Tamarar - World Overview
Tamarar is the name given to a world by it's inhabitants. More accurately, Tamarar is a contient on the larger world of Shiera, though Tamarar itself is isolated from the remainder of the world by harsh ocean currents and winds on the Western edge and an expansive mountain range in the East, the Dragon's Back.
Tamarar is divided into a few regions. In the middle of the contient, bordering on the ocean to the West and mountains to the East are the Flatlands, a large area of rolling hills and flat plains. To the East of the Flatlands lies the mountain range known as the Dragon's Back. To the North of the Flatlands are the Old Forests, and to the South lies the Great Wetlands. The Great Wetlands are a massive swamp/bog that is extremely dangerous to anyone who does not know how to navigate them. On the far side is another expanse of flatlands.
Four species make up the majority of the intelligent life in Tamarar, though they are by no means the only form of intelligent life. They are, in order of decreasing population size, Humans, Dwarves, Elves, and Dragons.
Humans
Humans form the largest population on the contient. They live in the Old Forests, in small city states, or to the South of the Great Wetlands, in the open plains, where they are known as the Kingdom of Man. Man kind has become skilled at navigating the treacherous wetlands that lies between their kingdom and the rest of the world. Many make their living leading traders and others through the dangers.
Men have earned the disdain of both the Elves and the Dwarves. The Elves disdain Man for their "barbaric" and "uncivilized" ways while the Dwarves disdain them for their "ignorance of the importance of nature". However, neither race is willing to go to war with Men because they are easily the best fighters when compared to Dwarves and Elves. They are light, fast, agile, but also strong and tough enough to stand up to the rigors of battle.
Elves
The Elven people are the second smallest population of the major races, and also the most arrogant. They created their kingdom in the Flatlands and it is known as the Elvish Empire. All trade, at one point or another, passes through their territory. None of the other races will go to war with them for fear they will cut off supply routes and the war would turn into one of attrition.
Elves consider themselves "civilized". They are by far the oldest race, and the one with the largest collection of history. Their Empire is ruled by a true democracy, or as close as one can get to such a thing when your Empire spans multiple cities. Such cities are devoid of plant and animal life, constructed entirely from stone and wood, built in flowing and graceful patterns. The Elves disdain having nature in their cities because of how inherently "uncivilized" it is.
The Elves are the shortest lived race. On average, their life spans are less then that of Men. This is due to a high metabolic rate, which is also what gives the Elves their unnaturally lithe figures, fair appearance, and their amazing speed and agility. They are also skilled alchemists, which is to say, they are extremely apt at chemisty.
Dwarves
The Dwarves are the second largest population. They make their home underneath the mountains of the Dragon's Back. No other race will go to war with them, as the only way to win such a war would be to seige the Dwarven cities. Such a task would require massive amounts of warriors and war machines, for the cities are designed to be easy to defend, but hard to attack.
The Dwarves are the most in touch with nature. Living underground, they depend on plants to provide them food and fresh air, as well as the animals that aid the plants. While their cities are built from stone, in straight lines and sharp angles, nature can often be found wherever one looks. Naturally glowing mosses and plants provide light so that torches can be left to the places where they are truly needed.
The Dwarven people are skilled metalsmiths and clockworks. They produce many tools, toys, and interesting gadgets for the other races, all of which provide them funds for buying what they cannot produce themselves in their cities.
The Dwarven people are easily the longest living of all, excluding the Dragons. They can live past 150 years of age, though they reproduce much slower then the other races. They are heavy-built, with a slower metabolic rate then the other races. This makes Dwarves somewhat slow and at times, lazy. While tough and strong, they lack the speed to engage in combat against the other races.
Dragons
Dragons are the smallest population of all the races. There are likely no more then a ten or twenty thousand individuals alive, though this was not always the case. The Dragon's Back mountain range got its name from the massive underground caverns in which Dragons used to live. These caverns were large enough for them to fly in, and homes were carved out of the rock walls. The Dragons once had a mighty empire. In one year, though, almost all of them disappeared.
What happened is a mystery to this day, as no Dragon will speak of it. When asked, they become aggressive, as if the mention brought up old and painful memories. This is assuming you can find a Dragon to ask in the first place, given how few are left and how they tend to isolate themselves.
Dragons are classified by size and ability. Classes range from A to E, or from the size of a large dog to 50-60 feet in length. There are many abilities, from fire breathing to telepathy. The rarest Dargon type is a Mimic Dragon. They posses all other abilities, though in a weakened form.
Much of what was known about Dragons has been lost. Little is known about their culture, society, habits, or history. What is known takes the form of stories and legends passed down between generations by word of mouth, and as such, is skewed or frequently plain wrong. A few brave souls have attempted to learn more by exploring the ancient cities of the Dragons beneath the Dragon's Back. They have never returned.
This is just an idea I've had bouncing around in my head for a while. I was inspired when I watched The Hobbit. I've always thought the Elves were overpowered. Strong, fast, magic, they don't die of old age. So I wanted to make them a little more... Human, I suppose. Not so overpowered. The Dwarves always annoyed me because, without massive pumps to push fresh air into an underground city, everyone would die of CO2 poisoning. So again, I tried to balance them out. Humans always seemed underpowered compared to the other races, so I gave them some more strength as well. So everything is sort of balanced now. There's a deeper story, particularly about what happened to decimate the Dragon's numbers, but I don't want to reveal it in the event I do write a story based on this idea. As always, feedback is appreciated.