Mankind

Description
Men are diverse and innovative, able to adapt to virtually any environment, and breed faster than any other race. Although tragically short-lived (and shortsighted) mankind has achieved a great deal in its time; building mighty empires and wonders that have stood the test of time. They've also proven their mettle against beings much older and more powerful than themselves (the Elder Courts, for instance).

Magic
Human magic is bound up with the strongest forces of creation; life and death, blood, and birth. Sometimes this is expressed in noble bloodlines with strong connections to the land they rule, although often its a matter of random exposure to the Rift's energies. The Jinn alchemists, Riverine blood-witches, and Tiberium's "Blind-Fates" are among the most notable human magic users.

Old Dawn
Early humans first appeared in the Vanishing Isles, the world's most remote islands. These primitive islanders navigated by stars and visions alone and are still regarded as some of the greatest seafarers in history. The Islanders were a sophisticated people and built grand pyramids and observatories. However, they often moved between islands once they'd used up their already finite resources. Eventually they realized this way of life could not be sustained. Most chose to leave the islands and scattered to the winds, settling in Yavanna, Ys, and Ur. Those who remained behind are believed to have starved, resorting to cannibalism and human sacrifice before the end.

Yavanna
Most of the islands eventually settled in Yavanna. Although many cultures took root elsewhere (Land's End, for instance) it was in Yavanna that men truly prospered. The continent became the cradle of human civilization. Iskander, today long abandoned, was then the jewel of the continent. Although they were not a warmongering people the Iskandrians were considered first-among-equals, their Princes ruling Yavanna not through conquest but wise diplomacy. They alone kept the peace among thousands of rival Princedoms and for that they were loved above all other men. Many of the great empires that came afterwards trace their roots back to Iskander, whether they know it or not.

Amaranth
When the elves of the Summer Court arrived in Yavanna they enthralled the Princes, exiling the Iskandrians who settled in Amaranth. Early dynastic struggles among the Amaranthines saw them split into two groups; one remained in the city, the other fled into the deserts of Outremer and became wandering nomads. The former would control the Gulf for 4000 years and harness the great rivers, building a hydraulic empire that likes of which has not been seen since. But the later scattered to the winds; some settled in western Ur, establishing what would become the Tiberian Ecumene.

Tiberian Ecumene
Around 2000 years ago the Tiberians - then a wandering people - established the city-state Numitor on the shores of the Gulf. They prospered and after a brief and terrible civil war secured Amaranth's patronage. Relentless expansion transformed Numitor from a city into an empire; the Tiberian Ecumene, encompassing nearly the whole continent. Despite their posturing the Amaranthines eventually submitted to the Ecumene and became just another vassal.

The Long Decline
Afterwards the Tiberians mounted an invasion of Yavanna, which proved fruitless and led to war with the Summer Court and the elves' Argetlam dynasty. Despite winning the war they never recovered from their Pyrrhic victory, enduring a 1000 year decline before eventually crumbling under their own weight.

The Last Endings & the Fallow Wars
The "Endings" came 200 years ago. Dragons woke and burned the world to ash. Fires lit the night; smoke filled the sky; and the ash winters smothered the land like a shroud. Those few men left fought each other just to survive. This desperate time, the "Fallow Wars", did more to set back human progress than the dragons ever did.

Still hope remains. New nations emerge on the fringes of what was once the Ecumene, though it is doubtful whether men can ever regain their place in the world. So much has been forgotten. So much has been lost. And who can say if the dark times are truly behind us?

The Painted Kingdoms of Land's End

 * Tenneu
 * Prydein
 * Cordele/The Riverine
 * Lost Men
 * Suttoon- Saxons,Sarmatian Knights
 * Bede - warrior-scholars

Recent Developments

 * Tiberian shepherds discover the bare foundations of a mysterious city; they settle there, naming it "Numitor"
 * The Painted Kingdoms are enthralled by the Kindred Elves, after a bitter war.
 * Tiberium - a republic of city-states ("sister-cities") - transitions into the "Tiberian Ecumene" after a long trade/civil war.
 * The "Age of Man" is commonly reckoned to have been the most stable and prosperous era in history. The Tiberians ruled most of the known world thanks to trade, conquest, and exploration and aggressively abolished slavery and piracy in their domains. Its high point was the "First War of Accession", between the Ecumene and the Summer Court, and the Second with the Chiron Federation during the Centauri Rebellions.
 * This era came to an end during the Last Endings. Tiberium's Legions were stretched too thin to fight off the dragons waking out of hibernation and the city Numitor was again reduced to its foundations.
 * Ash winters fall over most of Ur, smothering the land and blotting out the Sun. Millions of people starve, ushering in an ongoing period called the Fallow Wars. Although there are pockets of civilization that have not just recovered but actually prospered after the Endings (Seawall, Freesia) it is doubtful whether the race as a whole will ever regain the power and prosperity it enjoyed under the Ecumene.
 * The Sorrows of Canton: migrating tribes, starving and homeless, conquer Canton
 * Canton, Freesia, and Denedell are created by a hunting argument
 * Seawall emerges as a new city-state, rekindling global trade. It is later sacked by the Tenneu people in one of history's unlikelier moments
 * Yavanna is invaded by Troikan adventurers, who also sack and take over Amaranth
 * Ys reverts to barbarism
 * The Prydein nation is reestablished by Brer the Bard
 * The Shield Marches consolidate into three major kingdoms
 * The Trouble in Canton - a hysterical uprising in Canton, a quietly prosperous country
 * What's left of Tiberium reemerges from living in Numitor's catacombs
 * Time-travelling Legionnaires wreak havoc all over the world
 * Freesia's waterwheels kindle an Industrial Revolution