A catch all term for any less developed people who are clearly not human, many of them having beastly features (examples include the centaurs, cat folk, Tokkiti (rabbit folk), Tarkibi (hyena folk), and other such peoples

this is a catch all placeholder to allow fluidity in what races exist in this fantasy setting, because writing them all out would take forever and we want to allow anyone who writes or plays games to be able to add their preferred flavor with out too much work
The Beast Folk are not cosmologically special unless individually specified

I. Ontological Tier Placement Rule

Every new people must belong to one of these tiers:

Tier 1 — Mortal-Origin Peoples

Evolved or naturally emergent beings within reality.

Examples:

Humans (Atlanian, Stanzgarian, Forislar)
Goltari
Dwarves
Fengalin
Most Beast Folk

Constraints:

Bound by mortality
Cannot predate reality’s current cycle
Cannot casually warp reality
Souls subject to existing death gods

This is the default.
Tier 2 — Altered Mortal Peoples

Mortal beings whose origin involves divine or arcane alteration.

Examples:

Lafin
Potentially some Beast Folk variants
Lycanthropes (bound cases like Daric/Kanara)

Constraints:

Must trace alteration to:
A god
A known magical system
A historical event
Cannot surpass their originator in metaphysical weight
Cannot introduce new cosmic laws

Tier 3 — Primordial / Pre-Structured Peoples

Exist before structured civilizations but within reality.

Examples:

Possibly certain deep-ruin inhabitants
Ancient forgotten offshoots
Early primal-altered beings

Constraints:

Cannot predate the Karpachi ascendancy unless explicitly tied to it.
Must not rewrite the origins of the mountain gods.
Cannot undermine the structure of death and soul governance.

Tier 4 — Ascended / Reality-Aware Entities

Entities like the post-ascendancy Karpachi.

Constraints:

Rare.
Must tie to “The Plan.”
Cannot casually appear.
Must operate at structural level, not narrative whim.

No new playable race should ever default here.

II. Soul Governance Rule

Before introducing a new people, answer:

Who governs their dead?
Do they fall under Dùrchan now?
Do they have a separate ancestral path?
Are they absorbed post-Unity?

If this question is ignored, you break your death cosmology.

Your setting takes souls seriously.

So must additions.
III. Divine Non-Inflation Rule

No new race may introduce:

A secret god stronger than Tal'Zanithal.
A hidden mountain god.
A forgotten reality architect.
A parallel pantheon equal in scope.

If a race has patron spirits, those spirits must be:

Localized
Lesser
Spirit-tier
Or already integrated into known hierarchies

IV. Geographic Anchoring Rule

Every new people must answer:

Where do they originate?
Why haven’t they already destabilized major powers?
What ecological niche explains their physiology?

If someone invents winged tiger people who live everywhere and dominate trade, it collapses your existing power map.

V. Power Ceiling Rule

Playable or narrative peoples should not:

Outperform Lafin in magic inherently.
Outfight Goltari in primal ferocity inherently.
Outlast Dwarves in durability inherently.
Outmaneuver Halafin in metaphysical manipulation inherently.

Specialization is fine.
Supremacy inflation is not.

VI. Karpachi Protection Clause

Nothing new may:

Preempt the Karpachi as ancient spacefaring precursors.
Accidentally replicate their tech level.
Introduce older ruins unless tied to them or clearly derivative.

If ruins are more advanced than Vaelrún’s, they must:

Be Karpachi.
Be post-Karpachi.
Or be intentionally alien and explained.

No mystery that secretly undermines “The Plan.”

VII. The Beast Folk Container Rule

When using “Beast Folk” as a placeholder:

Writers must specify:

Are they Tier 1 or Tier 2?
What governs their dead?
Are they regionally contained?
Are they culturally specific?

If unspecified, default them to:

Tier 1
Locally emergent
No cosmological impact

VIII. Narrative Weight Check

Before finalizing a new people, ask:

Does this race:

Change the balance of gods?
Change death?
Change magic?
Change political power drastically?

If yes — it needs structural justification.

If no — it’s safe.