Humans

**Humans** are the dominant Race of Enselonde. They are considered part of the Young Races. They have a long and complicated history with non-Humans yet have ultimately overcome through numbers and determination. Most nations in Enselonde are run by Humans, for Humans. However, there is a difference in mentality from one nation to the next, with some barring non-Humans altogether, while others encourage their immigration.

## Appearance

**OOC:** Come on, you know what a human looks like. I'm not explaining it.

## History

### Creation and Rebellion

Humans were initially created by the Divines to serve as workers for the Freeholds in the North. However, their position rapidly deteriorated from "workers" to slaves, with generations being spit down upon. Was it a surprise, then, that they would grow hateful of non-Humans? Slave revolts were relatively common, yet these were isolated and small in numbers, quickly being put down.

It wasn't until the First Human Rebellion in 378 BW that a careful hope of freedom became stubbornly stuck in the head of mankind. The First Rebellion overthrew the Freehold of Jaeria, freeing tens of thousands of slaves. Some stayed to fight, while others fled south, through the Marenbach Forests and into the relatively unspoiled nature. The First Rebellion ultimately fell to disunity, being crushed in 376 BW. Yet, it sowed the seeds of revolution, with revolts becoming more frequent and more prominent in size.

Another widespread revolt broke out in 144 BW, becoming the Second Human Rebellion. This one was more successful than the first, destabilizing much of the North. Some argue that they could have won if not for the Divines. It was them that destroyed Human armies in seconds, saving the Freeholds. Furthermore, the Divine Lateos granted the non-Humans magic for the first time in history, a skill that was never meant to be shared with Humanity. Ultimately, the Second Rebellion ended in 106 BW, yet the damage was widespread enough for the Freeholds to never recover. Furthermore, with the Divines tied up in the North, many Southern humans founded the first nations in a blatant disregard to the will of the Divines. The most notable of these was the Human Kingdom of Sallant, which would have a significant role in Human history in the near future.

While most Divines firmly supported the non-Human Freeholds, there were two exceptions. The Goddess of Death, Ihyll, was highly critical of the bloodshed, as tens of thousands of souls poured into Her Spirit Realm. Furthermore, the God of Craftsmen, Ildius, retreated into his workshop for most of the conflict, not leaving it until long after its end. Here, he forged night and day to make a series of weapons. These weapons would give the wielder a fighting chance against anything, from the most poorly trained soldier to the Gods themselves. Yet, he kept these in his workshop, locked away to never be used.

The Third Human Rebellion broke out in 96 BW, only ten years after the last one ended. The Freeholds, crippled and corrupt, turned to the Gods for aid once more. However, as the dead piled up once more, it was Ildius who snapped first. In secret, he contacted the King of Sallant, Yanhi, to intervene in the war. Yet, Yanhi was not content with sending his armies to die against mages and Divines. Not to be deterred, Ildius offered Yanhi the Godslayer's Weapons which he had forged the decade before. Convinced that the artifacts would grant them victory, Yanhi gathered his armies and marched north, dividing the weapons among his greatest fighters. Furthermore, Ihyll publicly denounced the Freeholds, siding with Humankind.

As Yanhi's armies marched north, many Human kingdoms in the South began to join him. They merged their kingdom into Sallant, which briefly became the Human Kingdom of the South until finally reforming once more into the Kingdom of Humanity. While this act of unity was well-liked, it changed little, as the Human armies were again torn apart with magic. The Godslayer's Weapons proved to be of little use, with the warriors who wielded them being destroyed before being able to use them, with many of the weapons joining their wielders' fate of being turned to ash. However, there was one massive exception that shocked the world.

One of Yanhi's fighters, Anbu, managed to sneak behind enemy lines with a small unit, driving the Godslayer's Blade into the back of Zaoru, the Goddess of Fertility. Zaoru collapsed into little more than a ball of light with a scream. However, the weapon, designed to kill Divines, absorbed her power. When the light faded, Anbu was no longer a mortal. As long as he held the blade, he would be a God. The death of a Divine shocked the others, who withdrew from the war and began to feud with each other in the Divine War. While the Divine War destroyed many Human cities, the damage in the North was also widespread. The Freeholds all but collapsed, and the Kingdom marched in, toppling Freehold after Freehold. Their victory would have been absolute if not for one Hyllidan: Lyxis the Blind.

Lyxis landed in Vachstadt in 53 BW, defeating the local Human garrisons. Yet, before she could attack the Human rear, her armies were attacked by Lateos, who stated that Lyxis was abusing *his* magic. In the ensuing clash, Lateos would be utterly destroyed. While Lyxis absorbed some of his power, much of it scattered across Enselonde, with mortals all across the world suddenly gaining access to it, Humans included. However, it would take some time before the first Human battlemages were produced.

Lateos had significantly delayed Lyxis, allowing most Human armies to flee southwards. However, after many defeats, they were ultimately driven south, back into the Marenbach Forests. The now-free Humans in the North were not re-enslaved by Lyxis or the Nytalyrians, who proved herself to be a merciful conqueror. After the conquest of the North, with the Nytalyrians founding "New Freeholds," which were supposed to be fairer, decades of stalemate broke out.

While the Divine War raged, the conflict between the Kingdom of Humanity and the Nytalyrians was limited to Marenbach. However, as the Divine War reached its height, and the Marenbach Mountains were violently created, a Nytalyrian invasion of the South through the sea succeeded. Yanhi's heir, Margu, died in the Siege of Old Sallant, whereas Anbu disappeared, never to be seen again. Lyxis recovered the Godslayer's Blade and shattered it to pieces. The dream of a united Human nation was crushed forever.

After the Divine War, Enselonde was ruled by two spheres of influence. The North belonged to the non-Humans, while the South and the Eastland belonged to the Humans. However, Lyxis' northern Freeholds would collapse over the centuries, with Human kingdoms sprouting up like weeds. The most notable of these were the Kingdom of Fühlgart and the Kingdom of Wyrsia. In the South, the dominant nations would be the Sapphire Empire and the Empire of Daletia.

### The Darkest Decade

Things would remain relatively unchanged for Humankind until the Collapse of the Sapphire Empire in 995 AW, which marked a turning point for Southern history. One of the remnants states of the Sapphire Empire, the Sapphire Empire of Da'al Mon lacked wealth, legitimacy, and stability. Looking for something, anything, to pin the blame on, the Emperor, Taslona I, blamed the local population of Dryads. The Dryads made the Sapphire Empire corrupt, and it was them that brought it down behind the scenes. As a result, Taslona appointed one of his generals, Rahmiero, as the head of the newly formed Sapphire Inquisition in 1000 AW.

The Inquisition spread through Da'al Mon, robbing, killing, or driving off every Dryad they could find. When they ran out of Dryads, any non-Human became fair game. When they ran out of non-Humans, they looked beyond the border. Human kings from all over the South in similar positions as Da'al Mon began to enlist the Inquisition. This would mark the beginning of the Darkest Decade. With deaths in the tens of thousands, with corrupt kings lining their pockets with stolen wealth, the non-Humans that remained fled to the North in droves. Those who refused to run either died or bonded together for survival.

However, the Inquisition spread North too, with Fühlgart happily accepting their services to drive off the Faerians who always had something to complain about. Only a few Northern nations refused to bend the knee to Rahmiero's Inquisitors: Wyrsia, Western Innyria, and Whitecrest. Lacking a way into the northwest, the Inquisitors attacked the Green Grove. The Battle of the Green Grove saw Inquisitors, thugs, mercenaries, and soldiers flock to the Green Grove in the tens of thousands. The Faerians were severely outnumbered and ultimately driven back, as the Human armies burned their way towards Nyara's Heart, perhaps the last true holdout for non-Humans in the North.

The victory would be robbed at the last second, however. One does not simply walk into the Gree Grove and burn the Goddess' creations down. Shortly before reaching Nyara's Heart, the forest came alive and attacked. Nature swallowed the human armies whole, as Nyara broke her Withdrawal in an act of rage. Those that managed to escape the initial bloodbath were soon met by the Four Races of Nyara, ascended forest creatures out for blood. Tens of thousands of Humans entered the Green Grove, yet only a handful returned, fleeing for their lives.

Taslona and Rahmiero got word of the defeat back in Da'al Mon and swiftly raised new armies. As long as Faerian scum continued to poison the world, their mission wouldn't be done. However, the citizens of Kirisil, the capital of Da'al Mon, woke up to something odd. On the 10th of Nyara's Summer, 1009 AW, the skies above Da'al Mon were red. Then, the heavens opened up, and Kirisil was wiped off the face of the map in a matter of seconds, the power of a hundred suns turning the city of ash. The Goddess of the Sun and Stars, Cossyxia, who had been crucial in ending the Divine War, had taken note of the bloodshed and was outraged. Kirisil became little more than a crater that continued to burn to this very day as a grim warning. The message for Humanity was clear: End this madness or be destroyed.

To say the Darkest Decade has a mixed legacy would be an understatement. Many in the South who were personally affected by the collapse of the Sapphire Empire see it as a justified payback against presumed traitors, going as far as referring to the event as the Great Genocide. In the North, it is more controversial, with many Humans coming to the defense of non-Humans. Yet, one thing is true, the Darkest Decade has ruined the reputation of Humanity throughout Enselonde.

### Present Day

Humans have become more ideologically diverse around the Great War, with many turning to republicanism, overthrowing the monarchies in many places. Yet, the Human race has lost none of its violence, with not even the destruction of the Great War being enough to stop the violence, simply leading to the Epilogue Wars. Some wonder if Humans can ever live together or if petty differences will keep them at each other's throats until the end times. As long as two Humans are alive, one of them will want the other dead.

## Human Nations

* Kingdom of Amagoi
* Republic of Arrenzo
* Protectorate of Avateaux
* Empire of Da'al Mon
* Republic of Da'al Mon
* Empire of Daletia
* Legionary Daletia
* People's Republic of Daletia
* Desert Lords
* Kingdom of Fontragono
* Kingdom of Fühlgart
* Republic of Fühlgart
* Green Skull
* Green Wolves Clan
* Kingdom of Gurtrenn
* Hexad Empire
* Duchy of Kinzova
* Stratocracy of Kirchenstau
* Kymelain Republic
* Protectorate of Lao Muji
* Kingdom of Lesterwood
* Kingdom of Llendus
* Republic of Marenbach
* Loyalist State of New Wyrsia
* Protectorate of Nordelver
* Orange Skull
* Republic of Ostland
* Sapphire Kingdom of Qibiqa
* Duchy of Redlyre
* True Republic of Redwall
* Free City of Rosendorf
* Republic of Rytow-Kierzew
* Empire of Sallant
* Republic of Southern Wyrsia
* Free Republic of the Sylvir Cluster
* Third Union of Clans
* Kingdom of Toscov
* Protectorate of Toscov
* Kingdom of Vachstadt
* Grey Kingdom of Weckstein
* Protectorate of Weckstein
* Free City of Whaler's Bay
* City-State of Whitecrest
* Wintersong's Republic
* Duchy of Woodhall Island
* Kingdom of Wyrsia
* Kingdom of Yingzheng