Humans
Humans are the dominant species on Krea, however are not completely widespread nor the top of the food chain. They have only existed for a few thousand years.
Magic and Abilities
In Krea, unlike traditional fantasy where humans wield spells or tap into mystical energy directly, they rely on a symbiotic bond with a creature called a Shadow Beast. These beings are a source of magic, and humans act as conduits for their power.
Imagine a human as a conductor of an orchestra – they guide and direct the music, but the melody itself flows from the musicians. Similarly, humans can't directly manipulate magic, instead, they rely on their Shadow Beast. However, Shadow Beasts's magic is not limitless. Shadow Beasts can't be summoned indefinitely.
Additionally, severing the limb with the tattoo-like mark of the shadow beast severs the connection entirely, leaving the human magically inert. Even worse, if the Shadow Beast itself is slain, the link is destroyed forever, rendering the human unable to use their shadow beast and its magic in the future.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Humans in Krea share a similar body plan to those of our own world. They are bipedal, meaning they walk upright on two legs. Their skeletal structure is built around a central spine, providing support and flexibility. Like us, they have a ribcage that protects vital organs in the chest cavity, and a pelvis that supports the lower body. Their limbs consist of two strong arms with hands that possess five nimble fingers, perfect for grasping, manipulating objects, and expressing themselves through gestures. The lower limbs, two legs, are powerful and well-suited for walking, running, and climbing.
Muscles throughout their bodies allow for a wide range of movement. Strong leg muscles propel them forward, while arm muscles enable them to lift, carry, and strike. A complex network of muscles in the torso control posture, breathing, and core strength.
Humans in Krea, like their real-life counterparts, exhibit a remarkable degree of physical diversity. Height, weight, and musculature can vary greatly depending on factors like genetics, environment, and lifestyle. Some humans could be tall and lean, while others could be shorter and more powerfully built.
Biological Traits
For the most part, Krealings share many biological similarities with humans of our world. Both bodies are complex and well-suited for survival. Both have the ability to naturally heal. Krealings, however, boast some remarkable enhancements.
While they do have enhanced senses compared to us real-world humans, their physical capabilities are on the same level. Despite this, they often appear to be of greater skill than people IRL, especially when it comes to spacial awareness and reflexes. However, this is thanks to their challenging environment and lack of technology to make life too cushy, honed by a world where they're not the apex predators. They require to keep their senses sharp and don't have the tools around to get lazy or the items that cause them to develop weakly. Compared to irl, while their creativity and ingenuity might not be as high as us, their physical capabilities are in top notch condition.
They're also incredibly resilient to pain– they feel it more intensely than we do, but they're better at ignoring it and pushing through. Injuries like a large gash that might take weeks to heal and require stitches for us can mend within a couple of days for those in Krea, without the need for stitches (though stitches can still be helpful for faster healing and reducing scarring).
Speaking of scars, Krealings are far less prone to them compared to irl humans. This also extends to blood clotting wounds faster and easier, and their ability to bounce back from blood loss greatly enhanced. Humans of Krea also possess a remarkable, yet ultimately limited, regenerative ability. While they can theoretically regrow limbs, the process is agonizingly slow, taking longer than a human lifespan. However, high-capacity light magic users can accelerate this regeneration for others, offering a glimmer of hope.
This enhanced healing extends to their resilience against poisons. Their natural resistance is significantly higher than ours, allowing them to tolerate toxins that would prove debilitating to us. While they aren't immune, and many poisons are still fatal to them as they would be to us, they can usually handle either higher dosages or resist it for longer. However, this only extends to natural poisons. Ones magical in nature or that are inorganic prove to be especially effective.
Their nails and hair grow noticeably faster, with nails being stronger and less prone to breakage. Even their bones are denser and sturdier, offering greater resistance to fractures. Fortunately, their teeth are also hardier, making them less susceptible to decay. Even their skin boasts a tougher composition compared to ours.
However, their body isn't without its weaknesses. Because of their higher volume of blood compared to irl humans, while they can handle far more blood loss than we can, that also means more susceptible to blood loss in severe injuries. They are more susceptible to heart attacks compared to us, so maintaining a healthy lifestyle is even more crucial for them. Additionally, they are more prone to developing stretch marks, especially during growth spurts, rapid weight gain, or pregnancy, but do heal faster from them due to their higher regeneration capability.
Speaking of blood, when it comes to blood types, Krealings have a unique system. They have two blood types, A and B, but here's the thing– all humans in Krea carry both A and B blood types. This makes blood transfusions a whole lot easier.
Genetics and Reproduction
Reproduction
When it comes to making babies, Krealings follow a similar pattern to what we're used to, but with some interesting twists. Pregnancies last about a year in Krea time, sometimes more or less. This is roughly equivalent to our 9 months, though can be 8 or 10 without issue to the mother or baby. However, Krealing babies are smaller at birth and grow faster, making the whole process a bit easier on moms. Here's where things get interesting though: Krea women can get pregnant again pretty quickly around the time they are supposed to give birth, even if they're still carrying the baby. This means you could potentially have siblings with the same mother born less than a year of each other in Krea time, or around six to ten months apart in age our time. Additionally, Twins are fairly common in Krea, but still rare enough to be a pleasant surprise. Triplets are much rarer though, and quadruplets? Well, let's just say you'd have better luck winning the lottery. Interestingly, Krean humans can't have more than four babies at once– nature's way of keeping things manageable.Skin Color
Unlike their real-world counterparts, Krealings lack the genetic diversity in skin color. Their pigment cells remain inactive during fetal development. Upon birth, these cells become highly receptive to the surrounding environment. This means a Krealing's skin tone is a direct reflection of their birthplace, not their lineage. A Krealing born in the sunny, desert region of Dessiara will develop a deep tan, while those born in the snowy hills of Opirium will have a lighter pale skin.
Growth Rate & Stages
Growing up in Krea is a bit different from what we're used to. While children are of course considered babies as soon as they are born, babies are considered toddlers as soon as they can move around on their own, and they graduate to "child" status once they start talking, regardless of their age. But childhood isn't just about playing and learning– In Krea, kids start training for adulthood as soon as they can handle tasks or chores.
The transition to adulthood isn't marked by a specific age or a fancy coming-of-age ceremony. Instead, it's all about capability. In some places, you're considered an adult when you can run your own business. In others, it's when you complete an apprenticeship. And in some cultures, adulthood is achieved when you can hold your own against other adults– not just in arm-wrestling contests, but in wit and savvy too. It's all about not getting bamboozled like a kid would.
As for the elderly, their treatment varies widely across Krea. In some places, they're revered as wise sages, sought after for their guidance and experience. In others, they might be seen as a family burden. But generally, reaching old age is respected as a sign of resilience and survivability. After all, in a world with magic and danger, making it to your golden years is quite an achievement!
Dietary Needs and Habits
As with humans in our world, Krealings are omnivores, enjoying a varied diet of both plants and animals. Their food choices might be familiar, but their bodies handle them quite differently. Krealings boast incredibly efficient metabolisms. They can consume significantly more food than one might expect without packing on the pounds. This efficiency translates to both ends of the spectrum. They can utilize the energy from food swiftly, allowing them to fast for extended periods compared to us. In fact, a Krealing could likely survive just fine on a single, somewhat meager meal each day. Another perk of their exceptional metabolism is a reduced susceptibility to the health problems sometimes associated with human diets. Their bodies seem to be better equipped to handle dietary components like red meat, dairy, and oils, experiencing fewer health concerns associated with these foods compared to their real-world counterparts.
Behaviour
Humans of Krea are an interesting bunch when it comes to their outlook on life. Socially, they lean towards pessimism, acknowledging the world's harsh realities. But individually? They're surprisingly optimistic– or maybe it's more accurate to say they're realistically optimistic. They don't just sit around hoping for a better future; they roll up their sleeves and work towards it. If something negative happens, bummer, but what are they going to do about it? If they don't work to fix it, they can't complain.
When it comes to empathy, it's a mixed bag. In harsher regions where survival is tough, people tend to be more empathetic and cooperative. But in cushier or more isolated areas, it's every human for themselves. Small villages are usually more tight-knit, while bigger settlements can be a bit more "me first" in their thinking.
Just like with empathy, emotionally, Krealings are pretty similar to us. They blush, they sweat, they laugh, they cry. But they do have one neat trick up their sleeves – they seem to be able to shut down their emotions more easily than we can. Talk about handy in awkward situations!
However, mental health is a bit of a blind spot in Krea. While mental illnesses definitely exist, they're not really recognized or treated. This isn't because of any stigma, though, it's more due to their limited scientific understanding. Maybe one day they'll have proper therapists and psychiatrists, but for now, it's not on their radar.
Sleep is another area where they differ from us. Krealings need less shut-eye, able to function on just 3 hours a day (though their days are only 20 hours long). They can even go 3-4 days without sleep if needed. They cannot do both, however, and if they stay up longer than a day or two will require a 5-10 hour rest at least.
Their dreams are wild and fantastical, often helping them solve problems. Dreams act as a subconscious processing tool, offering insights rather than prophecies. Some even use short "power naps" with dreams to solve problems, as they can start dreaming within moments of falling asleep.
Additionally, Krealings are evenly split between being left-handed and right-handed, with half of each being ambidextrous.
Additional Information
Social Structure
Krea society has some interesting divisions. There's a thin line between commoners and nobles, based mostly on family lineage. Magical ability doesn't generally create social divides, although some people might prefer partners with certain elemental abilities to influence their future kids' magical talents, and some will look up to someone with a higher capacity than them.
Within larger communities, Krealings naturally form smaller social groups. You'll find councils, market groups, clubs, guilds, and cliques. They're big on collaboration, finding it more efficient and fun to work together. That said, introverts still exist in Krea– some people prefer to fly solo, either due to personality or because their work requires solitude.
Often times, humans of Krea will live in tandem with nature, rather than fitting nature to their needs. While there are people who are sustainable minded, for the most part they don't really protect the environment, under the idea Penta and Shen will. Despite this, they do view nature as a divine creation to be respected, but also as a tool to be used (though not exploited to the extent we do in our world).
Average Intelligence
Mentally, Krea humans have the potential to excel in various areas, be it memory or strategy. Compared to Earth humans, they have a higher overall capacity for mental feats and other cognitive abilities.
Additionally, Krea children can blossom into intellectual prodigies. It's important to note, however, that this advantage is only evident during childhood. "Genius" children in Krea simply possess adult-level cognitive abilities, and these abilities become more normalized in adulthood.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Just like us, humans in Krea rely on sight, hearing, and smell to navigate their world. However, their senses are subtly heightened compared to their real-world counterparts.
Their hearing is particularly impressive. They can not only detect a wider range of tones, but their brains are also better at picking out individual sounds within a noisy environment. They are able to distinguish a single bird chirping amidst a bustling marketplace– that's the kind of auditory acuity they possess. Their brains also excel at filtering information. Where we might tune out background noise as white noise, Krealings can readily pick up on subtle sounds in their environment, allowing them to be more aware of their surroundings.
Their vision is also impressive. They have exceptional peripheral vision, allowing them to be aware of movement and shapes around them without needing to directly focus. This peripheral awareness pairs with a remarkable ability to focus. When they focus on a specific object, their sight becomes incredibly sharp, like zooming in with a camera lens. However, this impressive focus causes the background details blur slightly.
Finally, their sense of smell deserves mention. By inhaling their surroundings, they can not only identify scents but also "taste" the air, not only identifying various scents but also tasting subtle nuances within those aromas. For example, a Krealing might not see a fire, but by smelling the burning they can discern if it's a recently extinguished campfire, a raging inferno, or the lingering scent of magic burnt into the air. This heightened olfactory sense extends to food as well, allowing them to appreciate flavors with exceptional sensitivity.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
There is no general custom or difference in naming traditions per country for first names, and everyone has a family name when born, including commoners. Children retain the last name of their parents, however if their parents are separated or a part of two different families, they retain the name of the one they live with more. They retain that family name as long as they are a part of that family. People without last names do not have a family they belong to, and it's not surprising to find people without last names.
People who abandon or are kicked out of their families are not allowed to use their last names, as they lose it when they are no longer a part of the family. This also applies if a child is abandoned or orphaned without knowing their last name. Likewise, when people are adopted or marry into another family they take on the last name of their new family.
Average Technological Level
Now, if you're expecting high-tech gadgets and gizmos, you might be disappointed. Humans of Krea are pretty low on the technological totem pole. There are a few reasons for this: they're a relatively young species, they rely heavily on magic for everyday tasks, they have different materials and resources available than us, and they lack many of the real-world problems that often drive scientific progress.
But don't write them off as technologically inept. They may not have smartphones or space shuttles, but they've adapted perfectly to their magical world. Sometimes, the simplest solutions are the best!
History
Their origin story, at least for the people of Krea, is a bit up in the air. Most Krealings believe they were created by gods named Penta and Shen, or maybe even older deities. Some think they may have even evolved from earlier creations of these gods.
This belief stems from disregarding past legends as fantasy, the loss of information over the years, and the lack of clarity from Penta and Shen or other People of Old. To learn more about the origin of humans and the spell that created them in the first place, please visit this page.
Lifespan
60-100 depending on region
Average Height
5'9" for Men
5'6" for Women
5'6" for Women
Average Weight
150-170 lbs (68-77 kg) for Men
120-140 lbs (54-64 kg) for Women
120-140 lbs (54-64 kg) for Women
Geographic Distribution
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