EzekielRaiden
Follower of the Way
Name-givers of the Tarrakhuna
Being a land driven heavily by regional and international trade, but also one defined primarily by Arabian Nights tropes, several races have been re-interpreted or given a new light. I've also taken great pains to show that any being that isn't outright and unavoidably monstrous can be part of society--meaning, stuff like mindflayers and zombies are out, but many traditionally-"always evil" races are perfectly acceptable members of society, discriminated against more for their social class than their physiology or ancestry. The following are just ones that have gotten more spotlight, so we know more about them.
Orcs
Probably the second-most-populous individual race, after humans. They're more common among the Nomad Tribes, where humans and orcs are roughly equal proportions of the population (say, about a third each.) Orcs are hardy, tolerate desert conditions well, and physically strong--it takes them less effort to gain and maintain physical fitness. Moreso than humans, orcs lean heavily on family ties, for good and for ill. An influential clan leader can be a major force for change, or ensure that the status quo is preserved, as the clan will often follow their lead. Unlike other worlds, Tarrakhunan orcs are not specially associated with violence or rage; their natural strength and toughness do mean that many Nomads do mercenary work to gain resources for their tribes, but no one bats an eye at one joining the Waziri order or being a clerk for the Safiqi priesthood.
The party has learned that many current-day orcish clan chiefs are directly descended from the legendary First Sultan through one of his three wives. (Implicitly, this also means that orcs and humans intermingle a lot, so it's entirely possible for "humans" to have orcish blood and vice-versa without being "half" anything.)
Elves
Though they have long-ish lifespans (perhaps 200 years at the most), their low numbers and the difficulty of surviving in the Tarrakhuna means they don't have as much hegemonic control as one might think. Elves are seen as, if not "mysterious" proper, at least a little bit distant from the physical world. This does not always work in their favor, as sometimes they are compared to genies, who are associated with slavery and thinking they're superior to mortal-kind. To the south, where the temperatures are cooler and there is more rainfall, there are enough elves that the general name for that region is the "Elf Forest," but they keep mostly to themselves, being live-with-the-land types. Though there has never been any proof given for the alleged "curse" that affects the Elf Forest, it is known that expeditions to the south tend to fail, at rates worse than those going into the deep desert.
Why this happens is not widely known, but the party has learned: the Elves of today are not what they once were. Long ago, before the world was "changed" (the same event that inspired the Genie-Rajahs to abandon the mortal world in favor of Jinnistan), there was a civilization in what is now called the Elf-Forest, who called themselves the "El-Adrin." They had far more powerful magic, indeed their whole society was built around it, and the "change" of the world would have ended their society. So they pulled the whole damn thing out to a pocket plane to wait out the "change" (whatever that was), and placed a curse on their old lands that would prevent anyone from settling them--as a kindness, because anyone caught in that territory when their cities returned could be killed or horribly maimed by the process.
What, exactly, the El-Adrin were like isn't precisely known. It is known that all currently-living "elves" are the descendants of those El-Adrin who stayed in the mortal world so that they could facilitate the return of their people later. So they weren't radically different from "elves," but they weren't precisely the same, either.
Dwarves
Dwarven populations in this world are native mostly to the eastern mountains, or the high, cool steppe on the far side of said mountains. Mountain-clans tend to be sedentary and make their living by resource-extraction and trade-crafts, while steppe-clans tend to be pastoral herders and tribal warriors. The latter are sometimes called "barbarians" by the people of the Tarrakhuna--note, it is considered a serious insult to call anyone of the Nomad Tribes a "barbarian," as that is taken to mean you don't think they're part of Tarrakhuna society. Not much is known about the details of dwarven clans, though their clan ties make them at least passingly similar to orcs. They do tend to be hardier in terms of what they can eat and how long they can go between eating, rather than endurance and strength per se.
Dragonborn
A minority in the Tarrakhuna, but somewhat more common in the Elf Forest. Their homeland is faraway Yuxia, the "Jade Home," where other fantastical beasts (like the "dragons," who seem to have some kind of connection to dragonborn) are known to live. Dragonborn are seen as exotic and difficult to read, since their facial expressions don't always line up neatly with those of the more homininian physiology, which can give them an air of mystery. But the people themselves tend to be more direct and earnest, complicating their "mystique"; most dragonborn fully dedicate themselves to whatever it is they choose to do, so a dragonborn Safiqi will be absolutely devoted to the faith, a dragonborn druid will deeply immerse himself in the world of spirit and beast, a dragonborn Waziri will dedicate herself to the highest achievements in some branch of study, etc. Because they are on the rarer side, it tends to be noteworthy when one shows up.
The party has since learned that it is possible for mortal-kind (specifically humans, possibly others) to produce offspring with dragons, who are slightly different from "dragonborn" proper. It is also possible for dragons to use some form of alchemy to transform regular humans into half-dragons, but the process takes time and repeated doses of (effectively) alchemical dragon-blood steroid potions. The process changes both the physiology and the mind of the person transformed, and seems to keep the transformed very loyal to their dragon patron, probably a form of indoctrination rather than mind control per se. Half-dragons have more pronounced snouts and larger overall body size than dragonborn--what the exact relationship is between half-dragons and dragonborn has not been established yet.
Tieflings
Though relations with demonic and/or devilish powers are uncommon in the Tarrakhuna, because the Safiqi priesthood rather frowns upon that sort of thing, such unions do occur and some tiefling bloodlines are old enough to predate the founding of the priesthood entirely. There isn't much real stigma associated with being a tiefling, as tieflings were part of the armies of the First Sultan who helped overthrow the Genie-Rajahs. There have even been Safiqi saints who were tieflings, and no one bats an eye about that. That doesn't mean there aren't crappy jokes or people occasionally being crappy to someone solely because they're a tiefling, but that can be said of any race or group.
The party has learned that tieflings can also be "created" (in a way similar to, but distinct from, the half-dragon example above) via magically infusing someone with fiendish blood, and such infusion can be changed later on. They in fact did this, and as part of doing so, they "took away" the devilish blood of some tieflings whose fiendish "sire" was the same as the devil in the Bard's father's family line. This allowed the Bard to essentially act as a sponge, wicking away the fiendish power attached to these other tieflings, which the party replaced with a connection to a powerful and good-natured spirit they were working with, creating the region's first aasimar. (As a result of this and receiving his great-grandmother's succubus powers, the Bard is now effectively "half-devil, half-demon, half-human," even though that breaks math.)
Numerous other species have appeared, but not in sufficient numbers to make broad statements. These include minotaurs, ogres, gnomes, owlkin (believe it or not, predating 5e owlin! These are based on burrowing owls), and half-genies (mortals with manifest genie ancestry.) Other types of sapient creatures might be found elsewhere!
Being a land driven heavily by regional and international trade, but also one defined primarily by Arabian Nights tropes, several races have been re-interpreted or given a new light. I've also taken great pains to show that any being that isn't outright and unavoidably monstrous can be part of society--meaning, stuff like mindflayers and zombies are out, but many traditionally-"always evil" races are perfectly acceptable members of society, discriminated against more for their social class than their physiology or ancestry. The following are just ones that have gotten more spotlight, so we know more about them.
Orcs
Probably the second-most-populous individual race, after humans. They're more common among the Nomad Tribes, where humans and orcs are roughly equal proportions of the population (say, about a third each.) Orcs are hardy, tolerate desert conditions well, and physically strong--it takes them less effort to gain and maintain physical fitness. Moreso than humans, orcs lean heavily on family ties, for good and for ill. An influential clan leader can be a major force for change, or ensure that the status quo is preserved, as the clan will often follow their lead. Unlike other worlds, Tarrakhunan orcs are not specially associated with violence or rage; their natural strength and toughness do mean that many Nomads do mercenary work to gain resources for their tribes, but no one bats an eye at one joining the Waziri order or being a clerk for the Safiqi priesthood.
The party has learned that many current-day orcish clan chiefs are directly descended from the legendary First Sultan through one of his three wives. (Implicitly, this also means that orcs and humans intermingle a lot, so it's entirely possible for "humans" to have orcish blood and vice-versa without being "half" anything.)
Elves
Though they have long-ish lifespans (perhaps 200 years at the most), their low numbers and the difficulty of surviving in the Tarrakhuna means they don't have as much hegemonic control as one might think. Elves are seen as, if not "mysterious" proper, at least a little bit distant from the physical world. This does not always work in their favor, as sometimes they are compared to genies, who are associated with slavery and thinking they're superior to mortal-kind. To the south, where the temperatures are cooler and there is more rainfall, there are enough elves that the general name for that region is the "Elf Forest," but they keep mostly to themselves, being live-with-the-land types. Though there has never been any proof given for the alleged "curse" that affects the Elf Forest, it is known that expeditions to the south tend to fail, at rates worse than those going into the deep desert.
Why this happens is not widely known, but the party has learned: the Elves of today are not what they once were. Long ago, before the world was "changed" (the same event that inspired the Genie-Rajahs to abandon the mortal world in favor of Jinnistan), there was a civilization in what is now called the Elf-Forest, who called themselves the "El-Adrin." They had far more powerful magic, indeed their whole society was built around it, and the "change" of the world would have ended their society. So they pulled the whole damn thing out to a pocket plane to wait out the "change" (whatever that was), and placed a curse on their old lands that would prevent anyone from settling them--as a kindness, because anyone caught in that territory when their cities returned could be killed or horribly maimed by the process.
What, exactly, the El-Adrin were like isn't precisely known. It is known that all currently-living "elves" are the descendants of those El-Adrin who stayed in the mortal world so that they could facilitate the return of their people later. So they weren't radically different from "elves," but they weren't precisely the same, either.
Dwarves
Dwarven populations in this world are native mostly to the eastern mountains, or the high, cool steppe on the far side of said mountains. Mountain-clans tend to be sedentary and make their living by resource-extraction and trade-crafts, while steppe-clans tend to be pastoral herders and tribal warriors. The latter are sometimes called "barbarians" by the people of the Tarrakhuna--note, it is considered a serious insult to call anyone of the Nomad Tribes a "barbarian," as that is taken to mean you don't think they're part of Tarrakhuna society. Not much is known about the details of dwarven clans, though their clan ties make them at least passingly similar to orcs. They do tend to be hardier in terms of what they can eat and how long they can go between eating, rather than endurance and strength per se.
Dragonborn
A minority in the Tarrakhuna, but somewhat more common in the Elf Forest. Their homeland is faraway Yuxia, the "Jade Home," where other fantastical beasts (like the "dragons," who seem to have some kind of connection to dragonborn) are known to live. Dragonborn are seen as exotic and difficult to read, since their facial expressions don't always line up neatly with those of the more homininian physiology, which can give them an air of mystery. But the people themselves tend to be more direct and earnest, complicating their "mystique"; most dragonborn fully dedicate themselves to whatever it is they choose to do, so a dragonborn Safiqi will be absolutely devoted to the faith, a dragonborn druid will deeply immerse himself in the world of spirit and beast, a dragonborn Waziri will dedicate herself to the highest achievements in some branch of study, etc. Because they are on the rarer side, it tends to be noteworthy when one shows up.
The party has since learned that it is possible for mortal-kind (specifically humans, possibly others) to produce offspring with dragons, who are slightly different from "dragonborn" proper. It is also possible for dragons to use some form of alchemy to transform regular humans into half-dragons, but the process takes time and repeated doses of (effectively) alchemical dragon-blood steroid potions. The process changes both the physiology and the mind of the person transformed, and seems to keep the transformed very loyal to their dragon patron, probably a form of indoctrination rather than mind control per se. Half-dragons have more pronounced snouts and larger overall body size than dragonborn--what the exact relationship is between half-dragons and dragonborn has not been established yet.
Tieflings
Though relations with demonic and/or devilish powers are uncommon in the Tarrakhuna, because the Safiqi priesthood rather frowns upon that sort of thing, such unions do occur and some tiefling bloodlines are old enough to predate the founding of the priesthood entirely. There isn't much real stigma associated with being a tiefling, as tieflings were part of the armies of the First Sultan who helped overthrow the Genie-Rajahs. There have even been Safiqi saints who were tieflings, and no one bats an eye about that. That doesn't mean there aren't crappy jokes or people occasionally being crappy to someone solely because they're a tiefling, but that can be said of any race or group.
The party has learned that tieflings can also be "created" (in a way similar to, but distinct from, the half-dragon example above) via magically infusing someone with fiendish blood, and such infusion can be changed later on. They in fact did this, and as part of doing so, they "took away" the devilish blood of some tieflings whose fiendish "sire" was the same as the devil in the Bard's father's family line. This allowed the Bard to essentially act as a sponge, wicking away the fiendish power attached to these other tieflings, which the party replaced with a connection to a powerful and good-natured spirit they were working with, creating the region's first aasimar. (As a result of this and receiving his great-grandmother's succubus powers, the Bard is now effectively "half-devil, half-demon, half-human," even though that breaks math.)
Numerous other species have appeared, but not in sufficient numbers to make broad statements. These include minotaurs, ogres, gnomes, owlkin (believe it or not, predating 5e owlin! These are based on burrowing owls), and half-genies (mortals with manifest genie ancestry.) Other types of sapient creatures might be found elsewhere!
