Humans Of Aurelia
Aurelian Humans
[sblock]Appearance: Aurelian Humans stand tall, between 5 feet 6 inches and 7 feet 2 inches, and generally weigh between 90 and 290 pounds, from emaciated to overweight, averaging about 6 feet tall and 130 pounds. Humans can vary widely in coloration, from the dark brownish-skinned folk common in the southeast to the pale caucasian-skinned folk of the northwest. The southwestern humans tend towards a bronze skintone, while those of the northeast are generally more of an olive shade.
However, the Humans travel widely and intermingle, so Humans of any shade can be found the world over. Those of darker skintones tend to have hair of black most of the time, while folk of lighter skintones tend to have blonde, red, or brown hair more often. Eventually, all Humans develop gray or white hair, some younger than others, but generally around old age. Humans usually have eyes of black or brown, though many folk of light skintone have blue, green, or amber eyes.
Personality: Humans have widely varying personalities and mindsets, but generally tend to be more inventive, curious, and adaptable than other humanoids. They are more likely to accept other peoples and work with them, even if their allies are seen by other races as repugnant, irritating, despicable, or obnoxious. This also means that one can never know who or what a Human truly holds allegiance to, or what sort of company they keep. This makes other races wary of Humans, and they tend to be leery of trusting a Human until they've had time to figure him or her out.
Background: The Humans of Aurelia are actually a fourth generation of the species, after the previous three Human incarnations were wiped out by divine wrath or mass war. Each of the previous three Human races had angered the gods through their arrogance, impiety, and enterprising nature, or had agitated so many other humanoids and monsters that they were wiped out in great wars. Many old ruins remain from previous Human cultures.
The current Humans have avoided such grievances so far and have been tolerated for the past few millenia, being much more fractious and individualistic. Each Human nation has befriended various races and made enemies of others, but has had similar relations with fellow Human nations and organizations. Humanity is uniquely balanced in elemental composition and affinities, lending them a broad degree of compatibility with other races. Humans inhabit many different territories across Aurelia and even many of the Inner Planes, amongst others, but are spread quite thinly in population, having only limited interaction with each other and mostly just dealing with nearby humanoid societies.
They tend to favor rule by monarchy or similar systems, each nation taking up different names for its rulers and social castes. Generally, the Humans of the southeast are ruled by nobles called emirs, sultans, viziers, sheiks, and caliphs, while those of the southwest typically serve under a bey, shah, pasha, padisha, rajah, or maharajah. Humans of the northeast are usually ruled by a huang ti, khan, sakhan, kakhan, voivode, tsar, hetman, or reeve, while those of the northwest are ruled by various kings, dukes, archdukes, grand dukes, regents, earls, barons, counts, viscounts, stewards, princes, marquis, comtes, vicomtes, herzogs, grafs, landgrafs, burgrafs, markgrafs, altgrafs, and kaisers.
Classes: Humans pursue a great many different careers and lifepaths, and are among the most adventurous of peoples. They cover the full spectrum of classes, but there are relatively few Druids, Monks, Samurai, Shamans, Shugenja, and Sohei, who are usually only found near or amongst the Aeragi, Aquari, Celestri, Draegi, Endari, and Firagi races, who teach their ancient traditions to some of the newer Human generation. Humans are especially likely to become Bards, Fighters, Rogues, and Wizards, adventuring careers in which they tend to excel. Paladins, Rangers, and Wu Jen are a little more common amongst Humans than other races.
Humans of the northeast are generally more likely than their kin to follow the paths of the Barbarian, Ranger, Shaman, Shugenja, or Wu Jen. Those of the southwest are more likely than other Humans to become Monks, Psions, Psychic Warriors, Samurai, or Sohei. Likewise, Humans living in the northwest are more often Bards, Clerics, Fighters, or Paladins than other Humans. Lastly, Humans of the southeast are the most likely of their kind to become Druids, Rogues, Sorcerers, or Wizards.
Relations: Aurelian Humans are quite diverse and have many different associations, so each Human kingdom, tribe, empire, clan, freehold, city-state, and so on has its own allies and rivals, making it difficult for anyone to determine a particular Human's allegiances and fealty. Many Humans do battle with the Orcs, Half-Orcs, Firagi, Goblins, Hobgoblins, Bugbears, Gnolls, and other such evil or chaotic humanoids with great frequency, yet a few groups of Humans have actually allied with such creatures.
Humans generally get along well with Celestri, Aquari, Elves, Halflings, and Dwarves, but there are several amongst them who don't care for these races. Humans of the northeast and southwest are the most frequent allies of evil humanoids, but only somewhat more often than other Humans. Those of the northwest and southeast are more likely to bargain and trade with good humanoids, and are more likely to come to the aid of their allies when needed.
Miscellaneous Details: Humans of Aurelia reach adulthood at 15 years of age, then attain middle age at 30 years, old age at 50 years, and venerable age at 65 years. Their maximum age is reached 2d20 years after becoming venerable.
Human names vary widely since there is a diverse multitude of cultures, languages, and nations amongst Humankind, moreso than any other race in Aurelia. Generally, though, certain naming trends are seen more commonly than others, and a few languages are dominant amongst Human lands. There are seven main languages amongst Humans, but four are just derivatives of other Human languages and two are derivatives of other races' languages.
The Basranni language, common in the southeast, is a derivative of elemental languages but melded with a lost Human tongue, while the Mitajji dialect of the southwest is a derivative of Basranni. Humans of the northeast typically speak either Neharon, which is a loose derivative of Mentari, or the distinctly harsh Human tongue of Urun. The northwestern Humans have three major languages between them, those of Thesskan, Lirenos, and Zevach. Lirenos is a more musical and refined derivative of Thesskan, based as much on the Elven tongue as it is on Thesskan, while Zevach is a simple, refined mix of Thesskan and Urun. The ancient Mentari and Gith languages are also Human dialects, but from previous incarnations of Humanity, so they are mostly-dead languages.
In the northeastern lands, Humans possess a given name and a family name, with the family name coming from a distant ancestor, and they place family names before given names.
Male names from that region, amongst Neharon-speakers, include Yitaan, Chagan, Haazu, Genki, Rohenku, Shahan, and Nanchu; male names in Neharon never begin with a vowel, but are otherwise varied. Female names in Neharon include Odanu, Imaru, Usaka, Ashenki, Osani, Enku, and Ayaka; they always begin and end with a vowel, but never have any prolonged vowel sound. Some common family names in the Neharon tongue include Yamushu, Ritaru, Isensu, Chakar, Onnusha, Gisaku, Esuki, Shon, Nomoru, Deyakon, and Ankiru.
The northeastern Urun-speakers have the same tradition of placing family names before given names, but their language is different and less strict with names. Common male names in Urun are Ross, Ivan, Davich, Zaebok, Milovich, Eli, Tannen, Piotr, Nikolas, Daven, Karlov, Arkturus, Surik, Rikoff, Ulf, Shane, Yuri, Martov, Staniv, and Yohan. Some female names in Urun are Anastasia, Vanna, Rihanna, Karen, Lonna, Daneira, Zoe, Saebin, Irassa, Katarina, Uli, Shannon, Natalia, Yvette, and Jan. Urun family names are simply the given names of respected or famous ancestors, whose names are generally no longer used as given names within that particular family.
In the northwest, Human names are mostly along the lines of Thesskan naming conventions, with the individual's given name followed by a middle name and then a family name. Some Thesskan and Lirenos family names are combinations, and amongst Lirenos-speakers there is no middle name but sometimes a combined first name.
Thesskan male names include Anthony, Robert, Aaron, Huebert, Jonathan, David, Martin, Steven, Fenwick, Thomas, Otto, Fenton, Barry, Lorenzo, Caleb, Ben, Marcus, Kent, Christopher, Eric, Grant, Bo, Richard, and Paul. Female Thesskan names include Jennifer, Daena, Sally, Octavia, Dorothy, Melanie, Rita, Susanna, Pennie, Gina, Lauren, Eva, Sophie, Gwen, and Tia. Family names among Thesskan-speakers typically refer to notable ancestors, parents, family professions, or hometowns, so they might include Thomson, Haroldson, Lassiter, Brandon-Jolie, Anne-Mallory, Brunswick, Thistleton, Blackford, Highwall, Statton, Tailor, Bernier, Steward, Falconer, Weaver, Miller, Smith, Wright, Chandler, Ostler, Castellan, Brewer, or Shepherd.
The Lirenos tongue uses names mostly derived from Thesskan, but altered to seem more Elven-like or beautiful. A few Lirenos male names are Jean, Davios, Remy, Falco-Garibaldi, Claude, Louis, Quinn, Antoine-Duvalle, Robeir, Stefan, Jonas, Beau, Picarde, Ethan, Gerard, and Vassielle. Female Lirenos names include Dianne-Liette, Sophia, Genevieve, Annette, Elle, Josephina, Tanya, Olette-Calle, Lisa, and Bennet. Lirenos family names are always the name of an ancestor with de' placed before it, such as de'Claudia, de'Sabien, de'Larouche, de'Veaux, de'Bartolemeou, de'Paris, or de'Gracie.
Zevach names are generally simple, and don't always include a middle name. Males may be named Hugh, Magnus, Brock, Zane, Marko, Darius, Niko, Anton, Jim, Linus, Saul, Kain, Elrik, Ren, Leon, or Dane, among other things, in Zevach. Females might carry the name Annie, Vala, Sammie, Edea, Gretchen, Ida, Meryl, Lina, Tammie, Donna, Pat, Kellie, Mina, Zola, or Emma in Zevach. Family names for Zevach-speakers are some modified version of a Zevach noun or pronoun, generally, such as Kriegen, Alkarine, Panzena, Festun, Grimmnach, Volsurron, Yggda, Grannswick, Reinholdt, Kennar, Roscha, or Bolshenke.
In the southeast, humans mostly speak the Basranni language and have both a given name and a House name, which is the name of an ancestral family that was present at the founding of the first Basranni nation.
Male names in Basranni are quite varied, but include Hassal, Daru, Ruahim, Araqui, Sumassa, Farasq, Garusaabi, Qemal, Zahib, Parhu, Umaaj, Tiram, Mahaabi, Qinnoq, and Salir. Basranni female names include Alhara, Jidarr, Sahimi, Qalahi, Roqui, Tashiraa, Sumata, Luira, Garaha, and Parhazirad. Houses of the Basranni-speaking peoples number one-hundred and three, but a sampling of them includes Qurammu, Havashtu, Puraaji, and Rohamuradii. However, each person has a small appelation at the beginning of their family name denoting that person's status, such as Daru al-Havashtu being a male adult in good standing with his House, whereas Garaha sa-Puraaji would be a female adult in good standing with her House.
Names amongst the Mitajji-speaking cultures of the southwest are similar to their Basranni roots, but rather more complicated and extensive.
Humans of the Mitajji cultures have a short, compound, given name at front, followed by a longer but unbroken middle name, which is then followed by the father's given name, followed by the father's Clan name with ben- appended to it, and then the mother's given name, followed of course by the mother's Clan name with sar- appended to it, further extended by the addition of zul- and the individual's own Clan name. The appellation zul- is only used if the individual is an adult, however. If the individual is married, he or she adds dal- and the Clan name of their spouse to the end of his or her own name. Worse yet, since Mitajji practice polygamy, a married Mitajji Human further extends their name by adding the Clan name of each additional spouse to the end, in the order they were married, with qet- appended to each.
For obvious reasons, most people refer to Mitajji-speakers simply by their given name and personal Clan name, such as Pell Miqir Niv zul-Juraddi, which miffs some of the traditional or proud Mitajji-speakers.
Clan names are similar in length to middle names, but carry a different meaning. While middle names denote the individual's birthright, such as firstborn or secondborn, and their male or female birthright, such as first son, second son, first daughter, or second daughter, a Clan name simply denotes something important or memorable about the Clan's origins and early history. Mitajji Clans are loosely-related groups of families that owe allegience first and foremost to the Clan, lead by the eldest patriarch amongst those families. Mitajji given names have no particular gender-based differences or trends, so one's name only denotes gender by way of the middle name describing them as a son, aqui, or a daughter, aya.
A few example Mitajji names are Shireq Zal Pir Nat Hasanmitaqui Vol Meq Riji ben-Zarda Dirai Zeb Qehal Oma sar-Hijamiray zul-Parhaadi dal-Viren qet-Kalaq qet-Mibi qet-Zabariqirhi, and Qem Jiriqui Ne Mihanseshaya Apu Hariq ben-Gara Ta Hi Imalla Subashi sar-Fasamu zul-Larenhameshet dal-Jimaji qet-Veshar, and Jiramu Taan Virushtamiaqui Sala Un Lamar ben-Fimmbara Tumaj Enali Za sar-Nareshtti Panariyu.[/sblock]
Humanoid: Humans are, of course, Humanoids of the Human subtype.
Size: Humans are Medium-size creatures.
Speed: Humans have a base speed of 30 feet.
+3 Racial Bonus on Checks with One Skill of Choice: A Human chooses one specific skill at 1st-level, such as Balance, Craft (woodworking), Knowledge (geography), Perform (chant), Profession (miner), or Ride (horses). They have a natural talent with the chosen skill. Speak Language cannot be chosen.
Bonus Feats: At 1st-level, a Human gains a bonus feat, and they also acquire another bonus feat at every ninth level gained beyond first, such as at 10th-level and 19th-level.
Extra Skill Points: At 1st-level, a Human gains 4 additional skill points; these bonus points are not multiplied like base skill points gained at 1st-level. Also, at each additional level, a Human gains 1 additional skill point. The extra skill points are not modified by Intelligence.
Automatic Language: Any single regional language.
Bonus Languages: Humans may choose any non-restricted languages as bonus languages for a high Intelligence score; thus, they could learn Draconic or Gnomish, but not Druidic.
Favored Class: Humans have no specific favored class. Instead, at any given time, treat the Human’s highest-level class as his favored class for purposes of multi-classing benefits and penalties.