An extensive study of Lusternia's human race, published as a scholarly book in the game. The data used for this study is solely collected from in-game information about the human race.

A Study of the Human Race
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Table Of Contents
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- Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Origins and History
- Morphology and Physical Attributes
- Social Behaviour
- The Three Tribes: Original Human Settlements
- Some Humans of Note
- Conclusions
- Bibliography

Introduction
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Humans are a race that is decidedly different from other species found in the Basin of Life. Born in an alien reality, the origin of the human race is one that is shrouded in enigma, with only a handful of texts that give us any information. Despite all this, they have come to thrive and flourish in Lusternia, mixing and mingling with the native races as well as becoming an established presence in the Basin of Life.

Although the author is not herself a human, she was intrigued by their mysterious origins as well as their unique spark that makes them stand out from the other races of Lusternia. Through collecting information for this study, even living a couple of years in the form of a human to ensure authenticity, the author was able to learn a lot about the human race, although there is still a lot that is still left to uncover.

The author would like to thank the following people and organizations for providing valuable information that could be used to complete this book:

- Weeky Peedia
- Jolanthe Myeras
- The Lusternia Humanistic League
- Dys Mzithrei

The author sincerely wishes to apologize to anyone who was affected by the Basin-wide plague that she unwittingly helped to unleash while researching the village of Duum, and she wishes to reassure skeptics that the plague has indeed been contained. For now.

The author would like to assert that all the information provided have been authentically collected and are correct to the best of her knowledge.

Origins and History
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The origin of the human race is most unusual, and one cloaked in enigma. Most of what we know about human history before modern times are found in the ancient texts, Cosmogenesis, and the Coming of Estarra.

Humans are vastly different from other Lusternian races in many ways. We know that the human race has their beginnings in a reality different to our own (1). We know that they are not sharded from an Elder God. And we know that the race contains the scattered essence of the Nameless Son of Yudhe (1). Whether this is because humans are sharded from this Nameless Son, or because the race absorbed His essence through other means, remains unknown. In either case, although His essence remained through humans, it is known that its very nature was changed irrevocably in this alternate reality (1).

Some time before the year 0 CE, the Elder God Roark was able to communicate through a rift in the fabric of reality - one that connected our reality with that where the human race originated - with a powerful being known as Estarra the Eternal (2). Through these communications, He came to realize that Estarra was the blending of Magnora, Dynara, and the Nameless Son (2). This implies that only part of the essence of the Nameless Son is being carried by the human race: the other part is carried by Estarra Herself.

In the year 0 CE, through the aforementioned tear in the fabric of reality, the human race entered Lusternia along with Estarra (2). Perhaps due to an increased attachment and fondness for the human race, likely due to them harbouring the essence of the Nameless Son, Estarra wished to give the human race a home within our world of Lusternia (2). Here, the humans were able to flourish, interbreeding with the other mortal races, sometimes for the better (helping to repopulate decimated civilizations), and sometimes for the worse (unusual attributes).

Morphology and Physical Attributes
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As mentioned in the previous section, the human race, much like the viscanti and the faelings, is not sharded from an Elder God (or Soulless God, as in the case of the illithoids). Rather, their essence is linked to the Nameless Son in an unknown capacity: whether they are His shards, shards of a being that was fused with Him, or simply related to Him in a less direct, more tangential way. In either case, we can surmise that the human race possesses a direct connection to one of the Children of Yudhe: more direct than the other races, which are simply sharded from or otherwise originated from a creation of Dynara (1). This superlative origin is likely the cause of the unusual ability of humans to interbreed with other races. Because of this unique attribute, the physical appearance of humans is very varied, ranging in all shapes, sizes, and colours.

Humans are similar to many of the Lusternian races, such as elfen, loboshigaru, aslaran, and many others, in that they are star-shaped: they possess a head and four limbs - two arms and two legs - that come out of a torso at the centre. The average height of humans is six feet, and they possess hair rather than feathers or fur, most of which grows atop their head. Considering that they do not possess unique features such as wings, horn, or tail, they are generally fairly ordinary in appearance.

(Here lies an anatomically accurate, meticulously labelled diagram of an average human. Graphed to the left of this diagram is a vertical axis, labelled "length (feet)" and marked with numbers that range from 1 to 10. A horizontal line connects the number 6 to the top of the diagram's head, marking the height of the figure as 6 feet.)

Humans have divided themselves into two major categories based on morphology: the "old humans" retain the original skin colour of their race, whereas the "mixed humans" possess the skin tones of native Lusternian races. The "old humans", mostly found in the villages of Stewartsville, Delport, and Duum, possess skin colour that lies in a spectrum between pale fawn and deep umber, and hair colour that usually varies from deep black to pale golden. In rare cases, reddish hair has also been found: although observed even in original human settlements, it is still unclear whether a pure-bred human could naturally possess reddish hair, or if this phenotype could be the result of mingling with another race which commonly possesses red hair (such as viscanti). Brown eyes are the most common, with blue, green, grey, and a combination of these colours also seen.

The "mixed humans", come forth as a result of the interbreeding of humans with native Lusternian races, retain many of the traits of the human race, but have some minor phenotype differences compared to the pure-bred humans. These phenotypes may include changes in skin colour (for example, bluish from merians, greenish from dracnari, and reddish from viscanti), hair colour (examples may include green from elfen and blue from merian), and eye colour (for example, golden or red from viscanti and citrine yellow from aslaran or loboshigaru). It is also not uncommon to see physical attributes of other races, such as the long, pointed ears of the elfen, scales of the dracnari, or webbed limbs of the merian. In some cases, vestigial wings, horns, or tail can be seen. Despite showing traits of other races, these beings are still grouped into the category of "humans" because the phenotypes borrowed from other races are vestigial and non-functional.

Humans are known to be quite adaptable. Despite their origins in another reality, they were able to come to Lusternia and thrive in its foreign environment (2). They are known to breed at a much faster rate than native Lusternian races (2). Through empirical studies of adventurers that belonged to various races, it was observed that humans who possess a divine spark within them were able to fan that spark at a higher rate to achieve demi-divinity compared to other races. It was also observed that this ability remained after the human reached demi-divinity: they were found to gather essence at a much faster rate as well. The reason for this is unknown, although the author theorises that humans might possess an affinity to the Domotheos of Harmony that bestows upon them this ability.

Social Behaviour
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Humans are known to thrive in an urban environment, as opposed to races such as elfen, who are attuned towards a forestal habitat. Because of this, humans can be more commonly found in the cities of the Basin of Life, although some are known to live in the forest as well.

The earliest human settlements, the villages of Stewartsville, Delport, and Duum (these settlements will be explained in detail in the next section of this book), have been notably geographically located next to a body of salt water. Besides this fact, the settlements of Delport and Stewartsville are also located near rivers and river deltas (Stewartsville being somewhat close to the Gloriana river and Delport located right between the forks of the Estengare river). This begs the question: do humans have as much of an affinity towards water and oceans as merians do?(*)

From empirical studies, it is known that humans do not naturally possess the ability to breathe underwater like merians, nor have they been known to be ocean dwellers at any point in history. However, humans are known to partake extensively in farming, and incidentally, the major hemp producers of the Basin are two of the original three human settlements. Extremely business oriented, the villages of Delport and Stewartsville are competitors in the Basin's rope production. Besides the cultivation of hemp, human settlements also earn their profits from other types of farming as well as fishing. This affinity towards agriculture and fishery might have drawn humans towards settling near large bodies of water.

Compared to the races of Lusternia, humans tend to be relatively less communalistic, generally preferring to mix, mingle, and adapt rather than isolate themselves. Even the human settlements of Delport and Stewartsville have undergone a small amount of mingling with other races, and are generally not considered "pure" humans (3). An exception to this rule is the xenophobic settlement of Duum (3), which the author will elaborate more on in the next section.

(*) It must also be noted that merians and humans have interbred extensively, and, as a result, many of the modern-day merians look astonishingly human-like compared to their original form.

The Three Tribes: Original Human Settlements
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After their introduction to the realm of Lusternia, the human race originally settled in three villages: Stewartsville, Delport, and Duum. These settlements have been commonly referred to as the "three tribes" by the human race (3). In this section, the author will go into detail about each of these three human settlements.

Stewartsville:

This village, located in the southern shores of the Inner Sea, is one of the first human settlements since the coming of Estarra, known as the "first tribe". The village of Stewartsville sustains itself mainly through the production of hemp, although the villagers also earn a profit through farming and fishing. Stewartsville engages itself in economic competition with Delport, another human settlement, over the production of hemp. The agricultural industry of Stewartsville is controlled by the Wainwright family, while the political power lies under the elusive Lady Cecelia, Countess of Stewart.

Stewartsville is also suspected to be the headquarters of the Lusternia Humanistic League, due to the affirmation that the League is headed by the Countess of Stewart (Anonymous source, village of Stewartsville). The Lusternia Humanistic League is a secretive organization of humans that seeks to study the origins of their own race and uncover the mysterious spark that makes them human (3).

Infants of Stewartsville are regularly abducted by inhabitants of the Glomdoring Forest, to be used as sacrifices in a ritual to appease the Night spirit.

Delport:

Located between the forks of the Estengare River, towards the western shores of the Inner Sea, is the village of Delport, thought to be the "second tribe", or the second major human settlement. Due to the village's close proximity to water bodies, Delport utilizes water wheels as energy sources to sustain their varied industries that include farming and fishing. Like Stewartsville, their main export is rope, which they manufacture through the production of hemp. Stewartsville is Delport's only competitor in the hemp production industry. Chatelaine Sylvie is the leader of Delport.

Besides the Common tongue, the villagers of Delport also speak a language known as Delportian, a language which is not spoken anywhere else in the Basin of Life. The origins of the Delportian language is unclear, and none of the other human settlements have been known to speak it.

Duum:

Perhaps the most peculiar of the human settlements, the village of Duum was discovered about two centuries after the coming of Estarra. Located hidden within the Balach Swamp, this village is inhabited by xenophobic humans who prefer to live in isolation. Duum, as the later human settlement, is the "third tribe" (3). Run-down and poorly kept, there appears to be no industry that sustains the village economically: indeed, the dwellers of Duum do not appear to be very economically motivated, or motivated by anything else, for that matter. They subsist on food made of the meat of the Undervault creatures.

From the research conducted by members of the Lusternia Humanistic League, it has been revealed that the villagers of Duum keep their human bloodline pure by heavy inbreeding, and, as a result, they have suffered a great degradation of spirit (3). Although some of the inhabitants have normal to high level of intelligence, others only possess the mental capacity of babbling toddlers (3). Even the animals seem to be afflicted by a mutation of some sort, as strange one-eyed chickens can be regularly seen in the village.

The citizens of Duum are hostile to outsiders, and behave erratically and even dangerously; and all of them seem to be part of a cult that they call "the Cult of Great Duum" (3). As part of the cult, the villagers regularly participate in strange rituals to appease the deity that they call "Great Duum", sacrificing chickens and consuming their blood. They also often consume a jerky that has been tested and proven to contain essence of a Soulless God (3).

Identity of "Great Duum": From the research conducted by the Lusternia Humanistic League, it is already known that "Great Duum" is, in fact, a Soulless God who manipulates the people of Duum to gain power. There is also enough evidence to point to the identity of this Soulless. While investigating the village church, the author found an uncharacteristically deep natatorium filled with murky water. Upon putting corpses into this natatorium, the water turned pink and effervescent, and the author was compelled to dive in, ending up within the bowels of the Soulless God Muud. Muud's body was revealed to be buried underground, in and around the ares of Duum. In the year 491 CE, the Dread Lord of Contagion, as the Avatar of Muud, revealed himself to the basin as the voice of Muud, accompanied by the members of the Cult of Great Duum (4). There is also the fact that the Duum villagers, xenophobic as they are, still ask adventurers if they could help them complete the Soulforge, something that siphons power to Muud. With of this evidence combined, it is no doubt that "Great Duum" is, in fact, Muud.

Duum is rumoured to have once been a mugwump village, theorized to have been abandoned after the first attempt at Project Soulforge that destroyed the Balach Swamp. At a later point in history, it became populated by the third tribe of humans.

Some Humans of Note
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Some humans have travelled away from their original settlements in the three tribes, and have made quite a name for themselves in Lusternia. Here is a non-exhaustive list of notable humans:

Adalgiso Batyun: Found within the composer's quarters of the Vesteran World stage. Appears to be immensely wealthy, although the source of his income is unknown. Writes songs for the bards that wander in the Basin's roads: these songs, although nonsensical, appear to make the contributions of these bards to the Basin's stages all the more worthy. Likely Delportian in origin.

Trader Bob: Runs a trading post as Avechna's Peak, where he swindles poor, helpless adventurers - just fresh out of the Portal of Fate - by selling them overpriced necessities. Will occasionally also sell valuable items, which are mostly hidden within his underground vaults. Is said to have been around since as far as 100 C.E, and might have even accompanied Estarra the Eternal on Her journey to our world (although he refuses to confirm or deny this). Has a multitude of family members, all named Bob.

Elsa Fallows: A genealogist of the Lusternia Humanistic League. Has set up camp in the village of Duum, hoping to study the lineage of the third tribe and unlock the mysteries behind the origins of the human race.

Constance Walker: An alchemist of the Lusternia Humanistic League. Has set up camp in the village of Duum, hoping to study undiluted hereditary substrates of the Duum villagers and unlock the mysteries behind the origins of the human race. Provided the author with valuable information, that has been used to complete this book.

Other humans, not as notable but still living away from the original settlements, include:

Pierre Merau: Found within a small hut in the Razines. Skins animal hides to make pelts. Delportian in origin.

Lars Legrand: A shepherd in Oleanvir valley. Originally from Delport.

Aurore Aubertine: A way station chef, running a way station inn to the side of Old Imperial Road near Oleanvir valley and New Celest. Originally from Delport. Bakes sea-themed foods such as baked squid.

Conclusions
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Through this study, the author has tried her best to extensively study the human race, looking at histories, physical attributes, social behaviour, habitats, settlements, and notable individuals. Although appearing perfectly ordinary, humans are a race that are anything but. Their alien origins and at times strange behaviour makes them very different from native Lusternian races and quite enigmatic, although their unassuming nature and readiness to mingle have made them survive and thrive in our world. Intelligent, adaptable, and social, humans are indeed an asset to the world of Lusternia, having held a special place in Estarra's heart.

Bibliography
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(1) Peedia, W. (137 CE). "Cosmogenesis"
(2) Peedia, W. (137 CE). "Coming of Estarra"
(3) Walker, C. (475 CE). "On the Human Spark, the Third Tribe, and the Progress toward Cure"
(4) Anonymous (491 CE, 17th Avechary). "Apocalypse Has Come to Call". Events News Post 408