Humans
Humans on Auxis are widespread, can be found in most regions and, in general, are fierce and disagreeable, which could sometimes lead certain other races to view them with contempt. They are renowned for their diversity and ambition, and although they lack specialization, they can excel in many areas.
Description
Humans are mostly very average humanoids, not as strong as dwarves or smart as elves, not as courageous as gnomes or stealthy as halflings. Unlike the other races, however, humans exhibit vast diversity, with many geniuses, mighty warriors and masterful rulers coming from humankind. Similarly, they do not exhibit any natural alignment, with good and evil humans being just as common. Unlike the other races on Toril, humans also cannot be sorted when in distinct subraces, but do exhibit a variety of appearances, cultures, religions, governments and ethnicities. Many of these divisions fade and appear as the geopolitics of human society transforms, with a quick war wiping out a people or a civil war creating two new lineages. However, while there were no natural human subraces, Planetouched subspecies of human-adjacents were found in the Realms. These included the aasimars, genasi, and tieflings. The root of humanity’s many divisions lies in the race’s fragmented history. Whereas elves and dwarves are originate with unifying cultural traits and long proud histories, humans coalesced into tribes and developed local cultures across Auxis wholly independent of one another. The earliest human cultures arose in the shadow of other races such as the giants, the elves, and the dwarves. The dominance of these other races kept the various human cultures largely ignorant of one another and barred communications until relatively recently in the history of Auxis and the beginning of the first age.Abilities
Humans, unlike other races, are often also less adept at specific skills, instead picking up proficiencies as they explore and grow. Humans have known to be masterful fighters, expert mages, cunning tacticians and powerful rulers. They are often born with very simple skills akin to their parents proficiencies, but exhibit much versatility in what they can pick up over their lifetimes. Humans are also unique in the way they exhibit both individual and collective identity. They often are fierce in defending themselves and their families, and each have a highly unique personality and desire, but also are very influenced by the culture they grow up in. The pantheons and values of a human's society shape their worldview and actions, and often changes dramatically depending on their changing environment and the people they meet.Racial History
The origin of the human race on Toril is unknown and disputed among the many religions and pantheons of Auxis. Ever since the Age of Numinus many humans have attributed their creation to the son of Anum - Arno - who they attribute for gifting with them a unique connection to the divine which led them to discover the existence of the gods. Despite this common ancestral story, the humans lack a single creation myth as their close temporal cousins of the Elves and Dwarves do. They were not born of stardust nor fought to the surface from the core of Toril, instead, they were the chosen of one god or another, destined to rule their particular slice of reality and to conquer the rest. Quite often these creation myths reflect the particular values or intellectual focus of the humans at the time, whether it reflect strength, knowledge, life, or whatever else the culture glorified.
Despite this, it is clear humans have been on Toril for a very long time. It is unclear when the first human society came to be, but the first documented society and political body - Ostoria, existed well before the beginning and well into the initial centuries of the first age. Various other ancient societies across southern Auxis are shown to originate from these early years, but none go as far back as Ostoria. Regardless of their precise origins, humans have been undeniably successful. Within a thousand years humans had spread across the continent, forging all manner of different societies.
Over these first few centuries the humans developed agriculture, metallurgy, alchemy and medicine. As the elves developed magic and mapped the stars and the dwarves built their kingdoms of stone and fine jewels, the humans expanded their kingdoms and empires and grew in number. As demand grew and resources were finite, conflict began. The weapons created in the growth of human society were put to use, fighting amongst themselves for land and power, and the technology of other societies. Of course at this time, the threat to civilisation was not simply confined to each other. From deep deserts and harsh mountain ranges orcs regularly tore apart human settlements and sometimes flipped the tide of a war from one state to another, and humans often found themselves warring with elven and dwarven societies as they clashed.
Ethnicities
Humans have spread across the known continent and have developed various unique cultures and societies in all environments. In the third age, there are two primary locale of human activity. Firstly, Edea, the northern continent, where humans reside in a highly stable and mostly peaceful society. They mostly reside in the southern half of the continent, with most staying far from the cold northern wastelands dominated by the drow and dwarves. The dominant culture is mostly agricultural and mercantile, with a markedly secular government focused on peace and prosperity. Religion is mainly focused on home, family, prosperity and health, with celebrations pertaining to harvests and life most popular.
Humans were initially native to the southern regions of Auxis, now known as modern day Xedaris. Many human societies did move northern during the first age, however, and much of the surviving population of the schism lived in these northern areas. There were two primary people in this subgroup - those residing along the Whitecherish fields to the south of the wintercrest peaks, and the kingdoms to the far north-east. Over time these human cultures diverged into four primary creeds - the Talan, the Unmar, the Eskians and the Whitfolk. Humans from the cold north also migrated south to the base of the mountains as their kingdoms succumbed to the frost, who became the Za'sadari. Much migration has taken place among the peoples of Edea, and as such cultures have adapted from their initial conditions.
On the other hand, the southern continent of Xedaris is far less united. Multiple large states and empires vie for power, and humans co-operate with many other minor races in control of the territory. There are far more cultural divisions in these lands, from explicit magistocracies to slave-states or empires to theocracies. These cultures also represent varying interpretations of human deities and worship styles. Some deify order, with law and structure laid down by their gods, some worship conquest and war, and some follow knowledge and intellectual expansion.
Much of Xedarian culture is rooted in ancient empires which have held root since the Schism. The southern regions did not suffer to the extent of the northern lands, and as such owe much of their influence to that of the ages of old.
Edean Human by Thomas Wievegg
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