Humans

Masters of War: Humans
Humans have the most variation of any species on Near, and as such, will be more detailed in the culture write-ups. There are some species-wide qualities worth noting, though.

Appearance and Personality
Humans come in every variety of color and appearance as they do on Earth. The humans of Near, however, tend towards darker skin tones: the lightest skin tone is a light olive, and blonde hair is rare. Exceptionally light-skinned people or blondes are regarded with some suspicion, as these qualities are normally associated with elves. Skin tone varies within nations and cultures, but as a rule, skin tones deepen as one travels north in the world of Near.

Human personalities are very tempered by culture. They are the most aggressive of all the species, though, even the beast-like ratkin. Their superior numbers and role as the primary mover in Near history have much to do with this, as does a natural-born hubris. Coupled with their aggressiveness is a dangerous catalyst: fear. The Shadow has brought out the worst fears in humanity, and purges against other species, pogroms against their own kind, witch-hunts for "Shadow-touched" and other atrocities have been even more common.

Balancing human aggression is human passion. Humans have love - as we know it, at least - which is unique to their kind. It is, in fact, what makes humans human, and if a goblin or elf finds themselves in this state, they are on the fast track to finding out just how malleable their species identity is.

Religion and Magic
All human religions have some explanation of the Sky-Fire and the Shadow Moon. Most are not favorably inclined to it, and have become dualist good-versus-evil pantheons. The definition of evil is a primary impetus in many of the atrocities described above.

Human Species Keys


Group::Humans Summary::* Key XP::* Buyoff::*