GURPS - Major Races - Humans

Humans dominate Aestas in the current era, and have for millennia. They can be found in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Below is a list of the major ethnic groups and the most commonly used name for each group. There are other ethnic groups on Aestas, but the ones listed can be encountered in significant numbers throughout the "Known World". There are ethnic variations with Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, Goblins, and other races, but humans express the widest variety of the known races of Aestas.  Keller - The Keller are a broad category of ethnic groups, generally similar to Europeans. They have a variety of skin colors, from pale to olive complexion depending on latitude and area of origin. Generally the further south, the darker the hair and skin. The Keller are found in the Keller Lands, and are subdivided into several regional groups - Central Keller (Halleck and Keller Sea), Eastern Keller (Keller Empire), Alastin, Gemiri, Western Keller (Durham to Tempelfhoff), Sarrad, and Terathmin. The standard language of the Keller is called "Keller Common". It serves as a common trade language throughout the "Known World", because it is relatively easy to learn. Dialects are spoken throughout the Keller Lands, but all are mostly intelligible to each other. These dialects include Alastin, Gemiri, Old Terath, Sarradish, and Alakai. For this game, it is written in English and serves as the standard by which other languages are compared. Though lacking the beauty or subtlety of other tongues, it is an efficient, easily mastered language with a broad vocabulary and the ability to assimilate other tongues with ease.

Pershamon - The Pershamon are considered exotically attractive by most other humans, but tend to be more slightly built than most humans.They look somewhat Persian or Indian in appearance, but with longer facial features, a tendency towards "Widow's peaks", and epicanthial folds on the eyes. The Pershamon are the dominant racial type west of the Farspar Mountains, having absorbed most others during their long history. Two major languages can be found in Pershamon lands. "High Persha" is the language of the Pershamon Empire. It is also the language of art, culture, and refinement throughout the "Known World". All educated people are expected to be at least semi-fluent in this tongue, which is the source language for most works of great literature and science. High Persha is an elegant spoken language, mostly soft sounds and flowing words. The written language is a phonetic script resembling Sanskrit, inscribed left to right. "Peshwan" is a language family spoken by the various peoples of the Great Steppelands, located beyond the civilized areas of the Pershamon Empire. It is related to High Persha, but is a harsher language, with harder phonemes. When it is written at all, Persha script is usually used. 

Noladen - The racial group dominating the Northern reaches of the Known World, the Noladen tend to be larger and stronger than most humans, but with coarser features somewhat like Cro-Magnon or even Neanderthal in some cases. The Noladen tend to have red, brown, or blond hair. "Nolash" is the language of the Noladen, characterized by short, sharp words and staccato speech reminiscent of Korean. Dialects vary widely, since the Noladen have spread far across the "Known World", but all are intelligible to each other. Nolash is written in a blocky, angular phonetic script, from right to left, resembling Mesopotamian "cuneiform" writings. The Yanoshi are a related ethnic group living to the east, with a culture built around war, conquest, and human sacrifice. A version of Nolash is spoken in Yanosh, but they are mostly unintelligible.

Sevastin - The Sevastin are coarse-featured with extensive facial hair, but generally appear to be dark-complected Caucasians. They are not directly related to the Keller, and are considered clannish and aloof by most other groups. Their eyes run towards lighter colors, with broad, Slavic facial features.  The Sevastin practice an unusual religion, regarded as blasphemous in most parts of the world, which explains their frequent persecution in both Keller and Pershamon lands. This deity, which they refer to only as the One ("Satu" in Sevastin), is the original creator of the universe, and is eternal, omniscient and omnipotent. The One created the world then withdrew to watch it unfold, for the One's own inscrutable reasons. "Sevrin" is the language of the Sevastin people. It is a difficult language (M/H), with complex grammar and complex, lengthy words. In many respects it resembles the language "Vilani", from Traveller. The Sevrin written language was abandoned centuries ago in favor of the more economical Keller script, an effect of the Keller Empire absorbing Sevastin lands.

Montoc - The Montoc are smaller statured than most, but famously hardy and resilient. They are dark skinned, with hair that runs the gamut from red to black, usually somewhat wavy. Their eyes have a slight epicanthial fold. The Montoc can be found throughout the tropical regions of the world, from the jungles of Terathmin and Mayhar, to the islands of the Savage Lands. The numerous Montoc languages are all close to one another, despite the wide dispersal of the Montoc peoples. Montoc is unrelated to the continental languages, and can be difficult to pick up; despite this it is not actually a difficult language. Spoken Montoc is a musical tongue reminiscent of Malay or Indonesian, while the written form is based on ideographs similar to Mayan hieroglyphs.

Uthman - Uthman encompass an enormous variety of humans, with all of their strengths and weaknesses. They all share various shades of dark skin, dark hair, and Sub-Saharan African physical features. Given the wide range of places they inhabit, the Uthman exhibit as much cultural variety as the Keller, but little is known about their lands and nations. The few that have been encountered by Keller traders seemed to come from a culture not dissimilar to the Pershamon Empire, except in details. Uthman ships are sometimes encountered in the Savage Lands, trading and exploring in the same way as the Keller. Apparently the dominant language of the southern lands, "High Uthman" is grammatically similar to Keller, though a bit more complicated. It is evocative of African languages with strong phonemes and rapid spoken  delivery. The written language, which few can write in the "Known World", is a phonetic script written top to bottom, left to right. Though very different from Northern languages, it is not difficult to learn, provided one can find a skilled speaker.

Taohuan - Relatively little is known about the Taohuan, a race of people who share the Southern hemisphere with the Uthman. What can be said is that they have East Asian features, but share the usual variations in height, build, and cultures. Little is known about the Taohuan language, other than the fact that it is dissimilar from all other known human tongues, and is fairly complex. It uses mixed phonetic and ideograph symbols for the written language, while the spoken language sounds a little like Finnish. The language is spoken only by a few well-traveled Montoc in the "Known World".