Human

The poets sing of how the humans came to be, but their stories diverge on the fundamentals. Some say that humanity was created under orders of Zeus, chief of the reigning gods, but the practical work of forming them out of clay fell to Prometheus - a Titan who belonged to an older divine family, but sided with Zeus during the war with the Titans. Zeus apportioned features such as speed, power, teeth, and horns to all the mortal creatures that were to be created, but Epimetheus, Prometheus' brother, got so carried away with doling these out to the animals, that when the time came to make humans, there were no traits left to apportion that would ensure their survival. With no traits to call their own, Prometheus made the humans upright - a feature only the gods possessed. After Athena breathed life into the inert clay, Prometheus gave the new creatures another gift - he stole fire from the gods' abode gave it to the humans, and taught them how to use it. Zeus, it seems, wanted a servile and pious humanity, so when he learned that their stature had greatly grown after they had mastered fire, he punished Prometheus by chaining him to a mountain and sending an eagle to devour his liver on a daily basis. His punishment for humans was more subtle. He ordered Hephaistos, the divine smith, to fashion Pandora - a woman of indescribable beauty. She was to marry Epimetheus, and as part of her dowry, was given a clay jar that she was instructed never to open. Eventually, curiosity got the better of her, and she opened the lid, causing disease, sorrow, and a myriad other plagues to escape. Pandora slapped the lid on, but all the plagues had already fled, leaving Hope alone inside the jar. And so humanity persisted, in toil and misery, but in expectation that eventually the Hope at the bottom of Pandora's jar would finally be released.
What remains unclear is why humans were brought into being in the first place. Zeus seems to have wanted pious servitors and worshipers who did not question the gods' superiority. The gods consistently denied humans true knowledge, yet, after the humans exhibited pride, they were not destroyed. Or perhaps they were - the Titans, and then the gods seem to recreate humans anew at the end of each age. Though with each new age, humans become more disobedient, more violent, and more prideful. The current age - the Age of Heroes - is dominated by humans of semi-divine origin. They strive for Arete - excellence - but in their pride they create the conditions for their downfall. The subsequent age promises to be more violent and more perverse. Oracles say that in the next age, humans will be born with gray hair. That may be a sign of humanity's end, or perhaps, the end of the gods' reign as well. Already, most spirits of departed humans wander dark Hades as despondent prisoners, though some still persist as blessed spirits.
Other poets say that humans actually have a dual nature. In their telling, Zeus son Zagreus was destined to inherit his father's throne, so jealous Hera instigated the Titans to kill the youth. Zeus struck them down with his thunderbolt, turning both them and Zagreus into ash in the process. Humankind is then formed out of the mixed ashes. From the ashes of the Titans, humans inherited their sinfulness and lust, which binds them to the material world. But from Zagreus, who would be reborn as Dionysus, and from the imprint of the thunderbolt, they have their transcendent nature. Humanity, despite everything, bears a divine spark within its soul.

Humans may add +1 to any attribute they wish, and select a bonus language and a feat from among those that appear in the PHB, Lukomorye, or special Background feats in One D&D. If the player does not wish to choose, they may simply take the Skilled feat.