Races of Azgaarnoth
The races of Azgaarnoth are almost all, in some way or another, tied to the ancient, mysterious, and absent, Eldar.
Firstborn
These are called such because they are those born of the Eldar themselves, created for the Eldar's own reasons well back in the deepest recesses of Azgaarnoth's history. The Firstborn include the dwarves (and their cousins, the gnomes and halflings) and the elves (and their respective offshoots as well). Each was given a different part of the world to caretake, and all became involved in the war against the Hordes when they arrived. The Eldar's Dragon companions later sought to aid the Firstborn by bestowing the Dragonmark upon several, which turned out (intentional or otherwise) to be something that could be passed down through generations to both Firstborn and humans.
Elves
Elves stand as (half of) the inheritors of the legacy of the Eldar, but owing to their long lifespans and slow reproductive rates, have more or less chosen to surrender this world into the hands of the humans that have slowly come to outnumber them. Elves have long since wandered to every corner of Azgaarnoth, and learned how to adapt to any environment, usually seeking to live in some semblance of harmony with the environment around them, but elves have long since become comfortable with human cities. Elves are almost as diverse as humans in their occupations, entertainments, and while most elves have a strong familial tie between them, numerous elves have wandered away from home to make their mark within the world, then to return and take up familial responsibilities. Elves revere their familial ancestors, and will often have a shrine to a favored ancestor, but elves do not see their familial ancestors as gods, and many elves are quite comfortable serving in a religious order even as they put offerings to their revered ancestors out on important holidays.
Dwarves
Dwarves, the other half of the Eldar legacy, have found for the most part--after the Exodus and several attempted Returns--that they care less about governance and governments than they do mining, craftwork, and trade. The ancient dwarvish clan gave rise to the modern merchant guild, and today most dwarvish clans are organized as merchant guilds (rather than kingdoms), giving them access across national boundaries. This suits the dwarves fine, who for the most part eschew the politics that have kept Liria and its neighbors embroiled for many years. Individual dwarves are welcome in mercenary companies, militant orders, and religious halls, particularly those who have either left or been cast out of clan-and-guild, but returns to clan-and-guild after a long career are commonplace, particularly if the returning dwarf brings opportunities for trade. Dwarves have reached a point where the sense of "clan" is built around the guild, and dwarves choosing to leave one guild to join another are not uncommon; for the modern dwarf, guild ties are stronger than familial ties in most cases.
Gnomes
Thought to be an ancient offshoot of the dwarves, gnomes have long since forged their own culture and racial identity. What is known is that by the time of the Exodus, gnomes were a separate and identifiable race, and gnomish tribes fought and fled alongside dwarvish clans, implying a deep degree of societal interactivity, if not a shared genetic legacy.
Gnomes, like dwarves, have taken to the merchant guilds, but still maintain strong familial ties. A gnome is often welcome in a dwarvish merchant guild, but dwarves will never completely understand why gnomes feel bound to continue to maintain connections with family outside the guild; conversely, gnomes never quite understand how dwarves can abandon kin so quickly in the name of profit or trade.
Halflings
The genetic legacy of halflings is entirely unknown--scholars theorize that these are ancient half-human, half-dwarf breeds that have evolved into their own genetic trunk, though some scholars refute this with the fact that while humans and halflings can have children, and halflings and dwarves can have children, humans and dwarves seem incapable of conception. Halflings are mentioned nowhere in the slim records of the Exodus, which also gives credence to this theory. Counterarguments suggest that halflings were an offshoot of dwarves that predate the Exodus and adapted more quickly to life on the surface, and thus were not mentioned in Exodus records because they had long since conducted their own, quieter, exodus. For the most part, halflings are content to leave the history a mystery, and choose instead to focus on the now. Regardless of their origins, halflings maintain the "luck" factor that has served them so well in other planes of existence, and may well explain why halfling history is missing so many of the tragedies that have befallen other races.
Halflings are generally tied closely to their communities, and while communities are often built around a small collection of large family structures, it's not unknown for halflings to feel cramped by the community in which they were raised, go out on their own, and either create a new halfling community or adopt into one. Halflings are generally quite social, enjoy the company of any of the other races, and fiercely defensive of their communities (both historical and adoptive).
Humans
Humans were brought into being by the Eldar as a swiftly-breeding and general-purpose supplement to the Firstborn. The capacity and creativity and adaptability of humans swiftly earned them a place of respect among the Eldar and the Firstborn. In particular, one particular "quirk" of human physiology is their ability to mate successfully with almost any of the other races on Azgaarnoth, leading to the "halves", those of mixed racial parentage.
Created
The third of the racial groups that the Eldar brought into being, the Created represent the Eldar's efforts to imbue their creations with more gifts and abilities than their previous creations, as a final effort to help tip the scales against the might of the Hordes. In particular, it is said that the Created were made with the aid of the Eldar's Dragon partners, and the influences definitely show.
Aasamari
Surprisingly, aasimari similarly face distrust and prejudice, and are often found in their own communities, frequently nomadic in nature. Aasimari/human children almost always turn out to be human, with some slightly enhanced genetics in the first generation, and as a result, it is not clear how new genetic infusions of tiefling and aasimari blood are introduced. (Some scholars speculate that the fiends and the celestials are actively taking a hand in enhancing said populations.)
Dragonborn
The history of the dragonborn (and their distant kin, tieflings and aasimar) is quite clear: dragonborn are a Created race, given life from dragons' eggs, and from there to flourish on their own. It is thought that even today, dragons periodically place a "firstborn dragonborn" (that is, Created from the egg) as an adoption with a family or other group to refresh the genetics of the race, though if true, it is not discussed among dragonborn. (Whether this is due to ignorance of their parentage or a deeper desire to preserve a secret is not known outside of the firstborn.)
Dragonkin
Dragonkin are also a Created race, though their actual history is more murky. They seem to be of chromatic descent, making them less trustworthy than their Dragonborn cousins, and would explain for the two races' intrinsic hatred of each other. Dragonkin are often found among the Hordes, albeit in small numbers, which would lend credence to their chromatic backgrounds, but an equal number are found in the lands of North Bedia, which certainly would not. Regardless, dragonkin walk the lands of Azgaarnoth.
Dragonmarked
A dragonmark is a mystic sigil that appears on the skin. The mark is a source of mystical power and enhances the bearer’s ability to perform certain tasks.
Genasi
The elemental genasi are thought to be Created, though the Eldars' reasons for doing so aren't entirely clear; if the Created were intended to be the Eldars' final weapons against the Hordes, the genasi were not a succesful effort, since the genasi in general show no animosity to the Hordes whatsoever. It is also theorized that the genasi were, in fact, retribution from beings of other planes, demonstrating to the Eldar that others, too, could meddle with the people of Azgaarnoth.
Half-Dragons
Half-dragons are entirely rare in the world, if they even exist at all. Most of those known half-dragons, at least through history, have been the product of a chromatic dragon and a mortal, and have had violent stories attached to them. It is not known whether metallic dragons do not have children by mortals; if they do, they clearly seek to keep them more well-hidden or remote. Chromatic half-dragons are often found amongst the Hordes, and often as part of the Ulmhorde in recent years.
Reborn
Shortly after the Created appeared, stories of individuals with strange ties to deceased ancestors began to circulate. These "reborn" of the dead were at first thought to be necromantic tricks, but over long years, it has become accepted that the walls between death and life are not so dense as once believed.
Tabaxi
The cat-like creatures that appeared roughly around the same time as the rest of the Created are found evenly throughout Azgaarnoth, though still rarely.
Tiefling
That tieflings are a Created race is also clear and unmistakable--where the mystery lies is from which fiendish line they originate. Tieflings will often form exclusive communities of their own, which is not surprising given the prejudice they frequently encounter. What is not widely known is that tieflings can mate with humans, and the second- or third-generation product of such unions usually have lost all vestiges of their ancestral fiendish roots; even many first-generation tiefling/human unions find their tiefling heritage absent. All of the tiefling bloodlines have been found in Azgaarnoth. There are slightly more Winged tieflings than the others, for indiscernible reasons.
Hordes
Legend holds that the Hordes descended upon Azgaarnoth from "someplace else", but from there the legends vary wildly as to the origin of the massive numbers of humanoids that sought to take Azgaarnoth by force from the Eldar. The Hordes have always been here, according to the Hordes, and if you ask any of them, they will be here long after Firstborn, humans and Created die off. Hordish society is generally more loose-knit than human or Firstborn, but within the last milennia the Hordes appear to be learning lessons about the benefits of civilization, and many are looking for ways to live in greater sense of peace and harmony than before.
Bugbears
Given their innate (and impressive) laziness, it's a wonder that any bugbears ever made their way through the sky to set foot on Azgaarnoth. That said, most bugbears chose to remain faithful to the "Old Ways", and as a result the highest concentration of them is in Ulm, at least when they're not leading troops into Dradehalia.
Centaurs
Few remember, but centaurs originally appeared as part of the Hordes; modern centaurs insist their presence was unwilling and that they were a slave race to the Hordes, and broke away when they could. Today, centaurs are found among the lands of the Hordes (Ulm and Tragekia), as well as in the wilds of the Ravenlands (where they are considered a major ally and asset, and Ravenlands tribes frequently seek to cement alliances and membership with centaur herds) and North Bedia. They are rarely found elsewhere in Liria but they frequently take employment with Mercenary Companies.
Gnoll
Gnolls came as part of the Hordes, but their strong pack mentality (and even stronger dislike of those outside the pack) always kept them apart from the rest of the Hordes. Gnoll packs can be found in any setting some distance away from cities, making Ulm, Bedia, and the Caliphates prime wandering country. They are found in lesser numbers in the east, principally in Yithi, and some in Zhi.
Goblin
Orcs and goblins make up the mainstay of the Hordes populations, and are most commonly found in Ulm and Tragekia. Goblins have remained more pure to their origins, and generally are much less "civilized" than many of the rest of their Horde-kin, and as such frequently form the lowest caste in any Horde society. That said, numerous cases of exceptional goblins are known to the worlds, and goblins have been known to show exceptional crafting skills when placed within a more supportive social environment.
Hobgoblin
Hobgoblins are the "elder brother" of goblins, and most have birth roots in the Hordeslands. However, many have struck out independently, filtered west, and found that the trappings of civilization have positive qualities. Within the last few milennia, hobgoblins have become quite diverse in their skillset, and examples of every class have been found within hobgoblin ranks, including paladins, monks, artificers, and clerics.
Lizardfolk
Lizardfolk are populous in the marshes around Mudhear, among some other places along the northern coasts (where the water is warm). Additionally, it is thought that the lizardfolk are also in much larger numbers in the Undersea, but again, it isn't clear.
Kenku
Kenku are found anywhere in Azgaarnoth, though sparingly.
Kobolds
Kobolds are thought to be the remnants of the first experiments of the Eldar to create dragonborn, but saying such to any dragonborn is insulting and typically grounds for feud or duel. Nevertheless, the shared draconic lineage between kobold and dragonborn is hard to miss, and some scholars believe that at some point, there was some shared history of the two races.
Minotaurs
Minotaurs are found among the lands of the Hordes (Ulm and Tragekia), as well as in the wilds of North Bedia. Minotaurs may be of any alignment, and can expect suspicion when moving around in any of the other lands beyond the Hordeslands.
Half-Ogres
The offspring of an ogre and any of a human, a hobgoblin, a bugbear, or an orc is a half-ogre, also called an ogrillon when the non-ogre parent is an orc.
Orc
Orcs and goblins make up the mainstay of the Hordes populations, and are most commonly found in Ulm and Tragekia. Orcs are just as diverse as humans, however, and many of them have begun to take up the idea that a society based on something other than looting and pillaging is not a terrible thing; these form the bulk of the United Hordes. Others, however, long to return to more of the "Old Ways", and these have found a home in the Ulmhorde. Still others remained in Yithi and Zhi and found ways to interact with the other races there to form the unique tapestry there that is part-human, part-Firstborn, part-Horde, and all unique.
Despite the racial stereotype, modern orcs are no more prone to brutish violence than humans or other mortals. They are not as common in the west as they are in the east, but enough of them have migrated out of the Hordeslands that they are not rare. What's more, those orcs who are generations removed from the Ulmhorde are often staunch and trustworthy members of their communities, and many westerners find them to be excellent neighbors and allies.
Half-orcs
While many half-orcs are found in Hordes lands (Tragekia and Ulm) as the children of orcs and captured humans, many more are found in Yithi and Zhi as the result of much more stable (and less violent) relationships, and still more are found all across Azgaarnoth by this point. It appears that the half-orc genetic trait breeds true: if two half-orcs have children, their child is a half-orc (and not a "true" human or "true" orc, except rarely).
Despite the racial stereotype, half-orcs are no more prone to brutish violence or thuggery than humans or any of the Firstborn. In fact, some of the sharpest instructors in magic are half-orcs at the various Mage Schools.
Yuan-ti Pureblood
These are exceedingly rare, and (openly) found only in the deepest parts of Zhi. It is thought that some yuan-ti have taken up with the lizardfolk in the marshes around Mudhear, but there is no clear evidence, as travel there is not particularly common.
Underdark
Many races inhabit the deep cavern systems that burrow throughout the continent, collectively known as the "Underdark".
Undersea
Within the last few centuries, scholars have begun to seek opportunities to explore this more deeply, and many are convinced that there is just as widespread a civilization and political system under the surface of the water as there is above it. This is collectively referred to as the "Undersea", and not much is known about it to the Abovesea.
Although the total population of the Undersea is not known, it is thought to be at least approaching that of the Abovesea, though with a much lower population density (since there is much more sea in which to live than land). Some scholars postulate that the increased presence of Undersea races is due to a population "crunch" beneath the waves, leading some Undersea tribes, clans, or families to consider live closer to, or even on, the shore.
Merfolk
The Merfolk, by all appearances, are humans who have gained the adaptation to the deep oceans and waters long ago. Whether Merfolk have always walked among the Abovesea in secret or are only recently rejoining their Abovesea cousins is not clear, but time has definitely differentiated them from their land-based cousins.
Siren
The fabled siren, once thought to be mindless predators luring ships to their doom, have since been determined to be a full participant in the rich culture and civilization of the Undersea. Some siren have now taken to walking the Abovesea to satisfy their incessant curiosity.
Tortle
Seafarers have reported encountering tortle in various places all throughout the Deepwaters and oceans, but it's never been clear if they maintain a civilization, cities, or just nomadic bands.
Triton
Likewise, tritons have become more and more visible to the Abovesea folk. Their relationship with the tortle is not clear, but it does appear that tritons are on good terms with sea elves. They also seem to have some trade relationships with lizardfolk and yuan-ti.