The Highfolk are part rumor and part fairy tale to most Bisselites. In the east, beyond the Yatil Mountains, is a valley known as the Valley of the Highfolk, or the Valley of the Vesve, as the great Vesve Forest occupies the far side of the valley. Here there dwell a fae people, led by an Elven King; it is said to be a place where Men and Elves live under an ancient mystic bond that ties them to the land itself. The Highfolk, as they are collectively known, have little to do with the tumult of the west.
Lyrkerami is the name by which the Hill Dwarves of the region identify themselves, though they do respond to the name "Hill Dwarf" with some measure of reluctance. Their name seems to mean something along the lines of "Of the Young Clans"; their relationship with the reclusive Mountain Dwarves of the Barrier Peaks, Lortmils, and Yatils seems amiable enough (as far as Dwarves go), but they do not long tolerate the company of those they call "The Sundered" - the Charduni. Lyrkerami dwell in Human towns as well as the hilly, rocky areas they are named for. They are what most people think of when "Dwarves" are mentioned.
The scattered, roving Charduni are considered a dangerous religious cult among the Dwarves, but the Charduni claim that they are the truest Dwarves of all, despite the fact that they do not dwell underground, are a full foot taller than most Dwarves, and are said to practice necromancy. What is known for certain is that they live amongst Men and any others who will tolerate their presence, hiring themselves out as savage mercenaries. Though they claim no homeland, they each maintain detailed records of their lineage and geneaologies, recorded with tattoos that cover their bodies. They also are known for wielding "war-sceptres", maces which have cloth or leather likenesses of their wielders sewn over them, to which they attribute mystic significance.
Though Hobbits are well-known to all peoples, the Hairfoots (not Hairfeet, most protest) have integrated themselves amongst villages and towns of Men more than their more reclusive kin. The Hairfoots, who also refer to themselves as the Hin, share a legacy similar to the plight of the Charduni: they have no homeland. This does not seem to bother most of them, who are happy to live in the shadow of the Big Folk, maintaining small communities and ghettoes and practicing their simple form of religion, a collection of superstitions and a belief that nature rewards an individual's good actions, which they call Gjarti (ghee-YAR-tee). The Hairfoots maintain trading Fellowships, seemingly based on little more than a simple code of manners and subtle nuances, may of which have grown considerably influential and entrenched in towns and villages, causing Human merchant guilds to envy and despise their diminutive competitors.
There are other Hobbit-folk known to the Men of Bissel, though very little is known about them. Hin found amongst the Lyrkerami communities tend to be a bit tougher than their more urban brethren, and are known as Stouts. While similar in outlook, Stouts are given a bit more to hard work and take great pride in the fruits of their labors. They often grow long sideburns, muttonchops, and any sort of facial hair they can muster, perhaps in an effort to emulate their neighbor Lyrkerami and Rock Gnomes. Their spiritual beliefs, while still more private than those of Men and Dwarves, follow not Gjarti but rather an agricultural goddess known as Yondalla the Provider.
Tallfellows are the names given to those Hobbits who live amongst the forests, so named for their taller and generally more agile appearance. While both retain their general amiability toward other folk, they are also a bit more guarded in their interactions with Humans and other outsiders. Tallfellows, in particular, are known for using trickery, misdirection, scare tactics or even ambush to ward away uninvited strangers to their groves. Few Tallfellows are seen by Men, and the locations of their communities are unknown in anything but the vaguest of terms. Those Tallfellows who have been encountered in Bissel have almost universally been allied with the Highfolk, or said to be working on their behalf.
Little is known about the reclusive Rock Gnomes, and even less of their distant cousins the Forest Gnomes. They may not even be related, though they have been said to be similar in appearance. The Rock Gnomes inhabit the Lorridges, primarily, and owe allegiance to none but their own homes.