Dwarfs

1. You love dwarfs because they are burly, bearded, axe-wielding warriors who can outlast any human in their consumption of ale!
1. Gen-chi mydians are burly, bearded, axe-wielding warriors who make merry with many a flask of ale. But, they are also lumberjacks and foresters who float logs down the river and make giant wooden war engines. A good axe lasts many centuries and is honed felling trees before the dark days it is needed in battle.
2. You love dwarfs because they are tough, squat and live in cave strongholds with rich history.
1. Stoneskin tribe are tough and live in cave strongholds with rich histories. They have skin which looks similar to the rock types of the mountains they carve their cities in, searching for veins of precious minerals and crystals. They are also clever inventors, making use of the geothermal heat underground to drive great industrial machines.

Elves

1. You love elves because they are lithe, ancient and mystical. I love their prowess with the bow and as hunters.
1. Shashnimyn all over the world share some attributes like elves. They are faster and more agile than humans, capable of acrobatics and feats that would make them seem superhuman on Earth. They are long-lived, with Elders of the village having the wisdom and wit sharpened by a century or two. There is also a recognition that a myn's soul lives on inside the planet, and the Gods of the pantheon are real but enigmatic.
2. Shashnimyn are excellent hunters, but also excellent farmers. They live in balance with the world, and study the growth and failings of every prey population, managing and respecting the animals that feed them. They can be stealthy, silent killers, or fanatic defenders against giant dinosaur predators. Their weapon of choice is the Kathini, a double-bladed javelin. But there is a specific school of combat that has always used the bow.
2. You love elves because they have a romantic dark side, they are the sweetness of the night which can be alluring, yet deadly.
1. Feeling emo and gothy? The dark elves are represented here also. Known as the Aristocrati, they tend towards wandering the epic halls of court and government but also play dangerous games of power.

Near Future Fantasy?

I don't get it, what exactly does that mean that there are hover cars getting shot down by fireballs?

Hah! Good question, actually there are. But it's not something you'd see everyday.

Near future = the technology of Shashnia is comparable to our modern world, with some quirks of course. That means that anything you are familiar with (internet, cars, television) is present on Shashnia, but it's modified to fit the social, environmental and fantasy themes.

• Internet? = the Shashnani'i equivalent a system of information transmitted by crystal towers, these also transmit GPS-like location signals, but don't transmit images or video (more on that in a sec) 
• Smartphones? = yeah! since they have internet, some of the wealthy have fancy magical clockwork and crystal handheld computers and communication devices. Players need some place to store their spell list after all ; )
• Television? = So you just said that no images are transmitted over the information net, so what about television? Well, it is not that it is impossible. Vector diagrams like engineering and architecture plans are pretty crucial images, but what is the allure of a flat image when the entertainment you can see at the theatre down the street is a 3D illusion interacting with real actors? With a magically sensitive race like the Shashnimyn, who also have a strong community sense in their culture, looking at reproductions is never as good as a shared experience.
• Cars? = You mean horseless carriages? Oh yeah, they've discovered how to make motors turn wheels. But oil is a dangerous pollutant and internal combustion engines are wasteful. Instead of motorways clogged with individuals in cars, there is public transit and personalized tram services, magnetic high-speed trains and even airships. Horses and other creatures still pull carts, and vehicles are kept in different areas than pedestrians. And why would you want to take a taxi on your own to get around the city when you can hop on hang gliders tethered to zip lines and capsules zooming around ventilation tubes?
• Hover Cars? = We've been promised these since the 01950s and still we don't have them, but since it is near future they exist somewhere on Earth right now, and are just as rare on Shashnia. They could be powered by magic, or maybe strapped to a giant bird or flying lizard?
• Fireballs then? = So, it's a magical fantasy world, everyone of those has fireballs. Don't fail me now.
• Well..... fire is actually considered an evil omen. In it's natural form it devastates land, resetting the cycle of life through an indiscriminate death. When magic came, fire was a powerful weapon, so much so that the evils of the Magic War made it a much reviled symbol. Now it is only practiced by demons, and blatantly evil beings. Instead simple warmth spells and blue energy bolts have replaced the fireball's uses.

Demons

There is always an evil force in a fantasy world. On Shashnia, that evil cuts straight to the essence of it:

Demons are the metaphor for anything you think is bad or wrong, changing that metaphor into a creature that spreads that specific type of evil through the world. They try to corrupt people to their ways, spreading whatever weakness, lies or hatred that they originated from. They are invading the world en masse at the north pole, and they are creating guerilla dungeons all over the world.

You could start making a Demon to fight right now, just pick something that bothers you, that you want to rise up against: fears, insecurities, doubts, past regrets and lingering pains, imbalances, any worldly wrongs.  Anything that you can personify as being bad can be turned into a demon that you can face. We're not saying it'll be easy, but by being able to face your problems in a fictional world where anything goes, we hope that you can learn healthy strategies to deal with the most difficult game we play: real life.

Hey! You forgot about Dragons!

You're right, I didn't say anything about them.  They exist on Shashnia all right, sometimes they are descended from the dinosaurs, sometimes bats, sometimes they are demons or twisted corruptions. But, I want to hear about your unique version of Dragons, what can make them even cooler?  All you have to do is create an account, and add your ideas to the page: Dragons