Ancestries of the Mortal Plane

Common Ancestries

Human

Human at Archives of Nethys
Humans are the most plentiful people of the Mortal Plane, though they're also the most fragmented and warlike. Most of the eastern continent is populated nigh-exclusively by humans, and the countries of Sheora, Eskijan, Estil, Thassas, and the loosely-organized Algan Settlements have a unique and oft-tense political arrangement.
The Kingdom of Sheora is the oldest and largest country of them all, with a monarchy and a strict structure of authority that's stayed mostly unchanged for over a millenium. Within the past century, it's cracked down on worship of most gods, presenting the generally-revered goddess of winter and peace, Iela, as a cold figure of law and order, as well as the one goddess who stands against chaos and strife. Sheora's many cities and villages dot the wintry northern landscape of Sheora, trying to keep the peace as civil unrest grows. King Ancel IV of Sheora declared war on their recently-democratic southern neighbor, Eskijan, a couple of years ago to deal with the local unrest caused by such a political upheaval, and The War of Justification - plus the nationalism that comes with it - is just beginning to reach its peak.
Eskijan used to be a part of the kingdom of Estil before declaring independence. Military service is mandatory upon reaching adulthood, as it always has been, and this enabled a populist movement to peacefully separate Eskijan from Estil with the threat of violence. Populism, nationalism, and a drive for prosperity/wealth have remained the dominant forces in the country ever since, and were it not for the recent aggression by Sheora and the resulting War of Justification, Eskijan may have pushed for expansionism on its own terms.
Estil is what remains of the country that predated Eskijan. After a famine that devastated its population in the wake of The Separation of Eskijan and the deaths of two kings in a row, most of its remaining nobles have either become heroes or sprung up from nothing, and its young queen is slowly attempting to rebuild its culture and self-sufficiency from what remains.
Thassas is a country that sprung up from those Sheora once exiled through Gravestone Pass. The descendants of those original surviving exiles now serve as rulers, though power is less centralized. Thassas is a country where passion and the drive to achieve great things are encouraged in each child, and it's the one country that's currently trying to find out what's beyond the eastern ocean.
The Algan Settlements are a loose collection of settlements in the marshy, hot south of the Sheoran continent. People seeking fortune or a new life often end up stuck in the swamps of the Algan Wilds, leaving them to join the welcoming and hospitality-focused culture of the Settlements. Marshdwellers' mannerisms are often considered common and crude by many, but the culture encourages them to be hospitable to strangers and respect their environment regardless of whether or not others are respectful of them.

Elf

Elf at Archives of Nethys
Fleeing from the advancement of an empire in their home plane, a large quantity of elves fled through a planar rift into the Mortal Plane almost a thousand years ago. Over the years, the number grew out of a desire for survival, though the population appears to be hitting a plateau. Nowadays, elves keep to themselves due to a desire to avoid involving themselves in the wars and conflicts of mortals, rarely (but occasionally) venturing into cities and towns held by others. Elves can be found mostly in the northern parts of the Sheoran Continent, though some settled on islands or on the eastern shores of Lasnil. Elves within the Mortal Plane generally consider themselves a part of Ashana regardless of location, the word roughly translating to "community", though the Sanctuary proper (on the northern Sheoran Continent) is considered the safest and most culturally important land.
Elves are of fey nature in this setting and can live indefinitely; their reserved lifestyle leads most to live centuries to upwards of a thousand years. Elves, culturally, tend to choose either death or a final journey on their own when they feel that their life has reached a good ending point. Though most elves in Sanctuary Ashana proper follow the customs of that land and tend to be rather pale in color, elves who dwell in other elven towns often have differing appearance and culture.
Elves in this setting know Sylvan in addition to their other known languages.

Dwarf

Dwarf at Archives of Nethys
Dwarves emerged from the lower planes deep underground, and it took centuries for them to make their way to the surface. Some dwarves emerged in the lands that are now the Principality of Blum, while others found their way to the Stronghold Mountains on the eastern continent. The generations since have led to a diversity of origin myths and cultural traditions, all of which are considered important to particular groups. The most insular and traditional dwarven culture can be found in the many cities within and beneath the Stronghold Mountains, where dwarves preserve their traditions from ages past and only rarely venture south to trade with the friendly and generally peaceful people of the Algan Settlements. Those within Blum have mostly adopted a combination of halfling and dwarven culture that has been peacefully mixing for over half a millenium, detailed further within that article.

Halfling

Halfling at Archives of Nethys
The halflings of the Mortal Plane sprung up on the continent of Lasnil, preferring the vast, warm, green hills of the southern side of the continent in which to settle. Most halflings prefer to stay at home, although a powerful wanderlust is known to occasionally grip a young halfling and cause them to venture far away with little warning. This wanderlust may be what led to the mutual discovery of the dwarven people, and the halflings' hospitality and similar valuation of tradition quickly led to the discovery of common ground. Nowadays, most halflings live in Blum and regard the dwarves who share their meadhalls and under-hill villages as members of a common people.

Gnome

Gnome at Archives of Nethys
Gnomes are one of the two peoples who migrated to this world from the upper planes, arriving from the Woodlands through rifts in the forests of Lasnil centuries ago. Most gnomes reside on that continent still, forming migratory tribes similar to those they'd had in their home plane and forming only a small number of villages in relatively static locations. Discovery is the central theme of gnomish culture, with the majority either wandering in small groups for exploratory purpose or settling down for the purpose of creation and invention.
Gnomes tend to have patches of bright color on their person, be they in hair, eyes, skin, or another part of their body. The Bleaching is not a relevant concept within this setting, but gnomes are still fey in nature. Gnomes can live hundreds of years at least, but their exploratory habits often put them in danger of dying before that.

Uncommon Ancestries

Gnoll

Gnoll at Archives of Nethys

Goblin

Goblin at Archives of Nethys

Hobgoblin

Hobgoblin at Archives of Nethys

Kobold

Kobold at Archives of Nethys

Orc

Orc at Archives of Nethys