Men

Men are a statuesque, athletic, and adaptive race of humanoids that have made all corners of the world their home. Men, or Humans, are competent in all things they set their minds to though rarely live long enough to truly master their trade, at least in comparison to the Elves and Dwarves. To characterize the values of Men would be to name every star in the sky as they are so diverse and unique even amongst the individual kingdoms. At best one could describe Men as an inventive, violent, and honorable race capable of showing showing extreme acts of mercy and cruelty. When addressing a Human it is considered polite to address them first by their title, followed by their first name, then their surname, if applicable their honorific name, and last the land from which they hale, and if applicable their honorific name

Northern Continent Masculine Example:Lord Theorin Demaskal, the Infallible, of Ironshire
Northern Continent Feminine Example: Lady Aeofilia Cairowyn, the Vanquisher, of Riverferth

Men are one of the youngest races to come in existence. Both the Dwarves & Elves claim to have watched them come into existence and adapt to the world with only brief moments of intervention. However, unlike the Dwarves & Elves, Men can be found nearly in every corner of the world. This is likely because Men take shorter to reproduce than their Dwarf & Elf counterpart though they do not live nearly as long.

While the race of man may be young to the age of the world, they have shaped and molded it far more than any other. Conquering and claiming vast expanses of land as their own, the Men have made it known they possess a propensity for violence, even against themselves. But while they have made their warmongering capacities known, they have also demonstrated a great understanding of diplomacy and kindness. Several Men have gone down in history as celebrated and respected warriors, magic wielders, and sovereigns amongst all the races of the land. However, more often than not, Mankind is reviled for their hubris and folly.

Early Elven Influence

In the early days of Men, their society and technological advancement were heavily influenced by the Elves. Having developed a fondness for the Race of Men, the Elves helped Men develop their society more rapidly than their own nature would have led them. As a result, much of the architecture, garbs, cultural customs, language, and names have been influenced by the Elves. This hands on effect was short lived though when it became clear that early Men intended on using the knowledge of the Elves to subjugate their own kind in voracious power struggles and petty disputes over land. While not abandoning hope Men could learn to abandon these petty ideals, the Elves decided their interference had gone on long enough and it was best to let Men learn the folly of their ways by their own hand.

The Dwarves engaged in commerce with early Men once the Elves had established it among them. However, the Dwarves felt the Elves meddling in the natural progress in the development of Men was ill fated and with impure intentions. The Dwarves refused to aid in the development of Men until shortly after the dawning of the First Age of Men.

Dawn of the First Age of Men

The dawn of the First Age of Men came when the Six Kingdoms of Dômenore, Erud, Etrá, Númenas, Salts End, and Serace were united under a single banner. King Ærabôr Arakhôr of the lands of Dômenore unified the lands Men and drove out from the lands the monsters and barbarians alike that sought to instill chaos and disruption. For seven-and-a-half thousand years line of Arakhôr guided the Kingdoms of Men to peace and prosperity countless advances were made in the studies of the ethereal, commerce thrived, Men became viewed equal amongst the ancient races of Elves and Dwarves.

The lands of Dômenore were bountiful and full of peace, the chief of these lands, Ærabôr Arakhôr, wanted to share the bounty of his lands and tranquility of their people. He would bring gifts of feasts, spirits, and freely offer the might of his armies in assisting any free people seeking to live in peace and harmony. Many called out for his aid in ridding the land of marauding barbarians and lawless governance. He and the armies of Dômenore would drive any foul creature, Men or otherwise, from their lands and help the people establish for themselves their own nation. He asked only in return they take up his cause in brining peace to those in need. It is from Dômenore and the First King of Men, Ærabôr Arakhôr, established the Six Kingdoms of Men and ushered in the dawn of the First Age of Men. For

For nearly 7,000 years, the Men of Môr’Gahldôr lived free from the rule of the line of Arakhôr. Môr’Gahldôr was known as a land filled with humans inherently powerful and skilled in magics beyond the understanding of most Men. Môr’Gahldôr was governed by a collective of Seven Witch Covens, each led by a wise and all powerful High-Priestess. That is until a man that came to be known as the Witch-King Maul’ak Thôl bond himself in marriage to seven High-Priestess. The courts of the Kingdoms of Men tried to bestow the title King upon Maul’ak Thôl and Lady upon his seven brides. Both he and his High-Priestess rejected. The titles of Witch-King and Raven Queens was meant as intended as an insult at the attempts of the Etrán courts but it instead stuck with the courts of Môr’Gahldôr and became worn as a title of honor. When Môr’Gahldôr entered the fold of the Kingdoms of Men the six became seven.

The Obsidian Tempest: Fall of the First Age of Men

The greatest woe Mankind has brought to the realm is the events of the Obsidian Tempest and its Black Winds. A creation of their insatiable lust for power that wrought a corrupting madness like a plague in the winds to the world. All those subjected to its discordant gale have their very soul blighted by its touch, letting it spread until it consumes them whole leaving nothing but a mutated and shambling husk.

The Etrán courts became fearful of the havoc Gahldôreans may reek were their magics left unfettered. Etrá began monitoring the magical endeavors of Môr’Gahldôr out of fear something more foul and potent was brewing. As the Etráns assumed, the Gahldôreans were tampering with forces beyond their reckoning and in an attempt to exert their will upon the free lands of Vóreios, a terrifying display of magical voracity was exuded upon the world. The Gahldôreans in their lust for power created the Obsidian Tempest and the whispering madness of the Black Winds.

However, on the twelfth day of Othaeria in the year 7391 of the first Age of Men, the Obsidian Tempest and the Black Winds came into existence. The Witch-King and Raven Queens of Môr’Gahldôr, in their insatiable lust for magical power, frayed the very fabric of the laws of magic themselves. The armies of Etrá and Dômenore try as they might were no match for the unbridled wrath the Gahldôreans unleashed by fracturing the laws of magic. The lands of Dômenore, Etrá, and Môr’Gahldôr were ripped from the mainland severing the lands from Númenas and creating the Black Wind Channel. Few survived the events of the Obsidian Tempest though the few that did credit the bravery of the Etrán Grand Magi for stabilizing the damages done by the Gahldôreans.

The Black Winds: Dawn of the Second Age of Men

With the events of the Obsidian Tempest suppressed, that armies of Erud, Númenas, and Serace sailed towards the lands of Dômenore to aid their fallen brethren. What they found instead were Men tainted and corrupted by the chaotic powers having poured through the rift created by Môr’Gahldôr. But the taint of the Obsidian Tempest did not stop at corrupting the minds and bodies of the life it touched. It is said the very air you breathe is seeped in madness, the grounds marred with corruption, and the winds themselves whisper insidious thoughts in you ears. To trek upon the earth of the lost Kingdoms of Men is to walk upon the face of madness itself.

Presuming the fall of Tiras Arnath and the demise of the line of Arakhôr, the most direct lineal descendant assumed the throne and was crowned King of Men. Lord Deor Ingvahr of Númenara', the eldest cousin to the presumed dead King Thrôndiir Arakhôr, became King and the line of Ingvahr ushered in the dawn of the Second Age of Men.

Ever since, the Black Winds have swept across the land causing temporary madness in those it touches and causing unprecedented magical disturbances to occur in the weather. Rainstorms of arcane missiles, tornadoes of fire and ice, hurricanes filled with illusory winds, and far worse has now become a terrifying reality in Vóreios. While these events swelled, and in far more terrifying power, while the Obsidian Tempest was untethered, its aftermath, known as the Black Winds, is a grim reminder of the past.

Now of the Seven Kingdoms of Men, only four remain. The Kingdoms Erud, Númenas, Salts End, and Serace remain united but tensions strain and civil war is on the brink. Much of the courts of the Kingdoms of Men do not recognize the sovereignty of the line of Ingvahr but maintain unity for economic purposes and to ensure safety of their position.