Human
Children of Marblehaven, Nexus Pioneers, Plane Walkers
Humans are the most adaptable and ambitious people among the species of Astrium. They have widely varying tastes, morals, and customs in the many different lands where they have settled. When they settle, though, they stay: they build cities to last for the ages, and great kingdoms that can persist for long centuries. An individual human might have a relatively short life span, but a human nation or culture preserves traditions with origins far beyond the reach of any single human’s memory. They live fully in the present—making them well suited to the adventuring life—but also plan for the future, striving to leave a lasting legacy. Individually and as a group, humans are adaptable opportunists, and they stay alert to changing political and social dynamics.
Humans who seek adventure are the most daring and ambitious members of a daring and ambitious race. They seek to earn glory in the eyes of their fellows by amassing power, wealth, and fame. More than other people, humans champion causes rather than territories or groups.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Humans are bipedal humanoids with a wide variety of physical builds and appearances. Their adaptability allows them to thrive in numerous environments, aided by a robust skeletal structure, dexterous limbs, and diverse genetic traits.
Genetics and Reproduction
Humans reproduce sexually with high genetic variability, contributing to their adaptability and diversity. Gestation lasts approximately nine months. Children mature rapidly, reaching physical adulthood in their late teens.
Ecology and Habitats
Humans are remarkably versatile, capable of thriving in almost any biome. They shape their environment to suit their needs, often altering landscapes with settlements, agriculture, and industry. Their adaptability fosters both harmony and tension with their surroundings and other species.
Additional Information
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Humans are scattered around Astrium, a lot of settlements will include humans for their ingenuity and loyalty.
Average Intelligence
Humans possess a balanced intellectual capacity, excelling in innovation and problem-solving.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Humans rely on a balanced array of senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. While lacking in extraordinary sensory capabilities compared to other races, their intellect and ingenuity compensate through crafted tools and devices to augment their perception.
Humans have been known to have a variety of different senses through mutations, magic or some other supernatural force.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
Human names are influenced by their founders' diverse origins, blending elements of Earth-like and Astrium-specific sounds:
- Male: Cedric, Alaric, Daven.
- Female: Opheliax, Serina, Maribel.
- Neutral: Ignis, Kael, Aerin.
Beauty Ideals
Humans value individuality and cultural expression in beauty, with preferences varying by region. Symmetry, health, and confident bearing are universally admired. Accessories and personal grooming reflect status or artistry.
Gender Ideals
raditional roles still influence some human societies, but many emphasize capability over gender. Leadership, intellect, and creativity are valued traits for all.
Courtship Ideals
Humans employ diverse courtship practices, from grand romantic gestures to practical partnerships based on mutual goals. Gifts, acts of service, and shared endeavors are common expressions of affection.
Relationship Ideals
Relationships prioritize trust, cooperation, and shared ambition. Family and community are highly valued, with bonds often forming the backbone of human society.
Common Etiquette Rules
- Handshakes, bows, or nods are common greetings, depending on the region.
- Respect for personal space and verbal consent is important.
- Acknowledging shared hardships or achievements strengthens camaraderie.
Common Dress Code
Human attire reflects a blend of practicality and expression. Clothes range from simple, durable fabrics to intricate designs incorporating magic or cultural symbols. Adventurers often wear reinforced gear, while scholars and mages favor robes or enchanted garments.
Culture and Cultural Heritage
Humans celebrate innovation and resilience, often drawing inspiration from their Marblehaven origins. Art, music, and literature frequently explore themes of survival, ambition, and legacy.
- Day of the Divide: Annual remembrance of Marblehaven’s fall.
- Convergence Assembly: Yearly gathering of human settlements to share progress and ideas.
- Festival of Lights: Celebration of human ingenuity, marked by fireworks and displays of magical and technological creations.
Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals
The Convergence of Marblehaven
Overview: The Convergence of Marblehaven is the most significant annual holiday for the human settlements of Astrium. This grand event marks the shared history of the human race, commemorating the tragic loss of Marblehaven and celebrating the unity, resilience, and advancements of humanity in the wake of the Marblehaven Divide. It is also a time when the four major human settlements—Valford, Ostborough, Griffinweld, and Playbelia—gather to discuss new developments and future projects.
When:
Date: Celebrated on the anniversary of the Marblehaven Divide, marking the historical moment when the city fell into the ocean.
Timing: The event lasts for five days, with the central day known as Day of the Divide, where solemn reflection meets hopeful visions for the future.
Significance:
The Convergence of Marblehaven is a time to remember the fallen city and the golden age of magic and technology it once represented. It also honors the four legendary figures—Cedric Valford, Opheliax Ostborough, Garnet Griffinweld, and Ignacio Playbelia—who led humanity through the divide. Their legacies are kept alive through scientific breakthroughs, magical advancements, military prowess, and the arts, ensuring that the human race thrives in Astrium.
Traditions and Customs:
Day of Remembrance:
Description: The first day is dedicated to honoring Marblehaven, with families and communities holding memorials to reflect on the golden city and its loss.
Activity: At noon, all human settlements hold a moment of silence to remember the exact time when Marblehaven was submerged. Afterwards, they release floating lanterns into the sea, symbolizing the resilience of human dreams even after the Divide.
Council of the Founders:
Description: The second day involves a grand summit where representatives from each of the four major settlements—Valford, Ostborough, Griffinweld, and Playbelia—gather to share advancements in their respective fields: military strategy, scientific discovery, magical research, and cultural enrichment.
Participation: Heads of each settlement present new breakthroughs, from technological innovations in Ostborough to the latest arcane experiments from Griffinweld.
Tradition: After the presentations, the Convergence Accord is signed, symbolizing the continued cooperation of human settlements for the benefit of all Astrium.
The Forge of Invention:
Activity: On the third day, a grand exhibition is held where scientists, mages, and artisans display new inventions, arcane spells, and technological creations.
Key Event: Warforged and automatons play a special role in this event, as it honors their origins from Marblehaven. Many showcase new upgrades or systems to aid human life, and prototypes of planar technologies are displayed to reflect humanity’s growing influence across the planes.
Tournament of Valford:
Description: A day dedicated to military prowess, with a grand tournament held in the settlement of Valford. Warriors from across Astrium gather to participate in combat trials, jousts, and strategy games.
Prize: The winner of the Sword of Cedric Valford tournament is awarded a ceremonial blade and the title of Champion of Marblehaven for the year.
The Maestro’s Grand Showcase:
Description: The final day is a grand celebration of the arts, hosted by Playbelia, the city founded by Ignacio Playbelia. Music, theater, storytelling, and dance fill the streets, with performances that recount the history of Marblehaven and its founders.
Feature: The Symphony of the Divide, a musical performance composed to honor the transition from the golden age of Marblehaven to the present, is performed every year by the city’s most prestigious musicians.
Participation: Artists from all over Astrium gather to showcase their work, and grand feasts are held throughout the city, ensuring a joyous end to the festival.
Decorations:
Marble Motifs: Settlements decorate their streets with marble-like banners and sculptures, symbolizing the strength and beauty of their lost home.
Celestial Lights: Streets and homes are adorned with magical orbs that change color, representing the mix of magic and technology that defined Marblehaven’s culture.
Founder Statues: Large statues of Cedric Valford, Opheliax Ostborough, Garnet Griffinweld, and Ignacio Playbelia are temporarily erected in the main squares of the human settlements, adorned with flowers and artifacts representing their unique contributions.
Attire:
Traditional Dress: Humans wear clothing inspired by the old styles of Marblehaven, combining sleek, minimalist robes with advanced magical embroidery or technological enhancements.
Founder Garb: Many choose to dress in homage to one of the four founders, incorporating elements from Valford’s military garb, Ostborough’s scientific coats, Griffinweld’s arcane robes, or Playbelia’s artistic and flamboyant styles.
Special Highlights:
The Celestial Procession: During the second night, a parade of magically-illuminated automatons and Warforged marches through the streets of Ostborough, representing the harmony of magic and technology once perfected in Marblehaven.
Marblehaven Requiem: A musical performance held in Griffinweld’s grand amphitheater, combining magical auras and sound waves to recreate the feeling of Marblehaven’s rise and fall. It is an emotional event, designed to evoke both sorrow and hope.
Planeweaver Symposium: In recent years, with humanity’s exploration into planar travel, a new event has been added where the latest research on interplanar exploration and Nexus technology is presented, drawing experts from across the multiverse.
Community Impact:
The Convergence of Marblehaven not only strengthens the bonds between the four human settlements but also serves as a reminder of humanity's resilience, innovation, and capacity to adapt. It encourages collaboration across disciplines, fosters a sense of shared heritage, and propels humanity toward a future where they might even traverse the planes once more.
In Summary: The Convergence of Marblehaven is a multi-day festival that honors the legacy of Marblehaven and its founders. Through exhibitions, tournaments, cultural showcases, and collaborative councils, the holiday celebrates human achievements in Astrium while charting the course for their future. The festival is a time of remembrance, unity, and innovation, ensuring that the spirit of Marblehaven continues to inspire the human race.
Common Taboos
- Betrayal of community trust is met with severe consequences.
- Desecration of the Marblehaven ruins is forbidden.
- Overuse of planar technology without regard for potential risks is frowned upon.
History
Humans began after a group of adventurers, scientists and mages stumbled into the world of Astrium. Through their studies they found the world was habitable, and decided to settle while looking for a way back to their material plane. The settled upon a large amount of Marbled stone that created a natural fortified position and dubbed it Marblehaven
Before the events of the Pandora War, Marblehavens was home to a perfect mix of magic and technology which they shared with the other prime races of Astrium, leading to the creation of warforged, automatons that lived amongst humans and aided them in the day to day life.
The threat that the Humans held caused the Sins to lay an all out assault which caused Marblehaven to sink ito the ocean, creating the Marblehaven divide which brought about a significant even in history to mark on the Calendar as Before Divide and After Divide (BD and AD).
During the divide - four Humans outstanding in their areas of expertise:
Cedric Valford - General of the Marblehaven Military
Opheliax Ostborough - Lead Scientist of the Research Division.
Garnet Griffinweld - Archmage of the Aether
Ignacio Playbelia - Maestro of Magnificane (Leader of Peace and Wellness throughout he city)';
Took people that allied with their beliefs to set up new settlements. Since then the new settle ments meet up once a year to go through the the advances made and the projects made for the humans of Astrium.
With the recent expanding of Astrium as the Nexus Plane and more multiversal creatures traversing through planar technology, humans have begun talks to extend their reach across the planes.
Common Myths and Legends
The Four Pillars: The story of Cedric, Opheliax, Garnet, and Ignacio, who rebuilt humanity after the Divide.
The Everlasting Flame: A mythical device believed to power all of Marblehaven, said to lie dormant in the sunken city.
The Nexus Wanderer: A fabled figure who discovered the Nexus Plane and gifted humans the key to traverse dimensions.
Scientific Name
Homo Sapiens Astriumis
Lifespan
70-100 Years
Average Height
5'0" - 6'6"
Average Weight
110 - 220 pounds
Average Physique
Medium build with high variability. Physiques range from lithe and athletic to stocky and muscular.
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
Skin tones vary widely, from pale to deep brown, with hair colors ranging from black, brown, and blonde to rarer shades like red or white. Scars, tattoos, and other body modifications are common and often culturally significant.
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