Races

= Humans = Humans are the primary population of the land due to their great numbers. There are noticeable differences between humans in terms of height, complexion, hair and eye color, but the capability of categorizing these differences has yet to be discovered. The average height of humans in Grienzland in 1914 is 5'7" for males and 5'3" for females.

= Non-Human Races = The races on Anfang are divided into two main categories: creatures and spirits.

Creatures
After much debate and effort to narrow down the meaning of the term, the category of 'Creatures' has come to be defined as "a being that is both temporally coherent and spatially persistent from a perspective of human observation." This means that, while Creatures may be capable of traveling across spaces in manners that humans are not, they can be continuously observed transferring from one location to another without any missing time or persistent disappearance.

Creatures follow the natural law of all animals in that they have both a male and female sex, and engage in sexual reproduction. For classification purposes, humans are considered to be in the Creature category as well, though this is rarely addressed outside of academic circles.

There are four other recognized Creature races that participate in life within Grienzland and its neighbors:

 Night Ravens : Dark-winged humanoids with a connection to night and the dark

 Wolfen : Lupine shapeshifters capable of changing forms between animal and man

 Sea Hounds : Squalidae aquatic humanoid descendants of an ancient, sunken civilization

 Half-Horses : Equine hybrids dwelling on the steppes of Eastern Uropa

Spirits
Whereas a Creature maintains a constant physical location and linear presence in time, Spirits are not limited in the same way. There are two types of Spirits known to humans, divided into the realm that constitutes their origin and primary environment.

Celestial Spirits
Within the Ortueist religion there are many mention of heavenly messengers, divine servants, and angelic protectors who have intervened in humanity's history. In every instance, these beings are described as unfathomably perfect, masculine in appearance and name, and seemingly made of light or Essence itself. Their very appearance commands obedience and righteous terror within those who observe them. Celestial Spirits are much less documented and categorized by humans due to the rarity of interactions with them.

Known in Grienzen as "Grenzschuetzer," Celestial Spirits are commonly referred to as a number of folk terms that allude to their role of maintaining boundaries and enforcing the border between spirit and physical.

Terrestrial Spirits
Far better understood are the Terrestrial Spirits that inhabit the world of Anfang. Whereas Celestial Spirits are male and reside within the heavenly realm and are made of Essence (while being able to manifest physically when needed), Terrestrial Spirits are female and live within the world and are mostly physical while being capable of becoming immaterial. There are exceptions to these means of categorization, such as the Fey Cats having male and female both, and the Daughters of the Dragon being incapable of immaterial manifestation, but as general rules they hold.

In Grienzen these Terrestrial Spirits are referred to by the term "Grenzgaenger," referring to their threshold-crossing nature that sees them straddle the line between spirit and physical. There are three primary Terrestrial Spirit races with enough population and organization to apply for Grienzen citizenship:

 Daughters of the Dragon : Draconic mountain giants with elemental affinities

 Burrowers : Tiny earth sprites closely tied to humans

 Fey Cats : Furtive feline remnants from a shattered ancient civilization

Other, less populous races of Spirits were not able to apply for membership to the Empire, but those who were not deemed a threat were allowed to continue existing as they have historically. They are still given protections by the Fatherland, but are not recognized as citizens and as such do not possess any of the official legal rights. That being said, many traditions remain in effect that maintain a peaceful relationship between locals and these creatures/spirits and there are often positive interactions between them and humans.

 Flame Maidens : Embodiments of fire spirits

 Living Dolls : Manmade puppets containing an animating spirit

 Forest Wardens : Fox-eared/-tailed forest spirits

 River Maidens : Serpentine water spirits

 Spirit Hounds : Ghostly canine guardians

 Swift Couriers : Supernaturally fast messengers

 Titan Kin : Tall, multi-armed humanoids from the Hellenic League

 Maleogma : Lion-bodied chimeras Hikuptah

Dangerous Beings
Persistently combative or instinctively predatory monsters were largely hunted down and killed when it was made clear that this was the only option. Some still managed to persist due to their habitats being inaccessible or in treacherous terrain, making their destruction too difficult to realistically achieve. Others have proven impossible to track down, or are capable of manifesting despite efforts to curb their appearance.

 The Returned : Risen dead that spread plagues, cause madness, and eat humans

 The Formless : Fae beings that reside in dreams and sometimes escape into reality

 Changelings : Children of the Formless, swapped with human babies at birth and raised in human society

 The Devolved : Degenerated former humans steeped in necrotic Essence that haunt the Ifranian continent