I'm glad that the votes went toward unconventional races. Elves have been done to death, & then done some more, & I can't see how they would have contributed to a setting of this nature. Halflings, gnomes, & orcs are all the same story: overused & inappropriate. And there are a number of viable alternatives that we've devised to cater to players' tastes, while still being true to our setting.

Players who wanna be elves would do well to check out the ethereal & serene Houri of Najmah. Likewise, players of gnomes & halflings can play our crafty, mercurial Kobolds in much the same way. Orcish players should look into our less-civilized fringe races, particularly the leonine, tribal Aazlai. And, of course, the Dvernin are rather dwarf-like, albeit with some significant changes (read: more Norse influence). Our races are many & varied, & can accommodate almost any player's tastes, provided that they don't get hung up on arbitrary names & labels.