Humanity: A Simple Soul, Simply Surviving.
The Known World's Eldest Tragedy.
‘Mortals are like little flames: brilliant, blazing hot, and then they finally fade away -- gone. But everything they have built; they testify their eternity to the world that no longer sees them. Why? Do they not realize what will become of them once they reach the pinnacle of ruin? When will they finally come to terms that they are no longer what they used to be, nor ever be? When will they finally meet eternity -- when will they finally understand what an ending truly means?’
‘Do not underestimate the value of life itself. Little flames, they are, but resilient they shall be; twice more than those blessed by the blood moon or the stars that have burdened. Careful they shall be -- forevermore than even the most cautious of beasts and creatures. Humans, they will always be, but for them to survive up until this moment of life and light -- you simply have to wonder for yourself:
What does an ending truly mean to you?”
Just little flames, set aside by the rest of the world. They dug their holes and built their walls, knowing well enough that their time would thus approach. For how cruel the sun could burn; for how devious the moon would treat them amidst darkness; for how far the stars would lead them astray, it mattered little in the face of the end. No matter the cost - no matter the fate - they existed. They chose to survive, thrive again, and fall again. And rise again. And fall once more. Humanity, a dwindling flame against the changes of the world, persists… but for how much longer, one begs to ponder?
Humans are argued to be among the rarest creatures of today’s Known World. They, a race of people who have persisted against the trials of the world since its creation, are aptly recognized as one of the oldest races across the entire world. Stories of humanity stretch as far as the days before the Primal Races that emerged across the Known World’s evolution. Those legends of ancient times suggest that humanity was the very first race to achieve kingdomhood; they built nations and territories that spanned as far as the eye could see. To that extent, humankind thus laid claim to the entirety of the Known World.
It is argued that the people of humanity are the true natives of the Known World, having persisted far longer than recorded history; having existed far longer than any of the races that roam the land today. Before recorded history lies a darker and more mysterious timeframe that no one dares seek, and if any notes of those ages existed -- they are long faded to dust and time itself.
Barring the questions of history prior, humankind has survived through generations of catastrophic events and evolutionary marvels.
One would perceive humanity to rise forevermore, bearing the knowledge of how to grow and divide their resources evenly and support themselves. Their knowledge would thus scatter across the world, and with their very own kingdoms and nations claiming continents or regions, they would become the most dominant race of the world.
However, as the world grew and the evolution of other races came to pass, the strength of these mortal frames faded. No one truly knows how humankind’s declination came to be, nor what catalyzed it, but the emergence of the primal races and the changes of the Known World itself are contributions to their exponential degradation.
Those walls they built slowly fell apart, and the kingdoms and nations they sought to maintain fell to the sands of time and conflict and dispute. Generations of the Known World have shown their declination -- and as of today, humankind itself is few and far between their weakened stations.
Those very territories once maintained by humanity have now fallen to the wilderness of the Known World, or they have been claimed by the other walks of the world. What remains of their current nations are those that still bear resemblance to their ancient past -- the walls exude strength and power; the flags of humankind have torn, yet they fly alongside the winds gracefully. The halls of knowledge and regality that prove mankind’s survival are demonstrated to all to see; and as races new and old wander the streets that are far older than them, they barely realize that they wander the streets of humanity’s legacy.
And yet, very few truly consider the history of those streets, much less humanity’s own history. The truth of humankind’s decline is unknown - save for the rise of other races serving as some attribution - and as the future flies into the present, the newer generations of the Known World lose further knowledge of mankind’s origins. Still, humanity’s perseverance and dignity in their survival shall forever remain a constant across the ages -- and that alone may serve enough of a note to their history. The truth of their declination remains a large mystery to the Known World, but humanity is not known to dwell too deep into the past.
Much like the other races of the world, they move onward into the coming days. Although humanity has persisted across the ages, their physicalities have waned as time progresses. On average, the humanity of today is vastly weaker than any other race in the realm; they have no significant resistances and are frailer in contrast to their ancestors. As they are weaker, they bear no significant strengths that would serve them an advantage over others. However, one aspect of the human being that remains seemingly eternal is their indomitable spirit. So long as they remain true to their instincts of survival, they may be able to muster some strength to persist against the threats abound. Perhaps, arguably, this is an advantage they have against all others, yet the limits of this indomitability is still unknown.
The future is uncertain, after all. But as far as the future is concerned, one begs to question: how willing are they truly to survive what comes next? It is true that humanity has achieved many victories against the challenges of the world since times long-faded, but how many more victories can they truly seek? Humankind thrives in their own special way, still. Their ingenuity and methods of survival vary, but the end is the same -- they persist; survive. It would seem, then, that their skills and limited strengths must be tested. Only the stars know how much longer they can last, and only humanity knows what they must do to make it so.
Additional Notes.
Age. The humans of today have an average lifespan of 70 years.
Size. Human sizes vary. On average, male human height spans up to 1.75 meters, whilst female height up to 1.65 meters.
Astral Matrix. The Astral Compendium of Myths does not have an entry for humankind.
