Humans

By the ninth century of the 3rd Era, Humans on the continent are by far the largest population of inhabitants. Though the kingdoms in the east lay in either ruin or dilapidated states from times long past, the Humans still flourish thanks to adapting and learning from past patterns and using age-old skills to work the land around them and to rise when kicked down. Humans are interesting and inquisitive, curious by nature but skeptical by experience. They are a “show me and I’ll believe it” type of folk for the most part but otherwise are understandably simple in world view. They run the gamut from tall to short, live decent and normal life spans for their species and organize in communal groups that grow from humble villages to grand cities given the time and resources.

### **Subcultures**

In the time that they have existed on the continent, Humans have since grown and diverged into subcultures and patterns of living based on things like region of origin, the tradition of home culture, method of subsistence, and even cross-cultural coupling.

**Ostendian**

A human of the Ostendian culture.

By far one of the largest groups of the Human populations in the West, the Ostendians are the larger culture of the aptly named Ostendia region of the map. They hail from the old villagers of the ancient Ostendi tribes that warred with the Endi in ages now gone. Agrarian in most cases, Ostendians are mostly a farming group that raises crop and livestock for subsistence and textile works. They are a family group and communal people that rely on a sense of community to organize their efforts. Turning often to elders and communal leaders to guide them, the sense of order and propriety run deep in the Ostendian folk. The idea that each pulls their weight in the community ensures resources seldom stretch thin. “You don’t work, you don’t eat.” tends to be a common dictum of these people. Farmers and craftsmen mostly are accustomed to working hard for what they have. While some are literate a larger portion of them is not, due in part to it normally not being deemed a crucial skill. They are nevertheless able to learn and adapt, at various paces of course.

The main religion of these folk tends to be that of the Val’Maer. Hence most of the Ostendian people tend to worship reverently toward the Gods of the natural world for things like good harvest and successful trades. They give offerings to sacred places and shrines both in the home and in their lands and hold festivals at various times of the year. Not being the warlike ancestors they hail from, Ostendians tend to value diplomacy over force if able. However, this is not to say they can't fight. There is something to be said about strength in numbers when talking about these people. If rallied and properly prepped, the Ostendians will fight tooth and nail for what is their’s and what they believe, hence their dominance of the Endi in their history. Ostendian military tactics tend to favor a strong footman presence backed by a decent mounted cavalry. On occasion, bowmen tend to serve as a buffering guard in defensive strategies and siege normally from behind footman guard.

“The history of our people lay bare in the soil beneath us, but the ink it is written in is blood.”- Ostendian Elder to a footman soldier.

**Massara**

A human of the Massara culture.

The Massara is a rough and harsh folk to the Southern Masselonian region of the Ostendian lands. They claim ancestry from the long defeated Endi tribe that warred with the Ostendi, though there is little to lend credence to this claim beyond folklore. The Massara is a more hunter-gatherer type of folk than the Ostendians. They farm but mostly simple crops of vegetables. Instead of moving forward the Massara have made do with where they are in terms of weaponry, social development, and communal management. They are by far the keenest of huntsmen among Humans. Able to track game for miles and days at a time, they are relentless in their hunting prowess. This is because due to nature by which they live, one can not risk going hungry as there is little guarantee of another meal after.

Massara lives in simple villages along river banks and forest tree lines to fish and hunt, occasionally making use of seasonal flooding to farm vegetables and sweet canes by the flooded banks. They aren’t so much “warlike” as they are simply defensive of their lands and people. While not boasting a large population like the Ostendians, they are big enough to not worry about dying out any time soon. They have roughly the same life span as the normal Ostendian but tend to die quicker as a result of either hunting harsh game, malnutrition in winter, and war between clans and neighbors.

While tribal the Massara, like the Ostendians, looks to Elders for leadership. However, the elders that are from each clan in the tribe may form the tribal council; they are all subject to the wisdom and guidance of a tribal shaman. Like their northern neighbors, Massara revere the Val’Maer, though tend to focus on the ones ruling over hunting and war. Aside from that, there tends to be a notion of ancestral worship as Massara shows respect and admiration for past clan hunters and warriors. When in council, the elders commune among each other on tribal affairs and clan disputes but each consults the tribal shaman before major actions are taken; because if the shaman who is the nexus between the mundane and divine, says opposite of what they want and will do, it is as if they go against the Gods and spirits themselves.

War among the clans is common but often the Massara must fight outside threats. Relying heavily on guerilla attacks and ambush techniques learned from years of hunting, Massara is the elite surprise attack artists of the lands. Utilizing bows, spears, and axes they will rush unsuspecting foes from the flanks and duck back into cover only to herald the next wave of attack. Attrition is their key tactic, stealing the opponent's supplies or outlasting them in a fight to where they grow weary and go for the kill. This is Massara warfare.

“A prey that can’t eat, can’t fight. A prey that can’t sleep, can’t run. And prey that can’t see, is dead.” Massara Hunter Proverb

**Njord’volk**

A human of the Njord'volk culture.

Njord’volk or Njord’s as they are simply called by others is the far northern people of the Nordic region of the continent in the West. They are robust and strong folk and are quite proud of their ways. They vary in lifestyle being that they hunt, farm, fish, and on occasion pillage and raid. The land they hail from is harsh and frozen most parts of the year. This limits their farming ability to a sparse timeframe and limited suitable land. Hunting and fishing make up the rest of the diet of these people.

They are possibly the most socially diverse group of Humans as they are led by regional leaders appointed by the community through elections called Fings wherein votes are cast of nominated leaders among the various clans. But these leaders aren’t all-powerful in governance. If another leader of a clan feels a current Jarl (regional leader) is not worthy of title and post, they may challenge them to ritual combat called Gungar. This is issued by throwing an axe onto or above a person’s door with the public proclamation of intent. If the axe is returned to the owner then the challenge is denied but the person denying it loses face and is deemed cowardly.

However, if the axe is kept the challenge is accepted and the contest of strength will be held in a public space for the view of the whole community. This challenge is not given lightly and is not to be rescinded once issued and accepted. It is a sacred matter to the Njord’volk that separates the weak from the strong and the worthy from the unworthy. This is a battle to the death. By the end of the fight 1 lays in the right, and the other on the ground. If the challenger wins, it is as legitimate as a Fing, and by sacred law is to be honored thusly. If the current Jarl wins, they retain power and status while being able to claim a trophy of 1 thing the challenger owned. In the past, this ranged from a favored weapon to armor piece, to money, servants, and even land. The Val’Maer faith is known to these people but they have their cultural faith called Hroli. In Hroli there are seven Gods and there is also heavy ancestral worship.

The Gods are as follows:

Hroth, the God of Forges

Rol, the God of the Sun

Nemana, Goddess of the Moon and Stars and sister to Rol

Scafti, Goddess of the Forest and Nature

Njolld, God of the Sea

Hagalath, Goddess of Death

Oran, Chief God of Kings and Warriors

Beyond that lay the Rangarl, or “Honored Dead” which are the ancestral spirits of clan mates past. Njord’volk offers sacrificial animals and votive offerings to the Gods and food and drinks to the Rangarl. Sacrificial rites are public and hold deep meaning to the Njord’volk people. With most sacrifices being animals it is not unheard of that sometimes Human sacrifice occurs, albeit rare and mostly in dire times. Holidays and festivals dot the calendar of the Njord’volk with the major ones marking the turning of the seasons. All of which have feasts held and games thrown.

Njord’volk are the best mariners of the continent, without question. Their longships are designed for long voyages at sea and for taking the worst of the sea’s fury. This has allowed them to become savvy maritime tradesmen, dealing in just about any good and service from textiles to slaves and offering mercenary work to guardsmen duties. They are also accomplished, warriors. They are frankly some of the fiercest warriors on the continent. They fight with axes and shields mostly but also spears and swords.

The war tactic of the Njord’volk is the berserker and raider methods. The berserker is a warrior incensed with battle and bloodlust, to whom harsh wounds are little more than scratches to them in the heat of battle. They offer their kills to Oran and themselves should they fall. They charge the front line of any battle and annihilate any that come before them. If they fall they believe they will join the Rangarl with Oran in a Great Mead Hall, Jorallan, as true warriors. The raider, on the other hand, is a two-fold method and occupation. The method is to sail along a coastline looking for vulnerable targets and making a quick landfall to raid and pillage and make a hasty run when done. The occupation refers to those that do this more often than not in the Njord’volk society. Not all of them are raiders, only a few and very skilled are. Raids tend to happen when supplies are short or riches are sought. The same mentality of the berserker carries for the raider. If they die in battle they believe they join the greats in the hall. But unlike the berserker, the raiders use tactic and cunning and aren’t afraid to fight dirty to win. Relations with others in the lands are fair most times, but this folk tends to keep to themselves as they few other “softer” folk as weak and not ready for the war that is always lurking around the corner to them. Proud and stalwart, the Njord’volk is the Northern wall that stands ready to fight in the Nordic regions.

**La'Vanti**

A human of the La'Vanti culture.

The La’Vanti people are the eastern inhabitants of Humans in the Aldrian lands and the Le’Tarnish regions. They mostly inhabit the border to both regions not rightly calling either home. They are an energetic bunch that values culture and commerce. Like the Ostendi in the West, they are farmers and fishermen, but they are accomplished merchants and traveling traders that can sell you something you didn’t want or need, buy it back and sell it to you again for double the profit without you knowing when your pockets emptied.

They are a society that is governed by a court known as the Rules of Nine, an aristocratic order of influential merchants and guild leaders that control land and trade in their territories. Best described as a quasi-merchant republic, the Rules are made of nine key members of their trading and governing bodies selected employing inherited nobility. The Nine areas chosen from are the Plazari which are the typical magistrate types governing villages, Anzisi who are the craftsmen guilds, Marzi the farming guilds, Geovano or mining guilds, Veneti lumber and carpentry guilds, Amari stonemasons, Carnati the blacksmith guilds and militia, Pietas or religious leaders, and the Patrisi or wealthy landholders. Heads of each of these make up the Rules of Nine Council, intricate though it sounds, the body itself seldom ever meets and gets together to debate and determine policy. Only in times of true need and or peril do the Rules meet up and in secret move on affairs crucial to the continuity of the La’Vanti people.

Elsewise these people are possibly some of the loosest knit groups in the whole of the continent. They recognize one another purely by the manner of behavior and emphasis on cultural development. By this what is meant is that these folk value things that express culture and art, beauty and poise, elegance, and robust expression. They are artisans, troubadours, tradesmen, bards, and poets. While many will think light of them this is a mistake made all too common by others. The La’Vanti are more than capable of protecting themselves and to ready seize what they want by whatever means. With their wily mercantile skills, they can broker just about any deal needed for anything they want. Coin in the hand of a La’Vanti is like a sword in the hand of any other. Because of their artful use of words and influence, these people are the elite infiltrators of the lands. Able to work their ways to even the highest seat of governance they can infiltrate and slip away virtually undetected. Where some see merchants, the skilled La’Vanti sees a spy. This makes their preferred tactics of war infiltration, espionage, and assassination. If a La’Vanti has to fight in an open battle, it normally means someone is bad with money. More often than not La’Vanti prefers to win fights from behind the scenes but in open battle, they hire mercenary groups as the bulk of any army. Daggers, poisons, payoffs, and intrigues are the weapons of choice to the La’Vanti. This, however, is both a blessing and a curse to these folk.

This leads to widespread mistrust of them from other races and even fellow Humans. Many are honest and hard-working trades folk and traveling artists but they are all too aware of how they are perceived and yet where their strengths lay. Val’Maer faith tends to be the norm for the La’Vanti with emphasis on trade and commerce gods. While their villages and hamlets are nice, seldom do these early cosmopolitan folk settle for long close to home. Many prefer to travel and venture out to see other sights, but let it be known that if a La’Vanti settles somewhere, there is normally an invested reason to why.

***(Written by Ricortix)***

***(Edited by Aquagamer17) (5/14/2020)***