The dominant heritage amongst the Clans is humans, though they don’t quite hold a majority over the rest of the lineages that live on the Steppe. Dwarves make up about a quarter of the Tomarran population, with Fae (particularly Autumn and Winter Fae) and Elves (particularly High Elves) making up the remainder.
Humans in Tomarr are viewed as being blank slates, untouched by magical influence in their blood and thus inherently better able to maintain the Great Balance in themselves and the world around them. This is obviously more stereotype than accurate depiction, but the focus that Tomarrans put upon maintaining balance in as many things as possible and the fact that Humans lack any of the other Lineages’ inherent urges or emotional inclinations together mean that humans are often seen as a stabilizing force within their Kiths and Clan.
Helikhar created the Dwarves to help it run its empire, and the Lineage flourished in the Old God’s realm. After the Godswar, they were not entirely trusted by the other Lineages, though the ferocity with which the Dwarven Clans fought to bring down Helikhar’s brutal regime did earn them a certain amount of respect. Though quite a few Dwarves stayed within their ancient Clanholds dug deep into the earth and stone, just as many made their way out onto the Steppe after the Godswar, joining the other surface-dwellers and offering their skills in building structures worked into the land around them, integrating into Tomarran society.
The Dwarves of Tomarr are thought to be the originators of the ancient traditions of Clans. The strong family ties that Helikhar built into their blood and bone made a solid organizational foundation which the other ancient Tomarrans copied, and which has lasted into the modern day in the four Great Clans and the countless smaller Kiths who populate the Steppe. Though the Dwarven Clans cannot rival the four Great Clans in power, they are large enough and have enough economic and military weight that many non-Dwarven leaders will listen to the opinions and proposals of a Dwarven Clanhead with considerable respect.
Each Dwarven Clan functions as a very large and Steppe-spanning Kith. Like the Khramadzi temple-cities, the Dwarven Clans do not swear allegiance to any single Great Clan, but instead operate independently, assisting the local representatives of the Great Clans as needed on a case-by-case basis. Only about half of the Tomarran Dwarven population actually belong to their respective ancestral Clans; the rest are part of multi-Lineage Kiths, and have little or nothing to do with Dwarven Clan politics.
The Dwarven Clans still have many Clanholds scattered throughout the Steppe, grand mansions within cities or solitary (often fortified) cavernous halls burrowed deep into the earth. The Clan leaders are careful to spread their influence out across the Steppe, never concentrating their people or power too much in one region or Province, in order to avoid appearing to favor one of the Great Clans over another. Most major cities have a representative from each of the Dwarven Clans in residence; any Dwarves may seek out their Clan’s representative for assistance, though a Dwarf who has not pledged themselves to their Clan’s services may find that they owe a significant debt for any help they receive.
Elves have a long history within the Steppe. Though not nearly as numerous as the Dwarves, the High Elves of Helicalis who survived the Godswar swiftly became the keepers of the laws and customs of the people of Tomarr, and this has remained remarkably constant throughout the nation’s tumultuous history. The majority of Tomarran Elves are High Elves, with a love of and knack for understanding rules and laws, and these fit naturally into the more traditionalist and orderly parts of Tomarran society. Other Elves have immigrated into Tomarr over the millennia, but the stereotypical Tomarran Elf is a judicator, lawyer, or Shrike. Regardless of their role, though, the famously muted Elven emotions are valued by many in Tomarran society, who see Elves as being more objective judges of whatever conflict or issue is at hand than any other Lineage might be.
Fae occupy an odd place in Tomarran culture. The emotional impulses granted to them by their Lineages are valued in the aggregate — nothing restores balance to a stagnant society better than a group of Summer Fae pushing hard for change, and few things can push for restraint and patience better than a coalition of Winter Fae. Individually, however, Tomarran Fae are constantly taught to try to balance the emotional impulses they feel due to their Lineage. Spring Fae are taught to keep their emotions from bubbling over too loudly; Summer Fae are taught to exercise patience, to always think before they act; Autumn Fae are frequently pushed to spend time alone and to not depend overmuch upon others; Winter Fae are encouraged to act impulsively, to not spend too much time contemplating before they act. This is not intended to fully suppress the impulses of a Fae’s Lineage, but rather to teach them how to restrain or counter it when necessary. The Tomarrans believe that it is better to teach self-discipline and Balance early in life, than to leave a child to forever struggle against the urges within their blood.