Humanity, short-lived and disadvantaged in many ways by nature, has nonetheless proven to be one of the most resilient and diverse races in Mennara. What Humans, a curious lot, lack in natural gifts of the sort bestowed on other races they make up for in their willingness to learn, their determination, and their sheer adaptability. Humans have weathered cataclysms beyond compare, and today it is largely by their strength of will and arms that the world is kept safe.
Appearance
Having colonized nearly every part of Mennara over the centuries, Humans display no lack of variation. Skin tones range from deep brown and red to gold and pale pink. Most Albesians and Sayr-Savim have dark or heavily tanned appearances, while Humans in central and northern Terrinoth tend toward paler shades. Humans are generally tall, and tend to stand at least a head taller than most Dwarves, though they are usually not as tall as most Elves. As with all things Human, variety is the only constant.
Society
In keeping with Humanity’s tendency toward variation, Human society has branched out from the moment the first Humans arose ages ago. Human society differs dramatically between continents, and even between neighboring counties in Terrinoth. Whereas the baronies and their inhabitants are bound by a strict and complex code of oaths, duties, and obligations, they share borders with the Free Cities, whose people generally share a belief in self-reliance and independence and have a far more flippant view toward tradition.
The inherent nature of the surrounding lands seem to impart its own character on each Human civilization wherever they arise. It’s almost impossible to imagine the regimented life of the baronies surviving for very long in the fractured, disconnected islands of the Torue Albes, or the Lorimorian life of leisure and poetry holding much stock in the Borderlands. Thus, Humanity has often lived with the need to master the world while being a servant to it. Humans have carved out paradises from frozen rock and burning desert sands alike, changing themselves in the process, and they will likely not stop until all of Mennara is charted on their maps.
Though they have innumerable differences, Human cultures tend to share more bonds than even they might realize. Dozens of languages can be heard in the markets of Tamalir, but nearly all the speakers can, at the very least, understand common speech, a simple tongue birthed in the days of the Elder Kings. When separated from their cultures of origin, Humans tend to naturally gravitate toward other Humans, forming new communities out of a distinct necessity for companionship.
Culture
The most learned minds in all of Terrinoth have argued about the exact nature of Humanity for generations. At times, Humans have proven themselves to be little more than brutes, greedy for power and violent in their hunger for glory and riches. At other times, they have demonstrated a spirit so noble as to outshine any other, driven by a profound need to see goodness triumphant in the world.
In truth, from the most opulent spires of Lorimor to the frigid towns of Isheim, all Human societies are in some way or another predicated upon a few simple desires. Humanity, more than any other race that dwells in Mennara, defines itself by the challenges it faces. When it is cold, Humanity seeks to create warmth, and when it is hot, it seeks to create a cool place to rest. When Humanity hungers, it seeks to feed itself, and when Humanity is dominated, it strives with all its might for freedom. The Humans who live in Terrinoth and its surrounding lands are the descendants of explorers, conquerors, warriors, and scholars, and no amount of time could ever dim their spark to seek out, to explore, to build, and to stand for something. This is the driving force at the heart of every Human culture, whatever their location or form of governance.
To the Humans of the Daqan Baronies, order and duty are prized as the highest standards. Their greatest heroes are paragons of loyalty and adherence to the law. Meanwhile, their neighbors in Terrinoth's Free Cities tend to be more cosmopolitan, adventurous, and willing to appreciate the finer pleasures in life.
Elsewhere, in Lorimor, art and civics are the most highly valued pursuits. Many of Lorimor’s emperors rank among the finest artists and poets ever to put brush to canvas or quill to parchment. In the Caliphate of Al-Kalim, politics and magic are considered equally worthy pursuits, and the Sayr-Savim take great pains to hold on to the mystical origins of their ancestors. To the people who dwell in the savage parts of Terrinoth and beyond, the sparsely populated areas of Isheim, the isolated, untamed islands of the Torue Albes, or the Borderlands along the blighted Ru Darklands, power and brutality are often the sole measures of virtue.
Names
Human nobles are proud of their names' long lineage and history, often carrying the name of an ancestor and having a family name that goes back generations. Commoners seldom bother with family names at all, using a second name that is more descriptive such as a trade name if one is required.
Baronial Humans
In the baronies of Terrinoth, the Daqan Lords rule. Each lord holds land granted in time immemorial by the Penacor Kings of Talindon, the old kingdom that once held the land now called Terrinoth. Terrinoth is a wild realm, largely untamed and often dangerous, so these lands are protected by soldiers and knights in shining steel armor.
The humans of the baronies are stout folk, accustomed to the dangers of the world and the virtues of the hard work necessary to combat them. They are loyal to their feudal lords but demand that the lords in turn live up to their obligations to their subjects. Even the commoners are a proud people, many holding their own land as yeomen and doing their part to push back the wilderness for the good of all Daqan's children.
Although somewhat suspicious of outsiders and always vigilant against any threat, baronial humans enjoy good relations with most other races. The most notable exceptions are the tribal orcs, whose lack of respect for baronial boundaries and hunting rights creates friction.
Free City Humans
The Free Cities of Terrinoth are large, bustling centers of trade and travel, where people from all over the world congregate to exchange goods and ideas. Although subordinate to the Council of Barons in Archaut, the people of the Free Cities bow to no baron, instead choosing their rulers from the most talented of their own.
The humans of the Free Cities look to the future rather than to Terrinoth's storied past. They are less concerned with how things have been done before and more with how to do them better now. Their lack of care for noble lineage and birthright means that each person in the Free Cities is trying to make a name for themselves, to find the one innovation or venture that will catapult them into the upper echelons of society.
Free City humans are extremely open to other races and other modes of thought. Although other races are negatively disposed towards them, the people of the Free Cities believe that all peoples can learn from one another and are eager to learn from and trade with all people, everywhere.
Lorimorian Humans
The Lorimor Empire is home to the most cultured of the human peoples. Here, art and philosophy reign in a life of leisure. This has been enabled by years of relative peace enjoyed by a people who have often used the baronies as a buffer between the Empire and the forces of evil. Lorimorian nobles are excellent players of the game of politics. Their history is a series of careful plots and vicious betrayals. Some humans of Terrinoth theorize that this tendency of betrayal comes from the treacherous birth of the Lorimor Empire itself, but the Emperors of Lorimor dismiss such ideas as the jealous musings of unwashed lesser barons.
Albesian Humans
The Torue Albes are a loose association of islands not dissimilar to the Free Cities on mainland Terrinoth, consisting of four major lands and countless lesser islands, many uninhabited or used as secretive smuggling ports. As former colonies of Lorimor freed of the empire’s rule, they form an ecosystem, helping one another in what ways they can and creating a system of reliance born more from necessity than family bonds or honor. While relatively independent from each other, they do recognize the authority of a single queen, whose court is held in the city of Dallak on the main island of Alben. Albesians have tanned skin and are a famously adventurous and risk-taking people, although they're not always considered trustworthy. This is due to their tendency to seek the easiest way to profit from any situation, putting practical needs before honor. However this attraction to practicality doesn't preclude them from superstition; in particular sailors are known to carry lucky charms and avoid traveling on days marked by ill omens.
Weik Humans
The rugged peoples of Isheim are as fearsome as the land they call home. Known as the Weik, they have carved out a civilization on the shores of the north and won a reputation as daring seafarers, skilled game hunters, and deadly raiders. Their warriors stride into battle with a blade or axe in each hand, wild grins upon their faces—for in the culture of the Weik, there can be no greater honor than to die by the sword. Cold and hardship mean little to them, and they look upon the knights and soldiers of Terrinoth as weakling southerners. Some Weik even travel to these warmer lands in search of greater adventure or to hunt a foe who dares think they can escape the wrath of a Weik who has been wronged.
Sayr-Savim Humans
The Sundermen, as the Sayr-Savim are most commonly known, are an old and weathered people. The hot landscape of Al-Kalim has produced a brown skinned and resilient population. Their Caliph is believed to be the descendant of the Sun God A'Tar, and all must bow to his authority lest they go missing in the night. The only power that can rival that of the Caliph is the Thieves' Guild, a network of criminal activity that holds political power in its own right. A land of brutal politics has made the Sayr-Savim extremely cautious and slow to trust. Some consider them a paranoid and superstitious people, but a Sunderman has learned to always watch his tongue and his step. Sundermen also tend to value the arcane arts more than other humans (besides those who train in the Greyhaven University). The most influential people in Al-Kalim are those with control over the most magical artifacts and spells. This deep respect of the magical stems from the Collegiate Arcane, which stole its secrets from the enigmatic Djinni.
Loth K'har Humans
The nomadic people who once roamed the eastern Ru Steppes are likely to be the oldest human culture on Mennara. After the rise of the Uthuk Y'llan, most of the Loth K'har are now dead or warped into foul Ynfernael perversions. However there are a few pockets of Loth K'har still out there, most of them wandering the lands on the edge of the Aymhelin. During good times, before the First Darkness, the Loth K’har roved the plains, searching for fresh grazing grounds for their animals and trading with the many settlements that ringed the wastes. In leaner times, they would turn into vicious raiders, falling on those same settlements for loot. Their shamans learned of a dream realm known as T’mara T’rusheen, and from it, they gleaned prophetic advice. The most skillful among these shamans formed a caste known as the nightseers. They were said to have been close to members of a distant Elven tribe who were so impressed by their talents that they called them the Loth Caara, Elven for “dream walkers.” From this term, the Loth K’har derive their name.
References
- Realms of Terrinoth
- Legacy of Dragonholt