultural predilection for stealth manifests itself in magical abilities, including the power to blind others, change appearance, and even conceal themselves from divination magic.

Deep dwarves make their homes underground, far from most other creatures and from the sun. Their communities are the most isolated of all dwarven cultures. Some of them refuse trade even with other dwarves. Those that do trade, however, quickly realize that some goods they grow underground cannot live on the surface, and vice versa. Deep dwarf beer is unique, prized across all other dwarven cultures and many other peoples. 

Cosmopolitans grew up in one of the world’s largest, most diverse cities. People of every heritage and way of life brush shoulders, speaking any tongue that can be imagined. Any faith can find a place of worship—even if it is in a home and not a proper temple. The main roads are active all through the night, and there are shadowy alleys where any good might be procured no matter the hour. 

Sometimes a village, farm, or city becomes a hub of new ideas and innovations in knowledge and technology. Other times, great institutes of learning arise, universities and colleges where one can spend their entire life in study. Those from these learned communities are renowned for their ability to apply their intellect to their field of expertise.

Characters raised in the collegiate culture share a variety of traits in common with one another.