Humans

Humans are by far the most numerous and prosperous race in Gaia, and more specifically Shafador. Spread across both the Old Continent and the new world, the Human race has many faces and many different cultures. For the most part all Humans share the same characteristics, lacking any true supernatural abilities the true strength of Humanity lies in their cunning and ingenuity, their ability to make the best of any situation and to invent and work tools.

This is not the case for all Humans of course, due to their connection to Alkavir and the interest of the Ilakavir and Delkavir Humans are capable of having their blood infused with Magic to transform into something new. Such cases as the Marrokin, or the Awakened are evidence of this. Likewise, there exist a race of Humans known as the Nephilim, Humans with Non-Human souls that are granted powerful abilities based on the souls they have inherited.

The great variation in Gaia’s territories cause a numerous amount of racial ethnic groups to coexist within its lands. Generally, the majority are united by common cultural, linguistic and religious practices, although in the central territories of the Empire a great ethnic variety still exists, because during the years that followed the War of God, refugees from all the areas of the world met to found Abel. Therefore, the union of these towns is more and more frequent, making it slightly more difficult to delimitate it.

Even without being completely sure of its true number, the University of Lucrecio has classified more than two hundred different ethnic groups in the Old Continent alone. Nevertheless, to make its distinction simpler, they have been broken down further into nine primary groups, within which the majority of the others are included. Naturally, they are only archetypical images of ethnic characteristics that do not necessarily represent everyone. For example, ryuan can be enormous mastodons by the same token that there are small nordics with a feeble complexion.

Asher: The asher are the main ethnic group within the central areas of the Old Continent. They are physically characterized by a slender constitution, well formed features and brown or gray eyes. They can have any hair color, but darker hues, like brunette or brown, are the most common. It could possibly be argued that they are the native inhabitants of central Gaia, although they are also found scattered through other more distant lands. It is impossible to place their origins, since from the time of the Holy Kingdoms they were the most plentiful and extensive settlers.

Aion: The aionenses are the second most extensive ethnic group of the central territories of Abel. They are usually slightly taller and more stylized than the asher, but they maintain a similar athletic constitution. Their features tend to be fine, they have light colored hair and eyes, and a high percentage tend to be blond and blue-eyed. The popular belief is that the aionenses are the descendants of the original settlers of the Empire of Solomon.

Tayahar: The tayahar population mostly live in lands of Al Enneth, although many of them have immigrated to distant lands, like Dwänholf. Their most notable racial characteristic is the color of their skin, slightly dark and burnished like metal. Generally their hair is of a subdued color, being most commonly brown and black. Their eyes can have any color, even clear tones. It is thought that they are originally from the desert areas of Kushistan and Salazar, although is impossible to determine their exact roots.

Zínner: Although people tend to think that the zínner population is made up of only The Zigeuner, this ethnic group actually encompasses many more people. Normally considered nomads, the zínner have spread themselves throughout all of the north and central regions of the Old Continent. Since they are usually in constant travel, it is difficult to place their origins, but everything seems to indicate that they must originate northeast of the Old Continent. Zinner have skintones that range from pale to a light tan and often have darker colored hair, though many of them prefer to dye their hair vibrant colors or adorn them with unusual ornaments to make them stand out more. ZInner are also known for tattooing much of their body in odd and artistic works, often changing from group to group.

Ryuan: Also known as the Varja, these people settled mainly through the eastern islands, although there is a large concentration living in Phaion Eien Seimon as well. They are characterized by their almond eyes, their slightly golden skin and by their hair, always black in color. They tend to be of short stature and athletic, wiry builds. The origins of the ryuan are in the natives of Varja, who for several thousand years lived on the island with minimum interference from other populations. For that reason, it is easy to affirm that they are one of the ethnic groups that have remained more or less unchanged over the course of history.

Norne: The norne are the main inhabitants of the nordic regions, characterized by their girth, their severe personalities, their untidy blond or red hair and their pale skin tones. They share the same cultural roots and there are some that call them Caste of Holst. They are the original inhabitants of the Tip of the World, from where they settled to other lands.

Vildian: The vildians mainly occupy the strip between the territories of Al Enneth and the heart of the Empire. Most of them have an average complexion and while hefty, they are not too tall. Their skin is slightly dark, and the color of their hair has great variety, but it mostly falls between brown and black.

Daevar: The Daevar are most unusual ethnic group of Gaia. The have dark skin and completely white hair, a characteristic that makes them stand out especially to other ethnicities. They have an athletic and stylized constitution, fine features and dark eyes. They are not very numerous, but generally the majority are found in the central area of the Old Continent, mainly in Togarini. The origin of the daevar is quite enigmatic, but it is suspected that, like the aionenses, they come from another group of settlers of the old Empire of Solomon.

Kwa: More than a single ethnic group, the kwa are the tree from which are born more than a hundred minority groups. They stand out for having their skin and hair completely black, a unique characteristic in Gaia. Usually physically they are big and robust, and are without a doubt the tallest individuals in the world. Their origins lie in the southeastern area of the Old Continent, from which they have spread themselves through a multitude of countries in said territories.

Celsus: An ethnic group originally of the rainy forests of Alberia they are individuals with pale skin, clear hair and eyes and a robust constitution. Theoretically they are descendents of the inhabitants of an old kingdom that was located in one of the lost continents, where they came from more than fifteen hundred years ago.