Okay, Races...

All right, let's see, who do we have running around in this fantasy world? (Note to folks reading this ... a lot of this stuff only makes sense if you've read my previous fantasy novel, so bear with me. I'm putting this here for my own reference more than anything. I'll explain who Soloman, Maynard, and the Aelari are ... some other time.)

I don't want to just throw in any kind of creatures willy-nilly ... this is a coherent world I'm trying to create, not Disneyland. On the other hand, the world is a big place, and there is more in Heaven and on Earth than is dreamt of in Horatio's philosophy, etc. Also, there can be lots and lots of "lesser" races that inhabit small enclaves, but don't affect the world in a big way.

Remember, that basic intelligence isn't that rare, but "sapience" is. If you're going to have speaking, social creatures, there has to be a reason for them to fit in that niche or have developed that way. Fortunately, this being fantasy, there's the catchall answer of "because the gods decreed it," but once you reach a certain stage, that should only be used as a last resort.

Maybe we should break things down into categories... ( The nonsensical ramblings of a lunatic mind... )