Masklings will eventually get some sort of advancement, but they're not supposed to be a fully fleshed out race. They fill the role of a goblin or a skeleton, a simple, basic enemy that isn't too threatening. In the future there will be other enemy races, and rival humans who will be much more dangerous.
Is there ever going to be some kind of political aspect to the game? You could, say, offer the masklings 50 wine in exchange for an alliance. Or for them to attack someone for you. Would be cool if each tribe had a name, and whenever you encountered one there would be a pop-up. Then you could say : "Attack FireHammer tribe and destroy (not capture) their settlement. You could start manipulating the masklings into destroying each other, all the while plotting your eventual takeover.