Hometowns:
Patron Deity:
Average Size:
5 – 6 1/2 paces tall
Appearance:
Humans inherit the usual traits that we all know for humans. Hair colors can range from blonde to brunette, red-head, and gray. Colored hair is possible through certain natural dyes, but is not common and are not in bright colors outside of natural colors. For example, a blonde could dye their hair black, but not purple.
Eye colors range from blue, green, hazel, and brown, and skin colors range from pale to dark like all human races. Human sizes can range from petite to obese, though obese is not normally found in commoners due to lack of food or necessity of hard labor to survive.
Example Description of a Human
Male:
This human male stands at exactly six paces in height and is rather brawny in appearance. His skin is deeply tanned from constant exposure to the sun and his hands are pretty calloused from years of manual labor. Sun-kissed golden locks fall down to the man’s shoulders and somewhat obscures his dark-green eyes.
Female:
Standing at five and a half paces is this young human female. Her crimson-red hair is in a mess of curls draping over her shoulders and down her back. Across her cheeks and nose, a soft blanket of freckles. Her face is heart-shaped with a small nose and natural pale lips. Her doe-like baby blue eyes peer out with a gleam of excitement. Wrapping around her lithe figure is pale flesh, that hasn’t seen the outdoors often.
Culture:
Humans are by far the most numerous race in Visola, as well as the most expansive. They have spread all across the world, living in large cities, small villages, or even blending into the societies of other races. Humans themselves tend to be diverse, and as such their culture is more accepting of diversity than many other races. Human cities, while mostly human, are guaranteed to have many members of all different races inhabiting them.
Humans are stereotyped as being selfish, greedy and power hungry. For the majority of humans, this is true, particularly those in positions of power who drive their armies and cities to expand even further. But with such a large population and diverse nature, there are also countless humans that do not match the stereotype.
In human society, wealth equals power. Human cities of any significant size are divided into those who have wealth – the nobles, and those who do not – the commoners. Some nobles are kind and generous, but most consider commoners to be a separate race entirely, far beneath those of noble blood. Humans tend to evaluate other races using their own standards, judging their importance by how much wealth or influence they have. Few other races hordes gold the way humans do, so noble humans tend to see these other races as inferior savages. Human commoners, being on the negative side of the wealth viewpoint, tend to be much more open-minded and evaluate other races more fairly.
Known Noble Houses in Human Culture:
House Malecerdo
House Malecerdo was born into nobility from wealth earned through business ventures and is probably one of the most wealthy families in Attania. The Malecerdo family is surprisingly powerful among human nobility, mainly through the use of force and intimidation, and are feared by most common folk who are familiar with the name. Their enterprise is widely known throughout the Brotherhood of Latronis as well as cities of trade around Visola. Though not very well-liked among most, they are known to have a large number of allies and business retainers at their disposal. They are often gluttonous, sparing no expense on goods or their desires. The Malecerdo family are known to carry many servants and even in the underground slave trade world, it is highly prized to become a slave of the Malecerdo family.
House Rune
The House of Rune is probably the most devout followers of Lord Siramus out of all noble houses. Consisting of main women, the Rune family are considered the finest female stock, and it is quite a treasure to wed a Rune female. But their quest for influence and wealth reign supreme, which appears to intimidate most noble males, so the house does not grow as it should due to lack of proposals. The men in House Rune are also fairly influential, but mainly in matters of politics and the Senate. The Rune house proudly displays a badge of a golden scorpion atop a white pillar.
House Vandan
The House of Vandan came into nobility through war, but not by serving on the front lines. Vandan was a commander who became notoriously called the Fox. Arrogant, confident, and assuming most took him for a fop. Most believed he rose to his position through guile and gold. Yet stories after his death circulated that such rumors were only half right. He believed in choosing the battlefield and that the defender was the one who chose it. Ambushes, propaganda, and misinformation were paramount among his strategies. When it came to ending things, he understood that a conqueror must take while a defender must simply survive. A history painted in disguise gives little evidence of the true extent of his victories. One thing has been remembered, be wary of cornering a fox.
His legacy was followed by his sons who led regiments of their own and helped expand their estates in times of feuding lordlings. The wealth the family attained left Vandans descendants with little desire to risk their lives in battles. Eventually, the family line became known as consultants and advisers in matters of military especially. Most believe the family has eroded to a shadow of what it was. No more than a minor house, yet it still retains a measure of respect. While they do not appear to be as involved in political games as other houses, they have grown a reputation in defending their name that Vandan had for defending his ground. They are patient and act only when the pieces are in place. The seal of the Vandan line is that of a fox on a field of green, though it is not a well-known house in Attanian high society.
House Almuerzan (Line Ended)
For outstanding contributions in battle during the formation of the Visolan Imperium, House Almuerzan was granted its nobility. House Almuerzan was widely known for its magnificent hawks, which were bred and kept in their ancestral keep nestled within high passes near the capital city of Attania. House Almuerzan participated in the Hajarishad, joining in the fighting when the Imperium entered the conflict. After an infamous and intensely gruesome siege, House Almuerzan went on to assist in other events, such as the Battle of Jagan’s stand. House Almuerzan’s sigil was a white hawk blazoned against a sky blue field. Unfortunately, the Almuerzan line ended with the death of Royce Almuerzan, the last surviving heir, who died in a training accident by one of his students.
Affinities:
As the most populated race, humans are the average to which all other races are compared. From this perspective, humans have no particular strengths or weaknesses. They are versatile and adaptable.
Tips for playing a Human
TBA
History:
The human race has a bloody history. They were the third race to appear on Visola, after the elves and the dwarves. Siramus created humans to thrive more than any other race and gave the first humans a thirst for power to rival his own. Humans prospered and expanded at speeds that astonished the other races. Then the Age of Strife began.
Just like the rest of Visola’s races, the humans became locked in a war against the orcs. While defending their own cities, human leaders saw an opportunity for expansion. They marched on Mahalia while the elves struggled with their own orcish attacks, but their army was mysteriously wiped out before taking the city. Bad blood was left between the humans and the elves, but both races had taken serious losses by the end of the Age of Strife – losses from their battles with the orcs as well as each other, the death of the elven king, and the weakening of Siramus – and so were ready to negotiate an uneasy alliance. Adaptable as they are, the humans recovered quickly after the Age of Strife, and have already rekindled their thoughts of expansion.
Notable Humans Throughout History:
- Bronagh Calhoun, Emperor Commander of the Imperial Legion
- Adalon Shadowwood, General of the Imperial Legion
- Garret Sloan, Viceroy of the Brotherhood of Latronis
- Captain Remnon of the Imperial Legion
- Lorelei Rune, Matriarch of House Rune (Deceased)
- Alarack Malecerdo, Patriarch of House Malecerdo (Deceased)
Common Stereotypes
Racial stereotypes are what each race, in general, feels about other races. There are always exceptions to these rules, but in Human society, these mindsets are typical.
Brownies – They’re very small savages with a bad sense of humor. Keep an eye on them.
Orcs – Cruel and heartless beasts. I don’t think they’ve changed at all since the days when they were trying to destroy our cities.
Hydrelean – They keep to themselves mostly, and I find it rather suspicious.
Aeromis – They’re like peasants with wings, always trying to cause problems for our more civilized ways
Pixies – They seem mostly useless, but can surprise you with what they can do with magic. They don’t seem to understand what really matters in life, though.
Elves – I’ve enjoyed the company of many elves in the past, but sometimes they’re too arrogant for their own good.
Centaurs – They’re good people, and you can almost always trust them. They’re a bit uncultured, though.
Felar – It’s a mistake to trust one, but at least they understand the value of gold. I can’t say the same for half of these other savages.
Dwarves – They’re not a bad people, and they do impeccable work. It’s easy to get rich trading with one.
Giants – I don’t completely understand them, but their size makes it a wise idea to give them your attention.
Gnomes – They are a curious bunch. When they’re willing to trade, they can be very useful.
(This is the general concept of the race. Advent allows for diversity and originality when it comes to racial concepts and backgrounds, as long as it is within reason, so feel free to use your creativity when playing the race. Physical references to races, however, should remain within the norm.)
