Humans

Although most of history is lost to time, humans are still regarded as one of the youngest races in Ethel. Despite this, the conditions created by the War of the Planes have resulted in humans being the most populous and widespread race due to their adaptability and curiosity.

Characteristics

Humans are considered the jack of all trades in regards to their stature. They vary greatly in height with the shortest standing less than five feet and the tallest spanning upwards of seven, although average humans tend to fall between five and a half to six and a half feet. They are modestly brawny, more physically capable than their elven counterparts, though generally not comperable to dwarves or orcs in their strength proportionate to their size. Humans can live up to just over a century, although more typically averages around eighty years or so.
Over time and many generations, human physiology adapts to better suit their envioronments. In the colder reaches of Ethel, humans will grow more hair, develop lighter skin, and become shorter and stouter to preserve energy and keep warmth. In some of the coldest regions, humans can appear very similarly to dwarves. On the other hand, in warmer climates, humans will grow taller and leaner, grow less body hair and develop darker skin to protect themselves from the harsh heat of the sun. These characteristics make them extraordinarily adaptable compared to all other sentient species on Ethel and have aided greatly in the expansion of their civilizations.
In addition to their beneficial physiological characteristics, humans possess a significant ability to harness and control the power available within the Gescræft. Despite these capabilities, they are much more susceptible to corruption by tainted magic and as a result many humans have fallen into the inescapable clutches of corrupt entities who live beyond the Vallum, Sardakur himself being among the most infamous.

History

Humans, like elves and dwarves, place significant cultural emphasis on the recording of their history. Many humans have devoted their lives to studying and cataloguing past and present events as they unfold for posterity. Due to human diversity and extension, their societies are significantly more fractured than other races. This has led to a great schism in their cultures, religions, forms of governance and other ways of life, which often inspired by many of the other great races who neighbor them.

It is told in legend that humans arrived from across the Deep Expanse tens of millenia ago, although nobody can be sure when exactly they arrived, or where from for that matter. In fact, all living memory within Ethel has included human occupation and participation, and as a result, the vast majority of people just consider humans to have always been a part of Ethel and its history.
Some of the first great kingdoms to arise from the ashes following the Great Upheaval were human. Many of these kingdoms still remain in some essence today, such as the Kingdom of Nordlund and the Sarr-Adalenydd, and as a result human influence on world affairs is staggering. Since the Great Upheaval almost every politically significant event has included human involvement.

Size

Medium

Homeland

Widespread

Affiliated Factions

The Kingdom of Nordlund
The Ethkari
The Sarr-Adalenydd

Religions

The Church of Aelalin
The Old Faith