HUMANS

Humans are the most diverse and numerous of all the races that live on Habololy.  They are both the creators of the greatest cultures and the most likely to adopt another’s when it is beneficial.  They can be found in every climate and in the worship of nearly every cult and religion.  It is this diversity that makes them great and powerful, but also keeps them from uniting and dominating the world.

There are at least a hundred groups of Humans, who would call themselves unique and not connected to any other culture.  While this is true, there are only five truly different bloodlines of Humans on Habololy.  The others groups are different, but not so far displaced as to have different natural traits.  Because of these many different groups, it is difficult for other races to generalize about Humans.  There is no one set of rules that one can use and be sure of, when dealing with them.

The first line of humanity is those Humans that live in virtually every place in the world.  Little can be said of them as a whole.  They rule the nations of Yellowia, Icefia, Thalmeret, Destroyt, Pacyr, and live throughout the Great Plateau and the Great Halfling Forest.  They are the epitome of adaptation to the environment and the cultures around them.

Called the Umanin, the second line of humanity descends from the culture of the Kingdom of Yellowia.  They were once the ruling family of that kingdom.  Centuries ago, they allowed their desire for power to overcome them and drive them to kill anyone who was not human, and anyone who stood against them.  Fearing their growing power, the Jungle Elves rose up, and with the help of the other families of the nation, drove the Umanin from power.  They escaped to the western lands of Yellowia and set up a new kingdom.  The Umanin kingdom lasted for several hundred years before the Elves and the Kingdom of Yellowia were able to destroy it.  The Umanin still live scattered in their former lands and have also migrated to other parts of the world in small numbers.

They are a hate-filled race that despises any non-Human.  Umanin cannot tolerate the presence of any other race and seek to one day rid the world of the infestation, as well as Humans who side with or welcome the other races.  Having discovered their inability to accomplish this goal through direct action, the Umanin have resorted to assassination and covert operations.  Although there is no longer a nation to back or guide them, the Umanin still meet whenever possible to plan the next step.

The third line of humanity is barbarians.  They hold no nation.  They are found in the hills south of the Kingdom of Yellowia, the lands south of the String Mountains, and in both the northern and southern arctic regions.  They are a tribal people, and are only known by the name of barbarian because of their lifestyle.  Each tribe has its own name, usually named after an animal.  Most other races consider the barbarians to be foolish in their desire to hold on to their primitive culture.

This culture turns away from modern inventions and mass magic.  They prefer a simple life in the worship of the deities.  Survival is the most important ideal to most barbarians.   The survival of the tribe is the most important, followed by the survival of one’s family, and then oneself.  They see many of the pursuits of the other races as foolish or trivial.  To try and avoid the contamination of those pursuits, the barbarians avoid contact with other cultures.  Their stubborn refusal to accept new and different ways has led to a dwindling population and a dying race.

Related to the barbarians are the islanders, who were named by the other races when they were first made contact with off the islands of Ekarude.  They are also a primitive race, preferring to perform tasks in the traditional way of their ancestors.  They look to ancestral spirits to guide them and help them.  Unlike the barbarians, they are willing to listen to and assimilate some ideas that the other races present to them.  It is this willingness that has allowed the islanders to survive and even flourish since the arrival of the final line of humanity, the Horarians.

Before the third Amatine War, virtually nothing was known of the islanders, and there were no Horarians.  During that war, Amat brought a people from another world to fight for him on Habololy.  These people had a powerful and strong warrior background.  Unfortunately for the Horarians, Amat was imprisoned, and they were left without a cause.  Most of their leaders and warriors were killed.  Luckily, the world saw fit to allow what was left of their culture to settle on the sparsely inhabited Red Island.  They were a frightened and beaten people who turned to pacifism and peace for survival. 

As the centuries passed, they came to understand the world and the place they could take in it.  The Horarians began to travel the seas as no one else had.  Their placement on an island, far from any of the major continents forced them to sail to trade.  They culture became based on the sea and their power arose from it.  However, a strong government never formed, because the pacifists held sway over many.  After the Gree were defeated for supremacy of the sea, the power of the Horarians fell to piracy. However, these pirates have performed a great service for the world.  Before their arrival, the Gree, who had no desire to allow their knowledge of ocean travel out, dominated the seas.  The Horarians made it possible for the races to better trade and travel from nation to nation.

The culture of the Horarians is split between the pacifistic larger islands and the many smaller pirate islands.  Other races are wary of any Horarian on the open sea, but rather at ease if encountered on land.  In both instances, honor is very important, although gained in different ways.  Women are also very important, as the Horarians feel they have never recovered all of their losses from the third Amatine War, and the women must give birth to recoup these losses.

APPEARANCE:  Humans all share some characteristics, with each line of humanity having some variation.  The average Human stands about 5½ ft tall and weighs 150 lbs.  Women are generally an inch or two shorter and 10 to 20 lbs. lighter.  Their hair can be any shade of brown, red, blonde, black, or white.  Their eyes can be any shade of brown, blue, or green.  Their skin varies in color from a light peach to as dark as near-black brown.

Both the barbarians and islanders tend to be about 6 inches taller, while the Horarians tend to be an inch or two shorter.  The barbarians and Horarians weigh proportionally the same, but the islanders are lighter in weight than one would expect for their height.

The islanders never have lighter colored skin.  The Horarians never have dark skin.  The Umanin are never very pale or very dark, nor do they ever have blue eyes.  Islanders always have brown eyes, while the barbarians never have blue eyes.  The Umanin, Horarians, and islanders all predominately have black or dark brown hair.  The barbarians tend to have lighter colored hair.

The islanders wear very little clothing.  They are often in a hot climate and near water.  Much of their clothing, and that of the barbarians, is very simply made.  The barbarians, who are generally in much colder climates, wear more and heavier clothes.  The other Human races have such a variety of styles that it would be impossible to make any generalization about them all.

ALIGNMENT:  Most of humanity is diverse in their alignments, depending on the culture from which they some.  Being more separate from other cultures, the islanders and the barbarians tend to be more set in their ways.  Both are usually some form of neutral: the barbarians in their morality, the islanders in their ethics.  The Umanin hatred for all other races has led them to a generally evil view.

RELIGION:  Each Human culture has different deities that are more prevalent.  Habastly is the one constant, as all see him as the creator.  The cult of Vishtoo is the only religion or cult that is universally hated by humanity.

The barbarians are fond of Tyrogatore for his natural strength and simple ways.  They also pray to Lakius for he is seen as distant as the barbarians wish to be.  Cults of Drunnbar have also arisen in many barbarian tribes.

The islanders also worship Lakius, for he is the master of the sea, which gives life to the islanders.  The islanders are the only culture that has a wide acceptance for shaman.

The Umanin are often found in the worship of Dedestroyt. They are also the only culture that is known to have many members of the Cult of the Slaughter, which is based on mass execution and genocide.

The Horarians have a distinct difference in opinion.  Those who are pirates follow the religion of Lavash-Ki, who is said to have once been a mortal Horarian.  Others are followers of Quan Yin, for she is the matron of pacifism and childbirth.  When there were no other deities that would look after them, Quan Yin stepped in with faithful objectives that would lead to the continuation of the race.

WHAT MAKES HUMANS DIFFERENT:

When it comes down to basics, the lines of humanity are only slightly different from each other.