Dwarves: Dwarves are far from being the most ancient race of the Earth, but they aren't the newest thing either, with a history stretching thousands of years before the first demon issue. After all this time, what happened five thousand years ago is seen as nothing but a legend in their culture. A bedtime story for the kids. None live to remember the horrid time.
Dwarves. Short miners, jewelers, and warriors most of the time. That's what the outsiders usually find themselves believing. Yes, dwarves are not tallest of creatures, and they do have alt of mining going on with them, there's more than the barbaric image seemed to have been painted on them so long ago. The dwarves are raised to be suspicious of outsiders, but to also welcome them when they run across such folk. It is not uncommon for travelers to simply stop off at a random home in dwarf villages rather than walk an extra league or two, and to be met with great hospitality minus a few questions stares and cold glares from a few less kind.
The dwarves make homes in the mountain areas that offer excellent defense to their homes. The bigger cities find themselves completely inside smaller mountains while the other cities are only halfway dug into the mountainsides, often times the markets being those outside of the shelter that is given by the ground. With their locations, it makes mining quite easy, the minerals found within making trading within the kingdom very active and plentiful.
As for work, all dwarves are given basic combat lessons up until the age of 50, where they move on to start apprenticing for whatever they wish to be. Most parents dread the possibility of their children growing up to be explorers or joining the council (a place that dwarves often find to be an even more shady place than the most crime filled city is), but there are those who do in hopes of climbing the ranks to sit close to the kings and queens who have the throne. It's these dwarves that find themselves going places for their ruler. They are usually seen as the diplomats and are sent to meetings with others.
Elves: An ancient race that has evolved in many ways is how the books would show the elves. Only the manaketes would be know, the only surviving race to rival the age of them. The elves never forgot the torture brought to the land by the demons. Many of them were there for it, scars to never be removed from their minds having formed during those dark times. They see the dwarves as foolish for having passed the story down as just a silly bedtime story.
Majestic. It's a word often used to describe the way the elves look at move. They have a perfect posture when sitting and standing that matches what other races think to be a flawless look, radiating a light when under the sun. Being the proud creatures they are, the elves usually don't find themselves telling them that it's simply the elven magic that they're seeing. Their faces hold no baby fat with age, clearly showing the sharp features that define the elves.
The only time a small group of elves will be run into will be with traveling elves and hunting groups. There are six elven cities in all, and while each has a different size and set up, they're all of a nice sized, the elves preferring to keep themselves close together for protection and to keep track of each other. The elves built these cities within forests. Each have a different look. While two are built with the trees, others are usually started in treeless patches and branch out into thinly treed areas, more using the trees as another line of defense than shelter.
The elves take pride in their crafting skills, creating things from weapons and armour to simple clothing. It's easy to tell when something is of elven made by looking at the detail put into the work. With time not passing them by, the creatures take time to craft things just right, and to make sure even the smallest of details are added. Their weapons are noted for their lighter weight and the sharp blades that will weather through all, protected under simple spells to keep everything together.
Manaketes: The history of the manaketes trace back along with the elves, often times intertwining in different places. 5000 years ago the manaketes disappeared, only coming back when things settled down again. The ancient race had simply silently watched what went on, and written it down to be saved for ages to come.
Some manaketes have been mistaken for elves before, both races sharing pointed ears. However, that's about where any similarities end. Manaketes tend to have more of a grey tone to their skin, and have smaller bodies than the elves. Their eyes hide their emotions, often times giving their owners a distant look. Much like elves, age doesn't seem to have an effect on the manaketes. Unlike them, however, there isn't some sort of set time this happens. There are some that appear to be tired and old, while others have been in the body of a child for thousands of years. Their appearance reflects nothing of their minds, which swim with knowledge collected over time. The body is simply a bind for their true forms.
Long ago, it was believed dragons roamed the world. The manaketes weren't going to go out correct this. If those wandered into their libraries, then they could potentially learn the truth. The dragons only wrecked havoc when in battle. That's usually the only time they're show up, in fact. Nobody questioned why, only knew that they would unlikely come out of a confrontation with a dragon alive. It's the manaketes' true form. While they themselves aren't magic, they're bound by a magic that has been captured and now controlled and channeled into objects to be carried around by the manaketes. This magic releases the bounds that restrict a manakete to it's smaller form, and brings forth the dragon. The dragons aren't so large that they're compared to mountains, but they do tower much higher than the trees go. Their hides are nearly impossible to break through, and, depending on the person, the ability to fly and breath fire varies. Unfortunately for the manaketes, this form does not last forever. Within an hour of releasing this true form, it disappears and back is the frail looking body that wanders around.
The manaketes prefer to stick to mountains, but they live higher up than the dwarves. Back when the two remaining cities were made, their locations were used for flight practice with their young, but now that there have been no manaketes born in 3000 years, the locations have stuck for cover and hiding. There is one area down out of the mountains that belong to the manaketes, and it's a shared location between the elves and themselves in an underground city. This is where the libraries of the manaketes are kept, filled with books, but still well kept, more books being added every now and then.
The manaketes hold an insane wealth that they share between each other. They're lead by a council, not that it's really needed. It's not unusually to find half of the member's in a magical slumber, only to waken when needed. Some of the manaketes will make some weaponry, but often times they will be happy simply pursuing knowledge and studying the sciences. Many of the scientific and medical advancements were formed by the projects that the elves and manaketes worked on.
Humans: 5000 years ago, humans didn't exist. Earlier on in their race's life, the elves had attempted to help the humans when their numbers were smaller. They refused the help given to them, and the elves, frustrated and confused, stopped their efforts quickly. Over the long years, the humans continued to be rude to the elves, and started demanding things from the older race. The elves, in rage, completely turned their backs against the humans, and a rather large rift was created between the two races.
While the humans in history were being stubborn, they ended up damning their future. An heirarchy began to build, two separate kingdoms forming, each holding rule over their own spaces of land which had their villages within. While one of the lands holds a kind ruler who most of the land love, the other, there is another who holds the stubbornness of those first humans, bloodline tracing back to them. The world can only be thankful that the more powerful of things are hidden within this more peaceful country, Astaroth, along with the bracelet, Hell's Ore.
Astaroth is located on the edge of the mountains, the capital city/castle built alongside a mountain. The rest of the country's villages are spread out in the planes that stretch for leagues off of the mountains. Simple wooden houses clumped together around a few shops make up the smaller villages. Despite the little they have, the people of Astaroth are happy with where they are, knowing very well that it could be very worse if they were in the other kingdom.
The humans have the shortest lifespans of the races, but they still can do a lot. Many of them from the other country find themselves and mercenaries, forming their own band of people looking out for each other with the their own king doing nothing for them. Those in Astaroth tend to find themselves as hunters, traders, and weavers. There are those who go to work in the capital, finding refuge and protection there. No great wealth runs through the citizens' hands, but everyone is happy in their own way.
Faeries/Pixies: After the demon's reign, the faeries became slight recluses. Their people had been the most effected by the evil, and were almost completely wiped out. Over all the years they've finally been able to get their numbers back to what they used to be. Perhaps the task would have been easier if the faeries were like the humans and were quick to pregnancy.
The faeries get called pixies at time because of their smaller sizes. While they aren't quite as short as dwarves, they will never get as tall as an average human would. They look to delicate feature, but do have a considerable amount of strength and are quite quick on their feet. While not immortal like the elves or manaketes, but do have a longer life than the humans and dwarves, usually ranging between 1000 and 1050 years. Each faeries has the ability to shift into on animals (different for each faerie).
After the demons left the world, the faeries all grouped together and ran into the deepest part of one of the forests littering the earth, going further than even the elves would set their borders as to provide the best shelter possible for the remaining few hundred of their kind left. Now, as their numbers increase, small cities spring up int he forest and the faeries share active borders with two of the elven lands, trade becoming more and more common with every passing year. Even still, the most concentrated mass of faeries is in the deepest parts of the forest where few dare to dwell.
Despite the small appearance that the faeries hold, they are fierce warriors. Many will find work as soldiers, private mercenaries for humans and dwarves, farmers, or even weavers. Faeries are quick to all emotions, but are still good at controlling them, much like the elves. they tend to be calm around others, only to release their emotions in private, making great diplomats out of all of those trained even the slightest in speaking deals.
Casters: Casters are maybe 100 or 200 years younger than the humans, as they were born humans. Humans are not naturally born with magic like the elves and manaketes are, but with practice, they can obtain it. Casters use either elemental magic (water, earth, air, fire, etc.) or hazardous (poisons, necromancy, small forms of telekenesis). Either form, casters are avoided when possible, others either afraid that something will happen to them or just annoyed (for no better word) that the humans couldn't keep their hands off of more power.
Casters have no set home, often times just wanderers who will meet up with each other to discuss things. They're lifespans are longer due to the magic, and which can make them more dangerous in a way, plans able to be thought out for longer if they do so wish to inflict harm on others. While most other races try and keep up slight contact and trade, the casters have always been turned away from by all.
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