Human

“What is man? I have read every book in this library in search of an answer, and I have learned that man is a truly varied thing, in all but this: it is discontented, ambitious, and rails against its own frail nature." Solon leaned back, his golden eyes fixed on the fire, his long, elven fingers templed beneath his chin."It is a creature always active, always searching and striving and improving what it was born with. For us long-lived races, a human seems like a burst of lightening in a bottle, that may be unleashed for good or ill, but somehow alters the world around it. But up close, he is more like an ant, the culmination of a hundred grains of sand moved one by one, that may tip the world.”

— Janet Forbes

Humans: An Overview

Humans are risk-takers, trail-blazers, innovators, and builders of legacies. While a human life is relatively short (at least, compared to other species) their impact is long-lasting: at their best, they build for the next generations, and create civilizations that long-outlast themselves. At their worst, the destruction that ensues from poor choices can devastate lands for centuries. This ambition drives them to accomplish a huge amount in their fleeting years - and they are always busy, never at rest.

Physical description and combat: A Diverse People

Humans may range from under 5 feet to over 6 feet tall, and their weight spans from 125 to 250 pounds. Their skin tones vary from dark to pale, and their hair may be black, brown, orange or blonde, varying from straight to tight curls. Many humans also carry traces of non-human ancestry, hinting at ancient mingling with elves or orcs. They reach adulthood in their late teens and rarely live past a century.

More than other species, humans tend towards modifying their appearance, and while different groups of humans have different beauty standards, all strive towards them - or step apart from them - with external help. From clothes, ornaments and jewellery, to paints and dyes, to tattoos, piercings and scarification, humans are rarely satisfied with what nature made them, and are constantly altering the way they look, often from one month to the next.

Life span and outlook: Institutions of Legacy

While long-lived species entrust individuals with sacred duties, such as guarding temples or secrets, humans must instead establish long-lasting organizations, such as cults, religions, enclaves or sects, to ensure their legacy. They rely on future generations to uphold their values and traditions - or to innovate as they see fit - and invest in temples, libraries and law to guide those they have never met, who hold a future legacy in their hands. In this way, humans achieve an immortality their years otherwise withhold.

This ambition, and the desire to create lasting legacies, has led humans to spread across the worlds they inhabit more than other species. Humans frequently strive to found new settlements in unlikely places and stamp their names upon them, and broach wildlands other races would think not worth the trouble of taming.

Families and Societies

In general, it is normal for humans, when they come of age around 16-18, to enter the world. There is an expectation that even young adults have some self-sufficiency. That might be by staying close to home but building their own lives in a nearby village, or by traveling to far-off places for education, opportunities or adventure.

This separation and subsequent journey is a kind of coming of age in and of itself, and many humans live far from their homelands, sending letters and money back to proud parents who brag of their self-reliant children. Indeed, when a young human flies the nest with confidence, it is a sign that their parents have equipped them well for their journey through life.

Naming Traditions

Because humans travel widely, and form many diverse kingdoms, there is a vast variety of human names. Often names are inherited from grandparents or noted elders, but they may also be taken from songs and myths, heroes of past ages, from nature, or even from the cultures and languages of other species.

Reasons to go Adventuring

It’s common to meet young humans on the road, setting out on journeys away from their parental homes in search of experience, adventure and, often, not a little trouble. But human adventurers of any age are common, striving after wealth and knowledge, championing causes or organizations they believe deeply in, or simply to win fame and glory - to create their very own lasting legacy.