...umm, I haven't read the Dune series, and I really was aiming more towards Iraq and the Middle East with my desert lands, that is why I compared the pronunciation to common American pronunciation of "Iraqis". If it does sound similar to something from the Dune series, it is coincidental.

I do have other races, several of whom are of my own creation, but they have not been introduced in the story yet. The Encyclopedia is slowly developing as my Purple Thorn Chronicles develop, and since few outside of the elven races have been mentioned, there is not a lot of mention other races YET. And besides, I have demons posted that are solely mine, so it's not strictly elves.

Just a question: Would "Äraq’is" not sound like Arrakis, the planet from Frank Herbert's excellent "Dune" series?

Okay, I've been following this so far, and it seems like there's lots of elves, but little of other races. Why elves? Why not make your own original races, say like the khepri from China Mieville's "Bas-Lag" universe (a highly recommended setting). A lot of the deities and subraces seem a lot more like a Dungeons and Dragons campaign with elf-fetishists in charge. No offense, but a bit more "racial" and sociological creativity might be called for. There's a lot more to fantasy than just regurgitations of Tolkien races. How about the political, social, technological, magical, and philosophical traditions of each elf subrace? And what about humans and non-elf races?

Okay, so I really like this cause I already found the little tidbits in the PTC fascinating, and this goes into so much detail. And I like that you posted it, normally I think things up for my stories but then they never end up in anything, or I don't use them:( Then, this made me wonder if Salix could be part Shadow Elf cause of the whole "mixing" power thing. Anyway, I just though this was tres interessant!