Humans have always been a constant force in Lensmoor society. This document attempts to provide the reader with more detailed information on the human than in the Lensmoor helpfile. I hope your find it informative and useful.
The exact origin of human kind cannot be precisely determined. It is speculated by some of the older races that humans are an accident created by a chaotic magic or some after effect of a powerful interaction of forces. Humans seemed to just have suddenly appeared out of the wilderness and begin expanding and building all over the continent. Very few humans actually have any idea of how they came about, instead they prefer to focus on the advancement of their civilization and take with them only useful lessons learned from the past. Many see the search for their origins, although interesting, a waste of time when the future and new knowledge beckons. This disregard for the past is often infuriating to many of the more aged races. They are quite baffled by the creation of a race which, without any particular gift or strength, has so quickly been able to dominate long established territories and who have become the builders of many a great city in the realm.
Being such an adaptable and populous race, many slight variations have been observed in the human anatomy. Those who have deep roots in the deserts of Tikol, for example, have bodies that are very efficient in the use of its water. While those living in the harsh northern swamps have developed resistances to many deadly diseases and have learned to use plants to toughen their skin repelling many common parasites and stinging insects. Although these types of adaptations are common, the basic human form remains the same. Their body shape is, of course, humanoid and their head has upon it two eyes spaced close together to allow binocular vision which is useful for hunting, building, and other activities which require a solid depth perception. One of the most important features of humans are their two fantastically dexterous hands. With five fingers on each, including an opposable thumb, the human race has been able to craft and use tools in almost any way conceivable.
Males and females of the race vary only slightly in their appearance. Males tend to have thicker facial and body hair and are sturdier in build. Males also tend have a hardened appearance to their faces. Females have a softer build with noticeably more curves. Their face and body lack much of the hair of their male counterparts and they often have a soft, delicate quality to their features. Unlike in real life, the average human on Lensmoor tends to lean more toward the athletic type build with a sound intellect. This can be attributed to the fact that there are other sentient races in the realm to compete against that possess rather spectacular advantages. The more physically and mentally adaptable were able to flourish, while those less fortunate floundered in the face of opposition and were weeded out.
(This is just a generalization, the actual variation from one human male to the next or to any given female can actually be much more or less noticeable than what is suggested here.)
“Humans are clever because it is a requirment of their survival.”
— Old Sidhe saying on human kind's lack of unique advantages.
The only real advantage a human has to compete with the other more gifted races is their remarkable ability to learn very quickly and adapt to almost any situation. This has allowed those of the race to excel in all walks of life whether it be fishing, crafting, sorcery, or the ways of battle.
“If a Xorrto enters your house, use your claws to slay him. If a human enters your house, use one to shake his hand and have the other one ready just in case.”
— Old Selkie Saying
Humans on Lensmoor are completely unpredictable in their actions. While individuals can choose a set path for themselves, humans as a whole really have no guidelines to which they follow. The one thing that all humans on Lensmoor have in common is that once they have chosen their path or a goal they pursue it with a reckless passion unequaled by most of the other races. Their free-spirited, unchained nature causes many races to be weary of meeting a human they do not know. Who knows how that human will react, or what skills they possess to cause harm should they is angered? With this in mind, many races give humans a decent amount of distance.
Before humans, the world economy was based upon a system of barter where one traded something of value for something else they desired. When humans arrived they apparently found the old system completely volatile and came up with a new idea. Instead of trading things that could have separate values to different people, why not make something that always has the same amount of value to everyone? Thus the value of silver, gold, and platinum became the world standard of trade. This system is perhaps one of the crowning achievements to the human way of thinking. All races use this system to trade and no other method has been found that comes close to matching its simplicity or its efficiency.
Humans, above any other creature, appreciate and love all beauty and things of value. Humans are also generally viewed as reasonably pleasant to look upon by almost all races of Lensmoor. This in mind, it is not uncommon to see a human mated with one of a nother race. Their adaptability even goes so far as to allow them the potential to produce offspring with any sentient race of humanoid form, except of course, a liche. Even Antrippan races may produce offspring with humans, though this is considered completely digusting and is socailly unacceptable on either continent.
Humans are, more than any other race, free to do almost anything that their player should desire… there are no bounds as to th interesting situations a human can get him/herself into. They do not have to be bound by racial dislikes, except for races of Antrippa, or act in accordance to some strict code of conduct that some races must at least follow in part.
“I find playing humans entertaining because they are not only adaptable in the sense of their stats, but they are also unlimited in the kinds of characters they can portray.”
— The player behind Brannin Stonewill, scriber of this document.
Thanks to the following players for their input and assistance:
Bodkin, Ykows, Laoch, Reese, Arawn, Rycche, Arefin
Special thanks to:
Aragor - for his rough draft on which I based part of this document.
Lynne - for her artwork (Editor Note: The artwork did not transfer :( )
Rhacziin - for giving me an excellent example from which I drew many of my ideas for topics and formatting
This information rescued from the Wayback Machine's archive of lensmoor.org/races/human.html by Electra.