(Note: The designation "Beastmen" is obviously one of human invention, but the same might possibly be said of the beastman races themselves. Though calling these beings "crosses between humans and wild beasts" would be a gross oversimplification at the very best, and lumping them all into the same category is fairly ludicrous, many sentient races do exist in the Black Steel world with bipedal stances or other clearly human-like features [or elven- or goblin-like, which amounts to the same thing] along with features from fur to scales to tearing jaws to tails that are associated by most humans with nonsentient beasts. It is fair to hypothesize that powerful sorcerous forces, whether in human hands or directed by pantheonic powers bound to human worship, guided or forced the development of beings so like those featured in typical human myths in our own world. It's unfortunately a difficult hypothesis to test however within the Black Steel world. Perhaps if mythological artifacts and signs of sorcerous power appeared in the archaeological record prior to the earliest signs of "beastmen" of any variety, it would be suggestive, or sorcerous means might be found of uncovering the history of magical "tampering" with a genetic line -- perhaps far in the world's future, when and if they discover the concept of genetics and the structure of DNA. At all events, beastmen clearly are not /homo sapiens/ but constitute a number of different species; unless certain werebeasts are counted among them, an issue which will need to be discussed separately -- it appears they are unable to breed with humans or indeed at all outside of their own beastman species.)
Some species of beastmen are known well enough to Black Steel personnel, and play an important enough role in that nation, to deserve separate and individual discussions. Prominent among these are the Merfolk of Scabbard Harbor, with their cousins in numerous places across the sea, apparently including some in the vicinity of Kaiimar, but Black Steel has also had extensive experience with a few others as well: Lizardfolk (including the "Sea Raiders" often mistakenly regarded as a distinct species) and so-called Wolfmen (whose appearance doesn't fairly resemble wolves) have sometimes been friends, enemies or both; indeed, "Grim" is a member of the Rat Pack regardless of his saurian appearance, and Hegrakz, a Black Steel member of some years' standing regardless of his thick fur and elongated snout (not really wolf-like in spite of the race's too-prevalent name) was long a member of Daryan's elite team, while a number of Horned Men participate in Black Steel's heavy combat forces. Moreover, Herring and Theril and the few others who have traveled in Grat'ha have encountered a number of Serpentfolk, perhaps related to one the Rat Pack met in Night Harbor, though there appear to be numerous varieties, some apparently humans who were "blessed" by serpent gods, others supposedly serpent gods themselves in corporeal form. There is also the matter of werebeasts, which seem to exist in surprising variety, and deserve (at least) a separate discussion as well. Whether these (and others, such as Seashore Sirens are included among the beastmen is simply a matter of how far one arbitrarily chooses to extend an already arbitrary and extensive category.
In theory, any number of beastman species could exist; there are certainly myths, which may or may not be based on facts (or result in pantheonic or other sorcerous manipulation such that facts might be based on them) of numerous varieties, from hawk, eagle, crow, or sparrow people to lion men (and presumably lioness women) to goat-like satyrs or others beastmen resembling cattle or sheep. There are few confirmed sightings, but rare exceptions do exist, perhaps the results of individual blessings or curses, or members of larger, little-known communities; the Rat Pack has actually befriended a "Bat Woman" for instance, who lives in Night Harbor; sadly, that group has proven less interested than some of their peers in investigating their friends' background and heritage, and so Theresa's origins, like those of so many other reported beastmen, remain a mystery.
See Also the general article on the People of the Black Steel World and specific articles on the types of beastmen best known to Black Steel:
Horned Men
Lizardfolk
Merfolk
Seashore Sirens
Serpentfolk
Werebeasts
Wolfmen
