Clans
There are many clans in the world of Breath of Fire II. Each look quite different or have different skills and vocations. Here are the main ones that will be met during Hearts Aflame.

Clanless
The Clanless are usually made up of humans or inter-bred races who have lost their special clan skills. They are the most common and wide-spread race in the world, and the most durable when it comes to different vocations and skills.

Brood
Also known as the Dragon clan, they are very few and far between, one of the rarer races in the world. They're able to access great power in the form of transforming in to dragons, but the more interbred, the weaker the gene is, until it finally dies out. The only known town of Brood is currently buried deep under the ruins of Gate. Full-blooded and some Half-blooded Brood have leathery wings on their back, especially the females of the clan.

Dirt-Eating clan
Also known as 'Mole people', this race disappeared into the annals of time, rarely heard of in recent years. Some scholars speculate that they have underground cities where they dwell, but most believe them to have died out. There are some who believe that the Shell clan is an off-shoot of the Dirt-Eater clan, but this is unverified and reputed by Shell clan representatives.

Creeping clan
Lovers of water and looking like anthromorphic frog people, the Creeping clan are genteel, refined and lovers of art. They usually don't spread beyond the borders of Sima Fort, though in recent years there has been some who dared to travel, taking after their beloved Prince Jean. All members of the race are great swimmers, but are weak to dehydration. They come off as snobbish and uninterested in other people, often speaking with strong accents and using foreign turns of phrase. Their cuisine is noted by other clans as the worst in the world, but saying so to a chef of the clan will result in heated debate.

Forest clan
A nomadic group of swift, wolf-like people, the Forest clan are a clan of hunters who dwell in the forests and revere nature. They keep mostly to themselves, rarely going into populated areas. Their hunters will sometimes be spotted trading with travelling merchants and the hides and meat they provide is usually of very high quality.

Grassmen
The Grassmen are one of the longest-living clans. Emotionless and guided only by logic, they travel the world when they are young gathering as much knowledge as possible and transform into wise trees in their old age, never to move again. They are few and far between due to their slow maturity cycle and usually there will be only one or two born from any one tree, so numbers are slow to grow. They have a special affinity with nature and can call apon its power to aid them in battle, though most are decidedly against fighting. They can easy move through the thickest and densest forests and sometimes will serve as guides in exchange for stories or knowledge.

Grassrunner clan
There is very little known about the origins of the Grassrunner clan, except that they have been around for thousands of years and look akin to canines - the males of the tribe throwing more to the dog side, whilst the females looking more vulpine. The grassrunners are thought to be a highly intelligent tribe, but not all members seem to follow suit. They have no known homeland and there appears to be very few of them left in the world, though they are usually found in populated areas, being of friendly nature.

Highlanders
The Highlanders are a clan of monkey-people who reside in the highlands. The people of this clan are incredibly gifted in terms of athletic ability, like quickness and jumping. They are a warrior clan, and train both the mind and the body, usually delving into the sciences in order to sate their curiosity about the ancient races and the machines they left behind. They usually don't travel much, preferring to stay in the highlands, though there have been the odd few who left the clan lands behind.

Iron Ogre clan
The Iron Ogre Clan are a clan of anthropomorphic oxen, both men and women having horns and amazing strength. Warriors of the Iron Ogre clan are immense and powerful, able to lift large loads easily. Members of the clan are also known for their metal working and engineering skills, though many prefer to work with mines and metals instead of engines and sciences. The clan is not very widespread, though they will travel on occasion and there have been instances of whole towns moving to new areas when a mine dries out.

Manillo
The Manillo are a race of bipedal fish who are able to breathe while on land. A clan of traders, they boast that they will one day control the world's commerce. Their trade territory is any place that touches the sea and they are territorial about established trade routes. The Manillo are notorious for their greed, often being caught up in fish lines, mistaking lures for some kind of treasure. There are rumours of a great underwater city where they live, though none have seen it.

Shamans
Shamans are a race with the ability of uniting and can fuse with someone to upgrade their powers by infusing them with their elemental energies. Though they look human, Shamans have a close tie to the elemental energies of the world and are considered to be magical beings, rather like ghosts or spirits.
Only females are called Shamans. Any male child born to a Shaman is either given away to a Clanless family to raise, or raised as a Clanless child. There have been instances of male-born clan members being able to fuse, but usually it only occurs when the man is close to the host and such fuses only last a small while and are very unstable.
Scholars believe that the reason for this is that because males are brought up to be dominant they can't sacrifice themselves into the fusing without wanting to wrestle control of the body. It's believed that since women are naturally docile and subservient, it's easier for them to allow the host to take control of their powers during a uniting. Of course, this thesis doesn't take into count that most Shamans are very strong-willed and devious, trained in the art of getting their way.

Shell clan
The Shell Clan are a race of large bipedal armadillos who live in the southern hills around Farm Town. They differ from each other slightly in size and colour but always generally have the same features and characteristics. They don't tend to mix much with other races, though they're typically a friendly lot and do enjoy telling and hearing stories. They spend most of their lives working with their hands, either on construction sites or as farmers. Teams will sometimes be hired for specific building jobs, mainly because of their trustworthy natures, great work ethic and friendly dispositions.

Wing clan
The Wing Clan, sometimes referred to as Fae or most commonly, Windians, are one of the main races in the world and pretty wide-spread. They are human in appearance, except with wings that are almost angelic. Interbreeding with other races has made their clan powers dwindle. Where once they could fly and transform into giant birds, now they can only glide short distances. Transformation is only attainable through a special ritual, but once one becomes a giant bird they lose their intelligence and can no longer transform back into their human forms.

Woren clan
The Woren Tribe is a race that appear part human, part feline. They are powerful fighters, and very quick on their feet. They vary slightly in appearance, possibly due to different tribes, but they are always recognizable as a cat-like race. There are very few Woren in the world, with no common town where they live. Solitary people, they appear to be better at taking action than thinking, but are loyal, if clingy, friends. Most Woren know little about their own tribe, and it's very rare for them to meet another of their own race. Thankfully, their genes are strong and most children born to a Woren clan member tend to be Woren clansmen and women themselves, regardless of the other parent's clan.