Humans

Svarrin, Human Bard

> “What separates humans from the others, however, is our bloodline's capabilities to adapt. If our society can be restructured from a militaristic feudal nightmare to an entrepreneur's dream, a man can turn his sword into a plowshare.” **- Theron Alduous, the Last Bishop of Tanana**
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Hailing from the western grasslands of Fhomnair, humans are plentiful across the land of Haven. Humans live anywhere and everywhere save for the Unda communities in the ocean and the tunnels of the Noxcess. Humans are also well known for being profitable merchants, eloquent ambassadors and politicians, and clever opportunists. It is easy to make friends with a human, and they are more than happy to be friendly to strangers. If a human can’t help with a specific problem, they likely know someone who can.

They are also known for being self-serving, cunning, and powerless to vice and luxury. While most humans don’t seek to actively harm, it is hard to distinguish between sincerity and subterfuge in humans. Furthermore, due to the competitive nature of business in Ponente, humans have a tendency to readily take advantage of others in the name of furthering goals. A human’s home is likely to be rife with whatever niceties he or she can afford to impress guests, but will lock up their private spaces lest their degenerate lifestyles are revealed.

**Addiction from Excess:** The unusual disposition towards addiction within the Human race is a result of years of both the rich wanting to show off their wealth and a method of keeping the poor from climbing up the ladder. In current times, within most human ruled places many drugs and other substances are overlooked, as near all humans have some level of addiction due to their people’s history and culture. It is even common for Human homes to have a room dedicated to the use of such substances, often called Leisure Offices. In fact it is somewhat of a faux-pas to be a Human of  wealth without such a room.

### **Art**

Before the fall of the monarchy, humans were not known for their taste in art. The influx of wealth that came with the rise of the Merchant Houses and their desire to create things for themselves led to a sudden renaissance of art. They thrive in a variety of arts; great play and opera houses litter their major cities, with museums of fine art spattered in between. Nowhere is more concentrated in buildings of the arts than Ponente, where the rich spend their days watching the grandest performances on all of Haven or buying art in massive auctions.

### **Appearance**

Humans come in all shapes and sizes. Since they have implemented themselves across Haven and into other race’s cultures, their clothing and jewelry generally seem to have originated from wherever they are staying. Many lower class Humans wear simple garb, the exception being when in the presence of those with high status. Higher ranking Humans, or those connected to any of the Merchant Houses, will usually carry a family crest or symbol of the name/station to impress others and gain sway with local Traders.

### **Geography**

After the humans were pushed back to Ponente, they used their economic growth to rebuild their lost towns, and built new cities. Ponente is the most densely populated; the rich flock to enjoy the greatest luxuries money can buy, labourers can find jobs with minimal effort, and poor people work to find their big break from the slums.

2 new major cities have sprung up in the homes of the of the 2 of the 5 great Merchant Houses in the last couple of centuries to monopolize control over certain resources. These cities are: Darmay, a coastal port city under the Trentin Alliance with more trading, fishing, and military ships coming and going than anywhere else on Haven, however due to this also their fair share of pirates and crime. And Ebonfold Keep, the military stronghold of the Ebony Legion, around which a city has quickly built itself in both hopes of protection from the Legion against bandits, and it’s close proximity to a multitude of farmlands.

Most of Fhomnair is open land. Though much is occupied by farmland, particularly in the south-east where soil is more fertile, hamlets and small towns dot its landscape, all connected by an excessive amount of roads. The north has similar infrastructure, but its primary industries lean away from farming and more into mining and lumber. In the west, the cities stick close to the coastline, thriving on its fishing and fishing and trade, though under constant threat of pirates.

### **Cuisine**

Due to their culture, Humans have a healthy diet of whatever goods are passing through their market. Their vast farmland also provide a stable intake of grains and basic vegetables, but those with the money buy as much imported food as they can. You can generally tell how wealthy a man is by the quality of his meals.

### **Traditions and Holidays**

* **Commemoration Day** - The day that the great bank was created and the day that humanity regained a foothold in their ever changing world. Lavish feasts and parties are held for 3 days (usually by those who are well regarded by the bank), to indulge in all of the bounties life has to offer.

### **Military**

The Humans do not hold an official army, but the Ebony Legion would gladly step in for the right price or the promise of victory and glory. Though smaller than other nation’s armies, the soldiers of Ebonfold Keep are some of the best trained soldiers found anywhere on Haven. However, should the region go to war again, there are others that could be called on to supplement the Legion. Many Knight’s Orders have sprung up following the founding of The Order of the Golden Lance in 2019, which swear fealty to the different Merchant Houses or are sometimes independent under their own code of ethics.

## **Social Structure**

The Bank of Ponente and Merchant Houses or Merchant Guilds are the leaders among the Human populous. Many humans represent the idea that anyone can come out on top of the heap, no matter your standing at birth. The houses are a symbol of opportunity, despite the ruling class of the Houses being near exclusively rich and influential families. Five major merchant families control most of the new cities of Fhomnair.

### **The Iron Order**

The Iron Order grew from the alliance of guilds in mining and smithing. Settlements in the north that show promise for ore mining quickly find the Fafnik family (Currently headed by Lord Gregor Fafnik) seizing control. The iron order often funds the construction of castle keeps and other classical human structures, and has also established a rather strong lumber industry due to the amount of wood required for such buildings. The Knight’s Order known as the “Steelsung” serve this House.

### **The Trentin Alliance**

The Tretin Alliance was originally a number of guilds involved with coastal settlements for fishing and sea trade. They previously offered defense against Unda trespassers, but now make deals with the Unda for access beyond shallow waters and among the Islanders' territories. Their home port is Port Darmay, the bottling and shipping capital of Haven, in the southwest, and is home to the current leader Lady Eruin Trentin. It is rumoured that pirates have made connections in their towns despite Trentin's efforts.

### **The Silverthorns**

The Silverthorns have but one keep, but their members carry their business all over Fhomnair, functioning among meeting halls and seeking seclusion. Functioning as a guild network for herbalists, hunters, and alchemists, the guild’s secretive function and decentralized nature invites scathing rumors of profane rituals and other questionable history.  The Knight’s Order known as the “Vinewood Pact” serve this House.

### **The Marigolds**

The Marigold family are the most traditional of the influential humans, a family made of smaller families including the famous Fhazison family, clinging to the old ways of banking and commerce. Originating in the capital city of Ponente, their guild holds strong connections to Compass Rose and the outgoing trade caravans in their efforts to maintain the Note's influence on Haven. Though stubborn and greedy, they have the smooth running of the nation in their best interest; cultural collapse is bad for business after all. The Marigolds cling to what control they have of the great bank of Ponente. Lead by Lord Virk Marigold, who since taking power has erected walls around the great bank and only allows the wealthiest and most notable individuals into the actual building. The Knight’s Order known as the “Hands of Commerce” serve this House

### **The Ebony Legion**

The Ebony Legion, led by Lady Brianna Ebenfold and the Ebenfold family, operate to the south east of Fhomanair in the Ebenfold Keep. Though they started out as a small but effective mercenary company in the farmlands, the family rose to power through the exemplary, harsh, and strict training of their forces and contracting said forces throughout Fhomnair.  Many recruits to the guild are street urchins looking to survive or those desperate to pay off debts to the great bank and their loan sharks. As such, the legion will offer to pay your debts or living expenses in full, in exchange for a contract of service to their cause. Given the location and nature of their rule, they have seized control of much of Fhomnair's farmlands, as it helps greatly lessen the cost of feeding and maintaining their forces.

## **Human History**

### **First Era (before year 0)**

Though human history is sparse, legends kept by the humans often claim that they may have been the first living race of Haven. This suggestion is not baseless - many anatomy guides follow human physiology as their baseline due to their average bodies.

* **The First Human/Gemna** - They were plentiful and prosperous, but their air  of superiority would cause them trouble when first introduced to the Mountainfolk, which quickly led to them driving the Mountainfolk back into the mountains due to the fear of their foreign nature, slaughtering any who did not flee.

### **Second Era (0-1499 P.E.)**

Growing in number, the Humans under their noble line of monarchs became the most numerous race on Haven, many considering the first half of the Second Era the Era of Men. They were not only strong through trade either, they had vast and well trained armies, and held much of the central lands of Haven that now belong to other races. They had stretched themselves to far and thin, and like all vast empires, their fall was imminent.

* **The Second Human/Gemna War [aka the Human Genocide] (300-305 P.E.)** - After many years the Gemna re-emerged from the deep with weapons and  training far beyond that of the Humans, and drove the Humans to near extinction, destroying  the once present monarchy along with most records of their history before this time. It is said that the city of Ponente was the only city to survive this war, as King Kerrick had a change of heart and allowed the single city to survive, leading it to being the capital city it is today. Faced with the inability to strike back, Humans migrated across Haven to build bonds With others, learn all that they could, and undercut the Gemna whenever they gained the opportunity.

### **Third Era (1500-2019 P.E.)**

Humans believe they were successful in their goal to take revenge against the Gemna by reverse engineering and sharing the unique smithing and spellcrafting techniques that the Gemna prized. They also held the most economic power of any of the nations. When the first bank was established, it was the humans who started it. For a time, however, the bank also functioned as their only form of government, led by a board of share-holders who had invested in the bank and so owned a share in the nation.

* **The War of Time (2019-2020 P.E.)** - When the war of time began, the humans were forced to form a military of their own through conscription to protect themselves and quell the cultist uprisings happening across the lands, this military would later break up into the noble Knights' Orders of Ponente. Though they did defend their own lands, they did not take part in the war as a whole, instead choosing to build up their own defenses, which began the resource boom that led to the rise of the merchant houses.

### **Fourth/Current Era (2020-2278 P.E.)**

In the last few centuries however, powerful families have begun to prosper through many of the untapped resources further out in the grasslands, and they formed the Great Merchant Houses that now hold sway over the citizens. However, with the power they held, these Merchant Houses were not benevolent families, as they sought out their own wealth and growth above anything. Though many lords have taken to codes of ethics to impose responsibility on those with power, many find themselves struggling dog-eat-dog to earn their rights to free land and compete with the merchant families’ control over business.

## **Folklore & Cultural Figures**

The majority of Human folklore centers around historical heroes of their society, mostly sticking to exaggerated tales of the truth, though not many legends exist from before the Human Genocide.

### **Sir Dylan Fairbrook**

The first man ever knighted, the brave human Sir Dylan was knighted during the War of Time by the hand of the Order of the Golden Lance's founder and first Lord Commander Zy Ravenheart. He would later courageously sacrifice himself alongside the Lord Commander to win the War of Time.

### **Sir Garrik Walker**

The man who brought the concept of Knights to Fhomnair. Sir Garrik served as a footman in the Order of the Golden Lance during the War of Time, Knighted not long after the end of the war. He left the Order however to bring the idea of knights to the Human lands, helping found the "Hands of Commerce" who now serves House Marigold.

### **Fhazi the Tea-maker**

The Human who supplied the first Knight's order, the Golden Lance, and founded the company of Fhazicorp, one of the major contributors to the founding of the Marigold Merchant House. Another great example of the Ponente Dream; he came from a rich background, but gave up his family name in order to start from the ground up himself, preferring to make his own name. A Human tradition evolved from a habit of Fhazi's, the idea of always having beverages (in the story, water always boiling over the fire, ready for tea) ready in case guests drop buy. It is said many dropped by for Fhazi's tea, for they always knew it would be ready, Princes of the Fairfolk and Gemna, renowned Human merchants, even Emperor Dae'avel of the Fairfolk himself is said to have once dropped in for a cup of tea before he became Emperor. So always keep a pot on the fire, because you never know who may drop in for a cup of tea.