The known world has a wide variety of civilized and less-civilized creatures similar enough to humanity to be considered "demi-human" in one fashion or another.

Humans
The most populous of the civilized races. They are famous city-builders, and their uncanny ability to survive in even the most hostile of environments means that they can be found nearly anywhere in the known world.

Elves
The aloof and fey-like elves are an inherently magical race. Long-lived and famously intelligent, the elves tend to take the long view of things, and are viewed by most others as powerful, but painfully slow to act. The elves hold many secrets, including rumors of immortality, but the most intriguing is simply this: The elves... aren't. Dark rumors and ancient legends hold that the elves may not be true elves at all, and that the true fair folk wait silently in some unknown place, biding their time until the world can be theirs again.

Dwarves
Renowned both for their skilled craftsworks and their fierce combat abilities, the dwarves live deep underground in clan-oriented vaults. These vaults face constant attack from the monsters of the vast Underdark, and many underground ruins were once dwarven cities that have fallen to those threats. The most famous vaults are those under the Karak Marr mountains that divide the rolling plains of the Riven Prairies from the badlands of the west. While the dwarves are famous for their gruff demeanors, they are also known to be cunning merchants and skilled bankers, with many great adventurers storing their wealth within the halls of the dwarves.

Gnomes
The gnomes are a truly enigmatic race. While not directly hostile to outsiders, the small folk keep largely to themselves, with only their famous Druggists making their way into the cities of man. These Druggists are always accompanied by their hulking Guardians. Large as an ogre, and armored from head to toe, the Guardians are just as mysterious as their gnomish masters, if not more so, as even their racial identity (or lack thereof) is unknown. The Druggists themselves are strange, disjointed people, caring only about the creation and distribution of their one available ware, a series of potent tonics that can change the very nature of the imbibers body, all the while remaining tantalizingly non-magical.

Goblins
The term "goblin" more properly represents a rough creature type than a true race. Goblins come in many shapes and sizes, with the most common being short and round, with long, pointed ears and stubby snouts full of sharp teeth. It is considered likely that, taken as a whole, goblins are the most populous race in the known world. Goblins live and breed in huge warrens deep within underground caverns, creating nearly hive-like structures full to the brim with filthy, noisy life. However, unlike similar creatures from other worlds, the goblins are not terribly hostile, unless you consider your purse. Consummate bargainers, the goblins truly come into their own in their strange, otherworldly Markets. It is said that anything, both real and unreal, can be found in a Goblin Market, but the price will rarely be gold, and rarely worth it.

Orcs
The orcs are a terribly savage people that dwell in the mountains and caves of the world, descending on civilization in huge, bloodthirsty hordes. Orcs are more monster than man, being considered a race alongside the others simply by virtue of being roughly human-shaped and a propensity for crafting powerful and terribly effective weapons of war. Orcs are, without deviation, wholly evil creatures. Even their young, taken from their warrens and raised among the kindest of souls, will be biting, gouging, and attempting to maim and murder before their first year is over.