By all means - please start conversing!
Here's a tidbit on Races. Note that in the first campaign I ran in this setting, Goblins were player possible races, and Elves were not. Halflings in this setting intermingle with humans, and culturally they have very few differences, and since noone ever played a gnome, they never came up.
Humans: This is the “normal” race, and needs no other explanation. Humans make up 99% of the Empire and the land surrounding it.
Dwarves: At the southern edge of the Empire, in the range of Mountains known to men as the Divide, lie the Dwarf Kingdoms. Dwarves rarely leave their homes, though an odd dwarf or two can be found throughout the south, playing the role of trader, craftsman, or noble advisor (dwarves, due to their long lives and memories, are prized as counsel throughout the Empire).
Goblins: These hairy, brutish creatures live barbaric lives in the forests to the west of the Empire. While not “evil” at heart, their savage nature has led them to raid and pillage along the frontier, taking livestock and goods where they are able. Goblin war parties are something to be feared, though luckily they are rarely seen by civilized folk.
Goblins come in a variety of sizes, from as short as a dwarf (though not nearly as meaty) to over 9 feet in height. Stories tell of even larger goblins (up to three men tall) though most scoff at such rubbish.
Elves: Some of the most popular folk tales throughout the Empire center on the legendary beauty and generosity of the elves. Yet for each tale a bard can tell about such qualities, two more exist about the less savory side of these magical creatures. They are both faerie and bogeyman, and their dealings with mankind range from romantic to frightening. All the stories agree that encounters with elves are exhilarating, and sometimes dangerous, events.