Societies
Humans are the dominant mortal humanoid species in the nations of Valrindor, ancient Xalmyrra, Earth, and the Malverand Intergalactic Empire. They form civilian populations, mages, soldiers, rulers, researchers, worshippers, and empire-builders. Human societies include essence-rich magical nations and Earth-like technological cultures with hidden essence contact.
Physiology and Magic
Humans have mortal bodies. Humans can be injured or killed when they lack enough essence, protection, or healing magic. Trained mages can reinforce themselves and reach extraordinary strength through magic, artifacts, and divine bonds.
Human access to magic varies widely by world, training, and essence. Human mages use magic schools. Their bodies can be damaged or destroyed by overuse, especially through essence overload. Human belief and gathered essence create gods such as Hrzai, and Malverand engineers build god cores from gathered mage essence.
History
Human civilizations repeatedly establish nations and empires, build essence towers and gates, and organize mage armies. In Valrindor, humans founded nations and the ancient Malverand Empire. After Malverand's fall, Malcairn, Zharrek, and Zal'therak developed the essence-infusion procedure; Zharrek's scholars forced the transformation on Malverand's remaining people, and those who stayed became essence shapers. Human nations later united against Shroudvale in the Great Shaper War and sealed the surviving shapers behind a wall.
Human populations span Earth, Valrindor, and imperial worlds. Earth has human populations, gate contact, timerift activity, and Xalmyrran language traces.