Humans

Humans -- as it would seem, there's no place where you can go to get away from the quintessential norm of living, sentient creatures. Arae Rul is no different, sporting humans as those walking the balance between the other two key races on the island.

However on Arae Rul, humans are not called humans. There are titles they addressed by, but they don't have a name for themselves. 'People' always seems adequate from day to day for most of them. Monsters sometimes call them 'Grounded', 'Unmarked', and 'Plain Spirits', differentiating them from themselves and the Ascendants. Ascendants, in their tongue, call them 'Inimagi' which means 'In the form of the Lady'. In common conversations, the Ascendants will sometimes use monikers like 'Ladykin' or 'Unrisen'; when they want to be disparaging they may call them 'Semivi' (meaning 'Near civilized'), which is used condescendingly.

Abilities
Humans are not privy to the enormous physical power that makes the Monsters such powerhouses, nor are they capable of mastering the strange mystical powers of the Ascendants. However, they have an exceptional talent for tools and determination, making them exceptionally versatile. Quick studies, humans are able to rival Monster by being exceptionally skilled and can match Ascendants by being clever and unpredictable. They associate comfortably with both races, simply due to they expertise in adaptation.

Humans earn their skills through Jobs; these are mostly occupations and interests (Blacksmith, Dancer, etc), but they also include lifestyles (Slacker, Playboy, Trickster, etc). They give the humans access to a reasonably broad, related selection of skills which as they progress becomes more skilled at their trades as well as more well rounded. They rarely receive Bonuses or Supernatural abilities, but they do receive all other types of skills, including magic. Jobs can be learned by relation (jobs similar to ones already known) or exposure (by observing and or training with someone who already possesses a job).

Law
Human Law is the most turmoiled law institution, compared to the other two; it tries to capture the absolute of Ascendant law, but the flexibility of Monster law. It's predominantly practiced in the Delta province, where humans are most prevalent. Councils are elected to represent the populous; they pass and overturn laws by popular vote within the council. The council also selects a series of judges (again, by popular vote) to oversee the implementation of the law. Judges are funded and are asked to enact the laws how they see fit.

In larger cities, this means that Judges hire watches or other security forces, although in some smaller places, the Judge will do all the footwork himself. Once someone has been apprehended for a crime, the Judge must allow the defendant to make a case for themselves and the Judge must bring in a third party (often the victim or another judge) to act impartially against the defendant.

If found guilty, the Judge will recommend a sentence, which must be approved by the council. There is then a thirty day period between the approval of the sentence and the enacting of the sentence, to allow for appeals. If the defendant feels they have been wrongly accused, they may appeal to another judge in the case of unfairness, to the council to review the sentence, and sometimes they may appeal to a jury, selected by lot. The sentencing is flexible in any case, which sets aside the rule-book law from the harsh laws of the Ascendants, but the whole thing is far more intricate than Monster law.

Attitudes
Humans, to put it in a word, like to mingle. While there are some tensions between Monsters and Ascendants, Humans like to mix it up with everyone. They can fit both extremes, even if they normally only fall slightly one way or another, making them welcome guests amongst both ends; in fact, it becomes difficult to place humans as a whole because of their tenancies to occupy almost the whole spectrum.

In a general sense, Humans tend to be welcoming and inclusive, and they're inclined to find compromise rather than favor a side. They're a tad more prone to infighting than the other races, although only slightly. They can be seen equally as peacemakers and troublemakers for many of the same reasons. The have a tendency to try and expand as much as possible and are clearly the most rapidly growing population between the three races, just surpassing Monsters.

Unlike Monsters, who generally live for the community, and Ascendants, who generally live for research, Humans have no clear goals as a race. Their communal functions are more a matter of practicality than necessity; they work together because it is beneficial, not because it is in itself their goal. While this is by no means a major flaw, it does make Humans seem a little less predictable, or perhaps reliable, than the other races.

Home
Humans are found in virtually every place in Arae Rul, but it's generally understood that they originate from Delta Principa Province, and the largest 'human' city (and largest city in Arae Rul) is the Delta's Capitol, Keitus. Keitus, and it's sister city Brovus, occupy the largest inland island on the Delta, Etebre, the second largest island in the delta. (The island is often referred to as Delta Etebre, and the cities are often called Etebre Keitus and Etebre Brovus; this is a common convention in the Delta.)

Keitus, although an undisputed 'Human' city and capitol of the 'Human' province, is the largest and most diverse city in all of Arae Rul. Despite this, Humans still make up 45-55% of the population, which swells and recedes regularly due to travel and temporary stays.

Outside of Delta Principa, Humans are found in the largest concentrations in Lowland Province, Land's Finger Province, and Distance Province. They are found least in Land's End Province, Lady Lost Province, and Long Trail Province.

[End]
[More to come? Do you have questions about Humans in Arae Rul? Post them here and they'll be addressed! Next: Monsters]