Humans
Appearance
Humans bear the traits of human beings in our own world. Humans stand anywhere from 4-7 feet high. They have pale white to dark brown skin tones, rounded ears, and hair that ranges from thick with tight kinks to thin and straight. Not going to elaborate on human physiology in these articles as the rest of this wiki describes how other species compare to human beings, which we are all fairly familiar with.History
In the modern calendar, the fourth age began when the Goddess Lekomeras breathed the light of life into hundreds sculptures of clay fashioned by the Goddess Enarxe. The duo prepared them from the earth at the base of Mount Atras and grouped them into three hosts. Argolis to the west, Lapezus to the South, and Eudosia to the East. The earliest human civilizations were wandering tribes of nomads that suffused the lands in the early years of the Clay Age. They were primitive, but some groups interacted heavily with the dwindling villages of Astorae and learned a fair bit of culture from them. As centuries slipped into millennia, human beings flourished into the three capital cities that host the largest populations on Edifas. There is a steady truce between the human settlements mainly because their empires are so distant from one another, there is no threat of unnecessary invasion by any of the other human empires.Civilization & Culture
Humans exhibit a wide array of behaviors and cultures, and are willing to adapt to their surroundings that makes one human settlement completely different in culture than another. Some commonalities between humans include the following:Art
Edifasian art stands out for its development of naturalistic but idealized depictions of the human body, in which largely nude figures are generally the focus. Forms of art developed at different speeds in different parts of the world, and some artists worked in more innovative styles than others. Strong local traditions and the requirements of local cults influence the style of a particular work.Sculpture
It is a commonly held belief in human art styles that the human form is the most important subject for artistic endeavor. Since the Gods have mortal forms, there is little distinction between the sacred and the secular in art--the mortal body is both. A nude depiction of Sirus or Fengari is depicted in the same manner as the latest boxing champion or a noble heiress. Statues are commissioned either by aristocrats or by the state and used for public memorials, as offerings to temples, oracles, or as markers for graves. Sometimes statues are not intended to represent specific individuals, merely an artistic ideal. Sculptors will sign the plinth, and make quite a bit more money over potters per piece. Stone sculptures are freestanding, carved in the round, or by relief. Bronze statues are considerably more expensive, but can be reproduced on a higher scale, with one master mold making many statues. Ivory and gold statues also commonly adorn temples.Architecture
Ranging from city houses to royal palaces, many types of buildings exist on Edifas from both new and old cultures. In modern times, walls are built of polished marble or masonry that is covered in many cases in highly decorated frescos. Baths, sewage and drainage systems, food deposits, shops, theatres, sport arenas, and many other structures inhabit the human cities of Edifas.Pottery
Made of terracotta (or sometimes precious metals) and finely painted vessels, pottery is often exported as daily use vessels in carrying any number of items or found in tombs, containing cremated ashes. Figures depicted on the pottery are painted black, white, or a shade of red near to the shade of the clay it is painted on. The figures depicted feature strong outlines and thin lines within the figures. Pottery has a variety of uses, containing olive oil, perfumes, wine, water, or cremated remains. The potter and the artist almost always sign their name at the bottom of the pot.Figurines
Made of bronze or terracotta, can be much more cheaply produced by sculptors. Thousands of little figurines can be found in and around temples, depicting horses, deer, dogs, cattle, and any other animal. These represent sacrifices on a more humble, personal level than the large scale effigy burning that takes place every month.Painting
Somewhat rare, and practiced by aristocratic types, the tools, techniques, and dyes needed for elaborate painting aren't available to many commoners. Frescos decorate palaces and city walls, and occasionally inside restaurants and shops. Wood or canvas painting will sometimes hang in a domicile, and depict similar subjects and themes to pottery.Mosaics
Made with rounded pebbles or dyed glass, mosaics are popular as decoration for the floors of palaces, temples, or government buildings, but eventually made their way into private homes. Commonly, a central picture is featured in great detail with a surrounding ornamentation featuring a repeating pattern such as leafing or a meander.Theatre
Theatre is a popular past-time born of Lapezean Antiquity. It was born south of the base of Mount Atras where it was institutionalized as part of a festival which honored Lekomeras. The three genres of drama include tragedies, comedies, and the satyr play, all of which spread throughout human culture throughout time. Since many cities lay on or near hills, seating is generally built into the slopes, producing a natural viewing area. This overlooks a semicircular stage, with a backdrop along the far edge. The whole structure is known as an amphitheater and can seat a large number of people. Actors will wear masks that accentuate facial features and amplify the voice, practical and magical effects are used by skilled bards in the orchestra pit, who sing in chorus to accompany the story being told on stage. Acting troupes are small, consisting of about three actors, a band of three in the chorus, and a manager, who deals in the business end of the affair, manages the props, and writes or directs the plays.Literature
The most popular recorded works in literary traditions are epic poems and lyric poetry. Human culture puts importance on Myths (concerning divinity) Legends (concerning heroes) and Fables (concerning mortals) as the most ubiquitous stories in society. Since the invention of the theatre, storytelling has evolved to introduce ideas of dialogue and interacting characters, effectively creating the "drama" genre. Comedies, tragedies, and satyr (satirical) plays followed shortly thereafter. Non-fiction is also a popular topic among writers, history, philosophy, literary criticism, political science, magical and scientific discovery are all recorded in the scrolls and books of the educated.Economics
Humans are apt to trade goods and services the world over. A series of roads connect trading routes throughout the continent, and trade ships will brave the seas if the journey is worthwhile enough. To barter with one another is common, but the use of coinage has adopted a recent widespread popularity, due to ease of use. Coins come in denominations of copper, silver, gold, and platinum and depict a profile of various deities on one side, and an associated animal or symbol on the back, which differ from place to place. Silver coins are most common but copper and gold are used when price necessitates as well. Platinum is typically traded by the ultra-wealthy and does not circulate as often.Cuisine
Generally you can find home bakers in smaller towns, dedicated bakers in larger cities. Sometimes cakes are made for festivals or celebrations. Bread dough is often mixed with cheese or honey, baked in a clay oven set on legs. White bread is harder to grow, so is often limited to aristocratic homes, while barley grows much easier, and makes darker breads that are nourishing but very heavy. Barley Mazza bread is served cooked, raw, as a broth, or made into dumplings or flatbreads. It can also be augmented with cheese or honey. Lentils and chickpeas are a staple of a human diet. Black beans, fava beans, and peas are other protein-rich legumes popular in the cuisine. Vegetables are commonly brewed into soups, boiled or mashed, seasoned with olive oil and vinegar. Onions, garlic, artichokes and olives are among the more popular greens, while fruits like figs, raisins, pomegranates and nuts are popular desserts. Fresh meat is most commonly served during sacrifices, and sausages served at other times. Chickens, ducks, hares, goats, roast pigs, oysters, beef, and lamb are all on the menu for meat. Many varieties of fish as well, from oysters, scallops, tuna, swordfish, carp, mackerel, squid, octopus, sardines, anchovies, all sold fresh or salted. Eggs, milk, butter, cheese and yogurt are common products as well. As for drink, water is obviously widespread, with wine as a close second for consumption. White, red and rose wines are produced by vintners in varying qualities. Beer is uncommon and very thick, reaching an almost mealy consistency.Religion
The Clay Races do not have a word for "religion" in their language. The term "cult practices" encompasses more clearly the relationship between the mortals and their Gods. There are common shrines to "the Gods" that exist, and temples that are dotted around the land that are devoted to one or two specific Gods each. There are many Gods and Goddesses, as well as a range of lesser deific beings of various types. In the grand hierarchy of the Gods, the more abstract, force of nature types are at the top, while the more mortal-centric Gods are the youngest and most prone to mortal affairs. Each God appears, by standard in a humanoid form, with the ability to change into animals or monsters at will. While being immortal, the gods are certainly not all-good or even all-powerful. They have to obey fate, which overrides any of their divine powers or wills. The gods act like mortals and have mortal vices. They interact with mortals, sometimes even spawning children with them. At times certain gods are opposed to others, and they will try to outdo each other. Some gods are specifically associated with a certain city, but other gods are also worshipped in these cities. Generally, the mortals in Edifas consider what one believes to be of much less importance than what one does. Every 100 years, the lingering mortal souls on Edifas are ferried to the underworld by [Neros], Ferryman of the Tempest. It is there that they languish, their essence slowly drained by [Mavronyka], until their soul slowly fades back into chaos. One of the most important moral concepts to humans is the aversion to hubris. Hubris constitutes many things, from rape to desecration of a corpse. Although pride and vanity are not considered sins themselves, humans emphasize moderation. Pride only becomes hubris when it goes to extremes, like any other vice. The same is thought of eating and drinking. Anything done to excess is not considered proper. Humans place, for example, importance on athletics and intellect equally. In fact many of their competitions include both. Pride is not evil until it becomes all-consuming or hurtful to others. There are no real unified practices or ceremonies for the mortals, priests and clerics of the local temple are typically magistrates for the town or city. Local festivities and events are cared for by prominent families in the town, usually the ones with the most money. Religious practices derive their authority from tradition, and every deviation from the norm arouses deep anxiety and calls forth sanctions. Effigy sacrifice is a monthly practice at the altars outside of the temples. Wooden, wicker, or bone effigies are created and ritually burned, as the folk that gather sing hymns and pray to the Gods for good fortune. Some wilder cults sacrifice live animals, but never people, and a smaller, more simple sacrifice may burn a grain of incense in place of an effigy. Usually the bigger the effigy, the longer the ceremony, and thus greater the sacrifice. The effigies are often woven in the shape of various livestock, and are interwoven with their bones to increase the potency of the sacrifice. Human cults believe that a weak sacrifice will anger the Gods, and various calamities will ensue. Festivals happen less frequently, but often involve a procession of singing, dancing, and are devoted to specific gods in specific cities. On a festival of athleticism, crowds gather to watch athletes compete in various feats of sport. Rural temples usually consist of a sacred grove, spring, cave, or hill, but as towns become wealthier and more populous, temple buildings are constructed on these sites to serve as a gathering place for rituals, which are performed outside. Inside the temple is usually a grand image of the god the temple serves, and a collection of small trophies from military victories, important pieces of art from locals that serve as relics of the god, and small shrines that are dotted in and around the temple. In a way, the temples become a sort of museum for the god they are dedicated to. These temples serve as a sanctuary to criminals, escaped slaves, and others down on hard times. Some temples offer oracles, diviners who are able to read the fates to see the future. Sometimes this future reading is cryptic, and sometimes it is bold. Some oracles only deal in minor matters, such as agriculture or love, other deal in more encompassing matters like wealth or war. Finally, the existence of mystery cults are hidden, but widespread around Edifas. Those who would deny the Gods, but do so in secret, in fear of their wrath coming to seek out and destroy them.Military
In early human battles, soldiers were typically citizens with other occupations, limiting the warfare by distance, season and scale. Neither side could afford heavy casualties or sustained campaigns, so land-based conflicts were typically resolved by single set-piece battles. When these battles occurred, they were short, bloody, and brutal, requiring a high degree of discipline. More recently, alliances between city-states have allowed the scale of battles to increase in size, and the diversification of warfare has shifted to naval battles or strategies of attrition such as blockades and sieges.Hoplites & The Phalanx
The backbone of the military is the hoplite phalanx. Armored infantry with spears and shields, formed in a horizontal line with shields locked together. Hoplites are typically the citizen-soldiers of the city states who serve a mandatory two-year service. They are primarily armed with spears and short-swords and fight in a phalanx. The armor of a Hoplite is expensive for the average citizen, so it commonly passed down from the soldier's parent or relative. It consists of metal greaves and a breastplate made of bronze, leather, or stiff cloth. The shield is heavy, but is built in a way to where it can be rested on the shoulder when in Phalanx mode. The phalanx is still popular around the countryside due to its ease of use (use by citizen militia), low fatality rate (important for smaller cities), and relatively low cost (enough for each hoplite to provide their own equipment). The Phalanx is also a source of political influence because citizens have to provide their own equipment to be part of the army. Shoulder to shoulder, hoplites who lock their shields together in a line form a Phalanx, with the first few rows of soldiers piercing their spears out of the front. This makes frontal assaults much more difficult. When advancing towards an enemy, the phalanx can break into a run that is sufficient to create momentum, but not too much as to lose cohesion. If two phalanxes collide, the victor is almost always determined by which side has more soldiers pushing behind their front line. Once the front line is broken, the remaining soldiers typically flee or skirmish, and are picked off by the light cavalry or skirmishers that make up the outer edges of the formation. If a hoplite escapes, it is usually because they've dropped their shield, which is an expensive family relic, shamed upon returning home. Prominent citizens of the state or generals are usually right in the front of the phalanx, and suffer the heaviest casualties in warfare.Additional Military Troops
Psiloi
Magic users who sling magic missiles and heal troops on the frontlines. Not all phalanxes can afford to have Psiloi.Archer
Rare, usually mercenaries who are professionally trained and paid for by the state.Cavalry
Usually around, but horses that ranchers can afford to potentially lose in battle were even more expensive than a set of hoplite gear. This means that cavalry is made of nobles and the very wealthy social classes. Over time, cavalry became more important to land-based battles due to the importance of maneuverability on the battlefield. The invention of the chariot allowed cavalry to maintain flexibility if terrain permitted.Ballistae
Popular for sieging, and as an anti-naval measure.Trireme
Naval unit for moving quick through the sea and equipped with a large bronze-coated piece of timber for ramming. A skilled crew is needed to pull off a successful ramming, with the oarsmen needing to accurately hit their target, and a crew to dislodge the ram from the sinking ship before their own ship sunk.
by Midjourney AI
Genetic Descendants
Lifespan
70 years
Average Height
5'6" feet
Average Weight
135 lbs
Geographic Distribution
Discovered by
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