Pat
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 | Subject: Mankind  Thu Nov 24, 2011 8:07 pm | |
| Mankind___________________________________________________________________________________________________  OverviewHumans are the most common sapient species in the known world. Clever, adaptive, versatile creatures, humans live on nearly every known landmass and in every climate. From the frigid Deep Wastes to the barren Sidan Desert, humans manage to survive and even flourish under the harshest of circumstances. Examples of advanced human societies are relatively recent, emerging only in the past 2,000 years. Nevertheless, humans have grown to dominate the known world, making great strives in culture, technology, and mysticism.PhysiologyMankind, like all other life on Aeria, is subject to a wide variety of physical features. Humans can be tall or short, stocky or thin, weak or strong, as can any other creature, but among humans the difference is far more marked; Humans can run the gamut of combat styles, from nimble acrobat to hard-hitting warrior to powerful mages. Humans are among the shorter-lived creatures in the world, with an average lifespan of 100 years. Ages over a hundred are not unheard of, but usually involve magical intervention. Compared to the Álfar, humans are shorter, stronger creatures with a lesser yet substantial rate of magical potency. Due to their short lifespan, human spellswords are far rarer than in the Elven community, producing instead powerful mages. Despite this limitation, humans ironically seem far more attuned to the mystical, as they are the only beings that can be planetouched. Manifesting as a powerful natural connection to an element or even magic itself, the Planeborn or even Weaveborn can only be found among mankind. Of special note are the Dragonblooded, a bloodline of supremely gifted beings, born with both strong magical talent and physical stature, said to descend from the Dragon-Gods of old. These men and woman often go on to become famous heroes and villains, renowned throughout the realm. The most renowned Dragonblooded family were the Shires. Humans are also capable of procreation with the Álfar, leading many scholars to believe a common history between the two races. Origin and History When the Álfar arrived from their doomed homeland far beyond the Great Sea, Mankind was already here, scattered across the land in primitive tribes. The origin of Mankind has been a mystery for centuries, the point of dispute among scholars, priests, and historians since the beginning of human high culture, each with differing and contradicting hypothesis. The early human cultures believed that men were born from the earth, formed and filled with life by the spirits of nature. The people of Sida believe that mankind was created as one of three peoples by the deity Aten, whom Aten commanded the other peoples (the 'Malāʾikah', or Angels, and the 'Jinn', or Spirits) to bow before as the unique glorifiers of his Kingdom. Most scholars believe a shared heritage with the Elves, akin to the Dvergar or the Daefar. The people of Occitan are unique in having no creation story beyond the affirmation of what they are not; they are not the children of the Elven Pantheon, nor are they called to obey them. Beyond speculation and folktales, little is known; even the renowned Elven histories are silent on this matter.
Early humanity was scattered across the face of the world, collected into small, primitive tribes that most often worshiped Vaettir, or Nature Spirits. Before the arrival of the Elves, mankind had no inclination of the Gods or of magic. Following what the Álfar record as the Shadow War, the Elven peoples began to expand onto the mainland, where they encountered humans. Their first encounters were varied but often violent. Both early Talibarian and Occitanian peoples fought the Elven expanse viciously, but were ultimately subjugated by greater Elven martial might. Once subjugated, these early societies lived as vassal states under Elven rule, where they began to learn from Álfar society. By the time of the Crown Wars, humanity had begun to pull itself out from primitive darkness into more advanced societies.
The Crown Wars marked a decline of Elven power that freed mankind to it's own devices. In the decades in which the Crown Wars raged, the peoples once subjugated by the Elves experienced a cultural revolution, using higher technologies and the art of magic for the first time, forging nations across the land. With their advances also came their Gods, with religions derived from Elven Theosophy taking hold, alongside their older Vaettir worship. Mankind expanded rapidly, especially in Talibar and Occitan. By the time of the God Wars centuries later, the native people of Talibar in particular had expanded across the Heartland, with numerous Kingdoms feuding for power. It was then that Tyr, God of Justice, called upon the lord of one of these Kingdoms, a man named Romas Talibar. Tyr demanded that Romas unite the Kingdoms of the Heartland in his name. Romas succeeded in this task, and led his united Kingdom of Talibar into the God Wars. The unification of the Heartland is primarily responsible for the extinction of Vaettir worship and the Heartland's widespread Tyr worship. Though the Kingdom of Talibar would later dissolve with Romas' death, the legendary Kingdom would act as an inspiration of the people of Talibar and would act as the model for the Talibarian Empire, founded centuries later.
The early peoples of Occitan were left out of the cataclysmic God Wars, though they were not unaffected. Talibar's war of unification led them as far north as Occitan, where the King sought to destroy an important symbol of Vaettir worship, an Irminsul. Crushing the pagan army, Talibar himself took an axe to the great oak, carrying away the titanic trunk back to the Heartland. Following the destruction of the Irminsul, Occitan was wracked by great, unending famines. Thousands of Occitanians died during the famine, and although no concrete link has been established, many Occitanians to this day despise the name of Romas Talibar. In those days, when death and chaos were the norm, there emerged many great and charitable figures who became legends among the people. One such figure, Stolz, came in power over a small kingdom. The famine finally ended with the emergence of the mysterious White Order, who called for Stolz' presence in their secluded forest sanctuary. When he emerged, he spoke of warnings of an invasion by profane powers and an age where there would be no false gods, but where men would become gods by their actions. To the people of Occitan, he spoke true on both accounts. The Álfar, seeking to reestablish their dominion, were nevertheless routed by a united Occitan under the first Kaiser, Stolz; and Stolz, on his deathbed, was canonized by the White Order as the first Saint.
The men of Sida were the indigenous people of what was once the great Sidan jungle. These people were never vassal states of the Elves; they were, instead, subjugated by the Naga, a Serpentine race of great power in those days. Tapping into the power of the Black Pyramid, the Naga were tremendously powerful sorcerers who pioneered the arts of both Vitamancy and Necromancy. The Naga were also prolific summoners; Naga Mage-Kings would conjure and bind huge armies of demons to do their bidding. It is the belief of the Sidan people that these profane acts would lead to their downfall, as punishment for their sin; whatever the case, during the God Wars, the Naga civilization came to a rapid and brutal end. A portal to the Nine Hells was opened on the steps of the Black Pyramid, and legions of demons spewed forth, butchering the Naga and setting the entire continent literally ablaze. The Jungle burned until nothing was left but the desert. The men of Sida emerged from the ashes and spread across the continent, inhabiting the barren landscape and picking over the cities of white marble left behind by the Naga. Evolving into a primarily nomadic people in the north and warring Kingdoms in the south, they progressed relatively undisturbed until the coming of Ayah Muhkam, prophet of the deity Aten. Muhkam, a member of a small northern clan, amasses a tremendous amount of followers until he leads an army of faithful upon the city of Nasii, expelling the monarchy there. By the time of Muhkam's death, all of Sida had been united under his banner and converted to Muhkamism. His actions led to the age of the Sidan Caliphates, a society that would later expand into Seljuk and conquer as far as Cramiche. Divided into the Low, High, and Golden Caliphates, Sida would become a world power, a center of high culture. The Sidans made significant advances in the fields of art, science, and mysticism. During the High Caliphate, Sida and Nasii in particular became the nexus of the magical world, being the birthplace of many magical societies, including the Archivists of Light. The Sidans followed in the footsteps of the Naga Mage-Kings, and began to traffic with demonic entities for power before being expelled by a popular revolt. These Mages were exiled from Sida, and fled to Tirnan, where they continued their practices, establishing magocratic societies around them. The Caliphate, however, would fall into a period of decline following several Talibarian crusades and a mysterious enemy from the far east. The death of their society was sealed when the Sultanate of Seljuk was conquered by Tiberius Maylarn and the rest of the Caliphate failed to act.
The history of humanity is too vast to be told in a single tale. There are many other cultures, such as the Mind-Sculptors of Narvik, that have yet to be fully documented. Nevertheless, humanity as a whole has become the most numerous and powerful species in the known world.
Last edited by Pat on Fri Nov 25, 2011 6:17 am; edited 3 times in total | |
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