Humans

A group of Second Wave and Lost Men humans in Volgrad

**Humans** are the most widespread race in the world of Valoria. Native to an unknown land, they quickly achieved dominance over the original inhabitants of Valoria. Arriving in 300 BHE, followed by a larger Second Wave in 1 HE, human colonies quickly spread across the known world. Over the course of five centuries, the elven nations that ruled Valoria fell to these colonies, with vast human empires rising to take their place. By 201 HE, Valoria was governed by 4 distinct human nations: the Kingdom of Volgrad, the Jarldom of Skolgra, the Kingdom of Khaz'mir and the Grand Magistracy of Glyndale. Though alliances would shift and unions would form and break up, these four countries would hold in more or less their original form until the Human Era ended with the Fall of Volgrad in 564 HE, after the first supernatural dominated nation, the Ascendancy of Zilmere, rose from its ashes, ushering in the Dark Age.

Throughout the Human Era, other races such as elves and dwarves were seen by humans as an inferior, lesser kind. These conquered races were subjected to systematic discrimination and racism that would persist in official law codes across Valoria up until the final years of the era. In the late 550's and early 560's, these policies lessened, with Khaz'mir abolishing dwarven slavery and the other nations becoming more open to foreign races, culminating in some countries even outlawing racism entirely. Though goverment sanctioned racism came to an end, many humans would continue to privately look down on other races into the Dark Age.

Though originally vastly outnumbered by native Valorian races, humans have long since surpassed all others as the most numerous sentient race in the known world, a situation that has yet to change even with the rise of the supernatural ruled Ascendancy of Zilmere.

## **History**

It is unknown where exactly humans originated. Humans first arrived in Valoria around 300 BHE, fleeing a threat in their homeland somewhere south of Valoria, outside the borders of today's known world. Led by the human Roirr, this group, which would come to be known as the **First Wave of Man**, settled Greater Skolgra, an island in the north of Valoria. Founding the city of Fjoldr as their capital, this small group would initially remain on the fringes of the world, never spreading beyond the Skolgran Isles, where they lived in a state of constant conflict with the native snow elves. This violence would lead to the Skolgrans developing a culture of raiding to sustain themselves and their economy.

Three hundred years later, the Human Era would begin as the much larger **Second Wave of Man** sailed into Valorian waters with a massive fleet. The bulk of the fleet would land on the mainland continent of East Valoria, with a sizable portion getting blown off course to the Green Sands.

The humans that landed in East Valoria would establish many small minor states and kingdoms, most of which are lost to history. The Kingdom of Volgrad, initially as small and insignificant as its neighbors, possessed a strong, coordinated and skillful military. This force would eventually be employed in the Eastern Conquest of 8 HE to 52 HE, in which Volgrad would conquer and annex most of the minor kingdoms on East Valoria, becoming the dominant human nation by the mid 50's HE. (To be continued)

## **Characteristics and Culture**

Based on the regions of Valoria, humans have built up unique cultures and characteristics of their own.

### First Men

The First Men are known to be harsh, wild, and unbreakable. They commonly inhabit the Skolgran Isles, where their capital Fjoldr is located. However, with advancements in navigation across oceans, the First Men began have begun to spread to the other nations, with resident populations in all four continents. They mostly consist of believers of the Saga or Golden Light, due to the religious and political influence the Golden Empire had on them before its fall. Physically, the First Men are taller and more built than their other kindred. Their skin is rather fair, matching the rest of their attributes; blue or green eyes, blonde, red, or lighter brown hair. First Wave humans live an average lifespan of 75 years.

Although nowadays their traditions are rather lost, the First Men believed facial hair was a trait all men were expected to possess.

### Second Wave

The Second Wave of the Humans are renowned for their conquests in Valoria, which expanded a handful of minor city states into sprawling empires and nations. The Second Wave countries of Volgrad and Glyndale have spent most of the last three centuries with Valoria split between the two. With these conquests, the establishments of religion became prominent. Commonly, Second Wave believed in either the Golden Light or the Way of the White Tree. With the ultimate annexation of Glyndale into the Golden Empire, this would change. Under Imperial pressure and persecution, the Way of the White Tree lost much of its following and prominence, making the Golden Light the dominant religion of Valoria as of the dawn of the Dark Age.

Nowadays, after the fall of Volgrad, the capital city of the Golden Empire, the Second Wave of the Humans have been ushered into Fjoldr and Khaz'mir as refugees. Glyndale has remained relatively untouched by the War, retaining much of its power and continuing to stand as perhaps the dominant Second Wave nation in Valoria today. Similar in physique to the First Men, the Second Wave of Humans possess darker hair than their lighter coloured Skolgran cousins. Similarly, the Second Wave share the same eye colours as the First Men, with the addition of brown eyes, far more commonly found in native Volgrans and Gylaens than in Skolgrans. It is common for the lifespan of an average Second Wave human to be around 80 years.