I played at the start and up to halloween last year. Something went wrong and I lost access to my account and quit. Things did eventually get sorted but by then I was doing other things. However I haven't found anything like as good a storyline anywhere else so now returning and haven't a clue what race to choose or what class to start on. So a few questions:

1] Does the class I start on affect my main storyline or is it the same for all? Unsure if it's linked to race or class or starter area?

2] What races are there less of and why? I would love to be a less common race if there isn't a snag to that race that others have avoided.

3] Is it an option to leave gathering/crafting professions until much much later or would that put me at a disadvantage somehow?

Thanks for reading