Even with
The Pact, there are still a number of magical races living in Albion, almost never noticed by non-magical folks, and many magical people might go most of their life without meeting any. See
Fatae for the human-shaped Fatae, and read on for more about the others.
The Belin are a race of Welsh magical beings - dwarf is the best rough equivalent. They live underground and tend to interests around metals and mining. They are cousins to many different similar races around the world. (
Lizzie Penhallow and her father visited the German kobolds at one point.)
The Belin are actually based on a couple of obscure bits of Arthuriana where there are references to underground dwellers interested in mines. They usually look like mobile stacks of rocks, perhaps 2-3 feet tall.
Their language is highly metaphorical and not easily understood by most people (though a few families make a speciality of being fluent, and other people can pick it up if they've both got the patience for it and a gift for languages). Lizzie says: "And it is based on allusions, associations, and an approach to grammar that approaches sympathetic magic." (
Goblin Fruit, chapter 27)
When negotiations are involved, there is a complex sequence of offerings depending on the season, the weather, the nature of the request, various astronomical conditions, and quite possibly other factors unspecified. The offerings always include something local. Offerings made in
Goblin Fruit (chapter 26) include a bottle of water from a stream, five pure white pebbles, and one rock to represent each of the people making offerings.
Horse-sized dragons that play a key role in the magical ecology of coins and metals. Emrys, a custos dragon, appears in
Fool's Gold.
While they were originally more widespread (as were larger dragon species), these days most of the custos dragons are associated with the banking families and others focused on maintaining the magical ecology of coin and trade. There are about 12 active in Albion, with others scattered across Europe and the rest of the world, but they rarely leave their own particular cave systems. The custos dragons generally live with a
near-Cousin who sees to their needs involving opposable thumbs.
Albion is aware of both coastal merfolk and pelagic (deep-sea dwelling) merfolk, who are two different species and cultures. There are coastal merfolk communities near Schola, Dunwich, and Forvie, as well as various points around the Scottish islands. The merfolk use sign language for communication. (This is where
Vivian Porter learned hers.)
Seal House at Schola is particularly associated with the merfolk.
The pelagic merfolk use a form of sign language that uses the full body - or ideally, the bodies and positions of an entire pod. Merope's Speakers travel on many ocean-going liners to make offerings, check on the state of things in the ocean, and get advance notice of icebergs or other oceanic dangers. (See
Sailor's Jewel for an interaction with them.)
Folklore of the Indian subcontinent talks about the naga, magical beings with a human upper body and a snake's tail (or sometimes other combinations). There are seasonal rituals to make offerings and ask them for favours - traditionally knowledge, wealth, and fame.
The Fossil Door and
Three Tales of Gabe and Rathna discuss them in more detail.
The
Fatae have door guardians, who begin as fully mobile trees. Over time, as they mature, they become more sessile, until they are ready to be planted by one of the magical doorways that cross into the Fatae realms. Alfred and Amandine appear in
Seven Sisters.
Along with merfolk, Scotland also has selkies, a form of
Shapeshifting that is, in their case, inherited. Vivian mentions them briefly in
Seven Sisters and one of the characters in
Sailor's Jewel is selkie-kin.
