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The cultures of Nocturne provide a fascinating insight into inter-racial relationships, as there are several different races inhabiting the region and vying for territory.
The ratkin were in Nocturne long before humans began to explore the realm, and are still there today. They appear to have been driven there by an assault from some other race, although that migration is long past in their history, and has become the stuff of legends. The ratkin which inhabit the realm of Nocturne consist of many small tribes, each with a leader known as a 'Magus'. These tribes are in turn ruled by the Ratking, a figure shrouded in mystery. Mention of his name appears to inspire equal measures of fear and awe in his subjects.
The Iaché are a mysterious breed, who arrived in Outpost shortly after the founding of the city. They were the first to bring blackalt out of Nocturne, and were instrumental in promoting its export and trade. They have no distinct leader, although the Lamorre family hold many of the mining posts in Nocturne.
Until relatively recently they were considered friends and allies of Outpost, with the Iaché Lamorre Sint even holding a post on the Council of Aldermen. But this changed in late 900, when it became apparent that the Iaché of Nocturne and Outpost served dark powers - most of the Iaché in Outpost subsequently fled to Lamorre, and later abandoned Lamorre for fastnesses in the Black Mountains.
The Liasha are the most recent addition to the city. They arrived in small numbers from the far south some sixty years ago, although ever since they have been steadily increasing their population. However, they do not have significant territorial holdings within Nocturne. Instead they provide much of the security for many of the people who dwell in Nocturne, and make up many of the mine workers. A small community of Liasha is not uncommon in many of the villages in Nocturne, although they have few of their own settlements. Some Liasha have gone rogue, rejecting civilised behaviour in favour of roaming Nocturne in small nomadic raiding parties and engaging in various primitive and barbaric practices.
Like the ratkin, the night-goblins have dwelt in Nocturne since before the founding of Outpost. However, they have refused all attempts to communicate with them and act with hostility to any "invaders", as they refer to Outpost's citizens. While they are currently too disorganised to be a threat, and split into many primitive warring tribes, it is uncertain as to how many of them there are in Nocturne. Certainly, it would seem that if they were united they may pose a significant menace, and there are rumours that several of the tribes have allied with the drow and become highly militaristic.
It is unknown how long the drow have lived in, or rather beneath, Nocturne, since they are a secretive race who generally keep themselves to themselves. They appear to be fairly civilised, and are possibly comprised of a number of rival factions, each with their own mysterious agenda and motives - while these often bring them into conflict with citizens of Outpost, they have also been known to aid parties of adventurers on occasion, although this aid often has a sting in the tail.
There are rumours that the drow have brought some of the tribes of night-goblins into their service and converted them to the worship of certain drow deities, and are training them in the ways of war, which if true is a deeply worrying development.
Of all of the inhabitants of the known realms of Nocturne, the humans are the most numerous. They are mainly present as workers in the many mines in the region, although there are a few farming settlements, tribal communities, bandit groups and some outcasts and exiles from Outpost. The tribal communities are generally friendly towards strangers, as they are poor in comparison. They are generally used as a source of inexpensive labour. The exiles, on the other hand, have been known to threaten workers. The sentence of exile was once used regularly for many criminals, until their numbers began to become a problem in the form of bandits. The sentence is now only given to murderers and rapists. Exiles are branded with a theurgical mark that is apparent to all Lorewardens, along with a mundane brand.
There are also a number of wandering bands of human gypsies that are often encountered throughout Nocturne, making a living as traders, entertainers and fortune-tellers. They are rumoured to have second sight, and their ability to tell the future is certainly said to be remarkably accurate.
The ratkin generally live wherever they can find space, either in other races' towns or in towns of their own. They hold the majority of the towns of Ragaband, Rickchit and Sullitt. The mysterious town of Rickchit is rumoured to be the home of the Ratking, and none but the ratkin know of its location.
The town of Naresse is shared between the Iaché and the ratkin ever since Corban Naresse led an assault upon the supply lines of a night-goblin raiding party that was besieging the town, with the aid of the ratkin. Corbin and his ratkin allies then turned on the night-goblin raiding party itself and routed a force five times the size of their own.
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