Introduction
A riftclaw is a large, lizard-like alien native to the plane found outside of reality known as the void. Riftclaws are magical beings like dragons or unicorns, highly attuned to and imbued with the energies found within the void. Their namesake claws are capable of digging into the very fabric of reality, allowing them to slip between worlds or into the void itself at will.
While being well-suited to life in the lightless expanse of ruined and decaying worlds that make up the topography of the void, riftclaws really don't like to live there. It's dark, cold, and extremely dangerous- and while they're quite capable fighters, they'd really prefer to live and raise their children in a safer environment. Thus the majority of riftclaws are found in various corners of the multiverse, keeping to themselves and trying to live as peacefully and non-intrusively as possible.
Despite initial appearances, riftclaws are sapient people- they are capable of speech and higher reasoning, and often use their shapeshifting abilities to live among other sapient peoples, like humans or anthropomorphic species. Culturally they are known as the Vaskharr, and Vaskharr society often includes non-riftclaw people who marry into, are adopted by, or choose to join a clan.
The estimated population excluding non-riftclaw spouses, adoptees and other culturally integrated people is 2 million. This number is split across the known Nine Clans, which keep meticulous records of births, deaths, and genetic lineages. The largest clan is Red-Sands with around 600,000 members, and the known smallest is Painted-Rocks with a little under 150,000 (the Voidclaw population is suspected to be smaller, but the exact number is unknown).