General description

Origination

Human kind weaves an interesting tale, in which much is lost to memories of all.  Humans were the third prime race created by the gods, ones that were supposedly created in the image of the gods.  This idea holds some merit, because all who have seen the gods can instantly note the similarities.  Humans were found everywhere in the old world, and upon returning from banishment, had begun to reemerge from everywhere once again.  Thus, there is no place on Tellest that humans cannot be found.

Physical Appearance

Humans are bipedal creatures that usually stand between five and six feet tall.  They are the most diverse of the races of Tellest, coming in many different shapes, sizes, and shades of color.  Human females are typically smaller than males, especially in proportion to other races.

Humans wear their hair and facial hair in myriad styles.  Their similarities to other family member’s facial hair have led them to be thought of as dwarf like in that regard.  However, unlike the dwarves, the beard or moustache generally holds no personal value, nor is it a sign of honor, but simply a style choice.

Humans come in many different colors.  Whereas the elves are generally of a lighter complexion, and dwarves of a darker tone, humans embody the entire spectrum of skin colors.  This has led to some hostilities in some countries or cultures, as it is looked down on, or, in some extreme cases, forbidden to speak to someone of a wildly different complexion.

Clothing and Adornment

As with many aspects of the race, there seems to be no distinct choices that set humans aside from any of the other races.  Rather, it is the humans’ willingness to be comfortable with nearly everything that sets them aside.

There is no limit to what a human will wear.  Some will wear nothing but a tattered robe, while some are entirely comfortable in a suit of heavy plate mail.  Headwear, if it is chosen to be used, follows similar suit.  Boots and other footwear are usually made of leather, but depending on class and financial well being, anything from cloth slippers and sandals to steel greaves are utilized.

Human kind has an interesting relationship to both body piercing and tattoos.

While some piercing is acceptable, for females in their ears, for example, other parts of the body being pierced can be seen as taboo.  If noses, navels, lips or other body parts are pierced, a female is seen as promiscuous, while a male would be seen as overly feminine, and therefore weak.  One exception for a male to have his body pierced is his ears.  This generally occurs only in military or naval employed men.  It is regarded that if an ear is pierced, the other senses strengthen.

Tattoos are similar, in that men can find more leeway in their application.  Military units often share the same tattoo as a form of bonding with one another.  If a female chooses to be tattooed, she risks being thought of as a courtesan, and nothing else.  Other than that, tattoos are used to brand traitors, prisoners, thieves and pirates.  It is often thought of as unwise to bring any unwanted attention to oneself with the application of a tattoo.

Relations to Other Races

A human seems the standard to compare to all the other races.  A person can easily make the comparison from a human to an elf, dwarf, or orc, though it becomes more complicated when comparing the other races with each other.

General Personality

Personal

The elves have a saying for the humans.  They call them the people of many faces.  This is because humans are known to have many of everything, in every facet of life.  This includes their emotions.  Not only do the members of the human race have the capacity to display every emotion in a short while without fail, but they also have a base emotion that seems prevalent at all times.

Also, more often than the other races, humans seem to suffer from mental disorders, some which may affect emotionality.  This has led some of the other races to be wary of the humans, who can be content one moment, and then utterly violent the next.  Humans are a blank slate to the other races, and it is up to them to decide whether that is a good thing or a bad thing.

Relationship

For a race that lives such a short time compared to the other two prime races, humans are able to love quite a lot before the time of their deaths.  Monogamy is not actively sought early on in life, and even once a permanent partner is found, might still not be put into practice.  The elves and dwarves see this as a way for the humans to try to preserve their race, but it is still looked down upon.

This is not to imply that true love between humans (as well as love between humans and members of other races) cannot exist.  Oftentimes, two partners go on to live full lives together, their hearts so intertwined that it has been said that when one heart fails, so too, will the other.

However, this is not always the case.  The lands of Tellest can be unforgiving, and it is not unheard of for someone to lose a mate.  When this occurs, there is a strong chance that the human will move on, until they find another suitable candidate for partnering.

Family

Human families are varied by nature, just like the rest of their personalities and culture.  Humans still have a bit of nomadic desire in their blood, and this is seen firsthand after children have grown to an age worthy of leaving their family.  They are never gone forever, barring tragic accidents or unresolved tensions, and return usually out of bonds of love, and nothing else.

Society

Humans live in so many different societies that it is difficult to isolate just one kind of culture.

For the most part, humans are able to do anything they want.  Society does not imply or push them into any specific occupation, and as a whole of many parts, functions just fine.  There are some drawbacks to this setup.  Many times a person who is unskilled at their profession proceeds to try and fulfill their dream, even though their abilities would be better used elsewhere.

Though occupations can be selected by the individual, class generally cannot.  It is only through blood or extreme merit that someone from a lower class may be permitted to ascend through the ranks of society.  Furthermore, “extreme merit” usually comes at the cost of excessive bloodshed.

Behavior toward Other Races

Humans favor elves and dwarves the most among all the races in Tellest.  It is believed that the humans never lost their developed bond between the other two prime races.

Despite the elves distrusting humans, the humans find no real threat among them, and will often assert them their friends, even when it is not reciprocated.  Humans will often come to an elf’s aid if it is required.

Humans are much more comfortable with the dwarves.  Dwarven hospitality has been unrivaled since the humans emerged from their banishment.  As often as humans aid the elves, dwarves will aid humans tenfold.  Because of their close bond, humans and dwarves share technology, culture and, much to the dwarves’ satisfaction, booze.

The humans have also found it easy to commingle with many of the other races, including the kobolds, gnomes, orcs and minotaurs.

As with the dwarves, humans despise goblins.  They also loathe trolls.  Both races are considered chaotic and evil, and are either met by a quickly turning human or a quickly stabbing blade.

Humans are also apprehensive of gnolls, due to the strain they put on the country of Warus, particularly to the kobolds who live there.  While the gnolls imperialistic nature is seen as wrong, they are not thought of as being wicked like the goblins or trolls.

Language

Speech

The human language is known as common, due to the ratio of humans to the other races of Tellest.  It is a rarity for the layman to know another language, but many members of human military groups know at least one other language in at least basic terms.

Penmanship

Humans write in common, and are generally off put to try and write in any other language.  Many scholars are able to read the languages of other races, however.  Humans are also the first race to be known to organizing their writings into books that are used primarily for entertainment, and not as a window into history.

Religion

Personal Beliefs

The humans accept the gods of Tellest with fervent belief.  This is largely due to the frequency of their appearance to humans as opposed to the other races of Tellest.  For the most part, it is believed that the gods have their sights on the humans more than any race.

Recently, a very small amount of humans have begun believing in an all powerful force that guides even the actions of the gods.

History

General History

Humans were the third and final prime race that the gods created on Tellest.  They adapted quickly to their surroundings and produced both technology and magic at an alarming rate.  This led to the idea that humans were power hungry, and thus, incredibly dangerous.

Myths and Legends

Humans are at the forefront of a great many of Tellest’s myths and legends.  Two of the tales in which they played a strong part are that of Batrura, the King of the Dragons, and of Romus Youngblood, who killed a fallen angel.

It is said that five magi, all humans, worked a spell to seal the great dragon Batrura within a cave that nobody can find.

Romus Youngblood fought one on one against the hideous fallen angel Semia’Laz, who had been committing genocide on all the races of Tellest.  With the stab of his mighty blade, Archeangel, Romus was able to slay Semia’Laz.

Technology

General Technology

Humans are among the races paramount in pressing forward discovering new technologies.  The only race that has them beat is the gnomes.

The humans were the first race to develop the mathematically intricate catapult, as well as the first to come up with a system to deliver running water to living complexes.  They were also the ones to develop black powder.  Some have even spoken of a man who is attempting to use the black powder to power tremendous weapons.

Magic

Humans are knowledgeable in all manners of magic, both offensive and protective.  There is not a single spell that a human is unable to learn, and this has led to some fear from some of the other races.  The elves, in particular, are very cautious of the humans’ grasp on magic.

On the aggressive side of magic, humans dabble in anything from wizardry to necromancy.  These magi typically tend to stay far from battle, with the exception of battle mages, who use their spells to accentuate an already strong physical presence.  Often, magic users utilize their gift for reward outside of fighting, finding benefit in even the most mundane of things.

Humans also channel their magic in more benevolent magics.  Priests, clerics, shamans and paladins are all strong candidates as choices for an aspirant in magic use.  Also, while rare in humans, druidism is another available magic art.

Military/Combat

Military Structure

Humans tend to approach an opponent as a group.  They find strength in numbers, and will stand together to try and find victory.  As an army grows, they extend by width, and not by depth, as they prefer to fall in around their enemies, rather than press forward like a rolling wave.

The more specialized units will find themselves performing more unique functions, acting as ranged units or cavalry.

Humans also tend to try and figure out a strategy before entering a battle, as preservation of numbers helps them with morale, which in turn helps them survive.

Weapons and Tools

Humans prefer to use swords and spears to do their damage, mostly because those weapons also work to help defend themselves, and self preservation is very important to the short-lived humans.  They are able to become proficient with nearly every other kind of weapon as well.

Humans use siege weaponry with fantastic results.  They prefer to use machines like the catapult or ballista, and are fond of using siege towers and ladders to overcome their enemies.

Wars and Enemies

Of all the ways that humans try to keep themselves alive, and of all the races upon Tellest, it seems ironic that most of the wars fought by humans are between themselves.  A constant hunger for power, or land, or wealth drives the hand of many aspiring leaders.  Those same leaders find it difficult to sate their taste for war, and soon find themselves pushing for battle once again.