Human

There are many human cultures scattered across the face of Sidereus. Humans are a prolific race and their kind has spread far and wide since their creation during the Second Age. Humans are intrepid and innovative, constantly pushing the limits of their capabilities and searching for new ways to excel. More so than many of the races of Sidereus, humans have a great capacity for good, and an equally great capacity for evil. They inherited this dualistic nature from their creator Fënrir, god of the air and the wind. As a credit to their creator humans can be fickle or steadfast, passionate or distant, tyrants or heroes. The great gift of mankind is that of spiritual freedom. While all of the races of Sidereus were blessed with free will, humans were given the ability to be truly unfettered; gifted with incomparable potential.

Human cultures exist in almost every habitable region of the world. While there are many human societies, the bulk of the human race can be summarized into a few distinct ethnic groups;

The barbarian tribes of Sidereus are a rugged people with an amazing amount of cultural variety. The Arzhel barbarian tribes make their homes in the northlands amongst the valleys and crags of the Crownspire Mountains. The Bharu tribes are primarily fishermen, making their living off of the sea and surrounding areas. The Bataar barbarians inhabit the deserts of Sidereus, being forced to endure the harsh realities of desert life in the Fourth Age. The Gahiji barbarians dwell in the vast savannahs of the southern continent Anurias, the Takoda barbarians are a nomadic people that inhabit the grassy plains of the west in Linerra, and the Zante barbarians are island dwellers and courageous warriors. There are many other barbarian cultures, but the major groups define how other cultures and races perceive them.

The Zahala people are another ethnic division within the human race. During the beginning of the Fourth Age the great city of Zahalaren was destroyed my marauding bands of goblins led by a mysterious force. This army laid the city to waste, and the Zahala people were forced to scatter and flee to survive. The Zahala people travel in clans that follow a somewhat matriarchal structure. These clans have travelled far and wide across the many continents and countries of Sidereus, making their way as alchemists, merchants, craftsmen and performers. The Zahala are typically extroverted and have an intense love of independence and individuality. The Zahala people typically wear colorful clothing, and enjoy dance, revelry and song. It is the belief of the Zahala that any misfortune should be endured with a confident resolve and a celebration of the things that are worth being thankful for.

There are many well-established human kingdoms in the world with a wide range of cities, towns and villages within their domain. On the western continent of Linerra, seven human sovereigns rule over their respective kingdoms. In the northeastern region of the continent, the kingdom of Egoras is ruled over by King Lionus III, a kind and benevolent ruler with many allies. Egoras is among the strongest and most popular of the Seven Kingdoms, praised and respected for the unceasing defense it affords to the whole of Linerra. The knights of Egoras are equally well known as paragons of virtue and righteousness. The kingdom of Dalarnis is currently preparing for war with the country of Egoras, and promised to King Sulien and Queen Selina, twin children born to the late Queen Celia shortly before her death. Lord Caedmon acts as the steward of the kingdom, ruling in the stead of the king and queen until they are old enough to rule. Known for its strict and lawful nature, the kingdom of Dalarnis is among the most well defended in Linerra, feared for the power of its Inquisitors. The kingdom of Fyndara is ruled by Queen Morrigan Alevina, friend of the elves of the Silvermist Forest, well known for their belief in liberty and personal freedom, the kingdom of Fyndara is a popular sanctuary for artists and free-thinkers, though they have their share of problems with brigands and thieves as well. In the middle of the country, the kingdom of Danarea is a powerful center of trade and commerce, as this country controls a great deal of the fertile farmland in Linerra thanks to its vast and rolling plains. Ruled by King Sebastian Celevere and Queen Seraphine, Danarea is well known for its unexplored subterranean caverns and its strong relations with the Dwarves. The kingdom of Maloron is ruled by King Cyprian Montague, well known and praised as “the Faithful Eagle of Melival”. King Cyprian is better known among the common folk for his frustration with his four daughters; Princesses Antoinette, Celestine, Lucette, and Vivienne. The kingdom of Pelysius belongs to Queen Sapphira the Zealous, Paragon of Ophira. As a high paladin and Paragon of the goddess Ophira, Queen Sapphira is well known for her pursuit of justice at any cost. Thievery, banditry and any other illegal pursuits are not only illegal in Pelysius, they are likely to get the perpetrators killed. Finally, the kingdom of Arceos, in the southwestern reaches of Linerra, is ruled by King Nicolas Maximilian and his famously beautiful and valiant wife, Queen Aurelia of Parsamore. Arceos is known across all of Linerra as a haven for the downtrodden and poor in spirit, welcoming all those who are willing to contribute to the greatness of the kingdom and the wellbeing of its people. These are the Seven Kingdoms of Linerra, once-powerful human kingdoms whose fate has been intertwined since their beginning. There are a variety of smaller within the boundaries of these kingdoms as well, all involved in the feudal lifestyle that these kingdoms practice. While these human kingdoms claim domain over the lands within their boundaries, the cities, towns and villages belonging to the other races that live within these boundaries remain as sovereign states apart from human reign, and have no concern in general for their day to day politics. In many cases the Humans fear the power of the other Races of Linerra outright, since many of them have learned to master power and majesty far beyond anything that humans have had time to master with their short time in the world of Sidereus.

In the harsh and unforgiving landscape in the northern regions of the continent of Ursya, the human cultures have become accustomed to hardship and survival. Much like Linerra, the people of Ursya have developed a strength of character and a stern resolve that little In the known world is able to shake. In the western reaches of Ursya, near the continent of Ageos, the Mokosh region is comprised of mountainous areas; cliffs and valleys, and is well known as a breeding ground for both Vampires and Werewolves. The Sanguine Wars took place here early in the Fourth Age, as humans from the kingdom of Myria waged a harsh and bloody war against a large clan of Vampires and their minions. The wars were only exacerbated by the involvement of the Werewolf tribes from the southern areas of the Mokosh region. To this day, relations between the Humans of the region and the Vampires and Werewolves that also claim Mokosh as a home are strained and difficult. The reigning king of Myria, King Jurek Lebedev, is known as “the Lawgiver”. In recent years he has come into possession of a powerful magical artifact; a sword known as “Dragonslicer”. King Jurek is a well known public proponent of the worship of Onûs, and as such – worship of the Void Serpent and his children is very common in Myria. Interestingly, the queen of Myria, Queen Natasha Imogene is known as “the Luminous”, and is a staunch worshipper of Gilana. It is rumored, however, that she reveres Gilana in her former aspect as the goddess of joy, rather than in her current aspect as the goddess of misery and despair.

Racism is not unknown to the human peoples of Sidereus. Many of the varying ethnic groups have difficulty realizing that they are in fact of the same ilk, and as a result there are often petty conflicts and even wars that result from differences in opinion over anything from land ownership to religion. The other races of the world tend to be confused by this behavior as ultimately nearly every other race operates under the viewpoint that “a Human is a Human”. As an example, Humans of the Mokosh region tend to bear a particular prejudice against Humans of Zahalan descent, citing events that apparently took place at some point in the middle of the Third Age. Unfortunately for all involved, no one can quite remember exactly what those events were.

For Humans, relations with the other races of the world can range anywhere from benevolent and beneficial, to challenging, to outright hostile and in many cases dangerous. Many members of the Bharu tribes and other human groups that make their living off of the oceans, rivers and seas have a particular hatred for the ravenous species known as the Naga. These water dwelling creatures are an ancient threat from the earliest days of the world and have been known to prey on all those who make their living from the ocean. Conversely, in many cases the elves and chatûl will make it a point to look after their human “cousins” as their deities have charged them with caring for the Unfettered Children.

Humans remain something of an enigma in the world of Sidereus, as much of their talent and drive remains hidden from plain sight. With such short lives to live in comparison to the other races of the world, humans are among the most prolific breeders and tend to have an unconquerable desire to achieve their dreams within the short span that is given to them. Humans commonly crossbreed with elves, satyr and derew, meaning there are many humans in the world who share some ancestry with these races. Far less common are the humans who share some ancestry with arxus, dwarves or chatûl, as these races tend to be somewhat xenophobic, particularly when it comes to romantic liaisons, and on top of this the species are not entirely compatible, causing breeding difficulty between them.

Playing as a human in Sidereus can mean different things to different people. As a human you will have a great deal of flexibility in regards to your background and character history due to the staggering variety of human cultures and societies. Each of these cultures are treated in the same manner as any of the other races for the purposes of defining history and cultural mindset, so you will have an abundance of resources to decide where your character hails from and what her beliefs and traditions are. There are also commonly a much larger number of human characters than characters of any other race. Because of the light costuming requirements and the obvious fact that out of game we are actually human, the human race is by far one of the most popular to play. Coupled with the flexibility all human characters have by default at character creation, many players choose to make a human character simply because it seems to be the most obvious choice. In Sidereus humans are plentiful and prolific, despite a troubled past and an uncertain future. The other races of the world tend to mock humans on a somewhat frequent basis, amazed at the frequency with which they go to war with other humans over relatively insignificant things. For all its diversity and potential, the human species lacks unity. Unlike many of the other players in the game, you will also have little or no makeup requirements, and your costuming can be relatively simple without worrying about seeming out of place while you are in game. Conversely, your character will also lack the special abilities and skills that other characters may have, but you exchange these abilities for an unparalleled amount of flexibility when designing your character. Humans tend to have more skills early in the game than characters of other races because of their flexibility. In game this is explained as a result of the intrepid and forward moving nature of humans, since they can often be so driven as to be reckless.