Humans
Humans
Humans are the remnants of the race Phoenix and Dragon had set as the shepherds of the beasts and plants. Clearly, they have failed in those duties. They exist now either in wild clans on the borders of the “civilized” world. Some have become irrevocably scarred by the blighted lands they live one. Others cling to tattered beliefs and hope for salvation. Others still live as virtual slaves to the daiharu or Theru tribes.
Physical Qualities: Humans come in a wide variety of heights, weights, and colors - largely determined by their tribe. Some humans have black or dark brown skin, others are as pale as snow, and they cover the whole range of tans and browns in between. Their hair is black, brown, or a range of blonds and reds. Their eyes are most often brown, blue, or hazel - again, all depending on the tribe. The physical characteristics of each particular human breed will be discussed within each other tribe’s section. A human’s average life span is about 75 years, though some venerable members of the race live as long as 90 or more years.
Playing a Human: Despite being the first sentient creatures, humans are usually considered something like pets or children by the other tribes: to be looked after, cared for, and tutored. But the humans are the only race that has retained some measure of their ancient mystical secrets. Only humans specifically drawn from the Wild tribe -those not governed by any daiharu or Theru- have access to the lore which allow them to tap into the primal nature of the land. Some become druids and shamans, whilst others become barbarians in truth. While the barbarians are truly the most infamous of the Wild tribe to those outside of the tribe, the other forms of primal secrets are quite literally unknown. Wild humans purposefully keep these capabilities unknown to the daiharu and Theru.
Culture: In this setting, humans are an incredibly varied race, diversified not only by the thirteen tribes, but even by their own barbarian cultures. Within the daiharu tribes a human usually exists in the simple life of a peasant. He works long days to provide for himself and his lord in crops and resources. For some, this life is ideal and scarcely a hardship. Working long hours, feeding oneself and one's family, and feeling safe from the forces which would otherwise prey upon them. For others it is restrictive, and smothers any chance for personal greatness. Amongst the Theru tribes, humans have varied life spans and expectancies. Amongst some tribes they are ignored unless something goes wrong. In others, they are virtual –or literal– slaves to a higher power. And in still other tribes, humans can expect to be treated as members of a family, as if there truly were no difference between the races.
A Multiplicity of Cultures
When speaking of the human members of a specific tribe, certain terms are added to simplify the process. Humans of the daiharu tribes are called “embers” by the Radiant and “shadows” by the Umbral. This is because they are considered “lesser flames” and “lesser fragments of darkness” by the daiharu.
In the old human dialect, the word 'were' was used to describe a human who had taken on a particular beast as a totem. The word's modern form has lost all of its previous meaning, and currently used as a prefix to describe a human of a specific Theru tribe. For example, a human of the Unicorn tribe would be called a were-Unicorn, whilst a human of the Wolf tribe would be a were-Wolf. (To refer to a human belonging to a theru tribe without further referencing the name of the tribe is insulting, but using the word were is generally considered proper, if imprecise, even if the human is a member of a daiharu clan.)
Upon birth, or upon the adoption of a human child into any daiharu or Theru tribe, a silvery glyph is tattooed upon their flesh. This mark can be seen and recognized easily by any daiharu or Theru examining the human. These glyphs are often individualized by clans, cities, or other social structures within any specific tribe. The placement of the tattoo is specific to each tribe, but it always appears within a highly visible area. These tattoos are not magical, although often in the Unicorn tribe they may be re-scribed with magical properties, gaining benefits similar to magic items.
Any human not affiliated with a daiharu or Theru tribe belongs to the 13th tribe: the Wyld. Such humans are typically called barbarians (regardless of their actual class), the Wyld, or wyldlings. Despite this description of these humans as a tribe, there is very little unifying these individuals other than a rejection of the authority the daiharu and Theru represent.
In some cases this is a choice; humans that reject the authority of the tribes, insisting that their clan’s society is more in tune with the wishes of Phoenix and Dragon. Still others reject such leadership out of pride, arrogance, or fear (or all three). And the last group consists are criminals and outcasts, former were who have scarred the tattoo that once proclaimed their tribe, and live as bandits and thieves.
Most barbarian separate into groups of roughly 5 to 20 individuals called clans. These clans tend to have long histories of several hundred years. Some clans are respectable enough to be considered a nation by most of the tribes, even if there still remains a degree of hostility in any interaction.
In fact, most barbarians are usually looked down upon amongst the other cultures. Treated dismissively and sometimes with active prejudice. But there is no shortage of those who will treat and deal with the Wyld when it comes to the benefits of trade.
Human Traits
Age. Humans reach adulthood in their late teens and live less than a century.
Size. Humans vary widely in height and build, from barely 5 feet to well over 6 feet tall. Regardless of your position in that range, your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Wyld
Barbarians who live outside the decrees or government of the other tribes. The Wyld humans can fit nearly any mold or need.
Ability Score Increase. Two of your ability scores each increase by 1.
Breadth of Knowledge. You gain proficiency in any combination of four skills or with four tools of your choice.