The Glorious Race of Man on Egoth
by Prefect Sabinus Pontius
If any race was chosen by the gods, it would be the human race. Humans have faced a multitudes of challenges in our long and glorious history and have overcome them all. What makes man chosen? It is our piousness, our adaptability and our diversity. When you meet another human who looks different from your own, do not scoff, mock or belittle him. You must embrace him, for he is your brother who survived despite all the other races who challenge our existence. Man is diverse and it will be our unity that insures our dominance of the world of Rune.
The humans of Egoth are diverse. Our history long and spread across the land, the world even. There are two dominant types of humans of Egoth, those native to the land and those who immigrated here long ago. While those of us descended from the ones who settled Helmguard view our native Egothian man as primitives, they are still worthy of our brotherhood for what they had once accomplished.
See the native Egothian once had an empire in the northwest corner of the land. They had overthrown their enslavement by the ancient Nydirans and built an empire upon their ruins. Their power was so great that even the gods respected them. The Nydrians survivors coveted the natives new power and the respect of the gods. The Nydrians plotted mans destruction. They infiltrated their lands and sent emissaries of “peace”. They corrupted churches and turned man against man. Soon the gods turned from the native men of Egoth and destroyed their empire just as they had done to the Nydrians.
Luckily even when wickedness abounds, holiness cannot be driven from man. A group of natives saw the evil the Nydiran and took all those holy eastward to safety. Today these natives now spread across the land. The many survivors went their own way, setting up their own lands according to their own ethnicities. The purpose of these writings will be to help the reader know the races of men so they might accept them rather than fear them. For it is only under one banner of our race can we truly serve the gods and our purpose on this world.
Natives of Egoth
Zarakians: The Zarakians are to be respected, as it was their guidance that save the men of Egoth. They lead the tribes east. While some call them barbarians, we call them noble savages for they have great honor among them that few can match. Zarakians are some of the most striking humans of the land, with fair blonde to white hair. They are always muscular, tall and skin is fair (which seems not to tan, despite their time in the sun). Their eye color is always very light, either blue or grey. Any Zarakian with different colors eyes is of mixed birth.
Zarakian women are highly sought by others as brides, for it is said their physical beauty is only matched by their savageness as a mate. Sadly many suitors learned they cannot handle a Zarakian as a wife, for Zarakian women are strong willed and their cultural roles are unlike that of other humans. Zarakian women may take many men as their “husband” and their children are raised by the tribe as a whole. Both men and women of the tribe care of the children, though often men serve a more nurturing role in their a child's upbringing. Men serve as protectors of the tribe while women often serve a more offensive role, often forming strike forces to protect the tribe. All are viewed as equals and thus leadership is often earned rather than given by birthright.
Perhaps one day we will tame the noble savages of the Zarakians by bringing proper civilization to them. Some Zarakians have left to live a civilized life with proper roles. Yet one cannot deny the power of a Zarakian as an ally.
Clanians: This group is considered barbaric, making up the tribes that live south of the Zarakians and controlling the lands all the way down to the near the gnomes. This group has ties with the Zarakians, yet physically are quite different. I suspect they may have once roamed the southern lands before the Egoth Empire was formed. They might have intermixed with the southern natives and the Zarakians. They are tall and muscular (yet smaller than Zarakians) with light brown skin and brunette hair. Their eyes range from black, brown and green. Occasionally one will be born with light hair and blue eyes, showing their connection to the Zarakians. Clanians are more civilized than their Zarakians neighbors as men and women fit the traditional roles of hunter and gatherer.
Sandites: The humans of the Hot Sands deserts roamed the desert even long before the Nydrians claimed Egoth. They were never apart of the Egoth Empire and rarely interacted with other humans until our people came to this land. They have tan skin, black hair and sharp chins and aristocratic noses. Their eye color is brown or black but on rare occasion you’ll find a Sandite with hazel or green eyes. They are an exotic beauty in our lands and many marriages with our people occured once they joined the empire and settled in Blod.
Jorans: Jorans are named after the city many of them live in now. In ancient times they dominated the southern lands of Egoth. They have brown to dark brown skin, black hair, round facial features. Their eye colors are always black or brown. The Jorans are best known for their fast movement through the forests. They had to be to compete with the vicious races that inhabit the southern forests. Jorans are one of the few humans that the Rakasta respect, and that is saying a lot. Jorans still roam the lands but many have settled in the gods forsaken city of Jora Jorans who reject the evil of Jora moved into our southern lands. They serve as protectors, guides and farmers who know the south better than any man of Helmguard. In many ways, we owe the Jorans for helping keep our lands free of humanoids to the south.
Surturans: Surturans make some uneasy and some suspect they are not truly descended from man. Just as Nydrians are similar to elves but are not elves. Surturans with their fair skin, brunette hair, black eyes and almond eyes stand out among the other races. They inhabit the city of Surtur and have lived no where else to anyone’s knowledge. There have been no reports of offspring between a Surturan and other humans. They mastery of magic is impressive but holiness does not come from magic along. I suspect they have been tainted by the Nydrians and thus are unworthy of our purity. They are only mentioned here so that others do not confuse them with our race.
I have talked in great length of the natives of Egoth, but it is of my people and those who came with them that changed the land into what it is today. When the boats of our forefathers landed, they brought civilization back to the land. Our native brothers were wary of our growing Empire. Understandable after what had happen to them long ago. One day we will reunite, though we must prove this to other fellow man by removing the scourge of other races from our own homeland first. One can tolerate the elf, the dwarf, the halfling or the gnome, but until we remove the orcs, hobgoblins, goblins and other monsters from Helmguard we can never be one race. So without further ado, let us speak of Egoths saviors.
Non-Natives of Egoth
Helmian: Helmian serve as the most populous of the Empire. When our people left our homelands on boats, it was Helmians who filled them the most. Our culture and unity is what brought the other races together on our long voyage. We are a striking people with dark hair, aquiline noses and olive skin color. We have a varied range of eye color though brown seems to be dominate. Our hair color is diverse, with light and dark variants of brown and black with brown being the most common. Our people dominate the eastern parts of the land. It was our people that introduced many non-native foods and plants from our ship stores into the land. I doubt Twilight Village would have such fine grapes had we not brought them with us.
Tecuitz: Tecuitz are a strong, proud people who built the ships that brought our people here. Many are stocky with hair ranging from blonde to dark brown with light skin. Their eye color ranges from blue and green with some brown and the rare black. Many of the best craftsmen, laborers and inventors are of Tecuitz descent. The Tecuitz are often the best strategist in our armies, many holding the rank of General. They are the second most populous ethnic group among our lands and serve as our backbone. You’ll find their largest communities in the central and southern parts of the empire.
Nalbinish: The Nalbinish people came from a large island with a mix of similar but different cultures. They were united and eventually traveled with our people westward. They are a polite, cultured people who enjoy a stiff drink. They are a slim, pale skinned people with all shades of brown hair with certain exceptions noted below. Their eye color ranges from blue to brown. Due to the mix of cultures in the Nalbinish people, they are the only known people in the land to exhibit natural red hair. The red hair Nalbinish tend to consort with their own more than others. You often find them in the Nalbinish in northern parts of the land, though a large community was wiped out during the fall of Southwind.
The human race is beautiful and destine for greatness. This has not kept our foes at bay, for they seek the light we are apart of. This calls into question recent influx of foreigners from other lands. So different are they that we wonder if they truly human. Yet we will embrace them if they follow the light of humanity.
Foreigners
Sansian: These people are from lands far beyond ours. They are a recent addition, having immigrated here in the last century and a half. They are generally a quiet, agile people who excel in the martial arts. They are of small stature with light brownish skin, almond shaped eyes, black hair and brown eyes. A rare few have green eyes and are sought out by others of their people. They live by a code of honor that is a foreign as they, not the code of chivalry that our civilized empire recognizes. It does not help that their arrival coincides with the rise of nation who borders our south-eastern border and may prove a threat to our way of life. The few who have come to our lands have turned from the ways of their lost brethren and have welcomed the light of our gods and our human spirit.
There may be more lost brethren of humanity and we will call them to our breast. To the west our lost shipmates have flourished, taking the land as their own from those who do not deserve it. One day we will reunite and they will remember the ways of our light. Humanity will live on while the others will be washed away. The world is ours, as is the future.