I need help with developing a game world.

[Ninjadeadbeard]

They'd probably ride wolves or some other non-horse creature, but it makes sense, yeah. The separate, tribal goblin cavalry lords. Hunting purple worms and other such creatures.

Gotta love the wolves!

The enlightenment idea was actually exactly what I was thinking, and I had the idea that "enlightened" enough Couatlinti transform into full-fledged Couatl, and are forevermore worshiped as demigods (in an ancestor worship sort of way) by the remaining "children".

How would that work? Would the newly “Enlightened” Couatl ascend beyond this world, like their ancestors? Would they remain on the physical plane? How do the Orcs react to having these dragon-like monsters flying about?

Hmm... What if humans are from a land beyond the Dwarves (since the dwarves are cut off from most directions by ocean and a mountain range), and there is a small, but thriving human diaspora/refugee region within the Dwarven lands? It would give the image of the Jewish/Muslim diaspora that existed in medieval Spain that way.

That's an interesting idea. The humans are a heavily discriminated minority, with lots of nasty rumors and stereotypes applied to them, as well as some amount of segregation. The only real chance for advancement for a human is by signing up for military service, hence why they're so common in Ixtlan. This is paralleled by Basque mercenaries in the Spanish Conquistador armies in our world, hence why there are so many Basque names in Latin and South America.

I would ask though, what made humans live as a minority among the Dwarves? Surely they would be better treated in their homelands? Are the humans in Dwarf lands due to political persecution? Was their homeland conquered by an enemy? Does their homeland still even exist (a la Atlantis)?