A Note On Species

Reading this wiki, you'll notice that the various Peoples of Rideen - the koromein, the lilithan, the yewen, and the ikryn - are not referred to as "races" as is the tradition in much fantasy literature. Very deliberately, the word "species" is used instead. This is for a number of reasons.

## Biology

I've never liked the implication of the word "race" in a fantasy setting used to delineate between, say, an orc and an elf. In many settings, different "races" have strong biological differences and may even have different physical and mental capabilities. Additionally, they might not be capable of interbreeding. This usage of race does *not* reflect its meaning in our own world and more closely corresponds to the concept of species.

In my opinion, using "race" in this fashion implies that race in our own world is also strictly biological when it is not. In reality, while phenotypic frequencies may be different across populations, discrete designations of race are entirely constructed. What "race" a person is considered can vary wildly depending on the time period, location, culture, and context, but an orc will never be considered an elf. Race is ill-defined and not a valuable biological designation. It is a concept constructed *by* racists, and the rest of us are just stuck with it.

By contrast, The division between the species in Rideen is a discrete and innately biological one. An ikryn and a koromein are different beings, with different anatomy, genes, and even brain structure. Species cannot interbreed, although they sometimes intermarry. What species a person belongs to is based on biology, rather than a judgement call influenced by society. The choice of the word "species" in this setting is deliberate, to avoid reinforcing the idea that race is a biological construct and that abilities vary across racial designations.

## Race is, like, an actual thing in this setting

Within species in the setting, different ethnicities exist. Ikryn culture draws clear distinctions between the ruby, emerald, and sapphire people and these distinctions have societal importance. Much of yewen society is strictly regimented to prevent miscegenation across perceived ethnic boundaries. It's important to stress that while characters and cultures *within the Rideen setting* may believe these ethnicities to be biological or even metaphysical fact, *they are not*, and are strictly socially constructed. There is no meaningful difference between the different racial castes of the yewen people, except the difference imposed on them by their society.

Using "race" to refer to both species and ethnicity in this setting would be confusing, and blur the lines between the inherent biological differences between species, and the constructed social differences between race that I have intentionally kept strict.

## Avoiding Allegory

There's a tendency for "race" in fantasy settings to become allegorical for race in the real world. This can become problematic if fantasy races have clear biological differences, both in nature and ability, as this is not true in reality. (Consider a movie like Zootopia, a film that asserts inherent biological differences between animal species while also attempting to make those differences analogous to the constructed categories of race.)

In Rideen, none of the conflicts between species *or* ethnic groups are in *any way* intended to mirror the real world. The conflicts of the setting have been carefully designed so as to avoid cleanly mapping onto specific real-world issues of race. While I believe almost all fiction, especially science fiction, is inherently political, and fictional narratives will always influenced by the real world, it is neither my goal nor my position as a cishet white dude to tell the story of real world racial issues through the lens of fiction. People in Rideen think about and interact with constructed categories of race, but those categories look and act very different than they do for us.

## Final Note

While I try to ensure that my views are in keeping with reason, scientific consensus, and the lived experiences of others, my perspective is limited and I don't always get everything right. If you feel I've made a mistake, I encourage you to contact me and let me know. Everything I do and say is done in good faith and I always try to be open-minded.