Human

Human
Basic Information
Origin	Central Continent
Biology
Society
Language	English

Overview

Humans are a bipedal, intelligent species and one of the many forms of life that call Mirtess home. Widespread across the known world, they have established civilizations on every inhabited landmass and play a central role in the political and cultural landscape of the present age. Among the many forms of life native to Mirtess, humans are unique in the degree to which they organize culture, nationhood, politics, and economy into formal, enduring systems — a trait not observed among the other old ones who share the world with them.

Biology

Humans are physically average among the races of Mirtess, possessing no exceptional natural attributes in strength, speed, or durability. They are nonetheless a hardy species, distinguished by their proficiency in the use of magic and turyeok, as well as their aptitude for crafting and employing a wide variety of tools and weapons.

Not every human is born with a mana circuit — an innate, fixed channel through which mana flows within the body. Roughly three in four humans possess one; the trait emerges at random, independent of lineage or family, and even siblings may differ in whether they carry it. For those who do, the circuit's capacity is fixed at birth and cannot be expanded, though skill in wielding magic can still be developed and refined through study and practice.

Society & Culture

Human society varies enormously across regions, shaped by local history, geography, and the nature of the ancient gods with whom their ancestors negotiated for the right to settle. The legacy of the Yalta Empire remains a defining influence on much of human civilization — its systems of governance, weights and measures, and calendar have all persisted in some form into the present day.

Humans practice a wide variety of religions. The most prominent among these is Rahislabi, the state faith of Tilrestan, though faiths venerating the ancient gods in various forms are found across many regions. Krossen maintains no official religion, guaranteeing freedom of belief to all citizens.

History

The earliest human settlements emerged across the known world through arrangements with the ancient gods, who granted humanity the right to inhabit and govern tracts of land in exchange for keeping within agreed boundaries. From these beginnings, human civilization grew — reaching its greatest expression in the Yalta Empire, the first unified human nation on the Central Continent, which stood for over seven centuries before its destruction in the Mana Cataclysm.

Even in the age before the Mana Cataclysm, when humans could settle freely anywhere in the world, they rarely spread evenly across the land. Instead, they tended to gather in small, concentrated communities — a preference that would later shape the way population came to concentrate around a handful of centers, Yalta foremost among them.

In the centuries since, humanity has rebuilt. Three great powers — Tilrestan, Krossen, and Tragon — now dominate the Central Continent, while human nations exist across every known landmass.