Men of Iourn

The most common, widespread and (sadly) fertile of all the sentient races, Men can be found on every continent in the Northern and the Southern worlds. Supremely adaptable, humans can survive and even thrive in the most inhospitable of climates and locales. For men do not change themselves to suit the conditions, but rather they change the conditions to suit themselves.

Despite claims to the contrary the race of Men is an ancient one. However, because men are also the shortest-lived of all the sentient races their sense of history is wanting. They have no comprehension of their origins or the impact they have had on the world. Relatively few human cultures put a great store on writing things down, and therefore anything that happened more than about ten generations ago is utterly lost to them.

The truth - that is the truth perceived by other races - is that men were created by the god Azygous in the millennia following the formation of the world. Azygous had a secret purpose and it took him many attempts to create the 'perfect' Elessenians (a race of men long since dead). The failed attempts were discarded which is why different sub-races of men can be found all around the world. These men carved out their own niches, prospered and began spreading over Iourn with all the speed of nettle rash and half the charm.

When different races of men of different colour and ethnicity met there was always conflict. After the conflict there was always sex. The races blended together until we reach a point many thousands of years hence where there are very few pureblood humans remaining. The pale-skinned and blond-haired men who dwelt on the continent of Urova were conquered and enslaved by the swarthy and dark Hadradans. After a thousand seasons under the Hadradans (quite literally in many cases) it became increasingly difficult to tell the races apart.

Pure lines from pre-Hadradan times are hard to come by, but you can count that some bizarre cult is making ready to cull all those who are not of pure extraction. The impurity of their heritage makes humans pitiable in the eyes of halflings who consider them to be a bit of a genetic freak show - but a very nice genetic freak show that knows how to grow good tobacco.

Humans have no racial identity. They are selfish beings who identify themselves through where they live, their country or their king rather than their race. They consider themselves able to master any skill and to conquer any foe, and for the most part they are correct. But they are always fighting among themselves for one thing or another. If it's not land then it's money, if it's not money then it's power, if it's not power then it's…. well, they'll think of something.

The other races (with the exception of hobbits) look upon men very warily. They are unpredictable creatures - as warlike as the orcs, as arrogant as the elves and as greedy as the dwarves. It is almost as though they are distillation of all the worse qualities of every other race. However, men are incredibly diverse. Despite their obvious faults they have an amazing capacity for sacrifice. For every dark and corrupted man there is one that shines with the light of purity.

The greatest thing that can be said of Men is that they are a race with a destiny. It is not the dwarves, the hobbits, the elves or even the dragons that will decide the fate of Iourn. It is men. The greatest chapter in the history of Azygous's people is yet to be written.

Men of Urova

Most campaigns run on Iourn involve characters from the fractured continent of Urova, and are mostly set in the land of Norandor. Human PCs will probably come from one of the following countries:

Norandor: Norandor is the most civilised and unified country on the fractured continent. It is a feudal society ruled by a single king. It has the most powerful armies, the most technologically advanced weapons and materials and the greatest proportion of trained wizards than anywhere else. The men of Norandor worship the Moon Gods.

Kerikal: Kerikal is a dismal and dangerous place, buried under snow drifts for almost a third of the year. Many of the men who dwell here are still barbarians who roam the bleak lands warring with themselves and the orcs and goblins who cross the border from the Land of the League of Tooth and Claw. Those who are not barbarians eek out a living as best they can in the continual wars that sweep the land, or fall into the armies of tin-pot tyrants and dictators trying to make a name for themselves. Barbarian or tyrant, the men of Kerikal worship the Moon Gods.

Calclafique: More than 90% of the population live in a tiny enclave on the coast. Calclafans are tolerant of others. They are ruled by a senate democratically voted into power by the landed gentry. An underclass of the dispossessed still exists, but Calclafique is a safe place for free thinkers and radicals to express themselves. It is however, relatively defenceless. The people of Calclafique worship the Moon Gods.

Junos: The rolling sands of Junos give rise to two very different types of Men. There are the desert nomads who are continually on the move and generally distrusted by the population who settle in vast cities. Whereas the nomads follow the moon gods, the settled men of the country worship the sultan as a living god. However, many see the sultan as simply the living embodiment of the moon gods.

Eldagaire: A country of high, wooden mountains and deep equatorial valleys filled with steaming jungles. Many of the men who dwell here are tribal, and their tribes may have existed for thousands of seasons without coming into contact with anyone else. Should two tribes meet then war is often the result. There are some large settlements where the power of the moon gods is strong but, for the most part Eldagaire is the only place in all of Urova where druidism is still openly practiced and accepted.

Tibrai: A land so dangerous that men live in heavily fortified city-states around the coast, and seldom venture into the verdant interior. The ruler of each city state is an absolute monarch and therefore Tibraians are as diverse as are their leaders. Some city states adopt odd religions that are a throw-back to a past age, but most openly practice the faiths of the moons.

Salmaynak: Salmaynak is divided into six principalities each ruled by a prince who acts like a king. Within each principality society is feudal - following the Norandon model with a few subtle differences. But Salmayans are not like Norandons. They are a people united by fear and hatred. Fear and hatred of the other five principalities, the ominous Dragon Within and the inhuman land of Genbasson that lies on their eastern border. The principalities have currently sworn a truce and united their efforts at purging Urova of the Genbassi. The Salmayans follow the moon gods.

Sorostrae: A land of magic. The overclass in Sorostrae is a bureaucracy of wizards and the mighty church of the Arcanum Incognita that rules through them. For reasons largely unknown, magic works better in Sorostrae and because of this arcanists abound. The only over-arching authority here is the Arcanum Incognita. Vast fortified cities are ruled by competing wizards, but wars in Sorostrae are fought with words, magic and underhand deeds and not with armies. Pity the poor men who are not wizards and try to survive as best they can. Although the church of magic and mystery is in the ascendancy the entire moon pantheon is widely worshipped.

Men of Hadrada

The Hadadran empire is a diminishing force in the world. It has long since past its peak and is now crumbling and decadent. See the section of the History of the Hadradan Empire for more on this. The men of Hadrada are extremely varied. The country is even bigger than Urova and made up of many disparate individuals. For the most part the Hadradans are defined by their religion and whether they follow the teachings of Elyas, Vanda or Timon. All are different denominations of the same monotheistic faith that worships one god as the creator of all things.

Men of the Wastes

Far to the north are the Glacial Wastes. Here the hardiest race of men live in a land that never sees the summer. Many are tribes of isolated barbarians, but thriving cities do exist here many built out of the very ice itself. The men of the Glacial Wastes are not easily shocked or surprised by events. They deal every day with inhuman neighbours. As a whole they tend not to judge by appearances. In the large cities the ancient faith of Aygous is making something of a resurgence, although druidism is still popular among many of the barbarian tribes. The moon faiths are also making advances into this area and a powerful (although separate) branch of the six core churches are represented here.

See Also:

• The History of the Twelve for more information on Azygous and Elessenia.