My world is almost twice the diameter of earth - resulting in just over tenfold the surface area. The continents are coming together to form the first pangaea in over 200 million years. In that time different creatures have evolved on each continent. The Southwest continent - one of four - happens to be the one on which mammals evolved, and thus humans. Due to its size (~108,645,250 sq km) and a couple mountain ranges, a desert, and a couple rainforests that help divide it up, there are several humanoid 'races' - all of which are derived from human stock.
In the rainforests of the north can be found the a race that started out has vegetative halflings (ie: green hued skin that allows them to survive with less food so long as there is plenty of sunlight) but evolved (in my mind, not in the game world) to become a goblin-esque race. They were the result of a smaller race of man that was exposed to wild magic** (see far below) that altered them - giving them some plant-like properties.
Elves were the result of a tribe that venerated fae interbreeding with them for so many generations that eventually they were no longer truly human, but not yet quite fae. Being more fae they had less veneration for the otherworldly beings and such occurrences became less common, eventually all but ceasing. Occationally some elves are born with more fae like traits. Such are seen as throw-backs to an earlier age and are usually honored. Some elves, in fact, go out of their way to awaken such traits within themselves - one of the reasons I have racial levels for elves.
Dwarves were literally forged from various earthen materials by a deity seeking to create a better sort of worshipper than their current ones (humans). This is the reason dwarves - to this day - are asexual, albeit somewhat masculine in appearance. New dwarves are literally forged by high priests as the current community needs them. Thus the dwarven race has some earthen elemental traits. Indeed, upon death - or within a few days thereafter - they return to being the earthen substance from which they were made.
Thus those 'life size' statues of various metals, stones, terracotta, glass, etc lining the halls where former dwarven lords are laid to rest and honored are not in truth statues. And dwarves tend to become riled if they take hold of an item and realize it was formerally part of a dwarf, reforged into new form after said dwarf's death. And they all have a racial ability that allows them to know this. Of course, if it was done respectfully to honor the individual, likely by a high priest of the dwarven deity, then they will feel that as well, and they will likely consider themselves honored to have and make use of it. Some clans, in fact, use the reworking / forging of the body after death (not respectfully / honorably) as the ultimate punishment - worse than mere execution, as every dwarf thereafter that comes in contact with the 'body' of the former dwarf will recoil in disgust or horror from the contact.
Ogres are the result of similar wild magic occuring in a mountainous western region - albeit without the plant focus and among a taller rather than shorter race. Later wild magic surges affected them in other ways. Some small populations were affected by stone focused wild magic - resulting in gargoyles. Others became larger yet - hill giants. Still others gained some plant-like qualities and became known as trolls. The latter are usually found in swamps, just as the gargoyles and hill giants are usually found in hilly or moutainous terrain.
Only humans, elves, dwarves, and 'goblins' are acceptable races, and all but humans are LA +1 due to the bonues each gains. (A form of LA buyback removes this at third level.) Half-Elves are an LA +0 race similar to core d20 elves, but they are quite rare as the races do not mingle over much. Each race has its own lands - albeit with human lands exceeding those of the other races combined.
The goblins have little interest in lands outside of rain forests - tropical or temperate, although they can sometimes be found in wetlands and forests near such rainforests. The dwarves rarely leave their hills and arid plains. The elves, over time, have separated into those that live in hills and those that live in forests. The former rarely leave their hills and are occationally at odds with dwarves. The latter rarely leave their forests and are occationally at odds with goblins. Both tend to look down a bit on humans.
Dwarves see themselves as innately superior to humans, having been crafted in the exact form their deity preferred. Elves see humans as what they once were before they ascended to a greater nature.
IMCW the fae are the result of wild magic shaping belief, emotion, etc into imagined form. (Quite a few creatures in the MM are fae IMCW rather than magical beasts, monstrous humanoids, etc.) There is thus only a thin dividing line between the strongest fae and the weakest deities - the ability to gain strength from worship being the main division point. The deities eventually created celestial servitors to aid them, using fae and creatures of the natural world as templates. The elves, therefore, tend to see themselves as self-made celestial beings, a bit more and a bit less than true fae, too altered and shaped from typical fae to be truly considered 'merely' fae, yet lacking some of the power and nature of 'true fae' - and having some of their weaknesses as well (such as an weakness verse Iron).
As a final note, I am certain that other forms of sapient life exists on the other contient - after all, there has been no real contact between the main continents for almost 200 Myrs. As one is rather dinosaur focused, another pre-dinosaur focused, and a remaining one yet to be determined. (It went over the north pole at one point, so amphibeous and reptilian life is likely out, although I like the idea of fire / ice dragons evolving from highly advanced lizards to deal with the intense temperatures, so a draconic continent might be nice.)
** Wild magic is an ambiant haze that covers much of the world, emanating from ley lines and ley pools. Casters draw their magic from this haze, from innate nature, or from other worldly beings. Wild magic means there is a small chance of magic being altered with each casting in some manner (enhanced, dehanced, altered target, altered element, etc). Wild Magic surges have a small chance of occuring each day in any given location, and on rare instance the surge may be particularly powerful - for instance affecting a village instead of just an individual or hut within the village. Perhaps once ever few years a surge is definitively seen in any given place if one happens to live there year round. Most villages have entire collections of local folk lore devoted to 'strange happenings' of the past. Some may even have been notably altered by such occurrences.
