Humans

Humans, sometimes called Cefradin, are one of many sapient species that dwell on Vantowyn. They have a long history in the world, and many proudly trace their lineage back to the mythical First Men of eons past. Most Human historical traditions trace the origin of their kind to the continent of Lempo, and a lost city called Empelu. Rumored to have once existed somewhere in the lands now consumed by the Desert of Glass, the city itself was allegedly the fortress of the Humans' ancestors, called the First Men, also called Pelydin, or “The Shining Ones” in most histories. Humanity's alleged ancestors are attested to in legends and myths across the world.

In the modern age, Humanity can be found in every corner of the world. Collectively, they speak every language, and they dwell on every continent. Thousands of years of contact with other races has resulted in the creation of a number of Humanoid species, which many still include in the diaspora of Humanity. In most places, the descendants of Humanity, taken together, actually outnumber the common Human species.

Description
Humans are a bipedal species, with a typical adult reaching a height anywhere from four and a half to six and a half feet. The average height of a Human in any given population varies greatly, based on environmental and genetic factors. Human skin color can range from the darkest brown to the lightest peach, or even nearly white in some cases. Human hair can be found in white, red, blond, brown, and black, which is the most common. Humans reach adulthood by 17 years, can live for almost a century. Typical life expectancy is about 70 years.

Ancient Exiles
The history of the Human species begins with their sudden appearance in the archaeological record of Vantowyn some 50,000 years before the beginning of the First Era. Most oral historical traditions equate this appearance with the mass exodus of Humanity from the mythical city of Empelu. What exactly prompted this mass migration is not strongly known, but various oral histories describe the Fall of Empelu and The Cataclysm. Specific descriptions vary, but what followed was the single largest migration event in the recorded history of Vantowyn. In the span of only 20,000 years, the species had spread itself far and wide across the surface of Vantowyn.

Prolific Prodigies
Humanity's spread across the surface of the world inevitably brought them into contact with the numerous other sapient species of Vantowyn. This contact, for better or worse, would alter the course of virtually every other species in every part of the world. In most cases, Humanity adapted quickly to living with their new neighbors, and soon the populations became difficult to distinguish culturally from one another. Over the thousands of years since Humanity's initial exodus, pockets of new Humanoid descendant species began to appear. The peoples that would come to be called Orrodin and Seledin would eventually become more populous than either of their parent species in many places, resulting in a highly diverse and interconnected cultural legacy for Humanity.