Human
Humans are both the rarest and the most well-known race found across all of Edras. Humans are not the children of any Primordial, nor are they outsiders from beyong the great Bulkwark. They are a gift from the Deities, an abnormality of birth, or a quirk of fate, depending on who you ask. In reality, their creation was the result of the Legacy of the Shinning Ones, a grande initiative headed by a Shining One named Kezaehneh (who later become the Scion of Life).
The Shining Ones, the alabaster humanoids that arrived in Edras with the Deities before the beginning of the War of Souls, were the original servants and worshippers of the Deities, but were sadly nearly wiped out during that terrible conflict. Their diminished armies led to the Deities’ plan - referred to as the Shattering - to steal the Soulborn from the Primordials, in order to replenish their armies and save the Soulborn from their twisted masters. The gambit was a success, but could not save the Shining Ones from their inevitable decline into extinction.
Foreseeing their own extinction in the coming century, the elders of the Shining Ones begin the intermingling of their people with the races of the Soulborn - the Legacy of the Shining Ones. They would never live to see it, but their efforts were proven worthy in 1024 AS when the first human child was born. The diluted blood of the Shining Ones, the last of which interbred with all of the Soulborn races, would resurface and become dominant in this one child - heralding the arrival of a new race in Edras. This one would, as fate demanded, be followed by countless others as the centuries marched on.
While humans are theoretically able to breed true with each other, their birthrates are incredibly low. In most of the culled cultures and nations of modern Edras (and some of those ruled by progeny) they are expected to take multiple sexual partners among the true Soulborn races, in order to infuse their Shining One blood back into masses. It is unknown how effective this is, as the blood of the Shining Ones (and how it exists within the lines of the Soulborn) is poorly understood by all but the deities themselves.
They are generally revered by others as being great blessings from the deities and tend to have strange abilities or powers. All of them seem to be destined from birth to become adventurers and do great (or terrible) deeds. Many a nation's fate has been held in the palm of a human's hand, for better or worse - and so they also are rightly feared in regions that have had previously negative dealings with the Touched.
Humans are much more physically diverse than other races. There is no such thing as a typical human. An individual can stand from 5 feet to a little over 6 feet tall and weigh from 125 to 250 pounds. Human skin shades range from nearly black to very pale, and hair colors from black to blonde (curly, kinky, or straight males might sport facial hair that is sparse or thick. All humans also have a dash of nonhuman blood, revealing hints of their parents’ races in countless ways. Humans reach adulthood in their late teens and rarely live even a single century - though it is rarely a boring one.
Little can be said about the nature of humans in general, as they are as diverse as the peoples and cultures that they come from - a human hatched from the egg of Dragonborn nobility in Valonde will bear little resemblance to one that is ripped from the belly of a dying orc-mother. Because of this, humans are the most adaptable and ambitious people among the races. They have widely varying tastes, morals, and customs, such that it is best to treat each one as a unique creation. Of note - humans who seek adventure are the most daring and ambitious members of an already overly 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, as they identify more strongly with them that nations of people that don't look like them or possess their blessings.
Origin/Ancestry
The Legacy of the Shining Ones
Lifespan
100 years
Average Height
5'5"
Average Weight
160 lbs.
Racial Stats
Human
Human
Ability Score Increase +1 to all Ability Scores
Size Medium
Speed 30ft
***Requires GM Approval***
Languages. Eolian and one of your choice
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