Humans

" If we can do it, why wouldn't we? Isn't it our responsibility to try? "

Introduction
Humans are the embodiment of "Jack of all trades, Master of none." They aren't especially good with magic, or machinery, or war- at least compared to the other races of Erenternia. If they had any unique attribute to speak of when asked, they would say their determination. Other races might instead cite their ludicrous ability to rapidly reproduce and spread however...

Playing
Humans are by far the easiest race to play, as they are essentially, as far as physical and mental and physiological behavior goes, basically the same as in real life. Human culture is very honor bound however, to an extent- primarily with the middle and upper classes. As a human, you are intelligent, and courageous, but never a master of any major field. Use your mind, and your determination, to win the day.

Physical Traits
The average human stands at roughly 5'8 ft tall, with skin tones varying from a pale peach to a dark brown depending on region. Hair color ranges from blonde to red-brown, and black. Eye color ranges from gray, to green, to blue, to brown.

Fashion trends of the past tended towards loose clothing, due to the climate of the region, with v neck shirts of thin cloth, and loose baggy pants. Nobility and the rich often wore variations of this, with robes, shoulder pieces, capes, and other similarly over the top embroidered clothing.

Mental Traits
Humans vary wildly from case to case, however there are many characteristics that cover nearly all of them. Humans are almost always protective of their young- not only their own children but other human's children. Unlike other races, this extends to the children of other "human-looking races" as well. Humans also tend towards being stubborn and very single-minded. When they decide to do something, they will continue to attempt to do this without considering if it is a good idea. This of course is not universal across all humans, but it tends to hold true for many.

Humans are also always seeking to improve themselves, be it in a skill, or their social standing, increasing their wealth or power, or magical prowess. Through study of old manuscripts, or of other race's machinery or magical methods.

History
No one truly knows where Humans came from. Some suggest they are children of the Tennyu, or the divine product of some god's work. However it is they came to be, Humans have existed in one form or another for tens of thousands of years. Until recently however, until past two thousand years only, they were considered savage primitive beings, below and undeserving of the notice of the other sentient beings of the land. They held a long and deep rooted rivalry with a similar race, the Tengi- or Goblin-Folk- though the Humans obviously considered themselves above them. Nonetheless, the Tengi and Humans' history is deeply intertwined.

The two races fought numerous wars throughout the centuries, before either bothered to record their histories. However, at least one of these wars was large enough and brutal enough to catch the eyes of Meeoku scholars at the time. It was during this infamous war, which spanned over thirty years, that Humans took the lead in the grand scheme of things. It is said that the Tengi invaded the Human lands, piercing deep, ravaging villages and ruining fields of wheat. Humans were pushed near the brink of extinction, with only a few thousand remaining in their primitive holds. And then they discovered magic.

Ancient Human tales tell tales of this event, claiming that the gift of magic was bestowed upon them by the goddess Koto. However this event really occurred, this was a devastating turn of events for the Tengi. With this new power, the Humans forced them back into their own lands and beyond, slaughtering thousands and claiming massive expanses of resource-rich land, taking many of the survivors as slaves.

From here, Humans continued to advance, taking on a Feudal-Democratic form of government, ruled by a parliament and King. They rose so high so rapidly with their new power that the Meeoku began to consider them a legitimate threat. And so, after various botched diplomatic efforts, war was declared centuries after the Human's victory over the Tengi.

Unlike the Goblin-Folk however, the Meeoku had mastered magic a thousand years earlier than the Humans, and more or less demolished the Human armies in a seven year war. Being entirely defeated, with many of their kind enslaved and forced to become vassals of the Meeoku, the Human governance fell, and was replaced by a Meeoku-dominated monarchy.

Despite these setbacks, Humans continued to thrive under their new rulers, even earning the respect of them due to their sheer determination and drive to grow. This was a dangerous stew however, and eventually it did boil over, resulting once again in war. Records of this time are hazy, due to the great lose of paperwork and writings when the Meeoku burned the Human cities in a scorched-ground retreat.

Centuries more passed, and slowly the Humans recovered, using what they had learned under the Meeoku, or stolen from the various other races they encountered shortly after, to develop their own machinery and magical schools of thought. Humans once again formed their own kingdom based society, a Monarchy, ruled by various kings. It became tradition in this time for Rulers to grow their hair out. One such king- King Anik Marcius, who rose to the position as a young man, reportedly ha hair so long that he had to tie it back twice over, and it was said to resemble a large cloak. This was, until his own son was captured and executed by a rival ruler. In response, Anik cut his hair off at his shoulders and had it sent to the rival, as a declaration of war. Since then, this has been a well held tradition for humans, continuing for hundreds of years to the present day.

Humans, alongside the Tengi and Meeoku, held the line in the end against the Onigerva during the Rift War, pushing the enemy pack to the Rift, which was closed by the Savior. The casualties were high for all, especially the Tengi, and though this forced alliance brought the three races closer, tension still remains even now.

Social Structure
For the majority of Human cultures, men and women are considered near equal, in their own unique ways. That being said, it is still fairly uncommon for a women to rise in politics or the military, as most consider this an odd and off-color career choice for a female. Most delve more into scientific or educational fields, rather than the "man's work" of war and leadership. Humans have been trodden underfoot and held many races beneath them in their own times however, and as such- with the exception of Meeoku and Tengi- most races are treated well. However, it is strictly prohibited for any but a full blooded Human to hold political office, and similarly the higher positions in the military are barred to them.

Technology
Human technology is fairly basic, being limited to levers, pulleys, and other simple contraptions. They do have a rough understanding of steam power, though it has rarely been delved into by the Humans. They do, however, excel in basic Gunpowder. Fireworks have been a mainstay in Human celebrations for three hundred years, and recently crude canons have begun to be produced and put into use, primarily on seafaring vessels, as they are considered too cumbersome for reliable use in the field.

Weaponry and War
Humans have only recently moved on from using bronze weaponry, with iron only being used for swords and armor in the last hundred years. Speaking of armor, inventions such as Full Plate are nonexistent. The most advanced armor available for captains and generals is known as Half-Plate, a mix of plates, mail, and gambeson. The most common armaments are mail and gambeson, and occasional leather.

Humans spent much of their history battling the Tengi, who fought in a segmented manner, with groups divided multiple times for organization and flexibility in battle. Humans obviously were forced to adapt a similar style in order to hold their own, though their formations have also been inspired by Meeoku warfare, resulting in a mixed approach. Their primary force, their center, is a solid line, usually three rows thick, with two flanking forces- one on each side- to prevent flanking maneuvers. Humans have also always had a tendency towards cavalry, though much of the foot army considers cavalrymen to be stuck up pricks.

Magic
Humans only "recently" came into magic, in the last five hundred or so years. They quickly grew to master the arcane arts, however after the Rift War, Common Magic- which as the name suggests was the most frequent form of magic for humans- was corrupted. Due to Common Magic being bestowed on birth, determined by genetics and a little luck- or in this case bad luck, this has lead to a stigma against magic, as those born with Common Magic will often go insane before they are thirty, killing themselves and those around them with their rampant and destructive outbursts. With these individuals often being killed- by their fellow men, or themselves- before they can have children, this form of magic has slowly been dying out, being replaced with the Rich Man's magic- named such because of it expensive and closely held nature.

Unlike Common Magic, Arcane Magic must be studied and grown within an individual, often requiring years of laborious study and expensive tomes and tutors to make any progress. On top of this, Arcane Magic is not infinite like Common Magic, and it often requires sacrifice, be it of blood, or energy, or various components to perform effects properly. These factors combined mean that only the rich can really delve properly into Arcane Magic. So, needless to say, no matter what magic you are using, the average human will always distrust it. Always.

Geography
The primary area that the Humans have settled and made their own were once vast forests that stretched along the coasts of Arbor. Due to deforestation, these vast lands have long since become planes, vast fields of grass and gently sloping hills, dotted with massive stretches of farmland broken up by occasional villages and towns. Further south, the gently coast is broken suddenly by high white cliff faces, and birch forests slightly inland.

Economy
Most of the human kingdoms rely heavily on farming, meaning in that regard they are more or less self reliant. That being said, many have specialty exports that they trade among themselves. The cities to the north have the most mines, producing metals that are extremely valuable to the others. To the east, vast stretches of forest still remain, slowly being harvested by those in the area, bought by those along the southern coast to build massive ships. Those in the plains are renowned for their art and clothing.

As far as imports from beyond their own lands go, Humans often purchase copies of old documents and scrolls from the Meeoku, as well as machinery and weapons from the Wa'Vee.

Trivia

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