Origin Species: Human
The Architects: The Lost Origin of Humanity
Of all the Origin Races, few have left as profound an impact upon the world as the Architects, the precursors to modern humans. Though their kind has long since vanished, their legacy remains etched into the bones of Astralethera, found in the form of towering ruins, monolithic citadels, and the scattered remnants of vast libraries—treasuries of knowledge now lost to time. The Architects were not merely wanderers or conquerors but expansionists without equal, driven by an insatiable desire to build, record, and advance. Their structures, many still standing despite the weight of millennia, defy the ravages of time, constructed with techniques that modern masons have yet to fully comprehend.
The Enigma of Their Form
Unlike other Origin Races whose features are preserved in myth and scattered relics, the true appearance of the Architects is unknown. Their own records—vast archives carved into stone and set upon gilded tablets—make no mention of their physical form. What little evidence remains comes from vague and eroded carvings, depicting tall, broad-shouldered figures that many scholars estimate to be between 7 and 8 feet in height, far greater than the humans of today. A recurring detail in these depictions is the presence of lines running across their skin, though whether these were natural markings, ritualistic scars, or a form of body art akin to the Story Marks of the Wildelves remains a subject of fierce debate.
The Legacy of Builders and Scholars
The enduring name of the Architects is not one they gave themselves, but rather a title bestowed upon them by later civilizations who uncovered the vast breadth of their accomplishments. They were master engineers and scholars, not only constructing great cities, bridges, and labyrinthine archives but also ensuring that knowledge itself would be their greatest monument. Even now, across the world, forgotten vaults hold the remnants of their wisdom—scrolls written in languages only half-deciphered, blueprints for machines whose purpose remains unclear, and celestial maps charting stars no longer present in Astralethera’s sky.
It is widely believed that all modern humans, regardless of nation or culture, can trace their lineage back to the Architects. Whether through gradual evolution, deliberate divergence, or something more enigmatic, the legacy of the Architects continues through their descendants. Some scholars suggest that their extraordinary ability to adapt and thrive in any environment, from frozen tundras to burning deserts, is an inheritance from their enigmatic forebears.
The Vanishing of the Architects
How such a dominant race could vanish entirely remains one of the great mysteries of history. There is no great battle recorded, no cataclysm tied to their extinction, and no ruins showing signs of sudden collapse. Instead, their cities appear to have been gradually abandoned, left in eerie silence as nature slowly reclaimed them. Some theorists propose that the Architects simply outgrew the world, moving beyond Astralethera to some unknown realm or even ascending beyond the physical plane. Others believe that their own ambition doomed them, that some grand project or experiment led to their downfall in ways yet to be uncovered.
Despite their disappearance, the footprints of the Architects remain indelible, a reminder that while their bodies may be dust, their influence endures in stone, in knowledge, and in the beating hearts of their distant descendants.
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