Humans

Template:!Species Infobox

Humans (Embla) are a diverse genus of carbon-based intelligent organisms originating on the planet Olaris in Aylathiya. With significant populations across most of Cosmoria, Humans earned a reputation as one of the most expansionist species. They consistently rank amongst the most populace species therein. Consequently, Humans are diverse, with a remarkable amount of variation in size and appearance.

Humans are typically bipedal vertebrates with a tough endoskeleton composed of protein strengthened by calcium compounds. Their brains and most sensory organs reside in a case of bone resting atop their shoulders. On their two arms and two legs are five digits, although some populations have six. Humans, while originally having large amounts of hair, are hairless compared to the ancestors from Olaris. Most of it remains on the head and crotch, with males retaining significantly more hair across the face and body.

Humans share their home system of Helyar with another species known as the Kya. Due to the Kya's marine environment, Humans had a leg up on them, resulting in Helyar being dominated by Humans for most of its history. As of late, the Kya's sovereignty over Helyar has increased greatly, with many considering it to belong to them as Humans have largely abandoned the system.

Features

Humans metabolize organic carbon-based compounds using oxygen as the principal electron acceptor in this metabolism. Mostly made of water, their internal fluid is slightly basic. Other prominent elements include nitrogen and phosphorous as both are used in abundance in their double-helixed genetic material known as DNA.

Generally, Humans are a bipedal species that range in height from 1.5 - 2.0 meters, with two legs used for locomotion and two arms. Each arm ends with hands that generally possess five digits for grasping and using tools. They have two eyes that come in many colors but usually brown, blue, or green. Other colors, such as purple, yellow, and cyan are common among certain populations. A small nose is set slightly below and between these eyes and above the mouth, it is used for both olfactory senses and breathing.

Society

A large contributing factor to the widespread distribution of Humanity is their tendency to live in complex social groups. This tendency creates an array of factions divided by all manner of common traits. Such groups often break away from broader society to form independent communities, a direct cause of Humanity's rush to colonize space. Species such as the Ror Units, Bahattes, Lyncisians, and Zythyns have all been able to integrate into Human society as Humans began settling on their worlds.

Science and Thaumaturgy

Mastery of both physics and Thaumaturgy has greatly changed Human society. In the past, Human civilization relied heavily on Thaumaturgy, creating a caste system in which those who could use it became tremendously powerful. Under the Triumvirate Civilization, Thaumaturgy waned in importance, giving rise to a technological revolution that diminished the power of the Thaumic elite. With the rise of science came a new elite, usually those who owned the large machinery or facilities it took to build the technological marvels found throughout Human society. The conflict between the users of Thaumaturgy and the owners of machinery has created a great deal of strife.

Nachleben are powerful beings that are the result of High Technology. These entities, which included the Kaiser who ruled Humanity for thousands of years, have a great deal of influence in the politics of humanity. These beings are usually tremendously intelligent and, as machines, are virtually immortal. On the opposite side of the Nachleben are the Overlords, ultra-powerful Magi whose Thaumic potency allows them to dominate entire civilizations. Examples include Zaphenim, the creator of Humanity. Overlords exist on an entirely different level than the Nachleben and are relevant on the scale of all of Cosmoria. Wars between civilizations ruled by the people and civilizations ruled by Nachleben or Overlords are another great driver of history.

Politics, Trade, and Government

Humans are not very loyal creatures, the ability to quickly change allegiance between groups, seven if friends and family do not as well, creates a highly tumultuous political environment. For many species, Humans are seen as unstable or impressionable. Other species view the deeply bound identities found within Human societies as intimidating, many will throw away their lives for goals that other species simply do not understand. At the juxtaposition between incredible shiftiness and remarkable steadfastness, Humans have created a large variety of governments to manage the vast empires they have formed throughout history.

Currently, the vast majority of Humans live within the Greater Martial Consilium, a vast empire ruled by the Imperator, someone who is believed to be the representative of Mars in Cosmoria. Most other populations live within the Commonwealth of Aggregate Aylathiya and Thalvett.

History

Humans are considered to have emerged in 1 CE, as Zaphenim created them. Designed with the purpose of being potent users of Thaumaturgy, Zaphenim copied the brain structures of Kristals. This gave them the means to explore the more abstract facets of reality as he could. This is why they have very large brains relative to their body size and highly centralized brains. Where many species have distributed brains small compared to their body size, human brains use twenty percent of their total energy. This was no problem for the original population, whose powerful abilities made foraging or even outright creating food a simple task.

Organized into a civilization shortly after their creation, Humanity would begin asserting authority over nature. Vast continent-spanning empires would reshape the natural world as forests were razed to make way for farmland and inconvenient species were driven extinct. As the First Aeternal Society collapsed, Humans scattered across its territory, only to be reunified by the Second Aeternal Society, which fell shortly thereafter.

In about 5475 CE, Sedrua encountered Humanity and "uplifted" those living on Aegyn, granting them virtually unlimited materials from a small asteroid in exchange for loyalty. This would last for millennia as Human civilization developed very slowly. Human Magi, or users of Thaumaturgy, would soon craft primitive breathing apparatuses and propel themselves to nearby habitable worlds. Albedo would be the first settled followed by Petra and Thalsiedeln. These planets soon had vast populations as the Magi ruling class deported millions to work the fields on these new worlds. As Humanity came under the control of the Triumvirate Civilization, they would be united under the province of Anthrovia.

The collapse of the Triumvirate Civilization in 8058 CE CE saw Humanity, a now-advanced interstellar species, quickly ascend to take power. With help from a handful of outside nations, Humans formed Erstes Konsortium, cementing their power over a great deal of territory. After losing over half of their population during the Ma'eau War, Humans rebounded to a place of galactic prestige by the formation of the Dominion of Astraeus. By this time, largely due to Martial Civil Religion, or the worship of both Mars and the state that was believed to be its embodiment, species from across Cosmoria would be considered "Human." In the present day, almost every species common in Martial Space is considered in some way Human. To species outside Aylathiya, however, "Human" refers strictly to the biological category.

Olarin Tree

Template:!Species Tree Infobox The Olarin Tree is a collection of closely related species, subspecies, and separated populations originating from Olaris, Helyar. Collectively referred to as "Humans," the classification is highly contentious. Archeological records can contradict cultural beliefs, leading to bias in studies or outright fabrication of results. Generally, humanity's divisions are well-understood. There are seven to ten members of humanity's genus Embla.

Aegans (Embla plumbata aega): There is a great deal of genetic diversity among Humans. The progenitors of Humanity, a small group of about one hundred on Olaris, are the basis from which all other comparisons are made. Since this group most closely resembles the Aegan ethnicity, there have been many movements to abandon this point of comparison. Humans originally had muted brown coloration and most retain this trait. Groups not considered to be part of the "Aegans," were usually the result of some level of genetic tinkering.

Vlanoans (Embla plumbata onaudus): Vlanoans are far more culturally distinct than they are physically distinct. With only a handful of physical features that identify them, the cultural weight behind being a "Vlanoan" supersedes physical characteristics. Most Vlanoans live in isolated communities when not on the planet Onaud, which they dominate. A bizarre phenomenon, the Vlanoans represent the unique tendency amongst this species to create entirely arbitrary classifications.

Thalians (Embla plumbata sagittus): With the great genetic diversity of Humans also comes the great physical diversity. The Thalians, for instance, are a cybernetic people group common in Sagittarium. Sagittarian scientists created the group in response to the Ma'eau War. With most unmodified humans perishing, Thalians became the dominant people of Sagittarium. While genetically similar, their immune systems, skeletal, muscular, and nervous systems are heavily augmented. Artificial lifeforms, called nanites, are to Thalians as conventional bacteria are to others. By weight, over half of a Thalian is of "artificial" origin.

Vexlores (Embla dryadalis): Humans from Err, one of the largest and most ancient cities on Eos, possess several unique characteristics compared to their progenitors. The group is much more sexually dimorphic compared to most populations. Vexlores have exotic hair colors such as pink, cyan, and white. With a more carnivorous diet and greater musculature, Vexlores bear characteristic fangs that distinguish them from most other Humans. Thanks to Eos' weak parent star, very little ultraviolet radiation is present in their environment. Vexlores are comparatively pale.

Selagans (Embla selagarum): Selagans evolved on the planet Selaga and, despite the great differences from the rest of humanity, are one of its youngest groups at 6000 years. Selagans have very radiation-resistant skin and eyes, both of which attained the Selagan's characteristic jet-black features. Selagans prefer lower temperatures as they easily absorb heat on sunnier worlds.

Ekrosians (Embla nox): Ekrosians are another group of Humans known for their role in Ohko's Civilization. They live throughout Aylathiya, but most commonly in the Finale system. Ekrosians possess a larger skull, pronounced brow ridge, and wider pelvis in addition to several other distinguishing characteristics. Usually tall and thick, this group was most likely genetically engineered within 1,000 years of the emergence of Humans, potentially by the Second Aeternal Society.

Bahattes (Embla zushilo): The Bahattes are an offshoot of Humanity that cannot successfully reproduce with any other type of Human. Created in Sedrua, the Bahattes are the product of Vurilia Jutopati's experiments in the Lux Aeterna. Rapidly adapting to the conditions in the Lux Aeterna, the Bahattes evolved for movement in three-dimensional space. There is not much of a distinction between arms and legs for a Bahatte, their four limbs are identical and have equally dexterous hands. Bahattes are thin in comparison to most other Human groups.

Argetsen (Embla lazuri): In Azurullya, a strain of Humanity known as the Argetsen took hold not long after its initial colonization. Some genetic engineering or a freak thaumic mutation led to this group developing chimerism. Beings that an Argetse consumes are liable to have their genetic material stored and passed down in auxiliary genes to future generations. The variety of traits manifested within the Argetsen from other species makes it difficult to classify them as a single group, but cultural isolation in Azurullya has led to a shared identity with them. The manifested traits aside, the Argetsen look similar to Aegan Humans. Azurullya's dictator Moonmoon, although an Aegan himself, has manually undergone chimerism to represent his people. Or perhaps this trait was created to mirror his appearance.

Related Species

The Kshi are a cybernetic people group whose brain architecture is human. Originally a species of algae capable of using Thaumaturgy, Gran Rubedo scientists coaxed it into forming human-like brains. The Kshi pilot metal suits of armor and most consider them Human. Another group, the Kristals, are entirely inhuman in appearance, but they are arguably the most Human group. When creating Humanity on the planet Olaris, Zaphenim modeled their brains after that of the Kristals.