For thousands of years the human races have been the rulers of Salenheim, first under the power of their tribal elders, then under the Imperial Senate, and in recent times under the rule of Tiagarath. Never, however, has the world suffered so much under human rule – those with blood deemed to be unclean are purged from the world, crusades are launched all over the world and any hint of revolution is instantly quashed. Still, the hardy race struggles on, making the best of what it has.

Personality:

Most humans simply struggle to make the best of what they have in current times and hope for change, though the ruling group are consumed by racist bigotry and a desire to cleanse the entire world, leaving only supporters of the sun alive. They have short life-spans compared to the other races, and thus have less respect for history and culture, though this allows them diversity in ideas and adaptability.

Physical description:

Adult humans typically stand from one and a half to two metres tall and weigh between sixty to a hundred and twenty kilograms with the average man noticeably taller and heavier than the average woman. Their years of migration and conquest and short life spans has led to a great variety in appearance, with skin and hair colours and styles varying considerably. Many humans have aspects of other races blood in them, though this is rarer after the Purge. Humans have short lives, reaching maturity at around fifteen and rarely living over one hundred.

Relations:

The human serf has little interaction with any other races, and basically simply wishes to be left alone. He will, however, get along with pretty much anyone who has a similar outlook on life, even vampyres. The Tiagarathians, however, get along with virtually nobody, though many kartika agree with their ideals, if not all their methods. The desire to cleanse all the lesser races isn’t often a good social decision.

Alignment:

The average human tends towards no particular alignment, but the rulers have a tendency towards Lawful Evil.

Human lands:

Humans own the vast majority of land on the planet, with the northern continent and most of Salenheim ruled by Tiagarathian crusaders, the western continent held by the Kasamaki triads, but under heavy attack and the northern islands held by barbarian tribes. These lands run the gamut from extremely diverse, in the case of the Kasamaki, who have welcomed refugees from most other lands, to extremely closeted, in the case of the northern barbarians. Their politics vary as much as their diversity, and change fairly rapidly, compared to those of other races.

Religion:

The vast majority of humans worship Tiagarath or Kilaf, as he is known in the north, as, if they don’t they will be tortured or killed. There still remain pockets of worship for the more persistent gods, such as the Harajat and the Octodeus, though these are dealt with severely if discovered. The only other two gods of the major Salenheimian pantheon the Tiagarathians will accept the worship of are Welmer and Tristan and even then only in extremely minor secondary roles.

Language:

Humans speak Common (Salenheimian), and often a racial language such as Kasamaki or Kilafi, and typically learn other languages as well, even the more obscure ones. Many learn Helias, the language of the sun, as part of the theocracy’s education system.

Names:

Human names vary enormously depending on their racial and cultural background. Virtually anything can be considered a human name in the right circumstances.

Racial Traits:

• Medium size. Humans have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.

• Human base land speed is 10 meters.

• Skilful: Four extra skill points at 1st level and a further extra skill point at each level thereafter, since humans are versatile and capable of many different things.

• Resilient: A human’s great desire to continue living despite terrible circumstances gives him the ability to take 10 on skill checks even when under some pressure. Great pressure still means he has to roll.

• Automatic languages: Common and a racial language (Barbarian, Bogslarrg, Kasamaki, Kilafi). Bonus languages: Any (other than secret languages).

• Favoured class: Any. When determining whether a multi-class human takes an experience point penalty, her highest level class does not count.