Human
Defined by their ingenuity and their sheer spread across the known lands, humans have come to consider themselves the default amongst the sapient species that wander the continent of Latiss and its surrounding islands. While some would describe humans as mundane and ordinary, it would be a disservice to ignore the sheer tenacity that the species has shown in to not only survive the centuries, but thrive. Said to be created by the god Solix Astera himself, many humans have decided that it is their destiny to spread to all corners of the world, wherever the light of Solix falls.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Often considered to be the baseline for the anatomical model of an upright, four-limbed creature, the only outstanding physical trait of humans is that they lack any. Vain as they are in their unimpressiveness, however, it is themselves that they use to describe other beings roughly shaped like them. It is well known that the human languages all cluster similarly-shaped non-humans into the single term "humanoid", some even adopting the more colloquial and derogatory term "demi-human" to refer to such species that resemble humans in shape but animals in feature, such as the felin or the vargis.
Civilization and Culture
History
While humans have walked the world from time immemorial, their history is largely unknown. The Age of Dawn, considered by scholars to have been the height of magic and discovery, has few surviving records of events, and even fewer on the lost technologies of that era. It is known that during the Fall of Magic, centered on the Eastern Arm region, many major human cities crumbled and vanished with the sudden loss of the magical power that had kept them standing. Very little is known about what caused this event, however, and the sheer scope of knowledge that was lost remains unknown to this day.
Even in the current Age of Sun, it is only within the last 600 years that more detailed historical records have been kept. A recent increase in literacy within human cities, as well as the establishment of the Mage Order of Kiniswell has ensured that all manner of events are kept in memory for the future.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
Within the Kingdom of Cynia, humans are largely unaware of the existence of elves, with some exceptions. Some more rural towns (particularly those close to The Divide) may have small clans of forest elves living nearby, with relations ranging from little more than ghost stories to a general indifference. The Astralan Church, however, has a subsidiary military group under them known as the Mistwalkers . This band of specially trained soldiers work to systematically eliminate elves from the kingdom and ensure they remain a secret from the population at large. With a mysterious faction of elves seeming to rise against the rampant expansion of the humans, relations between the two are becoming dangerously strenuous.
Dwarves are regarded favourably to neutrally by the humans as a whole. While perfectly content to stay within their mountain homes (thus keeping them away from the church's ire), they have proven very profitable trade partners, offering precious metals and jewels that they mine in exchange for what they consider to be exotic goods such as human foodstuffs.
The various species of demi-humans tend to be regarded with mild disdain by humans, particularly those in Cynia, as they were created by the goddess Freya Venari rather than Solix or any of his associated lesser deities. Viewed as either a serving class or as wandering vagabonds, these species have little in the way of options when it comes to living in human-ruled areas. The notable exception to this is the felin living in the deserts of The Dry South, who are seen as equals by the humans there.
Lifespan
80 - 90 years
Average Height
5'5" - 6'7"
Geographic Distribution
Related Organizations
Related Ethnicities
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