On one point and one point only were the long-dead scholars of the
Universalis Universitatis unanimous: that Man was the first of the
modern races to walk the world. In ancient ages long unrecorded, Man
walked under the fiery skies of the young Earth, seeing the first stars
and the birth of the moons. Whether man sprung into being as the gods, a
result of the Creation, or whether he was shaped by them, formed and
molded as were the beasts of field, air, and waters, is unproven.
It is known, however, that near fourteen thousand years before our time,
Man gained that attribute known only as Nobility. (see help nobility.)
From that moment, civilization, geometry, magic, and religion all began
to advance. Man split off into groups, colonizing many places upon
Earth, from seas to mountains and everything in between. Factions arose,
forming kingdoms, as the noble races have now. Divisions were
established, first along geographic boundaries, then along social and
linguistic ones. During the following two thousand years, many gods took
notice of Mankind and sought to influence him. Their influence further
divided Mankind into more distinct groups, and from these distinctions
arose the races as we know them now. This, it should be noted, is why
all noble races save gnomes (who are descended from fae) can interbreed
with humans, but most cannot interbreed with any other.
Yet, during all those generations, across the vast gulf of all that time,
the original line of Mankind remains. Also known as Humans, a hundred
kingdoms, tribes, and peoples stretch across Earth from pole to pole.
Some live in huts along rivers in jungles, while others sit upon golden
thrones in mountaintop palaces. They have hair color ranging in earthen
tones from palest yellow to darkest black, and skin color ranging from
pale, splotchy pink to sleek, dark browns. They are as varied in
culture, belief, and history as the races that sprung from them. They
are not long-lived, but some are born with tremendous wisdom, insight or
genius, giving humans an advantage against hardier, longer-lived, or
more magical races.
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