The animal-like inhabitants of this world live on the upper branches of a giant tree, within vast cities.
Type: Blossomthis is based on a tabletop RPG World tree https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Tree_8role-playing_game9
The godlings who created the World Tree made the eight prime species the focus of attention. Four primes are the most common:
Cani are dogfolk, social, tangled and strengthened by their complex webs of loyalties.
Herethroy are anthropomorphic crickets or beetles: agrarian, six-limbed, musical, strong.
Orren are otterfolk, wild and excitable, picking up new interests quickly when the old ones become boring.
Rassimel are raccoonfolk--clever, devoted to a few life-long interests that border on obsession.
The four other primes are rare:
Gormoror are bearfolk, brave and heroic.
Khtsoyis are floating air-octopi, violent and often criminal.
Sleeth are non-anthropomorphic panthers, predators and loners, feared by many.
Zi Ri, rarest of all, are small immortal dragons, and the old ones bear much force and much lore.
Note: A thousand other species oppose, befriend, trade with or ignore the primes.
First, as the two World trees were joined, branches from the lower part of the tree connected with this new world tree. These branches were considered wild and dangerous, none of the primes lived this low, though some small villages of non-primes did. The non-primes finding this a chance to escape to a world where they could have a better life (The prime species not thinking much of non-primes and mostly treat them as outcasts). This of course also allowed the beasts and monsters from the lower part of the tree to enter, these creatures dangerous, seeking new hunting grounds and new prey.