Introduction
Ruina is a planet parallel to the Earth in an alternate reality. The planet is inhabited by many mortal races and cultures who live at the mercy of great and elusive celestial beings. The many cultures of Ruina have formed their own religious practices and traditions concerning the celestial beings and the ways of their universe. The following outlines the various races and cultures of Ruina. Click their names to view their respective languages and cultural details.
Races of Ruina
There are five primary races inhabiting the world of Ruina. Each race is briefly outlined below. For more information on cultures and languages, click on the race and take a look at their primary language page(s).
Pomin 凡人
The Pomins are the most basic mortals of the world and the most populous and diverse race among the inhabitants of Ruina. They are the original sons and daughters of the Sky and Sea, and speak a wide variety of languages. Only a few purely Pomin kingdoms are left in the world, and they are all on the decline. Many Pomin are seen as untouchables by other races and often sold into slavery or used as servants.
Senin 仙人
The Senins are semi-mortals, the descendants of beomin who have been blessed by the divines, and are comprised of the Druwa, Luans, and Mhar. They have extremely long lifespans and have the innate ability to access the elements and cultivate magic through their indirect connection to the divines. Most of the Senin races rule over much of Ruina, forging large kingdoms and empires and leaving huge marks on history.
Lienin 靈人
The Lienin are immortal beings blessed and often birthed by the divines. They typically share a direct bond with their divine, and rather than cultivating magic, they are themselves elemental and a living manifestation of nature. Most Lienin are shrouded in mystery, keeping to themselves in small, secluded societies away from the world of mortals and Senin. As such, many Pomin cultures view the Lienen as nothing more than legend and folktales for entertaining children.
Thern / Sinin 蜃人
The Thern (.sဓံs’sဓံɜ. thrnlrn) are the descendants of an ancient sea people said ot be blessed by the Moon. They stand out for their pale, iridescent complexions, large eyes, and light-colored irises. They typically lead nocturnal lifestyles, following strict asceticism and a philosophy known as “Surnism,” in which they cultivate virtues such as rationalism, abstract thinking, and self-restraint in the pursuit of “perfect purity” and immortality. Solitude, mathematics, and the pursuit of knowledge and art as an end unto itself are regarded as the noblest of activities for the Thern. On the other hand, obstinacy, vanity, and placing value on material things are deeply frowned upon. Thern are known to have exceedingly long lifespans, longest of all the Senins, and some are rumored to have even achieved immortality (though, there excessively reclusive natures makes this difficult to verify). They are a peaceful race and avoid conflict, usually seeking a neutral disposition concerning other nations. They typically have the ability to control the elements of the water and light, specializing in healing and restoration. The cultivation of the other elements, especially those of the sun, sky, fire, and thunder are virtually taboo as they rely on unrestrained emotions. Thern men and women are sterilized shortly after reaching maturity, and gender is virtually non-existent in Thern culture and language, many among the other races believing them to be a race of only women. Most Thern live their entire lives without cutting their iridescent, almost translucent, hair, and they wear long, flowing robes, preferring light, plain colors such as grey, white, or light-blue. The Thern also have an acute affinity for jellyfish and marine life in general, which is frequently reflected in their art and language.
Druwa / Leunin 龍人
The Druwa (འབྲུག་པ་ dhyūwa / druhva) are a race of half-dragon half-mortals who were blessed by the five divines (Fire, Thunder, Earth, Water, and Shadow). They live three times the lifespan of a normal mortal. They have two dragon horns on their head that give them the ability to control and produce the elements as manifested by their soul. The colors of their horns, hair, eyes, and aura are usually one in the same and vary from individual to individual. Druwas start out as white from birth, but eventually take on colors associated with their chosen divine, element, and demeanor, which are all interconnected. Originally, the Druwa comprised a single Kingdom, but long ago the old Druwa Kingdom split into two, the Kingdom of Sayul going the way of Yang and the Kingdom of Nameul going the way of Yin. As such, the Druwas of Sayul tend to be shades of yellow, red, orange, brown, and pink, while the Druwas of Nameul tend to be shades of green, blue, turquoise, and purple. Every Druwa has a gemstone in their heart embedded with their essence that grows with them as they age; it contains their memories and identity, and every gemstone is unique. Loved ones often keep a collection of gemstones of their deceased and ancestors. If a Druwa loses their horns, they lose their connection to the divine and thus lose their powers and revert to being a normal mortal. Losing one’s horns is often seen as a punishment worse than death and only happens for the worst of crimes.
Luan / Luonin 鸞人
The Luan (鸞人 luónín) are the semi-mortal descendants of Pomin and an immortal race of celestial bird. Luans typically have long lifespans, though not as long as the Thern or Druwa, and are able to access the elements with dedicated cultivation of their manifestations, usually excelling at the cultivation of air and earth, and occasionally thunder and water. They are the tallest of the races of Ruina and also the most proud and passionate. Other defining features of luans are their long, pointed ears, pronounced noses, and darker skin colors. The Luan are known for having forged the largest empire in the history of Ruina, conquering and ruling over the majority of the Pomin kingdoms and tribes. The empire eventually collapsed as the Luan nobles fought and split the territories up into new kingdoms, until an unknown race of mortals, called 騭霸 tsippā (“stallion lords”) by the luans, invaded from the distant north conquering the many Luan kingdoms and forging a new empire. Under the new rulers, the Luan are treated worse than the average Pomin; many noble families have been slaughtered, while those lucky enough to escape have sought refuge in the surrounding independent kingdoms. Due to the extent of the Luans historical influence, modern Luanese serves as a lingua franca for much of Ruina, and many languages in Ruina have been influenced heavily and borrowed words extensively from the Luanese language, especially during the Middle Luanese period at the height of the Luan empire.
Click here to see basic phrases in Luonese.
Lisade / Mohlien 木靈
The Lisades (
lisad) are the descendants of dryads and the daughters of the sun and moon. They are a genderless people born from trees and androgynous in appearance, usually adorned with the flowers and foliage of the forests. They inhabit the land of Lisadia, a magical place shrouded in myth and legend, having been visited by only a handful of individuals from the other races of Ruina. There are two types of Lisades, those of the moon who lead nocturnal lives, and those of the sun who lead diurnal lives. The former have pale, gray skin with luminescent veins of white or blue and matching irises, while the latter have dark, tan skin with reflective veins of gold or silver and eyes varying in hue from amber to white. All Lisades are born as twins, one of the moon and one of the sun, whose souls are conjoined at birth. A pair of twins can communicate telepathically with one another, and if one twin dies then so does the other. The Lisades live in harmony with nature and damaging it in any way is avoided as much as possible. Lisadian society is rigid and strict. An individual is given their role in society by their Father Tree when they come of age, and they are stuck with that role for life. The highest, most respected role is that of a druid priestess, who acts as a leader and spiritual figure for her clan. The lowest roles are that of foragers and builders as their work is considered destructive but necessary.
Click here to see basic phrases in Lisadian.
Sri / Silien (絲靈)
The Srians ( 
srilyu) are a race of immortals and the descendants of a group of beomin who were banished to the caves of tears, the largest cave system in all of Ruina, carved out of the earth from the tears of the weaving goddess of sorrow. Legend tells that they unknowingly drank the quicksilver dew of eternal suffering from the stalactites where hung the bells of Sorrow. The males grew violent, killing each other and themselves, leaving a race of only females, cursed with immortality and insatiable desires. The dew burned their lips away and left them impotent, but the goddess blesses them with virgin births always in the form of identical twins. The srians highly value external beauty and appearance, yet they also follow a philosophy of “masochistic hedonism” in which they believe that by maximizing misery their pleasure or capacity for pleasure can simultaneously be increased, and they thus have a complex series of rituals and customs around self-harm while preserving appearance. They worship spiders as the messengers of their goddess, and they are known for their pure white complexions, ruby and violet eyes, and black hair. They are one of the races most feared by beomin and non-mortals, thought by many cultures to be a myth, and their silk is known as one of the most sought after items in all of Ruina. While they are technically immortal, most accumulate enough bodily harm to essentially die or lose their mind. Srians are also commonly known as “weaving maidens” 織女 and “cursed immortals” 禍仙 in other languages via Luanese.