Difference between revisions of "Humans in Otherworld"

Latest revision as of 22:35, 19 May 2012

• Auslanders - The men and women of Ausland, a country to the west, across the Bleak Sea, are all extremely pale, almost albino. They are a sparse culture, living in the midst of other humans and adopting the cultures of those around them. As might be expected of such an orphaned people, they are very secretive. An inordinate amount of Auslanders are born with a predisposition for the magical arts and are highly sought after as advisors and mercenaries. Auslanders dress in loose robes and long, flowing skirts, with men and women both preferring to dress topless, as per their native culture.

• Bosemyans - These humans possess chestnut hair and stout frames. The women are large-breasted and wide-hipped. The men often sport full beards. The style of their clothing involves a lot of fur. The have small, dark eyes and large, strong hands. Bosemyans are also known as "The Travelling People" because for the warm months of the year, the merchants and craftspersons of Bosemya travel the world in wagons, selling their wares in preparation for the cold months. The northern spur of mountain range known as The Widows is one of the most inhospitable and treacherous in times of bad weather. As such, Bosemyans are tough-skinned and stubborn to a fault. It is said that Bosemyans do not negotiate price and that any attempt to bargain will result in violence. While this is not exactly true, it should be noted that Bosemyans do not take being toyed with or underestimated lightly. There is also the stigma of the Curse of Bosemya to deal with. Legend says that the Bosemyan people are born with a curse which will one day turn them all into vicious animals called Goarers. Once again, the truth is far less insidious: the curse is actually a disease which turns the hapless humans into Goarers, but these beasts are hardly evil and possess all the intelligence of their former lives. All in all, Bosemyans are a people distrusted and very misunderstood by the rest of the world.

• Cydonyans - In Cydonya, where colors are forbidden, the men and women dress in monochromatic colors of black, grey, and white. They dye their hair pitch black or pale, platinum blonde and shave their heads, sometimes styling strange designs into their hair. They regularly tattoo themselves as a means of expression. The sandy plains and deserts of the South mean that Cydonyans dress in short, loose garments or form-fitting, very-thin fabrics. The face of their Titan-queen, Lady Donya is present even in jewelry, armor and weapon ornamentation, and clothing, often appearing as a cameo carved into inlaid ivory. Checkers, stripes, and damasque and other patterns are a staple of Cydonyan high-fashion. Cydonyans are an imperialistic culture, taking great pride in strength of arms and military service. It is a city which allows women to freely engage in warfare and promotes an equality of the sexes.

• Kadwallers - The humans behind the Wall are a modest, private and well-mannered people. They consider themselves the epitome of intellectual civilization. Most Kadwallers have dark brown hair and blue eyes with soft, well-balanced features. It is a Kadwaller tradition for men and women to wear braided hair. Kadwal is known as the Doorway to the North, and the kingdom's influence stretches far beyond the confines of the city of Kadwal. The people there are industrious and hardworking, with a noble streak. Kadwallers have forever been known as friends to the Trowls and many of that race live inside the city walls.

• Macherans - Known as the Jewel of the Coast, Machera is a city whose culture revolves around masks and extravagance. Masks of any style can be found in the city and no one there leaves the comfort of one's home without donning a mask to mark their identity and/or conceal it. This is due in part to the large population of skin-changers and shapeshifters who can be found in the city. Machera is a city of high-intrigue and complicated politics. Macherans also dress elaborately, loving bawdy songs and lustful behavior. The women of Machera style their hair in towering bundles adorned with ribbons. Polyamory is an accepted practice, however polygamy is not. Macheran features are angled and sharp. Macherans speak very fast, must to the chagrin of outsiders.

• Solonians - Solonians possess golden hair and fair, freckled skin. They have strong, squarish jaw-lines and keep themselves clean-shaven. The Solonians value justice and safety above all else. If a Solonian commits a crime, he or she is branded with a special iron on the forehead. The specific brand each is given marks the crime which was committed. The "Branded" are considered a lower class than the "Pure" Solonians, and are made to atone for their crimes, sometimes for the rest of their life. Solonians who commit more heinous crimes are branded on their hands, feet, chest and forehead and sent to The Hollows, a secure underground city of criminals and unwanted elements. Solon is also home to the Lumineri, a group which tasks itself with stamping out evil and spreading enlightenment and justice to the world. Exactly what this entails is slightly unclear, but the Lumineri take what they do very seriously. Pure Solonians are regarded as arrogant or overly-serious by most of the world, though they are also recognized as capable. Branded Solonians are either pitied, sympathized with, or downtrodden and scorned by the rest of the world.

• Southlanders - The blazing Southern sun has tanned and darkened the skins of the humans living south of the Sea of Swords, as well as turned some of their hair to reds and golds. The City of Brass is home to men and women with skin the color of coal who paint their face with white pigments and wear gleaming gold and brass jewelry. Meanwhile, the men and women living alongside the Zjenithi in the city of Zjenahd are olive-skinned with black hair who favor thick mustaches and pointed beards. It should be noted that many Zjenahdan humans possess a distrust or estrangement from other humans due to their close ties to the Zjenithi and their customs.

• Spirenese - The custom in Spire is that when a young man or woman comes of age, they are given a flat gemstone which they use to adorn their brows. The setting for these stones is actually seared into their foreheads during a ritual called an "Avowal". During their life, a Spirenese man or woman may be gifted with more gems to adorn their brow, and each has a specific identifier marking the human's marital status and area of profession (merchant, craftsperson, land-owner, soldier, etc). Sometimes a family symbol is carved into or under-layed in the gemstone. Spirenese men and women keep their hair cut short, the better to deal with the winds that cut across the Dusk Hills. The Spirenese possess almond skin and large, striking eyes of azure and grey. They dress in tight-fitting, simple, yet fine, clothes with little ornamentation.

• Tenebrans - Tenebrans dress in long coats, replete with ruffles, lace, and high collars. They have prominent, beak-y noses and sunken features. Tenebrans could be considered "stiff" or aloof, perhaps even cold by other cultures. They wear their hair long, frequently pulled back into pony-tails. They often have an affection for the macabre, which may be due to the Grey Sisters who keep their temple and headquarters there or with the edict handed down from Prince Aitas, which declared Tenebran independence from the Northern kingdom of Kadwal. Aitas made Tenebra into an Entropist city and instilled in it his obsession with death. As such, Tenebrans have perfected the art of assassination and made huge advances in the fields of healing and medecine, though few people are eager to submit to Tenebran medicine. Tenebrans are also behind some of the most destructive weapons to date, including the advent of Tenebran steel.

• Threshans - Threshan men and women are huge by human standards, sometimes pushing seven feet. Their body types run the gamut, however, from lanky to obese. Many consider themselves superior to other humans and treat others with scorn or suspicion because of size. The Threshan people are a warlike people, and enjoy a good fight regardless of outcome. To them, it is simply sport. They take little seriously, and laugh often. Threshans maintain a grudging repsect for Cydonyans, since those humans are also an aggressive lot and respect the power of Cydonya, a large, powerful figure. If the Cydonyans have a unifying respect for the Threshans, however, they have yet to show it. Threshans are heavily prejudiced against Vasterners, for economic, territorial, and philosophic differences. Threshans are known for their profitable boat-building trade.

• Vasterners - Vast is the most technologically advanced city in all of Jaeis. The city proper exists within a bubble, more or less cut off from the natural world completely. Mana-fueled machines and appliances are an up and coming trend which far surpasses the technology of any other city. Vast maintains a standing army of Wardrone Gyr Golems and boasts many mechanical citizens. Vasterners dress in the peak of fashion: streamlined, pinstriped, and highly polished. The Red Sky Company headquarters is located in Vast, which makes it the most powerful Industrial city, with Kadwal just behind it, boasting less economical might but more imperial might. The people of Vast are very diverse, making the sojourn to the Shining City from all over the world. As such, there is little to tie them together physically, except for one thing: Vasterners love hats.

• Woodlanders - The men and women who make their homes in the woods (and by extension, close to the Sidhe) are a hardened, gritty people who have learned to live off the land instead of in seclusion from it. This by no means implies that all of those humans get along with their Sidhe neighbors. Indeed, some woodland human settlements are constantly at odds with more hostile, warlike Sidhe communities. Woodlanders are a frontier people. Most Woodlanders are of Naturalist tendencies.