Humans are artisans of hope and action, a people of boundless creativity and an unquenchable thirst for adventure. They raise cities of stone and metal, work steel and tame a nascent magic. Forever on the move, they cross plains, forests and mountains, guided by curiosity and the wish to understand. Humans cherish art and music, celebrate poetry as much as ingenuity, and know how to savour simple pleasures as well as great conquests. Their heart swings endlessly between a passion for renewal and respect for tradition.
“Arthur, look at these steles: so many men and elves have shed their blood here. How many more lives must be sacrificed before we understand that victory by the sword does not forge peace? If humanity wants to endure in these lands, it must raise the word before arms, use its ingenuity to build bridges rather than ramparts, and set diplomacy at the heart of its designs. The Bastion must embody that design: a home of reconciliation where this senseless slaughter finally ends.”
Jacques “Le Scéllaire” Arsenault, addressing Arthur Gwynnor at the dawn of the great battle of Brécelann.
Diplomats from another world
As exiles from the lost continent of Pandore, the humans of Eden had to seek their salvation in the eloquence of pacts rather than in the clash of arms. The humans of Eden excel in the art of negotiation and alliance. Whether they present themselves as knights of Nouvelle-Aubaine, engineers of Landenheit or scholars of Victoria, they know how to weave networks of trust with the other peoples.
Trade becomes a universal language: cargoes of silks, spices or steam-driven mechanisms travel under the auspices of skilled emissaries, always ready to strike a mutually beneficial deal. This pragmatic diplomacy makes humans the natural mediators of Eden.
Alliances and armies
The Weitzguard is the military and economic alliance forged by Nouvelle-Aubaine, Landenheit and Victoria to guarantee human security and prosperity on Eden. At the heart of this union stand the Parangons, an elite corps that combines the duties of a city militia, the rigour of a special police force and the courage of hunters of supernatural creatures. They roam wild lands and fortified cities to come to the aid of the people, tracking monsters and conspiracies with steel and magical art.
Every great city keeps its garrison of Parangons, while the most seasoned wander from one kingdom to the next, seconded by the Drystvyr: a foreign corps open to every non-human volunteer eager to defend the inhabitants of Eden. Together, Parangons and Drystvyr are the armed hand of the Weitzguard, seeing to it that peace and trade flourish where once only swords and fear held sway.
A need to belong
In human cities, the authorities set up the guild model to give every field its structure: trade, craftsmanship, knowledge or magic. So the guild of the Sagemeisters, although founded by humans, brings together mostly non-human scholars, and coordinates the scientific expeditions and the recording of Eden’s customs. Likewise the Assemblée des Oracles, the supreme body of the esoteric arts, gathers six Oracles elected for their unequalled mastery of their art, to regulate the teaching and use of magic in every academy.
Other brotherhoods have come into being: guilds of smiths and engineers, circles of healers exploring remedies and herbalism, companies of diplomats and leagues of cartographers charting roads and communication networks. Each guild, springing from the human cities, acts as a node of expertise and solidarity, strengthening cooperation, the passing on of knowledge, and resilience in the face of Eden’s endless trials.
Nomad scholars
Humans carry within them the drive of discovery and a morality shaped by exile: they see every native people as the keeper of precious knowledge, and seek above all to understand rather than to dominate. Although frictions arise (notably with the elves), most humans show sincere goodwill, respecting local customs and taking care not to erode established balances.
Their ingenuity unfolds as much in the exploration of magical arcana as in the study of galdùrian traditions and draconic rites, and they ground their actions in a moral code that values exchange, hospitality and shared progress. Firmly believing that every encounter is a chance for mutual enrichment, they build cultural bridges.
Human names
Humans receive their first name at birth, chosen by their parents in tribute to a valiant ancestor, a legendary hero or a virtue they hope to see flourish. That name stays the same for life. First names are clearly gendered and vary with tradition. Each first name follows a general trend particular to its region of origin.
All of them also bear an inherited family name, handed down from generation to generation, which recalls the history of the house: a trade, a place name or a social standing. Some exiles adjust the pronunciation or spelling of their surname to settle into a new community, while others jealously preserve its original form, ensuring the continuity of their line.
Regional origins
Nouvelle-Aubaine
As an inhabitant of Nouvelle-Aubaine, you embody the chivalrous spirit and refined diplomacy of your people. You move as confidently through seigneurial courts as along merchant roads, your bearing combining ease and presence. The Aubainiens, warm and proud at once, show legendary courtesy while staying watchful of strangers whose intentions they do not know. Their dress blends chased armour and noble fabrics, and their gaze, determined and kind, betrays the insatiable curiosity that drives them to form lasting alliances across Eden.
As a citizen of Landenheit, you embody the mechanical rigour and scientific daring of your Empire. You move between smoking forges and engineering workshops, where airships cross the sky and steam trains link citadels and factories. The Landenheiter, methodical and determined, favour precision over impulse and put research at the heart of every project, whether building an automaton or perfecting a mechanism. Their dress, often trimmed with reinforced leather and visible gears, expresses the alliance of magic and machine, while their gaze, curious and calculating, reflects the spirit of innovation that is the pride of the Empire.
As a Victorien, you embody the mysterious elegance and the thirst for knowledge of your Monarchy. You stroll the misty lanes of gothic cities, lingering as long in occult libraries as in hushed salons where philosophy and magic are argued with passion. The Victoriens, refined and learned, cultivate an eye for detail (from velvet embroidery to the esoteric symbols engraved on their jewellery) and see in every relic or ancient manuscript a key to the mysteries of Eden. Their bearing, often set off by long coats and elaborate ornaments, hides a quiet determination: to explore the unseen, without ever dispelling the share of shadow that fascinates.
As an Al-Waahi, you embody the resilience and hospitality of the endless desert. You travel dunes and oases, guided by the stars and the shifting breath of the sirocco, building bonds of trust around stalls of spices, light silks and healing potions. The Al-Waahi, loyal and proud, put hospitality above all: offering food and fresh water to a traveller is a sacred duty, anchored in their moral code. They wear loose tunics and protective veils, adorned with copper jewellery and polished glass beads, and master the art of barter, convinced that true treasure lies in exchange and shared knowledge. Their gaze, fierce and kind, reflects the wisdom of those who make life bloom where others see only sand and stone.
Coming from another world, the humans of Eden had to rely on diplomacy, adaptability and ingenuity to earn a place among ancient and powerful civilisations. Their meteoric rise has made them a major power, though their origins remain obscure and surrounded by myth.
The human language of Eden is direct, shaped by the idioms of the many cultures humans have traded and negotiated with. Through that trade they imposed it on the other peoples, and it became Common.
Your regional origin is the region you grew up in.
Adulthood
Around 18 to 20 years
Lifespan
Rarely beyond 90 years, though some have had their lives lengthened by magic or by mysterious pacts
