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Humans in adnas are widespread, can be found in most regions and, in general, are fierce and disagreeable, which can sometimes lead certain other races to view them with contempt. They are renowned for their diversity and ambition, and although they lack specialization, they can excel in many areas.
Table of Contents
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History
Slave Race
Aventus
Freedom and migration
Shi'imti Empire
Midan Empire
Aquarian Empire
Four Brothers
Dark Empire
Allied Kingdoms
Human Ethnic Groups
While there are no natural human subraces, planetouched subspecies of humans have arisen. These include the aasimars, genasi, and tieflings. There is also great ethnic diversity between humans in different regions.
The following are the most prevalent and largest ethnic groups to be found on Nora at this time. These are by far the most common ethnicities to be found.
Nora, Midgard and Lorasia
Cael
(western Tir'Ein)
Pale skin, red hair, freckles.
They were treated as second class citizens during the Four Brothers Era and were subject to much mistreatment.
Chal
(Vatharond)
Travelers.
Desberi
(southern Ilefain)
Dark skinned blonde
Doliaeth
(eastern Tir'Ein, Northern Vatharond)
mixed with elf blood, dark hair, green eyes.
Before the invasion of Woad the Conqueror and the Midgardians that followed, the kingdoms of Rostland and Issia were populated by the native Doliaethi. Favoring brightly colored clothing, the Doliaethi love songs, dances, games and scarfs of all kinds. Despite their frivolities, they are fiercely loyal to family and friends.
Erwysh
(western and central Ilefain, Ten Horns)
average. Also called Midlanders.
Lorish
(northern Tir'Ein and north western Ilefain)
attractive, mid toned hair, fair skin
Midal
(southern Vatharond)
dark skin, dark hair
Vabanik
(North-Western Tir'Ein and North Vatharond)
pale skin, light hair, tall
Vabanikdom is as much a way of life as a racial group, and welcomes any race that shares its attitude. Vabaniks embrace the courage and wildness of Donnerens, the cunning and archery skills of ancient Got plainsfolk, the love of revelry of the Rothenian centaurs, and the wild wanderlust of Chal. Their cavalrymen frequently serves as mercenaries for the cities of the Reaver Coast, but refuse to become civilised and tame.
Physical Description: Vabanik blood is a mix of wiry Got. handsome Chal, and towering Donneren, making them average human height and weight, and somewhat swarthy. Women wear their hair long and wild; men shave their heads into topknots, and grow prodigious moustaches.
Society: Every Vabanik belongs to a brotherhood that works together for trade, war, and raiding. They rove in small family groups, or ride out in bands like mounted Vikings—causing trying to cross the portages of their steppes. Yurts are the most common dwelling, sometimes covered with turf to create makeshift houses when they settle down for a month or two. Vabanik ‘towns’ are semi-nomadic trading enclaves that follow traditional routes, made up of tents and light wooden buildings that can be dismantled and transported on the back of ox carts. These towns are usually treated as neutral ground by the Vabanik brotherhoods, which otherwise constantly compete and feud with each other. Each brotherhood is lead by a hetman, elected by acclaim and contests of skill from among its greatest heroes. Hetmen rule for life—which really means for as long as they bring glory and prosperity, and can evade the knives of their rivals.
Relations: The brotherhoods have a long held alliance with Kariv Chal, who passed this way many generations ago, fleeing the Usmavoti Sultanate after the infamous Night of Axes. Back then the Kariv hadn’t cemented their contempt and hatred of all dechas (non-Chal) and some families settled among the tribes that hid and protected them. Even the Kariv that moved on remember their debt to the people of Rhos Kurgan, regarding them as blood kin in exchange for continued friendship and support.
Vabaniks have a love-hate relationship with the kingdoms of the Reaver Coast. Krakova and Niemheim make extensive use of Vabanik mercenaries, but present a tempting target for raids. Vabaniks are also often cheated or betrayed by their civilised paymasters, who view their barbarous neighbors with contempt.
Alignment and Religion: Treating horses as well (if not better) than they do their fellow men, Vabaniks praise Svarog the Rider above all other deities. They also pray to the four winds and countless minor divinities of their grasslands, and mound-interred ancestors. Women also call upon Mara in matters of magic and vengeance. Their wild lifestyle strongly promotes a chaotic alignment.
Adventurers: Specializing as cavalrymen, ranger is the most popular class among Vabaniks, although they certainly have their share of barbarians and fighters. Those with strong ties to the Kariv often favor rogue or bard instead. Most spellcasters are clerics of Svarog, but the grassland hides all manner of magicians.
Names: Vabaniks mix traditional trylleri names with those inspired by centaurs and elves from the Rothenian Steppes and the humans of the Reaver Coast.
Typical male names include Andrei, Filipenko, Grisha, Ostap, Stepan, Taras, and Tolstoj;
female names: Ilka, Ivanova, Manechka, Natasha, Pomorska, Valentina, and Vitina.
Donneren
The Norsemen are those living in Norrland and Österland. They are seen as pure-blooded and the paragons of humankind. They are tall, blonde, pale skinned and, above all, strong. Along the Reaver Coast, Donneren is a kenning for thug and pirate. Disputatious and quick to reach for their swords, Donnerens often fit the stereotypical image of wild and hairy northmen.
Physical Description: Donnerens are tall and muscular with ruddy skins and blond, light brown, or red hair. They prefer furs as clothing. Beards are a sign of manhood, often treated with an almost dwarvish reverence.
Society: Donneren’s prize their independence but suffer to be ruled by kings and jarls strong enough to command their obedience. They war almost constantly, both small clans and individual families and large jarldoms and would-be kingdoms. Going a-viking is a rite of passage and a common pastime, with feuding a close second.
Relations: Donnerens are most like the reaver dwarves in culture and outlook, and share their hatred of giants. They tend to distrust elves, fey, trylleri and other creatures that revere the Vanir or rely on cunning over strength. Because of their propensity for raiding, many other nations distrust or outright loathe Donnerens.
Alignment and Religion: Donar and Wotan are the most popular gods. Most Donnerens consider themselves Donar’s chosen people and thus key allies of the Aesir on MIdgard. Their wild, individualistic, and often lawless society leans heavily toward chaos.
Adventurers: Embracing the Viking way, barbarian is by far the most popular class for Donneren adventurers.
Names: Over time the Donnerens have adopted many dwarven names. Many parents choose the names of famous ancestors for their children.
Typical names: Edgtho, Eric, Haltaf, Ragnar, Refel, Skeld.
Female names: Aesa, Gudrun, Oddný, Runa, Silksif, Thrudr.
Häme
Ice folk are the true children of the polar wastes, an aboriginal people who exist solely by hunting, fishing, sealing, and whaling along the margins of the frozen seas. They live in the harshest portion of the frostfell, and must get along without resources found in other lands, such as wood or iron. The ice folk have devised many ingenious implements such as kayaks, harpoons, parkas, and various types of light, portable shelters.
Because the ice folk inhabit the most distant and inaccessible portions of the frostfell, they often have little contact with other humans. Sometimes they trade their sealskins and whale ivory with cold seafarers who venture into their frozen waters, but other groups of ice folk never encounter other humans.
The northern lights have a unique effect on humans that spend long periods beneath their shifting huesL The power of the liosalfar manifests in their offspring. The exact effects depend on the time of their birth. Those born during Hyperborea’s day are known as Dayborn; those born in the dark become Nightborn. Occasionally a human outside Hyperborea gives birth to dayborn or nightborn children. Usually this means one of their parents ranged far into the northern wastes, has been in extended proximity to a liosalfar, or was otherwise exposed to the prismatic radiance of the lights (including being hit by spells like prismatic spray). In rare cases it can also occur naturally, to children born or conceived at the height of the Midnight Sun or Boreal Dark.
Physical Description: Both dayborn and nightborn are superficially human. Dayborn have a golden tan to their skin and hair that’s either flame red, sun yellow, or russet-brown. They’re brawny of frame and fiery of temperament, forthright and often overbearing. Nightborn have a pale cast and a lean, supple frame. Hair is sometimes very light blond but more often silvery or pure white. Their eyes twinkle like stars, their lean frames possess a feline grace, and their minds seem naturally attuned to subtlety and misdirection.
No one’s knows where the Häme came from. They wander the tundra and scrublands of the North and are quite reclusive. Some say they’re descended from fallen gypsy blood, cursed that no land will bear them and so confined to wander over ice and snow.
Physical Description: Häme resemble Gots in build, short and lean, but their skin has a weathered and leathery look and their eyes are almond-shaped to help squint against the glare of the arctic sun.
Society: The Häme are nomadic, traveling in small family groups. Every tribe knows a bolt-hole or two, a coastal bay or a sheltered valley they retreat to periodically for respite from the relentless cold. There are also traditional meeting grounds where many several tribes go to trade and exchange sons and daughters. Most of their time is spent as hunters on reindeer herders, hugging the coasts of Frozen Reach and the northern edge of Trollheim and Jotunheim.
Relations: Tribes often spend many weeks alone on the ice, so when the opportunity arrives they’ll trade with almost anyone. They get on best with the Gots however, who respect their pantheistic views.
Alignment and Religion: Häme believe that all things have an immortal soul and that their curse is to consume the soul along with the flesh of creatures they hunt, and so court supernatural disaster and all manner of ghosts. Häme worships a vast array of hostile ghosts and spirits and are predominantly concerned with avoiding their wrath. Their society favors Neutrality.
Adventurers: Ranger is the most common class for Häme adventurers. Druids the most common spellcasting class among them. Wicked Häme spellcasters exiled from their tribes are notorious for using tupilaks (see Chapter Six).
Names: Häme often shares names with their Got cousins, but prefer short and simple names such as Aatami, Dyce, Eetu, Feynor, Irien, Jouko, Vek. Female names: Anja, Fevi, Helka, Kirsi, Lempi, Maija, Satu.
Gots
Gots are those who live in the southern region Götaland. They are viewed as lesser-men as they frequently breed with foreigners. They have darker hair and often adapt the cultures and languages of the southern peoples, including druidism.
Gots prefer deep forests, lush mountain valleys, or grassy plains to coastal fjords. Some say it’s a sign of their cowardice that they try to lurk out of reach of Viking hordes, others that they prefer the wilder world of their Vanir patrons.
Physical Description: Gots tend to be short and lithe, with skin darker than their Donneren relatives. Their clothing is practical and rustic, although outfits for special occasions are often dyed in brightly-pattened colors.
Society: Gots prefer to live in small and independent family groups. Their society stresses the sanctity of nature and reverence for the Vanir and the North’s few remaining fey. Many families have courted fey alliances for years, and have been honored with gifts or favors.
Relations: Gots are cautious in their dealings with others, as other northerners often think them weak and cowardly and try to bully them. They often despair of their larger Donneren relatives, their thuggish mentality and emphasis on strength and violence. They get on well with skraelings and, perhaps surprisingly, with Kazzakhs, whose wildness and reverence for nature spirits strikes a cord. As traditional servants of the Vanir and the elves of Thorn, they’re deeply uneasy around dwarves.
Alignment and Religion: Gots are humans that worshiped the Vanir before the first war and most still cling to the old ways. Gots society generally favors neutrality (harmony with nature) but leans slightly toward chaos thanks to their strong sense of individuality and alliances with the fey.
Adventurers: Male tylleri adventurers favor no class in particular, although they’re renowned for their bards, druids, and sorcerers. Their women are renowned for witchcraft and wisdom, and female adventurers are commonly witches or oracles.
Names: Gots names often have a sing-song or poetic rhythm, and often use old elvish and fey names. Sample names: Ilmarinen, Kalervo, Lemminkäinen, Lönnrot, Tauno, Ukko, Väinämöinen; female names: Jaakiima, Kuu, Kyllikki, Marjatta, Tellervo, Tuoni, Yohana.
Munthreki
(central Vatharond)
dark hair, large. Also called Mountainfolk.
Sofian
(Canstice and Eastern Ilefain)
dark skin, thin, short
Shao-Wei
Kidan
Shao-Dan
Shao-Dtang
Shao-Hwan
Shao-La
Shao-Min
Shao-Shu
Shao-Sing
Shao-Yae
Zamunda
Azzazza
The Azzazza (ah-ZAH-zah) are a large and loosely organized group of related peoples held together by common rituals and customs. Azzazza tend to be tall and somewhat fair-skinned.
The Azzazza get along well with almost all people except the Shombe. As settled farmers, the Azzazza find the cattleherding lifestyle of the Shombe repulsive.
Hutali
The Hutali (hoo-TAH-lee) are a seminomadic people who occupy the fiery foothills of the mountain range. Though the volcanoes in the region produce wondrous soil and thick grasses for their livestock, frequent eruptions mean that the Hutali must relocate on a regular basis. Hutali tend to be of medium height and dark-skinned. Most have very tightly curled hair and broad noses.
The Hutali are not an aggressive people. Most of their combat is ritualized, making use of light throwing spears and throwing clubs designed to inflict minimal damage.
Although supposedly the majority of Nibomay, the Hutali do not recognize the authority of the Tisambe and instead obey the laws of their dwarven neighbors. Hutali travel in extended family units organized as traditional patriarchies.
Marak’ka
The Marak’ka (mah-rahk-KAH) are a nomadic people, with a love of dance and music. They are one of the most isolated ethnic groups on the continent, as their territory is limited to the Gudu Ji Pingu Desert. Most other cultures view the Marak’ka as backward and primitive. As for the Marak’ka, they go on, as they always have, not caring what others think of them. The typical Marak’ka is of medium-height, with a medium complexion and loosely curled hair.
The Marak’ka are notoriously poor warriors. When pressed into combat they prefer thrown weapons including bolas, throwing clubs, and the exotic returning club.
Mbanta
The nomadic Mbanta (m-BAHN-tah) are the only human culture without a homeland. According to their oral histories, the Mbanta lived on an island in the southern sea. A massive earthquake destroyed this island, and the Mbanta retreated to the mainland as refugees. Mbanta are secretive and dramatic. They know they have a reputation for magic and mysterious powers, and enjoy taking advantage of that reputation.
Mbanta have very dark skin and are of medium height. Males have trouble growing facial hair, and females are sometimes born with green eyes and patches of light-colored skin. The Mbanta consider full lips a very attractive feature in both men and women, and some Mbanta wear lip plugs to make their lips appear fuller.
Nabula
The competitive NaBula (nah-BOO-lah) are a people native to Northern Zamunda. They have been heavily influenced by the Near Easterners. NaBula are tall and have a medium to olive complexion. The NaBula are the only Zamundan people who rely on horses in combat. NaBula warriors ride light warhorses and fight with short bows and javelins.
Nghoi
The Nghoi (ng-HOHY) are best known for being short. Though human, many stand less than four feet in height. They live in the bIda Rainforest and most other humans find them something of a mystery. Nghoi are very short for humans, with medium complexions and unusually large ears. Some Nghoi wear earlobe plugs to make their ears appear larger. The most startling decoration amongst the Nghoi is filed teeth — the front teeth are carefully filed to sharp points. Sharpened teeth are considered a sign of valor amongst the Nghoi, but are not used for combat.
Shombe
The Shombe (SHAWM-bay) are a cattle-herding people who place a great deal of emphasis on courage and physical prowess. They are said to be some of the best warriors in the world. Legend has it that the Shombe invented the heavy spear for use in coming-of-age ceremonies, so that young warriors could hunt more dangerous prey and still have a chance of surviving. Shombe are tall and dark-skinned, with little body hair. Shombe women braid their hair, color it with red ochre, and shave off all of their body hair.
The Shombe are in a state of perpetual war with the vicious lion-like Leonin, and have poor relations with the ritualistic Azzazza, who have been attempting to forcibly settle the Shombe for years. Other races and cultures view the Shombe with an odd mix of fear, disdain, envy, and respect.
The Shombe live mostly in the northern regions of the tUbI Grassland, as the southern regions are dominated by the entare. The Shombe are organized into numerous clans, each ruled by a chieftain. Each chieftain is supervised by a separate council of elders with the authority to replace him with another able-bodied warrior. Such an event is rare, and only happens if a chieftain has seriously failed in his duties.
Tembu
The Tembu (TEHM-boo) are one of the most widespread peoples in Nyambe. Since the Tembu were influential in the rise of Mabwe, they are also one of the wealthiest. Tembu are darkskinned and short, but long-limbed.
Tisambe
The matriarchal Tisambe (tee-SAHM-bay) are one of the oldest cultures in Zamunda. They were the first people to rise up against the orcs of the Kosa Empire, and the same determination that served them then continues to serve them today. Tisambe are very tall, with medium to dark skin. The Tisambe are renowned for archery, especially their use of long bows and great bows.
Virtually all Tisambe live in the Empire of Nibomay. Tisambe defer decision-making to women who have passed childbearing age. They tend to ignore advice or commands from others as “lacking in wisdom.” The Tisambe are a very self-reliant people, and though Niboman national policy is very proactive, individuals don’t involve themselves in politics very often.
Tuslan
The stone-age Tuslan (TOOS-lahn) are the least technologically advanced of the human cultures, and have lived under the dominance of the more numerous matriarchal Tisambe for centuries. They are renowned throughout Zamunda as hunters, scouts, trackers, and even shapeshifters. Tuslan are short and relatively fairskinned. Tuslan men wear ear, nose, eyebrow, and sometimes even lip jewelry. The Tuslan have strong cultural taboos against iron.
The Tuslan are an ethnic minority within the Empire of Nibomay, and are organized into clans. There are seven major clans amongst the Tuslan, each named after an ancestor. They are the Anesu (ah-NEH-soo), the Daya (DAH-yah), the Nyasha (neye-AH-shah), the Kokayi (koh-KAHyee), the Moyo (MOH-yoh), the Rufaro (roo-FAH-roh), and the Sifiye (see-FEE-yeh).
Xon’mo
The fiery Xon’mo (zohn-MOH) are an offshoot of the desert-dwelling Marak’ka. They settled in the D’okan Desert under the leadership of the great hero Bashar, and founded the land of Bashar’ka. They are a people dominated by fire priests and a devotion to the element of fire. Xon’mo are of medium height, and have a medium complexion, often with a slight reddish tinge to their hair, eyes, and sometimes even their skin.
Zamara
The witch-hunting Zamara (zah-MAHrah) have the misfortune of producing more evil mchawi wizards per capita than any other ethnic group in the continent. This fact does not endear the Zamara to the other peoples of Nyambe. As a result, Zamara culture is obsessed with identifying, hunting, and killing mchawi. Zamara are of medium height and somewhat fair-skinned.
As might be suspected, many Zamara rituals revolve around fighting mchawi. The most disturbing ritual is known as the “heart test.” Over the centuries, Zamara have noticed that the heart of a dead mchawi turns black after a few seconds of exposure to air. As a result, the Zamara test for black magic involves slaying a suspected mchawi, ripping out his heart, and checking its color. If the heart is black, both it and the body are destroyed, and a specialized warrior known as a magic eater is called for to track down and vanquish the vengeful spirit that will certainly appear. If the heart is normal, it is returned to the body, and if a powerful cleric is available, the accused is returned to life. Needless to say, accusations of black magic amongst the Zamara are not to be taken lightly.