Hemlan

Diet
 Attributes
 Status
 Lifespan
 Height
 Manna Type
 Kingdom
 Native Language

Hemlans are one of the most adaptive and impulsive creature-kinds in Valadae. Due to their ingenuity and inclination toward maintaining lawful and highly economic communities, they stand as a prominent ruling creature-kind and hold governance over Enquelandria, the largest kingdom in Valadae.

Key allies include their southern neighbours, the centaurs, as well as haunjers and duards, with whom they share close military and trade ties. Although hemlans are easily motivated into allegiance by the resulting benefits, they value the ‘status’ of independence from other creature-kinds and are quick to take offence if branded interdependent on others.

## Appearance

As their physical appearance reveals, hemlans are the equivalent of 'humans' in Valadae, sharing near-identical features, posture, and biology.

Like centaurs, hemlans have a diverse gene pool, with skin-tones ranging from alabaster to rich dark brown, and structures of the face and skeleton derived from several unique genetic ancestral lines. The most common hereditary features in hemlans are (lighter) brown hair and eyes, angular facial structure, and goldish-brown skin.

The average height of hemlans is between 6'0" to 6'3" across all genetic bloodlines. It is extremely rare to find an adult hemlan shorter than 5'9".

Biologically, hemlans are reasonably strong and agile for their size, and their growth cycle surprisingly fast for creatures of high sentience and intellect. While it takes a centaur fifty cycles to reach adulthood, hemlans are full-grown at the age of twenty. Compared to their size and metabolic rate, hemlans have unusually short lifespans. One would expect such a creature to live at least three hundred cycles, but the average hemlan lifespan is only half that amount.

## The Envious Et'denins

It is widely known that (a vast majority of) hemlans have both an intense fascination and fear of the intimate powers of Denin magics and creatures.

Hemlans are Et’denin—naturally incapable of using magic—though this has not stopped them from delving voraciously into unnatural practices to defy the laws of nature, determined to seek equal standing with sentiant Denin creature-kinds.

In rare cases, hemlans develop a mild coherence to external manna, and with enough training and persistence are capable of casting magic using the Three Laws: Written, Spoken, and Summoned. Hemlans that are capable of using magic are called *mages*. Unfortunately, due to hemlans’ typically greedy dispositions, mages often use their powers for selfish gains and have developed a rather nefarious reputation.

## A Blended Culture

Their original culture is difficult to find amidst the sultry blends adopted from other Valadilian kinds. Hemlans are curious and absorbent by nature and continuously combine their gained knowledge of the world to improve and expand their lifestyles. While their curiosity has added to their colourful and expansive history, it has unfortunately diluted the truths and details of their origins.

Though they have roamed Valadae since the Age of Winged Kings, it is believed they are not native to the lands.