Races of Theopetros: Humans
The racial melting pot
Appearance
Humans typically stand between 5 and 6 feet tall, with men averaging taller than women. Skin tones range from dark brown and ebony to almost completely white, and often very based on the climate that the people live in. Many humans show one or more characteristics of mixed ancestry
Personality
Humans possess exceptional drive and a great capacity to endure. In general, humans are known for their flexibility, ingenuity, and ambition. Human curiosity and ambition often triumph over their predilection for a sedentary lifestyle, and many leave their homes to explore the innumerable forgotten corners of the world or lead mighty armies to conquer their neighbors, simply because they can. Humanity is perhaps the most heterogeneous of all the common races, with a capacity for great evil and boundless good. Ambition alone drives countless humans, and for many, adventuring serves as a means to an end, whether it be wealth, acclaim, social status, or arcane knowledge. A few pursue adventuring careers for the thrill of danger.
History
The Beginning
Humans are the most widespread of all the races. They have colonies on every continent, and are the most numerous race across the whole world. For this reason there is a general belief among humans that the god who created them must have been one of the more powerful, a leader among the gods. The fact that there is no history of such a god tells them that he was important enough for the Demon Lord to erase from history. The truth is not so glorious. If the humans are looking for a god to thank for their birth, they need look no further than the Demon Lord himself.
Few outside of the gods themselves know the true history of humanity’s origin. Those rare scholars who have tried to make the information public have either been denounced as crazy, or silenced. Humans were not created by the gods. They didn’t even exist when the Demon Lord took power. Humans were born during the Demon Lord’s reign. The orcs made the perfect army, but the demons looked elsewhere for a worker race. While some demons tried to enslave other races, none worked out as well as the orcs. Under the guidance of the Demon Lord enterprising demons took a different path. The first generation of humans came about as the result of a breeding experiment using orc soldiers and elven prisoners.
These first humans proved to be the worker race that the demons wanted. They were strong, but not as brutal as the orcs, and had a high birth rate to make up for losses from hard work. Over the next few centuries the breeding experiments continued, utilizing prisoners from the other races whenever they were available. Humans are mostly a cross between orcs and elves, but they include traces of every other race in their blood. Humans are truly the every man, and this has led to their dominance in the world.
During the Demon Lord’s reign humans spread around the world as workers for demon kind. Humans made up the lower class of society. They were numerous, but not powerful. That all changed near the end of the Demon Lord’s reign as members of this worker race rose up to lead the fight against the Demon Lord’s forces.
After the Seal
When the free races defeated the demonic forces, humanity was in the perfect position to pick up the pieces. The orc armies were still fighting against the free races, which left humanity to occupy the skeleton of demonic civilization. They didn’t have the knowledge to maintain the greatest of the demon strongholds, but they were able to pick through the bones and begin piecing together a civilization all their own. It would be another three centuries before humanity rose to the technological level required to maintain the remnants they had captured, by that time many of the demonic advances had crumbled.
Culture
With no past culture to draw from, humans have had to develop their own from the remnants of the demonic regime. Their underlying culture grew from their life as the workforce of the demonic empire. Beyond that humanity has splintered. Some groups have tried to rebuild what they consider the best parts of the demonic regime, while others have tried to distance themselves from that past as much as possible. Human cultures adopt many customs from neighboring races, but adjust them to fit the human lifestyle. Humans tend toward patriarchal structures, but matriarchal and parriarchal societies are common enough.
Their empires and nations are vast, sprawling things, and the citizens of these societies carve names for themselves with the strength of their sword arms and the power of their spells. Human cultures run the gamut from savage but honorable tribes to decadent, devil-worshiping noble families in the most cosmopolitan cities.
Humans have an underlying sense of loss due to the mystery of their origin. Though the gods know the truth, the have chosen not to share the knowledge for many different reasons. Humans as a whole share a drive to discover their past. There is a deep longing to find their ancient homeland and discover the god responsible for their creation.
Relations
Perhaps it is because of their strange ancestry, but humans seem to get along with almost everyone. They have a certain amount of animosity for orcs, due to the tension between the races in their past, but many of the more savage groups of humans live right alongside orc tribes.
Tension arises between humans and the longer lived races due to different outlooks on life. Elves and Dwarves often accuse humans of making changes too quickly, while humans view the other races as stagnant.
Architecture
Humanity inherited the strongholds of the demonic forces. As the workforce of the demonic regime, they had been responsible for much of the construction. They have branched out in the intervening centuries, but they are still fond of uniform cities and grand structures made of stone.
Religion
Humans worship many gods. It’s not surprising that the majority of the new gods are human in part if not in whole. Calvin and Dramdaus are the most popular deities depending on the worshiper’s moral compass, but every god can count at least a few humans among their faithful.
Bloodlines
Due to the nature of their beginnings, humans display many different bloodlines. Perhaps being a mix of everyone has predisposed them toward having children with other races.
Demonic blood is especially strong among humans. Almost every family has at least a cousin with demonic traits.
Celestial blood is also common. Many members of the celestial resistance spent time among mankind after the fall of the demon lord.
Draconic blood is a regular occurrence in humans. Many dragons hide themselves among humanity for various reasons.
Humans often show traits from other races. Orc and elven traits appear more than others, but dwarven traits show up frequently as well.
Government
Human society comprises a multitude of governments, attitudes, and lifestyles. When compared to the societies of longer lived races like elves and dwarves, human society seems to be in a state of constant flux as empires fragment and new kingdoms subsume the old.
Various forms of monarchy are the most common government in human lands. This is a result of their previous servitude under the Demon Lord and his forces. Humans simply replaced one ruler for another.
Military
Humans make war almost as often as they make love. Their high birth rate means that they always have new soldiers when compared with the longer lived races. Most human civilizations have some form of professional soldier, whether government paid or mercenary. Strength and discipline as a soldier are often equated with strength and discipline as a worker, a throwback to their worker past.
Technology
As the most common race, humans act as the go between for many of the other races. They possess the best technology, either because they create it themselves or because they can trade for it. Truly outstanding technology created by other races may not be commonly utilized, but certain sections of humanity will have it for the right price.
About the Author:
Stephen Mayo lives in Montana with his wife, daughter, and three cats.
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