"Lord" Evander, the Gray Man, is the reluctant ruler of Hybris. It's clear that he resents "his" city being turned into a refugee camp for the flotsam of the realms, but his moral code forces him to accept them anyway. He's a decent Portal sorcerer, but his Knowledge and Intuition are not nearly as impressive as his superhuman Strength, Endurance and Drive. He's clearly a magical being, but no one knows who made him or why. He ages so slowly that he could well be centuries old. Certainly he's crotchety enough.
Nahura, a goddess of the Natural Order, runs Arborelle, a realm of massive forests. She is served by pretty much everything there... plants, animals and people. The Sandilin (humans with blue skin and small, satyr-like horns on their heads) are her chosen and they dominate the local population. Outsiders can settle there, but will be second class citizens at best and had better be extra diligent in honoring the goddess.
While Nahura is honored as good, benevolent and all-loving, she does have a habit of marking anyone who offends her with a red rune on their face (their actual skin color changes permanently) and exiling them. The exact rune varies according to the crime, but if you know Sandili you can tell.
The official language of Arborelle is Sandili... a lilting, musical tongue better suited for song and opera than regular communication. Because of that, most folks speak Dielan as well. Pampered nobles in many realms learn Sandili just to better appreciate the fancy performances put on in that tongue.
There aren't very many Sandili in Hybris and since most of them are bitter exiles they don't get along well with each other, either. As a result, they're regarded as troublemakers.
Since Allassarra (a goddess of Nature and Fleshweaving) perished in Korth, her realm has been decaying. As her surviving worshippers grow ever more fanatical and intolerant, small families and clans have been forced to flee to neighboring realms. Several have ended up in Hybris, where, unfortunately, their tribal rivalries have continued. They tend to be insular and secretive and more likely to trust friendly foreign folk than other refugees from Korth.
A small band of aggressive Korthian Giants came through to Hybris not long ago and tried to demand food and protection money from the locals. Evander came in person and broke their leader's arm with his bare hands. Now the giants are cowed and have become relatively mild and productive townsfolk. They practically revere the Gray Man, probably as a sort of substitute for Allassarra. Korthian folk tend to be nice folks while they have a purpose in the community (they love to feel useful) but they get into trouble if left idle.
Kabri is a Thalk Angel, one of the few survivors after Arthalkus was slain by whatever lurks in Hybris. He rules over a small clan of Arthalkus worshippers and has made no secret of the fact that he blames Evander for his lord's fall. Officially, Kabri maintains that Arthalkus yet lives and will return if his followers are righteous, but he's the only one of the three surviving angels who still claims that. It's widely felt that Kabri knows darn well that his lord is dead and is merely claiming otherwise to reassure his followers and keep his tiny flock from dwindling further. The thalks are widely disliked and have to live in a fortified enclave, coming out only to trade. Evander has forbidden any further conflict with them and demands that folks trade with them, but he can't make the locals treat them well. The thalks are slowly dwinding and would probably have already broken up if not for Kabri's magical powers supporting them.
Viali is a female Thalk Angel and probably Kabri's most hated foe. She maintains a home on the opposite side of Hybris from the thalk enclave and works healing magics for money. She is bitter and won't deal with anyone who accidentally or purposefully mentions Kabri, the thalks or their lost lord, but is perfectly civil to everyone else.
There was a third surviving Thalk Angel after Arthalkus fell, but it's believed that he left Hyrbis and now works as a mercenary in the war. The other two refuse to speak of him, too.
Hybris has a fairly stable portal to Infernus, one of the very few portals to Infernus still in existence, anywhere. The salamanders send folks through to keep an eye on things, listen to rumors and occasionally serve as mercenary troops in order to keep up their funds. They mostly import metal and carved stone, never anything flammable. Some salamanders become enchanted by the endless variety of life in the other realms (compared to the barren lifelessness of Infernus) and become wanderers. They are looked upon as perverse by their comrades, most of whom prefer their barren realm and are disgusted by all of the tiny creatures that exist in more habitable areas.