Races of Eredane: Humans

Note: These translations are based on Midnight, 2nd Edition and are compatible with Savage Worlds Deluxe Edition (and not the current Adventure Edition). Updated translations for these ancestries are forthcoming.

In this post, I bring you the human races inhabiting Eredane. The ancestral lords of the North known as the Dorns, originally inhabited Erenland before the Sarcosans invaded from across the seas. Out of this invasion and subsequent intermingling of the two cultures over the centuries, an entirely unique culture was born: the true Erenlander.

Dorns

Commonly known as Northmen, the Dorns are descended from the Old Kings and still inhabit the lands north of the Sea of Pelluria. Those who refused to leave their lives in the cities behind, whether by stubbornness or by necessity, live at the will of their brutal orc masters. Those that escaped the city, but lack the will to resist the Shadow, live in scattered and isolated in small communities across the vast hill country and tundra of Northern Erenland. Those who remain committed to resisting Izrador’s army are outlaws, constantly on the move.

Dorns are big, even for humans, with broad shoulders and long limbs. Their skin is pale, their eyes most often green or blue, and their hair ranges from gold to red. While once grown long and bound in metal rings, each symbolizing a battle fought, many Dornish men and women shave their heads as a symbol of shame at their failure to defeat Izrador’s horde.

Abilities

• Adaptable: Dorns are versatile warriors and begin with an extra Novice Combat Edge.
• Stubborn: Dorns value tradition and proven craft, making them often set in their ways and slow to embrace new ideas. All Dorns start with the Stubborn Hindrance.
• Warrior Tradition: Dorns are a strong and fierce warrior people. Dornish humans begin with a d6 in Strength.

Erenlander

Erenlanders are the product of two cultures once unified by military, commercial, and royal alliance as the nation of Erenland. The intermarriage of Dorns and Sarcosans took place for so long that a new race of Erenlanders was born. While not as large or pale as their Dorn heritage, nor slight or dark as their Sarcosan ancestors, they are a transitional people between the north and south, as well as the past and the future.

Most Erenlanders lack the attachment to their ancestors’ traditions and this has allowed them adapt and carry on more easily. Unfortunately, this lack of cultural restriction means Erenlanders also lack a sense of unity with their people, while their ancestors are bound together by a hatred of the Shadow and respect for the past. It is this diluted loyalty that has made many Erenlander communities easy targets for Izrador’s dark seeds of corruption. It remains to be seen whether the Erenlanders of the Last Age will cast off the shackles of suspicion and betrayal and unite the two bloodlines that created them or devolve into a directionless, broken people.

Abilities

• Adaptable: Erenlanders are the most versatile of all the human races on Aryth, gaining an extra Novice Edge from any category.
• Strength of Destiny: Erenlanders begin with a d6 in one attribute of the player’s choice.
• Young Blood: While diverse and versatile, Erenlanders are not always taken seriously. They receive a -2 penalty to any Persuasion skill test involving Dorns and Sarcosans.

Sarcosan

Humans in the southern region of Erenland are smaller and leaner than the Northmen. Their skin is dark brown and their hair is a shiny black. Their eyes are deep brown and set in narrow lids giving them a hard stare in contrast to their bright smiles. Many use herbal salves to bleach intricate, pale designs on their faces, arms, and chests. They typically dress in loose, flowing clothing.

Most Sarcosans live under the rule of Shadow and are traitors to their own people, blindly enforcing the will of the occupying legates and their orcish enforcers. There is hope, however, as more and more of the southlanders reclaim their ancestral Sarcosan heritage and revert to the nomadic, horse-tribe ways. Those that have are mobile bands led by outlaw sussars (elite mounted warriors) and living in tents which appear at night and disappear with the dawn.

Abilities

• Adaptable: Sarcosans are ambitious and capable, gaining an extra Novice Social Edge.
• Prideful: Sarcosans take great pride in the accomplishments of their Old Empire leading many to throw caution and foresight to the wind in the face of real danger. All Sarcosans begin with the Overconfident Hindrance.
• Scientific Traditions: Sarcosans have a long history of scientific advancement and complex social structures. Sarcosan humans begin with a d6 in Smarts.
• Versatile: Sarcosans may begin with a d6 in Persuasion (indicating urban life) OR a d6 in riding (indicating tribal upbringing on the plains).