FATEsy Heartbreaker: Humanity

When the earth was black and cold, the dark god Irul created the First Men to torment and serve her. She and her children Kullirsciana(Cold), Pancaam(Hunger), and Attimaanam(slavery) ruled over the First Men with an iron fist. The First men cried out in the night for any to save them. Their cries reached the slumbering sun god Perioru. Seeing the plight of man he girded himself for war, calling out to his brothers and sisters. Arivu(wisdom) crafted the war plan. The twins Ahnnikai(strength) and Vikam(speed) led the charge. Unmai(truth) held the dark gods when they finally fell. Thus the First Men were free. They built great temples to Perioru and the gods of light.

The Empire of Iracillam was founded by the First Men. It expanded to cover much of the Known World. They failed only to conquer the halflings and The Mountain Dwarves. In the end they reached an agreement with the Halflings and a cold war with the Dwarves. The Empire of Iracillam lasted almost a thousand years. No one alive today remembers why it fell, or what happened. All that is known is that the fall was sudden. Ruins of the old empire dot the land in almost pristine condition, save for the decay of time and the monster that have made these ruins their home.

The architecture of Iracillum was monumental. Great Ziggurats and Pyramid Burial Chambers were constructed by the priest kings in honor of there gods. The wealth of the known world was gathered together in great stockpiles to be used in the intrigues of the various noble houses. Humans more than any other race tended to build up, rather than out. Even the poor lived in ten or twelve story buildings, each floor holding a different family. To this day, long after the fall, Humans tend to build multistory houses and the like.

Things that are always true about your Human aspect:

• Humanity were born in darkness and cold, yet brought into light and warmth by Perioru. Humans are completely unaffected by natural extremes of temperature.
• The First Men endured much when they were first created. They were trained for endurance, by the dark gods that ruled them. They were bred for stamina, like dogs or horses. Humans are immune to non-magical fatigue. They sleep only four hours a night and can run all day without feeling the need to stop.

Things you can invoke:

• Humans are adaptable. Invoke when you are in a completely new situation or when reacting to surprise.
• Humans are the dominant people in most of the world. Invoke to know someone(friend, distant relative, or whatever) in whatever location you are in.
• Humans ruled the world for a thousand years. Invoke to know something about a particular ruin as one of your ancestors lived there or was involved in its construction or destruction.

Things you can compel:

• Humans conquered the world. Compel when you are dealing with a member of another race to make there dislike of humans central to the story for a while.
• The Empire of Iracillam ruled the Known World for nearly a thousand years. Humans where the most important beings in the world for nearly a thousand years. The Princes of the earth are not used to waiting for the right answer. They want the the answer now. Humans tend to go for the quick answer. Compel when the fast solution is not necessarily the best solution.
• Humans were enslaved form millenia. Since they were given their freedom, they never want to risk it even to the smallest degree. They hate to be told what to do. It is instinctive. Compel when someone starts telling the human what to do. Humans tend to over react in tense situations where they must compromise their perceived freedom..

Stunts
Sun Touched: The First men came from Changua(the great desert). You are of the line of the First Men. Perioru has blessed you. you gain a +2 to any roll to resist any magical or unnatural temperature extremes.
Kings of the World: The priest-kings of Iracillam ruled the known world. At the height of their power they made pacts with many strange extra-planar beings. Mixing the blood of Demons, devils, Archons, and Celestials with their own. You are a descendant of these lineages. You gain a +2 bonus to any rolls involving knowledge of extra planar beings or dealing with extra planar beings.

And that is my take on Humans in D&D. I would love to hear your thoughts on the subject. These are a very specific kind of human, so they may not be for everyone, but I dig 'em. I hope you enjoy. My next post in this series will be the goblin peoples. It should be fun.