“Dear Arch Chancellor,
I must confess that I do not understand your command to cease my current project and find a new topic of research.
As you said in your letter, yes, clochtine is one of the most dangerous substances found in the caves of Draíod. It is highly volatile and combusts in contact with air.
This is exactly why I believe it would be an interesting and vital experiment to create a Fathach out of animated clochtine.
No one has before created a Fathach out of this rock, and knowledge must be discovered.
I implore you to change your mind and allow me to continue this research.
Student Naoise Hollaigh.”
Who are the Humans?
A daring people who triumph in adversity, Humans are one of the playable species in Five Oaths. If you’re playing a human character you could be playing an alchemist who pushes the boundaries of what is thought possible by others…sometimes with explosive effects! Alternatively you could be playing a brash warrior who flings themselves headlong into the fray. Most human characters will share an enthusiastic outlook on life and are always seeking new opportunities to innovate and experiment. This is an attitude that other species regard as blindly optimistic at its best and flagrantly reckless at its worst.
A cautious human, and there are a few, is one of the most frustrated people in the Five Realm, having to deal not just with the recklessness of their own friends and family, but the prejudice of others and seeing them flinch every time they go near something dangerous. Many give up and behave as others will treat them, leaving a rare few to insist that “because I want to see what happens” is not a valid reason to do anything.
Humans are common in the gallóglaigh, as they are well suited to adventure and derring-do. There is an old saying amongst the gallóglaigh that there is nothing so immense or terrifying that a human will not poke it. Bands of gallóglaigh will sometimes require that any humans using magic are certified by the Arcane College in Draíod, where humans are paired with Vartach instructors for one-to-one instruction. Humans who ask why such requirements are needed are noted as ones to watch.
Origins of the Humans
Humans regard themselves as the favoured children of the Shaper, because they are so predisposed to interacting with the world around them. After the Shaper had made all the other species and was disappointed that they were too meek and afraid to carry out Their vision for the world, humans were created as a fearless and creative people who would not shy away from the task at hand. Other species counter this claim, saying that humans were obviously created first, and when the Shaper realised with horror that the humans would probably destroy the world unless they were reined in, the other species were created to lend a measure of wisdom and restraint to the firstborn’s antics.
Humanity’s happy-go-lucky approach to life applies to love and family too; humans tend to have large families and to spread far and wide. Today, humans are found in large numbers in all of the Five Realms, and beyond.
Playing a Human
Since you portray a human in real life, you already know the physrep requirements! There are no special make-up or facepaint requirements for playing a human. Your character can wear war paint if they like, but please make sure that it will not result in your character being mistaken as a member of another species.
In gameplay terms, human characters will be focused on ingenuity and experimentation. The Human Ingenuity Feat allows them to defy convention, substituting any ingredient of the same type in a recipe. They also have a unique spell to their species: Push. Peacesworn Humans are wily to their kin’s habits and can protect others from the Push effect for a few minutes at a time.
Throughout the Five Realms, humanity’s optimistic and audacious approach has served them well. They can often surprise the other species with their innovative ideas, for which they have won grudging respect. They have parlayed their reputation into respectable political power across the kingdoms, and even in lands overseas humans are rising into positions of dominance as their ruthless recklessness extends into exploration, scholarship and diplomacy.
Humans are common in all of the Five Realms, but especially in Bruid and Uasa. There is something about the hardscrabble life in both Realms that appeals to the human outlook. Among the Krieger and Forest Wildlings of Bruid, their drive to explore and challenge the world around them is admired (from afar). In Uasa, they delight in the ongoing transformation of the swamps and marshes into habitable farmland, wondering what else could be achieved with the right combination of knowledge and vision.
The lifespan of Humans
Average life expectancy: 40-50 years.
Maximum life expectancy: 100 years old
Common causes of death: Misadventure, experiments gone wrong.
How Humans view the other Species
Creidhe: The young ones seem really interesting, but the old ones are boring and want everything to be the same forever.
Drakeblooded: They have the blood of dragons, I wonder if you could use that to bring them back…
Fathach: Living magic rock? Where do they get a mind? Are they just stuffed full of Vartach ghosts? Find out!
Firetouched: Do you think they have to sleep in ponds so they don’t set their houses on fire?
Krieger: These guys get it.
Leasiar: I’m not sure if they do live forever, or if it just seems that way because they are so boring.
Vartach: They turned Rock and Magic into people. Can you imagine what we could do if we figured that out. Metal people! Grass people! Wood people!
Wildlings: If I stay in Bruid too long, will I grow fangs and cool thorns too? Dare you to find out.
Some Humans You Might One Day Meet…
Crógan is a warrior in the Bluehand Band. Despite coming from quite a well-to-do family in Siabhal, he has earned the nickname “Crógan the Scarred” because of the many wounds he has suffered and survived. He gets these wounds mostly from diving into danger and always being in the centre of the fight. His comrades-in-arms know that he would lay down his life for any of them, and he has earned their loyalty a hundred times over. They’re still a bit worried about what he will do next.
Meargana is an acolyte in the Arcane College at Crag Oscionn. She was born on the surface of Draíod, and was sent to study after the third time she had electrocuted a sheep with her unexpected magical outbursts. Now she is studying under Teaga, a Vartach with many years of teaching humans the arcane arts under her belt. The strictures and regimens that Teaga requires Meargana to go through every day are mind-numbing, but Meargana is determined to do well…because then she will get to do fun stuff!
Gríosla Mac Niamha is a Rider in the highlands of Baol, and one of the most famed humans in all of the Bight, the southern part of the Baolach highlands. She cut her teeth as a youth in raids against the lowlanders, and joined the gallóglaigh as soon as she was able. At the Battle of Traitor’s Tears, she led the assault that broke the back of the rebel forces. Gríosla and her warriors scaled a cliff face and attacked the rebels from behind, driving them against their allies to the front. She was made Rider after that, some say as a reward, others say as a way to keep her maniac schemes from spreading any further.