Men come originally from the warm lands of Ilántia and Eviúria, east of the Inner Sea. During the many millennia of the Age of Elves, they were confined to small parts of those lands. After the Cataclysm destroyed most of the Seafaring Court and greatly reduced the power of all the elves, they spread their communities much wider and grew greatly in power. It's been less than a thousand years since the Cataclysm, but some scholars have already begun to call this the Age of Men.

There are many nations of Men: Vijral, Sahíl, Mengai, Thomari, and Ilánten in the East; Talurian, Seálbha, Mearian, and Oshiri in the West. Each of the nations of Men has its own language.

Gnomes originated in the same regions as men. There is some reason to suppose that the Gnomes are the older race, and that they developed first in the coastal regions of Eviuria, in the domain of the Faerie Court of Bees, while men first emerged farther inland, in the border regions between the Court of the Trees and the Court of Flowers. Gnomes are perhaps less warlike than Men, and more motivated by commercial interests. They are much smaller than Men, averaging around two and a half feet tall, and live somewhat longer. They are industrious and clever with machines, and build large but pleasant cities.

Dwarves are an old race, perhaps even older than Gnomes. They first emerged in the northern mountains of Eviuria, near the Court of the Trees. They are clannish and prefer well-defended homes, preferably with stone walls. These characteristics led them to develop deep skills in mining, stoneworking, and metalworking, and to construct spectacular underground cities in the mountains of Eviuria, and later in Nuzirea and eastern Eparia. Though Dwarves tend on the whole to be homebodies, every generation produces a ration of explorers. It's mostly because of these explorers that the lands of Men and Gnomes know of the Dwarves at all, because they tend otherwise to keep to themselves. It's also because of these explorers that the Dwarves encountered the Court of Stone in Eparia, and came to learn some of the ancient and magical secrets of stoneworking and metalworking that later made their craftsmen famous.

Beasts and Beast-Men inhabit all the wild places of the world. They are mortals, like Men, Gnomes, and Dwarves, but more solitary, or at least less likely to live in large communities, and they generally build and craft much less. Generally, those who go about naked and on all fours, who speak little or not at all, and who don't build villages, are called Beasts. Beast-Men, then, are the others: those who wear clothing and make tools, who use language and gather in villages. For most Beasts that you might encounter, there are, somewhere, relatives of his that are Beast-men. For example, there are Foxes that are wild animals, but then there are also Foxes who wear boots and carry weapons, and who have even been known to speak with Men.