Human

Humans are the most common race, thanks to their ability in adapting to every kind of environment. Due to this they can live in a wild range of habitats and can easily learn lots of competencies.

Humans come in all shapes, sizes and colors. They are usually 5’-6’ tall, can be anywhere from very slim to very large, with fair to dark skin, hair and eyes. Traditionally Humans can be found anywhere and small groups of Humans can spring up in a desirable location and grow into a large city in a relatively short amount of time. They are a very adaptable race, able to survive in almost any part of the realms.

Race Overview #

Sub-races #

Player characters who pick to play a human is considered a ‘common’ human. There are three sub-races:

• Common [all PCs are of this sub-race]
• Divane Humans
• Savage Humans

Common

Common humans are the original human race.

A common human’s physique varies more than any other race, ranging anywhere between 4′ 10″ to 6′ 4″ tall and weighing between 115 to 275 pounds. Humans tend to be far more muscular than elves and more rugged in appearance (though not as stocky as dwarves), and their skin tones range from extremely fair to black, along with their hair. Human males tend to wear a vast array of hair styles, while the women mostly wear their hair long.

Certainly the most common of all the humanoids throughout Arcadia, humans are everywhere and the standard from which all other creatures are measured. Common humans can do many things very well and are excellent adapters to the environment, and hence have settled throughout the entire known world (and dominate more territories than the other races). While humanity had been considered the favorite humanoid race of the gods since the beginning of time, the race fell out of favor when it sided with Ilkor during the Age of Unrest. Hence, many human cultures today believe that it is a time of atonement and reconciliation, and there is a no nobler calling for a human than priesthood.

Divane

While all of the races within Arcadia were once immortal (and that immortality was lost during the Age of Unrest), a small splinter of humanity has been blessed with immortal-like power and are now collectively referred to as the divane. No one is sure why certain humans are born with their power, but those who are possess exceptional senses, heightened awareness, increased abilities and incredible constitution and longevity. Most importantly, the divane are the only racial sub-race that can sometimes hear the distant whispers of the gods, and are thus sought for information and advice. The divane are physically perfect in every way, highly charismatic and, when subjected to cold and dark, actually produce a soft warm glow (a telltale sign that a human is actually a divane).

Savage

While most of humanity has long been tamed by the comforts and social interactions that civilization has to offer, some choose to remain wild and unrestrained, allowing their innermost (near-animal) instincts to totally dominate their behavior. Such savages appear taller and stronger than common humans, always dressed for outdoor survival and nearly bloodthirsty toward those who they encounter. Indeed, human savages are terrible to behold in combat, fighting like rabid animals and never showing the slightest hint of morals or mercy. Very occasionally, a savage can be domesticated just enough to tolerate the presence of others, and a few even go on to one day lead the life of an adventurer.

Bloodlines #

The ancestry bloodlines of humans are known as Families.

There are 5 different families throughout the lands of Arcadia:

• Family Sandsmith
• Family Golddrop
• Family Helleye
• Family Deathdragon
• Family Seamoore

Family Sandsmith

The bloodline from which all others are compared, the human family Sandsmith is nearly as old as Arcadia itself and said to be the first of all the races created by Icesi tens of thousands of years ago. Regardless of the true genesis of the family, descendants share an incredibly rich and detailed past, one in which countless historians have attempted to document in countless tomes scattered throughout all of Arcadia. Certainly the darkest chapter of family Sandsmith was its involvement during the rise and fall of Ilkor, and how it generally sided with Ilkor and her dark seduction of the world. However, the family has dedicated the last five centuries to doing good throughout Arcadia and attempting to restore its ancient (if somewhat tainted) name.

Family Golddrop

Almost certainly the youngest of all the racial bloodlines, the human family Golddrop is only a few centuries old and spiritually innocent of any misdeeds of its family Sandsmith predecessors. Very occasionally, human children of family Golddrop are revealed as divane, near-angelic beings that are physically perfect in every way and considered the manifestation of Icesi’s blessings and humanity’s return to his good graces. Accordingly, humans of family Golddrop are pious and deeply religious, never marrying outside of their family in the hopes that their offspring will be one of the extremely rare (but equally revered) divane.

Family Helleye

While most humans are generally honest and civilized, a family of humanity long ago chose to distance themselves from their brethren and occupy the wilderness of Arcadia, free to pursue their passions and live their lives free of artificial law or structure. Over time, the family became more and more uncivilized, to the point where today they are barely human at all, ferocious in their encounters and completely disinterested in Arcadian civilization. Very occasionally, a nomad of family Helleye will purposely reenter a human settlement and mingle with his human counterparts, but most humans of family Helleye are wild and dangerous, and best left alone. Naturally, members of family Helleye are survivalists, able to endure any outdoor environment and resistant to most poisons and disease.

Family Deathdragon

While much of humanity was seduced by Ilkor during the Age of Unrest (and has atoned for such misdeeds over the past five centuries), the humans of family Deathdragon went far beyond the asking of forgiveness, turning instead to rage and retribution. Hence, this family has become well known as Ilkor hunters, tracking down and utterly destroying anyone or anything related to Ilkor and her three dark children (Iliad, Erus & Vesuna). Today, descendants are born and raised to recognize the signs of Ilkor’s influence throughout Arcadia, and respond with quick and decisive force (even if innocents are harmed in the process). Hence, some wonder whether family Deathdragon is fighting evil with evil, but to members of family Deathdragon, there is no greater honor or reward than slaying a minion of Ilkor.

Family Seamoore

While the oceans of Arcadia are generally wild and unknown, the humans of family Seamoore turned to the sea long ago, building a great fleet of ships and eventually becoming so accustomed to their lives on the waves that entire generations would come and go without ever setting foot on land. This family naturally worships the demigod Thethis, and wants nothing to do with its land-loving human counterparts. Indeed, the Seamoores have essentially been waging an undeclared war on all land-dwelling races of Arcadia, terrorizing coastlines as the pirates they’ve become and virtually never leaving survivors after their attacks. Of course, there are a few humans of family Seamoore who are re-introduced to the continents and defy their family for a life on solid ground.

Naming Conventions #

Similar to halflings, humans also have a firstname and a lastname.

Having so much more variety than other cultures, humans as a whole have no typical structure to how they are named. Most parents give names that are linked to their region’s culture or to the naming traditions of their ancestors.

Some human parents give their children names from other languages, such as Dwarvish or Elvish (pronounced more or less correctly).

Shown below are the various structures to a human name:

• Short Name: Malark
• Long Name: Malark Buckman
• Full Name: Malark Buckman of the Sandsmith Family

Example Names #

Male Names	Female Names
Darvin Amblecrown	Arveene Dumein
Dorn Evenwood	Esvele Basha
Evendur Jassan	Jhessail Brightwood
Gorstag Dotsk	Kerri Pashar
Malark Buckman	Lureene Nemetsk
Morn Greycastle	Miri Mostana
Randal Dundragon	Shandri Khalid
Stedd Tallstag	Tessele Rein

Symbol #