At some point in the past, the Pak colonized Mars during what is known to most Barsoomian natives as "the Time of Oceans". The colonists sought the help of beings capable of gene manipulation in order to better adapt to this environment.

All Pak-derived Barsoomians share the unique egg-laying habits of most Martian vertebrates, and most have adopted the political system of Jeds and Jeddaks used by the native Tharks. The eggs of these races, like those of the (more) native Tharks, Okoomians, and Orguz, have to be incubated for about 5 Martian years before hatching. Upon hatching the young Martians are fully developed except for their size. They reach maturity in another 5 Martian years.

Originally, there were only 5 Pak-derived races on Barsoom. However, when the oceans began retreating and climate change occurred, other races arose, and occasionally evolved into new species

First Born

The First Born, or Black Martians, are reputedly one of the oldest of the Pak-derived races on Mars. They live near the south pole, with their main city on the shore of the underground Omean Sea. Additionally, there is also a city called Kamtol, with a population of 200,000, located in the Rift, the region between Horz and Gathol.

Aside from their ebony-colored skin, the other defining feature of the First Born are their narrow, black-irised eyes.

The First Born consider themselves holier, likening themselves to gods, than all other Barsoomian races and absolutely superior. The leader of the First Born (until she was overthrown), Issus, was believed by the First Born and all of Barsoom to be a goddess. The sense of superiority made the First Born think nothing of consuming the flesh of "lesser beings".

Through complex means, the Black Martians controlled the entirety of Martian religion for a long time. They controlled the Therns (see below), and the Therns controlled all other Barsoomian religion. The Holy Therns are as ignorant of Issus' true self as are the Barsoomians of the outer world. Her decrees are borne to the Therns written in blood upon a strange parchment. They think that they are receiving the revelations of a goddess through some supernatural agency, since they find these messages upon their guarded altars to which none could have access without detection. The messages are carried by the First Born through a long tunnel from the Temple of Issus to the principal temple of the Therns.

There are no workers among the First Born, keeping slaves to perform tasks save for fighting which they consider a sacred duty. For all menial tasks slaves of Therns and Reds are kept. In their above ground lands in the Valley Dor near the Temple of Issus they mysteriously move among the plant men and white apes unmolested; these creatures appear to fear the First Born.

During the reign of Issus, in a great amphitheater an event called the "Rites of Issus" took place every month. During this event, supposedly the sins are washed from the souls of the Black men through killing captive men of the outer world. If he survives the rites, he is held acquitted of the charge that forced the sentence of the rights. If a Black is killed, it is evidence of his disloyalty to Issus, which is an unpardonable sin. The forms of combat vary. The number of prisoners may be pitted together against an equal number, or twice the number of Blacks; or singly they may be sent forth to face wild beasts, or a famous First Born warrior.

Orovar

Orovars, or White Martians, are nearly extinct on modern-day Barsoom. They were once a seafaring race, pushed to the brink of extinction when the waters of Mars began to dry, hiding in well-hidden cities cut off from the rest of the planet.

Being isolated from greater Barsoom, they know little of the events that have transpired upon Barsoom since their disappearance, and are hostile to anyone who discovers their existence. Their isolation likewise means they do not have some of the more advanced Barsoomian technology such as firearms (instead relying on bows, which themselves seem to be unknown outside of Orovar populations) and fliers. However, those that have managed to integrate into the greater society of Barsoom often find themselves working off-planet with their more alien neighbors, the Sarmaks, Okoomians, and Pfifiltriggi.

Thern

A race descended from Orovars who sought shelter within the Dor Valley, Therns are completely bald, but wear very convincing blonde wigs.

Though not especially industrious, the therns amassed great power over the centuries through their promotion of the cult of the Holy Therns, which preached that the way to paradise lay in the Valley Dor. For centuries, Martians of all colors headed down into the valley, only to find a land heavily populated by white apes and plant men, whom the therns had trained to attack the unwitting pilgrims. The few who survived this horror, like the Princess Thuvia of Ptarth, became enslaved by the therns, toiling away for years until the therns decided that they had outlived their usefulness, at which point they were killed and served up to the leaders of the Holy Therns. Ironically, the therns themselves had been fooled; the First Born had convinced them that the real way to paradise lay in the Temple of Issus, which lay in the Omean Sea, the stronghold of the Black Martians.

For centuries, the Holy Therns lured unsuspecting Martians to their deaths, their own civilization thriving but for the occasional raids of the "black pirates". These raids always ended in the kidnapping of both white and red women, but the therns dared not fight back; their first and only attempt to attack the First Born resulted in a brutal reprisal.

Prior to their downfall, the therns' religion was complex and shared many similarities to the primary religion of greater Barsoom and that of the First Born. Like the Black Martians, they believe themselves superior to all other Martian races, to the point that they saw nothing wrong with consuming the flesh of the "lesser" races, and worshiped an individual they believe to be godlike. At the age of one thousand years, every thern would travel to the Temple of Issus, believing that it was the true way to the Heaven (that they had used a similar ruse to lead red and green Martians to their deaths did not give them any pause.) They believed that if they died before they reached one thousand years of age, their soul would pass into a plant man to live out the remainder of the thousand years. If the plant man died before the final hour of the thousand years, then the soul would supposedly pass into the body of a white ape. If the white ape died then their soul would pass into a Silian and be lost forever. The consuming of martian flesh was ritualistic among the race, and they would not consume the flesh unless it had died being drained of blood and life by the plant men, as they believe the plant men drained the tainted life from the body.

However, with the fall of the Iss cult, the Therns lost their power, and are now reduced to a bunch of squabbling religious fanatics.

Therns as a race live and breathe deceit, constantly scheming and planning, aiming to move higher up in their own hierarchy.

Okar

The Okar, or Yellow Martians are an insular race living in the freezing northern regions of Mars. Their cities are built under glass domes, protecting them from the harsh arctic environment. They are relatively hairier than other Pak-derived Martian races, with males often sporting beards, something never seen in the others.

When the oceans and seas of the world began to dry the Tharks became more numerous, they drove the Okar further and further north, until finally the surviving Okar reached what are now known as the Carrion Caves. They made a last-stand effort against their green-skinned tormentors, standing their ground in the mouth of the caves, which squashed the Thark forces together, making it easier for the Okar men to slaughter them. When the battle ended, the Okar were victorious, and to discourage any further campaigns by the Tharks, they piled up the bodies of all those killed in the battle at the entrance to the cave. The stench repulsed other invaders and attracted the fearsome Apts.

Little else is known of the Okar race, however, due to the harsh environment of the northern areas of Mars.

Ma-Gongi

An odd subset of the Okar race which can be found in the Thakkor Marshes.

Red Martian

When the oceans dried, the Okar, Orovar, and First Born races struggled to survive. From these three races arose the Red Martians (note that the Red Martians are not exactly red, but have a reddish copper skin tone).

With the Red Martian people spread out over the face of Barsoom, Red Martian culture is far more diverse than the largely-homogenized cultures of the other races. However, they are usually organized into fairly self-sufficient city-states.

Thither

A recent race, the Thither-folk are found in an area surrounding the small Opal Sea near the northern ice cap. They are descended from interbreeding between the Okar and Red Martians, and are a somewhat nomadic sailing culture.

UNUSUAL RACES

Mant

Descended from the Orovars who inhabited the city of Mant, these beings are eyeless and have very acute hearing. They have domesticated various species of subterranean mollusks for use as transportation and food.

Theirs is a thriving community, led by a council known as the "Sighted Ones" (who have had their empty eye sockets carved out and placed jewels in them), with the entire city being led by a circle of individuals known as "Jewelers".

Sorn

Found within the Malacandra Valley near the Red Martian city-state of Kaol, the Sorn are descended from Orovars, but are so derived from them as to be a different species.

Sorns are a species adapted for high altitudes that normal Martian races would have trouble breathing in, and, like their Hrossa and Pfifiltriggi neighbors, are decidedly not warlike, in contrast to most other Martian races.

Hrossa

Originally adapted to be a sea-faring race, when the oceans began drying, the Hrossa retreated into the Malacandra Valley near Kaol. At 6-7 feet high, they still tower over many other Pak-derived races on Barsoom. However, they are not warriors, but rather singers with a rich oral tradition.

Goolian

One of the more derived races that was designed during the Time of Oceans, the Goolians were nomadic hunter-gatherers, bounding across the plains of Barsoom. However, when the oceans began drying, the Tharks multiplied, causing the Goolians to retreat. Today, they exist in very small numbers upon the Island of Ompt in the Toonolian Marshes.

Though they believe themselves to be the bravest and strongest of the Martian races and like to boast about their leaping abilities, they are in fact inveterate cowards and sloths, and as such, they are very isolated and play virtually no role in Martian politics. They hoard massive amounts of shells from their beaches, and it is widely believed that they consider these shells to be valuable treasure, but in truth, they have consciously assigned value to the shells to ensure no other race will plunder their tiny "city" of Gooli.

Though like most Martians they go about armed at all times, typically with a spear, sword and dagger, a Goolian will only fight if backed by at least ten others of his kind, and even then he is far more likely to flee in terror if the enemy appears even slightly dangerous. However, they seem psychologically unable to accept that they are not in fact a brave, mighty, wealthy people, even rationalizing panicked flight as heroic strategy.