Fortiens are the third most common race in Eternira, following closely behind elves and humans.
In olden days, fortiens were known as “god vessels”. They are the race most capable of handling the wear and tear magic has on humanoid bodies.
Typically, a member of the fortian race is similar in build to a human, except much taller, and much more well built and well-padded. Due to their place of origin being deep in gritty deserts, they have evolved to have thicker skin, harder nails, and sharper teeth.
They can easily handle the injuries often brought by living in rough terrain, therefore making them much more resistant than any other race.
Biologically, they are most close to elves, seemingly having evolved in a different direction but having started at the same point. Whereas elves are nimble, lean, and more graceful, fortiens are the opposite.
Fortiens are always born with two sets of ears. Researchers in the new world believe the second pair is for fine-tuning ambient noise. They have excellent, yet extremely sensitive hearing.
They are sometimes born with a tail, or raised feet, similar to some animals. These features serve to make up for the lack of speed the race generally has, but are only seen in some subtypes of fortiens.
All individuals are very hairy, regardless of sex. Traditionally, jewelry is worn in the hair and on the tail, if present. They eat more than other races, often having a diet rich in meat. Most also love hard drink, but are more tolerant to it.
Having only recently started to live amongst other races, fortiens do not have gender roles or the like. Both sexes are treated the same, and gender seems to be more fluid and unlabeled.
Those who live in human populated areas have begun using labels and specific pronouns for themselves.
Most of the population used to live in close-knit communities, where everyone was equal and all decisions were made together. Assigning a leader to your community was seen as tyrannical.
Resources were shared amongst the people, and everyone had guaranteed food, water, and shelter, regardless of their contribution.
The rest of the population was spread across kingdoms, often traveling from place to place with nowhere to call home.