Loremaster:
Drakkar
DUE FOR A REWRITE
The humans are a species of curious, highly driven adventurers and survivors. Although newer generations are often short-sighted, close-minded or socially retrograde after the destruction of their home planet (Earth) plenty of their people preserve an education and set of habits akin to those of their former society. It is common to encounter humans fascinated with their historical heritage and, therefore, many will often try to imitate their ancestors' cultures and traditions from up to well over 1300 years ago in their seemingly never-ending quest for one of their own.
Humans remained isolated from other known species for a very long time, encountering their neighbors only after the destruction of their homeworld during the late first half of the 33rd century, roughly 40 years ago. Their home system, located in the southern region of CivSpace, is named after its center star: Sol. Following the destruction of Earth, the Human species spread out and settled in many of the already-existing colonies such as Titan, which continues to be the largest and most prominent in their region.
Humans are resilient, courageous, idealistic and they fancy being the center of attention. They adapt easily and quickly to their environments, which has greatly been key to their survival throughout history, and specially in present day.
The average human is moderately athletic, with a height that may vary from 4'8 up to 6'5 and, in some highly rare cases, genetic mutations may cause some to go as high as 7'4 or more, alongside an array of structural and muscular problems as they age. Their skin tone, eye color, hair color and other aspects of their biology are determined by their genetics. The natural eye colors among humans vary from different shades of brown to blue, green and grey. Their hair color varies from black or brown to blonde and rarely ginger or red. Many humans commonly dye their hair or modify their genes to permanently alter it. They are a binary species, meaning the overwhelming majority is either male or female, with the manifestation of both being the result of genetic mutations and increasingly uncommon in a naturally born human.
They are neither the strongest or the weakest of all known humanoid lifeforms. Their physical prowess relies entirely on their habits and activities. They show a noticeably high intelligence in capacity, but not many achieve their full potential. In average, most humans can perform different tasks and activities of various natures as deemed necessary or possible depending on their physical condition, which makes them the most adaptable species known in the Milky-Way galaxy.
There is no current specific culture that humans can be identified with. After the fall of Earth, most of this species spread out through space and formed their own societies, acquiring their own cultural traits and, in some cases (as seen in multiple pre-alliance colonies) reviving those of their ancestors. It is speculated that their lack of a real identity originated from the way the Concordium homogenized the human race to preserve it and maintain both order and peace for centuries to come. Nevertheless, some traditions and, mostly, family-specific cultural heritage were able to survive the centuries as they were passed on from generation to generation before the fall of Earth.
All in all, the human species is identifiable by their ability to adapt to any environment. As such, they are known to adopt the culture and join or form the society that matches their aspirations and ways of life, resulting in a versatility that is not commonly found in other species. It is not unlikely to see a human change or move from one society to another many times throughout their life.
3100 - 3283
The past century in human history had been one of great depression and grim expectations for the future. Many colonies had long since vanished or been destroyed amidst the ongoing skirmishes between space marauders, outlaw factions, armada deserters and the Earth Armada itself. The Earth was now recovering from a century of seclusion within the Sol System, and was prepared to once again take the reins of power throughout what had once been the territory of the Solar Federation...
xxxxxx
In the year 3113, what was left of the Alliance council became the United World Government, which set off to reunite the human race under one flag like its predecessor had done centuries ago. However, this was not a flag of peace and prosperity: The UWG was set to deal with any and all non-compliant factions in human controlled space. In order to successfully protect the frontier colonies from outlaws and marauders, the UWG created a branch of the Earth Armada that would become known as the United Systems Colonial Marines, in charge of frontier security and the maintenance of prison stations and colonies. In the following decades, the UWG would wage a war fought mainly with economic strategies to seize the markets of holdout factions and supply lines between outlawed colonies as it grew into an empire. With their motto: "There is only one world. You can join in our bounty or starve in our absence", the finalization of the UWG's control over most of human controlled space marked the birth of a new mostly-peaceful and resource-efficient empire.
Through strict meritocracy and careful planning, the UWG managed to stabilize the Earth's population while promoting technological advancement and off-world colonization efforts. The UWG strictly enforced many controversial policies towards its utilitarian goals, creating what could be seen either as a utopia or a dystopia depending on one's ideals. Population was strictly controlled. Birth control measures were introduced into food and water supplies that could only be counteracted with drugs that were prescribed for those obtaining a proper license. Circumvention of such control measures was a criminal offense. Populations were moved into massive cities, allowing for efficient transportation and distribution with a minimal of infrastructure. The old Alliance credits were replaced by the Union credits. The elderly were now obsolete and removed from the equation through a humane euthanasia program without an extended life license. All this, along with countless other measures taken, made the UWG a largely oppressive and manipulating empire that maintained control of the large majority of human space for roughly a century and a half. At the same time, the scientific and advanced technological research colonies on Mars had now become a united faction that in the late decades of the 32nd century would find itself waging war with the UWG over its independence and the control of the red planet's assets. This war would cause the UWG to find itself at a deep shortage in resources, despite ending in what was considered to be a stalemate. As a result, the UWG engaged in a race to catch up with Mars' technological advancement in a spite of greed and hatred.
However, the race would not last long: on August 28th, 3242, a distant object was spotted on the radar of many surveillance networks throughout the Sol system, headed towards planet Earth. Its density and composition triggered no early warnings. What seemed, by all observation, to be just another of thousands of meteors that would be tracked that day, would instead be reclassified as meteorite within moments of colliding with Earth's atmosphere. Suddenly defense grids came alive. Warnings were issued. Every capable satellite and ground station within range that had a clear line of sight fired energy weapons, but to no avail. As energy weapons sizzled across the meteorite's hard surface, sensors detected an organic lifeform within the comet: A beast that proved to be far more durable than expected.. Durable enough to survive Earth's defense grid. Durable enough to survive a high energy impact with the planet. Durable enough to emerge from its crater, hungry. Durable enough to devour the Earth.
The UWG put into effect all emergency protocols to evacuate the planet, prioritizing the elite and chosen few by their computer algorithm. Those who were not so lucky were left behind to secure their own way out of the dying world by any means necessary. The Earth Armada struggled to keep order and found itself split between those who followed the UWG's directives and those who rebelled against them to ensure the survival of more than just the rulers and the rich. As clocks ticked, large ships, military cruisers, carrier vessels, fighters and shuttles shot out of Earth's atmosphere, warring one another as they entered outer space to escape the colossal tentacles that decimated thousands of ships desperately trying to escape.
xxxxxx
A total of 47 hours had passed since the comet struck Earth's surface. In that time, 11.2 billion lives had been lost amidst the devastation caused by the creature and the brief war that was fought above the planet's atmosphere. The human species was now scattered without a homeworld and with no structured figure of power to control or dictate their lives. All there now lay before them was the heart-wrenching void of space, the darkness ahead of the frontier colonies, and a forgotten spark: A primordial thirst for exploration, and the hunger for adventure in the endless sea of stars...