Devourer

Beastiary Entry 1: Humans

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Characteristics

Name

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Human (Homo Sapien)

Lifespan

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80

Average Height

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1.8 m

Genders

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Male, Female

Reproduction

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Sexual 

Parturition

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Live Birth

Skin Covering

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Hairless

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Limbs

Grasper Limbs

2 (5 Digit)

Mobility Limbs

2 (Plantigrade Legs)

Circulatory System

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Warm Blooded

Animal Type

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Mammalian Humanoid

Ideal Habitats

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• Temperate Plains (Low Ether)
• Temperate Forest (Low Ether)
• Temperate Island (Low Ether)
• Tropical Forest (Low Ether)
• Tropical Island (Low Ether)
• Boreal Plains (Low Ether)
• Boreal Forest (Low Ether)
• Wetland Swamp (Low Ether)
• Wetland Marsh (Low Ether)

Survivable Habitats

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• Fetid Marsh (Medium Ether)
• Desert (Low Ether)
• Extreme Desert (Low Ether)
• Boreal Tundra (Low Ether)
• Mountain (Low/Medium Ether)
• Caverns (Medium Ether)
• Lesser Pyroclastic (Medium Ether)

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Racial Statistics Gauge

Strength

3 / 20

Speed

4 / 20

Durability

2 / 20

Dexterity

4 / 20

Intelligence

8 / 20

Magic Affinity

5 / 20

Lifespan

3 / 20

Reproduction

13 / 20

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Youngest of  the Humanoid Races

Humans are the youngest of the Humanoid Races and also the most numerous thanks to their high reproductive ability.

They lack the respect of older Humanoid races due to their younger heritage. Many of the races view Humans as inferior creatures that get by on their superior numbers. Although it is true that humans are the most numerous of the Humanoids this statement is not an accurate assessment.

The parristic Arak Hai family of humanoids more commonly known as the Goblins and Orcs are famously reproductive. Due to their nature of not having female members of the species and relying on captured females of other species they are able to procreate very rapidly to counter this racial trait. A single captured female is able to produce thirty progeny a year. However despite their reproductive ability the Arak Hai is a largely unsuccessful species, with several sub species facing extinction (White, Y112-M80 AOH).

For Humans the main strength is their adaptability, with no glaring weaknesses at least with respect to their competitors. If humans existed in the ages of the ancient past it is likely humans would have gone extinct. 

The main weakness of having a low life span is alleviated by a relatively strong reproductive ability and the usage of the written word for the transfer of knowledge. The weakness of low durability is countered by the Human’s impressive intelligence stat for such a rapidly breeding race.

At its core the secret to human dominance in Terra is rooted in their adaptability and ability to specialise. With innovations like the Mage Academies, Adventurer Guilds and the Beastiarian Institutes the Humans have been able to overcome and out compete much more innately powerful species.

Flexibility

Humans are extremely flexible in terms of abilities with exception of their low durability. They do not possess the clear racial advantages of other humanoid races but they make up for it by having very few weaknesses.

Boasting a large number of Habitable regions, they have carved out many civilisations across Terra. From the boreal lands of the northern continent, the searing wastelands of Umbara and to the wet jungles of Muguuma in the far east. There are even records of a group surviving for a limited time (approximately 50 years) in the unforgiving realm of the Searing Hells (Garet, Y86-M80 AOH).

Humans are famously adaptable to most situations and environments. Scenarios that would have driven most other species to extinction are overcome by humans. Known for pioneering new ideas and techniques in the face of adversity, Humans are extremely tenacious as a species.

Notable Achievements

Humans are most known for the formation of their institutions. The adventurer’s guild or perhaps the adventurers themselves are a human innovation. The specialisation of individuals for monster combat is a rather recent innovation. In the past the other races relied on their more powerful individuals or their militaries to remove monster threats in their territory.

The creation of Adventurers as a profession has meant that humans are famously competent at the removal of such beasts. This idea has been adopted across many of the different races, including the Dwarves, Wood Elves, Dark Elves, Vulpine and many others. The only races that have refused to adopt this system are the High Elves who scoff at the notion and see no need for it on the account of their long lives and the other races that are not intelligent enough to fully utilise such a system like the Arak Hai and the Minotans.

The other major innovation created by humans would be the profession of  the Beastiarian. Although many of the races of the past had those well versed in the various beasts inhabiting Terra. None have created institutions whose express purpose is archiving monster knowledge and lore. 

The institutions of the Adventurer’s Guilds and Beastiarian Institutes work in tandem to combat the natural threats to human civilization. The end result is a highly competent and effective system that the other races struggle to emulate.

Although it must be noted that humans like the other humanoid races have not been able to resist the wrath of the ancients. No institution or system can overcome the difference in power between the younger races and the ancients of old. Ancient dragons raze human cities as easily as fields of wheat.