Humans

Of all the civilized races, Humans are the most adaptable and diverse. Human settlements can be found almost anywhere, and Human morals, customs, and interests vary greatly. Being the dominant species in the Primelands, Humans are seen as the default to draw all other comparisons to other species. Due to their pervasiveness across all cultures, Human influence can be found all across Morad, and often cultural influences from other species spread out through Human societies as well. This means that Humans are one of the most inclusive species in Morad, but also that most other species see them as culture thieves.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Humans come in a wide variety of heights, weights, and colors. Some humans have black or dark brown skin, others are as pale as snow, and they cover the whole range of tans and browns in between. Their hair is black, brown, or a range of blonds and reds. Their eyes are most often brown, blue, or  hazel.

Genetics and Reproduction

Humans reproduce through sexual intercourse and a pregnancy period of 9 months.

Growth Rate & Stages

Humans first reach puberty in their early teens, hitting maturity in their early twenties. Human average life span is about 75 years, though some venerable members of the race live as long as 90 or more years.

Ecology and Habitats

Humans are unique in their ability to adapt to any environment. Even in places that everyone else sees as completely unlivable, there is no guarantee that a Human won't walk around the corner at any minute. As with all species, Humans have preferences that make life easier in certain natural conditions, but, given the right drive, they will persevere and live anywhere they need to.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Humans are naturally omnivores, though there are many humans that decide to only eat a vegetarian diet, or a carnivorous one.

Biological Cycle

Humans are very susceptible to the passage of time. They have a pretty long gestation period compared to most species, their young are more vulnerable for longer than most species, and only about half of their average lifespan is spent in their "prime years." Maybe in spite of, maybe because of, these challenges, Humans typically set up structures to aide these more vulnerable age groups. Also because of their relatively short lifespan and vulnerable youth periods, they tend to have significantly more children than other species.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Humans tend to adhere to a hierarchical social structure. There tends to be a single or small group of leaders for their communities that decide rulings for the majority of the people. Different civilizations may have drastically different social views on certain topics, but these views are largely influenced by the leaders of that civilization. Often cultural revolutions precede militaristic ones in Human societies. Most Humans want to work with, or at least accept that they must work with, other civilized species, thus growing their own social influence over these other cultures as well as allowing the other cultures to affect their own.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Humans settle literally everywhere in Morad. There is not a single country, city, village, or island that is completely void from Human contact.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Humans act as the baseline for all other species of Morad, being seen as the middle average for all sensory input.

Symbiotic and Parasitic organisms

Humans are significant in that they can form symbiotic or parasitic relationships with any other species, in either direction.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Human names tend to not reference anything found in the world. Humans carry the last name of their parents, with most Human cultures having the mother adopt the last name of the father during marriage.

History

After Moradin created Morad and the Dwarves in his image, the other Gods scrambled to populate Morad with their own representatives. The God of Light, Pelor the Dawnfather, created the Human species and imbued them with, potentially their greatest gift, that of never-ending hope. After the Gods who wanted to created as many beings in their image as they could muster, the Era of War slowly began to take full effect. Such a large creative process peaked the interest of the other planes in the universe and they began to investigate their new neighbor. As powerful beings from Arcadia, Duskwell, The Eternal Silver, Drekwal, Karlak, @The Unstable Sea, and thousand of other smaller demiplanes entered the new world, conflict was inevitable. Humans were often used as labor for stronger beings' ideals, but Humans were often underestimated. This lack of understanding about Human perseverance, allowed many enslaved Humans to overthrow their masters and take control of what they had previously been working towards. After the Living Gate was established and the other planes were locked away from the Primelands, Humans were able to stop focusing on their own survival and start realizing their potential.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Many species see Humans as a, potentially, harmless plague on Morad as they seem to be able to have sex with just about any other species. Halflings, @Half-Orcs, Tiefling, and @Shifters wouldn't exist without Human sexual desires. Because of their comparatively vulnerable upbringing, many species see Human inter-species breeding as a Human desire to bring the other species down to their level of weakness. This leads many to enslaving the massive amounts of Humans and Human offspring into slavery.

Genetic Descendants

• Half-Elves
• Halflings
• Shifter
• Tiefling

Scientific Name

Homonis

Lifespan

70 years

Average Height

5' 6" - 6' 2"

Average Weight

135-220 lbs

Average Physique

Humans typically build muscles around their arms, legs, and abdominal region. Male and female Humans differ slightly though, with the males being able to build more muscle mass on average than females, though females tend to be lither and skinnier on average.

Geographic Distribution

• Anor
• Diozan