Varushkans take a pragmatic approach to lineage – they know well the dangers of judging someone by their appearance. Varushkan families are large, and many people can tell a story of a relative who has lineage. As long as a person with lineage abides by the rules of Varushka, their fellows largely do not care about the touch of magic in their blood. This touch of the other also draws them to magical or priestly careers, and many volhov are lineaged or were taught their magic by a lineaged master.

The draughir lineage is strong in Varushka; stories claim it has its foundation in the nation in a valley beset by terrible famine. A boyar made a deal with a powerful Winter Eternal to save their people but in the process they were transformed into monsters who feasted on rotten meat and the flesh of the dead. Traditionally the Varushkans have a great deal of respect for the pragmatic instincts of the draughir and for their ability to survive, while simultaneously keeping a close eye on them in case their more monstrous appetites overwhelm them.

There is a traditional belief that those of the changeling lineage make excellent hunters of monsters, especially great beasts. Their confidence drives them to take their lives in their hands and risk travelling through the wilderness in small numbers, but this same confidence married to a tendency towards martial prowess makes them excellent trappers, hunters and messengers who thumb their noses at the dark powers every time they complete a mission. Some Varushkans consider changelings to be a liability – their recklessness and scepticism of good common sense is sometimes seen as a disaster waiting to happen.

Briars are too thick to follow rules.