Humans

At a Glance

Humans are viewed as one the younger race on Galdor, commonly a side effect of their ambitious driven nature toward mythic adventures and legendary exploits. They are slightly shorter and stockier than Elves, but taller and slimmer than Dwarves. Extremely adaptable as a species, they are equally able to master martial, divine, or magical arts.

Humans

  Humanity diverged from the Elvenborne race around 20,000 years ago, although this is often a point of contention among loremasters based on the inhospitable nature of their ancient homelands. They can be traced back to the very edges of the Koldian Wastes, with scattered remains having been found even deeper into the interior of those harsh lands. Oral histories, some more myth than truth, suggest early humans clawed out a nomadic existence competing alongside and at times against the tribes of the Children of Tar’nush. Scatter human tribes still live deep in the icy wildernesses of the Ghost Ice and Koldain Wastes. These shamanistic and nomadic people still compete with the other denizens of those more snow-choked climes. Having evolved from these barbaric conditions, a fight against the elements for survival while waging an almost constant war against each other and their foes, humans have a reputation for being brash, quick to judgment, and needlessly violent. Roughly 15,000 years ago humanity began to migrate from the poles into the tundra of the northern Savage Lands and the ice flows surrounding the Ghost Ice. While Elven loremasters often point to anecdotal accounts of the Elvenborne courts of the Kingdom of Krommeria having found and domesticated the first humans, the fossil record tells a much different story and it is even hotly debated as to whether the first human king, of the Kingdom of Gorn, was crowned before the Elven people inherited Krommeria from the Elvenborne. Regardless as soon as Humans emerged from the icy wastes, they became enthralled and eventually entangled in the lives of Elves, with the two species becoming romantically entangled several times during their shared history. From these relationships, the first Half-Elves, now known as the Ilaan, were born. As strife swept across the early iron age empires near the end of the Age of Dragons, it was the human race who weathered these challenges the best. By the time the First Vampiric War burned across the Savage Lands Humans made up the bulk of the Alliance Armies which held the tide of the undead Gravetorn at bay long enough for some of their elder cousins to escape.   Tenacity, a trait that saw them survive in the harshest conditions, has mixed with an ambition that burns throughout their lives, leading to great feats and adventures. Be it the Rangers of the Tanii, the frontiersmen of the Savage Lands, freebooters of the Blackscar, or even the infamous Pirate Princess Marenna of Scarlet Waters herself; Humans seem driven to achieve any goal they set themselves toward. Their extremely adaptable nature has allowed them to integrate into and with most other existing cultures, and many Human founded settlements are truly glorious melting pots of the races from all across Galdor. Established by the hero Thornin Alexander, some 300 years ago, The Klavatnia Monarch claims most of the western reaches of Corden, and several of its smaller islands, with a descendant of Alexander still sitting on the Klatavain Throne. Many of the Noble Houses of Deavonworth are Human, although the reigning Monarch is the Great Gold Wyrm Talon'te'Zinteque, and Humans have even found positions in the Eisarn Empire. Curiosity and ambition often triumph over a sedentary lifestyle, leading many to respond to the call to adventure so they carve a name for themselves into the living history of Galdor.   Physical Description: Humanity has spread to every corner of Galdor, and their physical characteristics are as varied as the world's climes. From the dark-skinned tribesmen of the Savage Lands to the pale and barbaric Koldain Nomads, they possess a wide variety of skin colors, body types, and facial features. Skin color normally trends toward darker hues the closer to the equator they live. Males generally tend to be between 5 to 6 feet in height weighing between 130 and 220 lbs. Females are a bit shorter and slimmer, some being as short as 4 and a half feet and weighing between 95 - 185 lbs. Humans naturally have blacks, browns, reds, and blondes or a mix of those colors in their hair with their eye color normally falling into the green, blue, and brown spectrums. It is rare to find a human with more vibrant colored hair or eyes.   Society: Humans are ambitious, curious, and strong-willed and these values are expressed in their ideals, governments, attitudes, rate of expansion, and lifestyles. The oldest of Human cultures can trace their histories tens of thousands of years into the past, on par with the first Dwarven and Eleven kingdoms, but when compared to these same societies Humanity appears to always be in a state of constant change. Empires fragment and new kingdoms subsume the old, at times even merging with older societies. These factors have led to Humanity's reputation for flexibility, ingenuity, and ambition.   Relations: However this drive and ambition can often spur them into potentially violent conflict with other races, which in some cases has led to generations-old feuds and even war. Yet Humans can also be swift to forgive and surprisingly amiable when it comes to forging new alliances. They can be proud, arrogant, and swift to judge, often placing other races into tight and unforgiving boxes. Examples of this could be how they might see: Dwarves as miserly drunkards, Elves as flighty fops, Halflings as craven thieves, Gnomes as twisted maniacs, and Illaan and J'tar as general embarrassments. The derogatory terms Half-Elf and Half-Orc are often seen as human creations, although loremasters point out that it is far more likely they derived from roots in the High Galdorian language. On the other hand, Humans embrace diversity and their towns and settlements are often heavily mixed with J'tar, Ilaan, Lithani, Halflings, Narkin, and Gnomes. Their very nature leads them to be quite adept at accepting others for who they are.   Alignment and Religion: Humanity is perhaps the most varied of all the Elvenborne races, with a capacity to become paragons of good or truly twisted emissaries of evil. Some might gather into vast marauding war hordes terrorizing all that fall before their churning advance, while others build magnificent and shining cities standing as shining examples of virtue. Most however will tend toward neutral, often banding together in familial groups, tribes, or gangs that cater toward specific alignments. With widely varied traditions Humans cover the spectrum when it comes to gods and religion, and are ever eager to turn to anyone offering them glory or protection.   Adventurers: Ambition is a major driving force in most humans, and for many adventuring serves as a means to an end. Often seen as an easy path to gaining wealth, acclaim, social status, or arcane knowledge, adventuring is preferable to many. Some also pursue these careers simply for the rush brought on by dangerous situations. Humans hail from myriad regions and backgrounds, and as such can fill any role within an adventuring party.   Names: Humanity's diversity has resulted in a near-infinite set of names, disregarding other races' traditions which generally cleave to specific names or shared histories. Generally speaking humans from the northern Koldian Wastes have a much wider variety of names than those hailing from a subtropical nation of sailors and tradesmen. Throughout most of the world, Humans speak Low Galdorian (Common), yet their names are as varied as their beliefs and appearances.

Bloodlines

  Solatarri: In the vast and varied expanses of the Savage Lands the Solatarri face every imaginable challenge and horror that Galdor can lay at their feet, sometimes none more challenging than themselves. As one of the most remote and challenging environments imaginable, beset on all sides by creatures of dire sizes, dinosaurs and many tribes of the Children of the Tar’nush, the tribesmen of Solatarri are often some of the hardiest examples of their race. Through nomadic and shamanistic traditions they claim a wide range of territory, often following the migrations of some of the larger herbivores of the vast saurians species. Known for their skills in tracking large game and their ferocity as warriors, many of the Solatarri cover their bodies in elaborate tattoos or scarifications, used to track their personal stories and achievements. Their skin is in golden red to darker brown hues, although those with skin approaching onyx are not uncommon. Their hair is often brown or black but can hold golden blonde or vibrant red streaks. Their eyes tend to range from green to brown, with blue or grey being extremely rare.   Perks: The Solatarri gain d4 in Intimidation and gain the Patient Hunter Edge.   Patient Hunter: Solatarri Humans are exceptional hunters and trackers, often moving along with a herd for days or even weeks before striking. They gain a +2 Bonus to Stealth checks in grassland terrain types, as well as receiving a +2 Bonus to Survival when tracking or hunting.   Tanii: The forests of Tanii are spoken of in whispers and myth more than certainty, said to be alive and almost bent toward being unnavigable and mystifying. The truth is the forests of Tanii are vast Entherds, filled with trees that respond to the songs of those most ancient titans of the natural world. Moving among them like silent watchers are the ancient Tanii Ents themselves and it is from these guardians of the natural world that the Humans of the island nation take their name. Wilderness scouts, rangers, and survivors the Tanii are a bloodline of Humans that have adapted to living in a world where the entire forests get up and move overnight, forever shifting the paths and trails of these forests. At a young age, they become incredibly adept at the arts of wilderness survival and pathfinding and have developed a reputation as the most formidable scouts and rangers Galdor has to offer. The Tanii have fair to olive-skinned complexions, with hair ranging from red to blonde Their eyes are almost always blue or green, but golden hues do occur rarely.   Perks: The Tanii gain d4 Knowledge(Nature) as well as the Pathfinder Edge.   Pathfinder Edge: Tanii humans move through any sort of undergrowth, at their normal speed without the risk of taking damage from naturally occurring terrain. They gain a +2 Bonus to Survival in woodland terrain types. They still suffer from magical effects that mimic this terrain type.     Koldian Berserkers / Ghost Speakers: The Northern and Southern poles of Galdor are seen as little more than endless wastelands. These bitter and challenging environments seem to come alive with minds of their own, devoid of remorse. A missed step in such a place can leave a person at the mercy of winds that can strip flesh from bone, and sanity from self. Legends say these wastelands are a scar left on Galdor during The War of Creation and are places where the Wyrd is closer to the material plane and can bleed into the material realms. These areas are also said to be the territory of the few remaining Tar'nush, said to still wander the ice sheets, endlessly seeking to continue their ancient war. Only the hardiest of races claim the Koldain Wastes and the Ghost Ice as home, chief among them Humans and J’tar. Who among them have hundreds of small tribes, often no more than three days' travel from the sea. These tribes are shamanistic and fiercely independent, existing in a constant state of conflict with each other, and the tribes of the Children of Tar’nush who can live deeper into the reaches of these icy deserts. These hardy people are often slightly bigger than other Humans, and their skin is fair, often with traces of blue and green shades. Hair color is often Black or Blonde, eye color is almost always blue. Koldain Berserkers will at times have red hair and green eyes while Ghost Speakers will at times have silver hair and purple eyes. These two populations, while extremely similar, are remote enough that they normally would never directly interact.     Perks: Koldain Berserkers gain a d4 in Intimidate and a d4 in Survival.   Perks: Ghost Speakers gain a d4 in Survival and a +2 Bonus to Athletics.     City Dweller: The vast majority of Humans on Galdor grow up in a well-connected network of small towns, villages, keeps, cities, and castles that dot the landscape of the more developed areas of the world. Even those who may grow up in the more remote, off-the-beaten-path, or secluded locations are typically only a few days' travels away from the nearest village. These are the farmers, artisans, merchants, soldiers, and nobles that make up the tapestry of the ever-expanding Human race, and many spend most of their lives within the territory of the nearest keep or castle. While not technically a Bloodline, City Dwellers is a term used to describe those who have grown up under the direct rule of a monarch, within a city, or near a center of commerce.   Perks: City Dwellers can choose Two Skills from the following list to gain at d4.  

Random Starting Ages

 

Adulthood	Intuitive 1	Self-Taught 2	Trained 3
15 years	+1d4 years (16 - 19 years)	+1d6 years (16 - 21 years)	+2d6 years (17 - 27 years)

Random Height and Weight

 

Gender	Base Height	Height Modifier	Base Weight	Weight Modifier
Male	4 ft. 10 in.	+2d10 in. (5 ft - 6 ft. 6 in.)	120 lbs.	+2d10×5 lbs. (130 - 220 lbs.)
Female	4 ft. 5 in.	+2d10 in. (4 ft. 7 in. - 6 ft. 1 in.)	85 lbs.	+2d10×5 lbs. (95 - 185 lbs.)