RACE: Non-Human Races and the Classical Elements

My language system started me thinking about how nicely the common non-human game races match up to them. Here's some brainstorming notes with the languages (and their common dialects) mapped to races. Note that the alignments (LAW/NEUTRAL/CHAOS) match up generally with the dialects. Not that you can't ever find a neutral dwarf, but they tend to be lawful. Ditto with giants; they tend to be chaotic, although one might rarely find a neutral one and VERY rarely find a lawful one.

The languages twinged with Aetheris obviously make great playable PC races.

EARTH
+ AETHERIS DIALECT: Dwarves (STR & CON/WIS)
+ RUSTICA DIALECT: Gnomes
+ BARBARI DIALECT: Goblins


FIRE
+ AETHERIS DIALECT: Half-elves (CHA & CON/INT/WIS)
+ RUSTICA DIALECT: Salamanders
+ BARBARI DIALECT: Orcs and/or Giants/Titans

AIR
+ AETHERIS DIALECT: Elves (DEX & INT)
+ RUSTICA DIALECT: Sylphs
+ BARBARI DIALECT: Dangerous Fey

WATER
+ AETHERIS DIALECT: ???
+ RUSTICA DIALECT: Undines
+ BARBARI DIALECT: Sahuagin

RUSTICA
+ AETHERIS DIALECT: Halflings (they're just that cute, and, well British)
+ NO ACCENT: Baseline "civilized" humans from The Center of the Wold (pseudo-Rome)
+ BARBARI ACCENT: Bestial crossbreeds (half-orcs, etc); certain professions; tieflings (if they exist)

I believe that covers all of our classic playable character races.

This leaves two big gaps for "playable" races (i.e., those inclined towards the "good guys"): FIRE & WATER.

Fire could be covered by "half-orcs," although I don't see them being particularly law-inclined. They should match up with the best aspects of the choleric temperment; i.e., action, ambition, energy, passion, creativity, military & political capabilities. It is possible that you could spin half-orcs as a particularly vigorous type of person that inherits the best of their human and bestial parents. You could also have half-elves be lawful fire types, again being a particularly vigorous hybrid specimen that is unlike both father and mother. Or, you could invent an altogether new race ("Dragonborn? Prometheans?"). I kind of like the Half-Elf idea, honestly.

Water is a bit tougher, as most of the "classic" races are not able to leave water (merfolk, for example) or are not well suited to being PCs (selkies). I think I found a legend from Gaelic mythos that would work quite nicely; the merrow. Merrow can't travel freely beneath the sea without a special "magical" item so that's perfect for a PC. Their mythical temperment is a bit too 'fey' for what I really want, though. I really want a people that embody the classical "phlegmatic" temperment. Merrow feel a lot like AIR + WATER to me, although less so that selkies.

A "good" phlegmatic is calm, unemotional, reserved, self-content, and kind. They are reliable and compassionate. Merrow are not reliable or self-content or even particularly kind!