When creating fictional races, the human race has the baseline for what sentient beings should think and act like. The differing cultures of elves, dwarves, etc. are often based partially on the various cultures of the real world. Though in reality, only humans are considered to be people in a general sense, the principles of fiction allow us to project some of our tendencies onto beings of fantasy. Similarity to real world cultures often helps make a fantasy race relatable, likewise, it can add to the setting's believability. With such diversity of cultures in our world, it is only that a fantasy world should be the same.
The humans of Jambur are based primarily off of the cultures of Asia, and represent a diverse group of ethnicities. In addition to these here, there are semi-nomadic tribes living in the center of the continent (the Totemic Lands on the map.) Since there is a great deal of variance in Totemic Tribe culture, I will wait until another post to go over them. For now, here are the prominent human cultures of Jambur.
Human
Originally featured in Pathfinder Core Rulebook
Humans are driven by two needs: the need to explore the unknown and the need to conquer the unknown. Whether it be resources, land, or realms beyond the mortal soil, humans have always been creatures of desire. Whereas other races like the samsarans look upon earthly possessions as unnessary tethers, humans spend entire lifetimes cultivating material wealth and lasting relationships. Sometimes the answers they seek are profound, such as the meaning of life or the secret of divinity, but every path they take eventually leads to the same fate. Few races are more aware of their own mortality then humans, and some say it is the inevitability of death that leads to their endless lust for the world’s bounty. Over the course of history, humans have spread to every corner of the mortal realm. The continent of Jambur is home to several nations of humans, which are divided into larger groups by cultural and historical differences as well as varied appearances based on climate.
Devani
- Languages: Common
- Homeland(s): Randasa, Rhidria
- Religion: Way of the Blue Sage
- Appearance: Devani skin tone ranges from a light coppery color to a dark brown, while hair and eyes are usually dark. Long braided beards are quite popular among men, while women like short and simple hairstyles. Wealthier Devani often clothe themselves in ornate robes and/or long-sleeved garments that hide the hands.
The rumors of extradimensional aquaducts, floating buildings, and teleportion hubs in Devani cities are not an exaggeration. Ever since the time of Satyama Vidana, the legendary samsaran monk who pioneered the art of summoning, the Devani have become obsessed with arcane magic and its unlimited applications. Their connection to the samsaran race runs deeper than simple admiration, and the relationship between the two has persisted since ancient times. Through dedication to the spiritual principles of the samsarans, a Devani can aspire to become a samsaran in their next lifetime. As a culture, Devani seek enlightenment and answers to the mysteries of the universe.
The two sister homelands of the Devani may as well be polar opposites. Randasa is the single most magically advanced nation in the world, while Rhidria is war-torn wasteland almost completely drained of resources. Though these countries differ severely in terms of affluence and stability, the rich culture and history of the Devani people ties these lands together in a way that honors the ancient treaty these nations agreed upon in an age long past. Eons before the Onjin Empire ever reared its head, the Devani were oppressed by a race of earthbound fiends known as rakshasas. For a thousand years, the Devani chafed under these bestial despots, seeking contentment and salvation within the pain of slavery. Eventually, through an alliance with the vanaras and kalavi, the devani were able to collectively break free from the grip of the rakshasas and establish a foothold for themselves in the world. The then-fertile land on which they settled would eventually come to be known as Rhidria, and its younger sister Randasa was born a few centuries later out of conflict with the Onjin horde. Many scholars and historians regard the Devani legend of freedom as nothing more than a myth, but there is possible evidence in the past-life memories of samsarans that this epic battle of mortal against fiend actually took place. It is said that a samsaran warrior named Prince Yash was the one to lead the final charge against the tyrannical five-headed king of the rakshasas.
The Devani lifestyle is highly structured, with a strict caste system that denotes rank and purpose within society. The five social classes, or castes, are defined as follows: mantrika (summoners), kshatriya (generals, kings, nobility), vadisa (gurus, monks, oracles, and samsarans), sudra (farmers, merchants, workers) and pariah (untouchables). An additional grouping, dumerendra, is not a caste in the traditional sense, but a category of spellcasters whose magic is disapproved by the mantrika elite (this includes most witches and sorcerers). Since the mantrika command the highest amount of wealth of respect, outsiders to Devani culture often view the caste system as a magocracy. This assessment has a grain of truth in it, as members of lower castes who develop a connection to an eidolon are often “accepted” in the mantrika caste once they learn to cast a certain amount of spells. There exist no other reliable ways to move beyond one’s caste at birth in Devani society, and most individuals are content to stay within their predestined role.
Krescari
- Languages: Aklo, Common
- Homeland(s): Moonspire Basin
- Religion: Moon Worship
- Appearance: Albinism is common among the Krescari, and their skin is unusually pale for the climate. Krescari possess lean and wiry bodies, though their height varies greatly. The Krescari often use dyes and mixtures to change their natural hair color to vibrant shades of pink, purple, or indigo.
Branded as “lunatics” and “moon men” by other nations, the Krescari have a reputation for savagery. They are howlers at the moon, devout worshippers of mad gods, and bloodthirsty raiders who bring misshapen horrors with them wherever they roam. Fortunately for the civilized world, they lack the organization or numbers to expand their territory beyond the Moonspire Basin. Krescari are seldom seen outside their isolated basin, as they are unwelcome in most other lands.
A towering monolith known as the Moonspire can be seen from anywhere within the borders of Krescari territory. The moon men have always lived in the shadow of the grisly structure, as if some supernatural force compels them to not abandon it. Built in ancient times by unknown forces, it is theorized that the doorways at the base of the Moonspire opened first to let out the Krescari into the world. Dark creatures such as occasionally emerge from the moonspire, filling the surrounding lands with all manner of monstrosities. Whatever else lurks within the interior of the tower is a mystery to outsiders, though it is thought that anyone who enters the Moonspire does not leave with their sanity intact.
To understand the madness of the Krescari, one must understand the horrifying gods they pay tribute to. While most dimensional scholars beleive that there are only six realms of existence, there is actually a seventh realm known as the Lunar Macrocosm. Existing partially within every dimension, the strange space of the Lunar Macrocosm is home to aberrant beings that thrive on fear and insanity. Animate dreams, boogeymen, hags, and moon-beasts are among the multitude of night terrors that originate in this dimension. Most mortals can only interact with the Lunar Macrocosm through cryptic nightmares, but the krescari are able access it through other means. By meditating in the presence of the Moonspire, krescari have learned to project their minds into the seventh realm. During these bizarre astral journeys, the krescari communicate with their gods: the exceptionally-powerful natives of the Lunar Macrocosm.
There do exist some rogue Krescari who have seperated from the worship of the Lunar Gods, though these “traitors” are usually sacrificed in bloody rituals before they can escape. Even those who make it beyond the borders of the Moonspire Basin are not safe from harm, as many tribes in the Totemic Lands are known to kill Krescari on sight. In accepting countries like Zhoa, a small percentage of Krescari refugees are able to integrate with the population. Though they are often haunted by the atrocities they witnessed in their homeland, Krescari deserters can go on to live rich and fulfilling lives. Though the prejudice against Krescari may never disappear, the world is becoming more and more accepting of these tragic runaways.
Onjin
- Languages: Common
- Homeland(s): Onjin Empire
- Religion: Ancestor Worship, The Eight Illusory Lords
- Appearance: The average Onjin stands a little over five feet tall, though their bodies are often stout and muscular. The Onjin people have dark hair and honey-colored skin. Onjin men with military experience often have facials peircing and wear metal jewelry on their eyebrows, ears, and noses. Onjin women are quite fond of hair decorations, and tend to wear their hair in extravagent styles rather than simply letting it down.
The ruthless Onjin Silver Horde was once the most feared mounted cavalry in the known world. Under the cunning leadership of Aga Oblei, the first half-orc, the nomadic Onjins and their orcish allies cut a swath of destruction across the land that nearly swallowed the entire continent. When it seemed that nothing could stop them from uniting Jambur, Satyama Vidana appeared before Aga Oblei’s forces and split the boundary between dimensions wide open. The first summoner called forth of an army of asuras which decimated the Silver Horde and slew the great half-orc emperor as he charged. Unlocking the magic of the six realms stopped the Onjin Empire in its tracks, leading to a steady decline of power, resources, and territory. The empire, as well its people’s pride, has never fully recovered.
Before the rise of the empire, the Onjin were a collective group of nomadic tribes living in the Silver Steppes. Their husbandry with the large axebeak birds of that region can be traced back to this time. When disputes arose between themselves and rovings bands of ifrits and orcs, the Onjin soon learned that warriors mounted on birdback were far more effective in battle. Mastery of mounted combat elevated the Onjin people to an undisputed place of authority among the steppes tribes. Eventually their close bond with the axe-beaks led to the ancension of an Onjin high priestess into an animal lord. Those who share her bloodline still watch over the axebeaks in current age and keep balance between the Onjins and their avian partners.
Superstition has always been a facet of Onjin culture, even as their civilization has expanded. Magic is seen as a force to be wary of, and even the most brash barbarian warriors are taught to defend against its influence. Onjin nobles sometimes like to flaunt their wealth by employing sorcerers and witches in their courts, hoping to prove that their silver is stronger than the arcane arts. Naturally, these spellcasters are given lavish treatment and high pay so as not to incur the wrath of the forces they represent. There is another reason that Onjin rulers choose to keep such magic-users around and it has to do with their disdain for summoners. If all magic is to be feared, the Onjin people would rather fight fire with fire and stay far away from the after-effects.
The current Onjin Empire is ruled by a noble class of half-orcs, referred to lovingly as the high orcs. Since the time of the founding emperor, the Onjins have been raised to beleive that humans like themselves are incomplete beings. It is only through coupling with orcs and producing half-orc children that a human can secure a stronger future for the empire. For their part, the full-blooded orcs who live among the Onjins see the high orcs as possessing a strategic mind and practical intellect which they themselves lack. Both races, human and orc, beleive that the half-orcs combine the best attributes of both parents into a perfect whole. Aga Oblei taught the Onjins that nothing seperated humans from orcs outside of appearance, and that together the human race and the orc race could conquer the world. It is said that the dream of every Onjin citizen is to create a world ruled under the iron fist of high orc overlords and populated by entirely half-orc citizens.
Suthlandish
- Languages: Common, Suthlandish
- Homeland(s): Suthland, Western Ocean
- Religion: The Elements
- Appearance: Suthlandish are tall and statuesque, with light skin and golden hair. Their eyes, large and round in comparison to those of the Onjin people, are either bright blue or green.
The flaxen-haired Suthlandish are not native to the continent. Instead, they originate from an advanced island kingdom in a distant ocean to the west. Best known for their numerous trade ventures with Randasa, the Suthlandish are something of an enigma to the people of Jambur. This widespread curiousity from other humans towards Suthlandish goals and foreign ways is often mistaken by these people as awe or admiration. In truth, many cultures do not trust the Suthlandish.
The country of Suthland is said to contain a vast wealth of minerals and rare metals, many of which cannot be found in Jambur. These materials are often used to build the Suthlandish’s famous clockwork automations, the largest and most powerful of which are capable of decimating a small city in less than an hour. Many of the western metals are conductive to arcane magic as well, making such materials a lucrative commodity to export to Randasa. Although clockwork constructs are popular in Suthland, the appeal of these mechanized creations seems to go unnoticed in most parts of Jambur. This opinion is especially prevalent among summoners, who beleive that eidolons are superior to clockwork in every way. The Suthlandish themselves have a similar negative bias towards eidolons and other summons.
Traditionally, Suthlandish are not concerned in spiritual matters. They firmly beleive that the universe is shaped by chaotic primordial elements rather than conscious dieties. The most important elements in Suthlandish teachings are earth and water: the two elements they beleive compose the entire world. Lesser elements include fire, wind, and woodgrain; though there are more obscure elements such as mold and shell-bone which pertain to parts of existing lifeforms that appear to be entirely different in composition. To the more educated planar scholars of Jambur, such distinctions seem overly specific at best and utterly juvenile at worst. As a result, Suthlandish rarely discuss their scientific beleifs among others.
No other group of humans have traveled the world’s oceans the way the Suthlandish have, and it is rumored that their voyagers have dropped anchor on every coast that exists in the natural world. Expeditions to unknown places are a constant undertaking in Suthland, for the people are driven by a wanderlust they often cannot explain. A great many Suthlandish grow up in homelands that are not their own, simply because the crew of a ship that carried their parents became overly attached to the local culture. Though they are traders and settlers first and foremost, the Suthlandish are cultural sponges that absorb beleifs and ideas from those around them. As they experience the world beyond their insular homeland, their desire for strange and new vistas continues to grow. One by one, Suthlandish sailors all over the world come to find where they truly belong.
Tarjiks
- Languages: Common
- Homeland(s): Gurta Desert
- Religion: Arachma
- Appearance: Tarjiks have olive skin and straight, dark hair. They are on average, tall and slender. They tend to wear loose-fitting clothing suited to desert terrain, preferring silk as a material.
It is said that Tarjiks are the most honest merchants in the world. Following a complex network of trade routes that was established several centuries ago, Tarjiks wander from nation to nation selling their wares. Tarjik caravans are like enormous families, and members of the same caravan often form inseperable bonds with each other that go above ties of blood. Familial names do not exist in Tarjik culture, as a person’s surname comes from the name of their caravan. Many Tarjiks are crafters and inventors in addition to merchants, and it is not uncommon to see exotic contraptions and handmade goods among the inventory of a large caravan.
Tarjiks are semi-nomadic, but in the past they ruled a lavish nation that could rival the Onjin Empire of the present. Most records of this nation, much like its ruins, are scattered and buried beneath the sands of the Gurta Desert. A large proportion of the world’s wondrous items are based off of formulas found in old Tarjik ruins. Some examples of items made from Tarjik designs are the famous flying carpet, the portable hole, and the efreeti bottle. These magical objects and many more cement the Tarjiks reputation for having items seen nowhere else in the world. Only Randasa manufactures enough magic items to rival the stock of the Tarjiks, and a fair percentage of those items are mere revisions of ancient Tarjik designs.
Despite the universal appeal of the magical item merchants, there are some Tarjik traders that inspire hatred across the continent: the binders. Tarjik Binders are the worst of slavers, preying on exotic races and rare creatures in order to sell them to wealthy customers. They are marauders and thieves, who profit from misery of the oppressed and depravity of the privileged. The binders are ruled by the teachings of an ancient order of mages that specialized in trapping genies to suit the needs of the living. While true practitioners of the ancient genie-binding arts are few and far between, Tarjik summoners often call upon eidolons resembling genies and other elemental spirits.
Silk and soap are the most prized materials in Tarjik culture, and most caravans will accept either as a form of currency in exchange for goods. Lifestock and fresh food are also valuable, but aren’t appreciated as status symbols the way silk and soap are. The Tarjiks fascination with silk actually has a religious basis as Arachma, the ancient goddess of creation they worship, is most often depicted as The Spider That Wove The World. Wearing spider silk is one way of paying tribute to Arachma, whose web is said to encompass all of cosmos. The need for soap is a simple one, as cleanliness is believed to be the purest of virtues in Tarjik society.
Racial Traits
+2 to One Ability Score: Human characters gain a +2 racial bonus to one ability score of their choice at creation to represent their varied nature.
Human: Humans are humanoids with the human subtype.
Medium: Humans are Medium creatures and receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Normal Speed: Humans have a base speed of 30 feet.
Bonus Feat: Humans select one extra feat at 1st level.
Skilled: Humans gain an additional skill rank at first level and one additional rank whenever they gain a level.
Languages: Humans begin play speaking Common. Humans with high Intelligence scores can choose any languages they want (except secret languages, such as Druidic).
