History:

The human state of Torodan, unlike it's neighbors, hasn't had a king or queen in over 1,000 years. In olden times, duties of government were split between the Royal Government, which controlled the army, inter-kingdom affairs, and land ownership, and the High Church, which controlled taxation, internal affairs, and directly relating with the masses. However, need for financial security gripped people, and the guilds began to rise in power. At the time, there were 5 guilds. The Mage's Guild, the Farmer's Guild, the Merchant's Guild, the Adventurer's Guild, and the Innkeeper's Guild. The Adventurer's Guild, last to be initiated, brought in radical new ideas to the Guild Council. The leaders of the Adventurer's Guild believed that those who were to lead them should be judged based on leadership qualities, not lineage. The other guilds found they had similar ideals for the guild structure. The most powerful mages were brought to the top, not necessary those of noble blood. Farmers who brought in low yields rarely were allowed to rise. Merchants and Innkeeps who could barely afford themselves the ability to increase their wares were never seen among the top members of the guild. And so a plot was formed by the 5 heads of the guild to overthrow what was seen as a corrupt king, to replace it with a society in which men would be judged on by their merits, not what blood runs in their veins.

The plot ensued. The Mage's Guild formed the plans and wrote diatribes on the failings of monarchy. The Farmer's, Merchant's, and Innkeeper's Guilds all spread these words, in secret, to the people. The Adventurer's Guild had contacts and members in all levels of society, and soon began gathering information as well as arms to fight the oncoming war. The Adventurer's Guild began to pool and collect resources to give to the Mage's Guild for the purpose of casting spells of power before and during the war. As soon as the people were set, the guilds planned on overthrowing the Royal Government and the High Church in one blow. Fortunately, their plan was revealed.

As the public began to get more and more restless with the messages of freedom that were being anonymously spread around, the Royal Government and the High Church began looking for the cause. Due to the fact that many loyal clerics of the High Church were also fairly powerful members of the Adventurer's Guild, the High Church found out when Antheas, High Cleric of Silveen was warned of the upcoming activities of the guild by one of the lower Clerics. A secret meeting of the High Clerics was called, and it was decided that the church would try and deal with the Guild Council rather than oppose them.

In an alliance between the High Church and the Guild Council, what was a small revolution became the War of Succession. The Royal Government had a hard time fighting off the revolutionaries. Internal defense, controlled by the church, was at an all time low, and a good 10% of the army proved to be more loyal to the Adventurer's Guild than the Royal Guard. The mages covered the battlefields with magic support, the people hid wounded combatants until the Clerics could come to heal them, and the Royal Government had precious few healing resources. However, the Royal Government did have a vastly larger army and the Guild Council was only pulling a minor lead due to magical resources. The battles were bloody and costly on both sides. However, the Guild Council had an ace up their sleeve, they made the battles bloody for a reason. After completing a major quest that started at the very beginning of the war, a group of adventurers were granted back by Garguth, lord of the dead, all of the fallen rebels, who immediately staged an attack. With major casualties on both sides until this point, the Royal forces fell under the vastly superior foe.

Soon after the defeat of the Royal Government, the Guilds set up their own constitution, espousing words of a meritocracy lead by the best of the best. The Knight's Guild was formed from the remains of the Royal Army and the Nobility, and while tensions were high at first, they proved to be loyal allies in the years to come. Guild after Guild was formed, and over the years some declined. While there have never been more than 30 guilds, the current number rests at 17, though it has been known to change every few years or so.

Society and Culture:

Human society is based on the principle that if you work hard and are good at what you do, you can do anything. This is rarely the case, but many still choose to believe it. 85% of the population are members of the guilds, though very few have any real say in affairs of government. Another 13% are members of the High Church in one capacity or another, while a mere 2% choose to live outside the system, though these people typically do not live as long. One of the reasons for such a high rate of social conformity is that between the guilds, every profession can be reached, and it is much easier to get ahead if your establishment is guild connected. Combined with relaxed attitudes toward membership that many of the guilds espouse, and few find any need to live outside the system.

Humans often marry between Orders and even Guilds, and many even marry for love rather than money or status. However, they usually fall into one business, and hence one order, within a few years of marriage, and thus most children grow up entirely surrounded by one guild, if not one order. While toys are rare among those with a social class lower than Guildmaster, games are common and children are encouraged to play together until the age of 8, where they begin apprenticeship.

Life as an apprentice can be hard, but it is often rewarding. The child learns very early on the basics of the business to which they might be in for the rest of their life, and there is little social stigma about changing professions or even apprenticeships for those who put forth the effort to do so on their own. Most children who stick with one apprenticeship understand their task by age 13, though it is not uncommon for children to finish as early as 12 or as old as 15. A child at 10 who completed apprenticeship would be considered a prodigy, while one who was still in training at age 20 would probably be considered a bit of a dunce. The High Church also begins accepting members directly into it's ranks at the age of 13, so many of it's members are already able to perform some other profession. Training as a cleric often takes around 2 years, after which point the person is able to roam the world freely as a Student. Many don't consider those around them to be adults until they are out of apprenticeship and either Guild Patrons or Students, so adulthood in human society really begins somewhere between 10 and 15, depending on the person involved.

Daily life depends on the person involved. Most people, no matter how happy they are in their current job, do it as well as they can, hoping to get noticed by the Council and to rise in ranks. Despite the freedom of choice, many people are unhappy with their job for one reason or another, and don't change careers because they do not want to become apprentices once again. Most people work 10 hour days, including housework, and businesses are generally open during the week as well as on weekends. The working years of a person usually end, depending on the guild and the physical and mental health of the person involved, at around the age of 45-50, at which point they are taken care of by their families.

Religion:

Human religion is dominated by the High Church. The High Church is composed of the congregations of Fiera, Garguth, Orn, Silveen, Sond, and Veil. Veil was the last, and most controversial, congregation added, and still holds the smallest number of clergy. Worship of Rend has been declared illegal by the Church, and this is supported by the actions of the council. While worship of Mordekai or Isikil is not technically illegal, many of the actions their worshipers do are, and such people are always considered 'high risk' by local officials. An invitation to the Church of Rissir to join the High Church is offered about every 20 or so years, but the Clerics of Rissir have declined the offer all times but once, rescinding the offer a little over one year after joining. Sond's congregation dominates, however the church is not ruled by majority. All matters of national importance within the Church's domain need to be agreed upon by all 6 representing High Clerics. If a matter cannot be resolved in a month, or if all members agree that it is urgent, the High Clerics may vote instead.

The High Church is run by the High Clerics, who are the ruling council for the church. Below them are the Elders, who take charge of the church in various areas of Torodan. Below the Elders are the Priests, who run individual churches. Headmasters, one step down from Priests, are in charge of training new entries, known as Students. A Student, once graduated, becomes a Cleric.

The period of a Student is always at least 2 years under a qualified Headmaster. While some ability to channel divine power is necessary before a Student may become a Cleric, this period also ensures that the Student is knowledgable in the dogma of their god and that they are true to the principles of their church. After 2 years, with the approval of the Headmaster, the student is indoctrined as a Cleric.

If a Cleric wishes to advance, they must become a Headmaster. This usually means standing out in some way, and approval from the local Elder. After this, they need to find a suitable student, whom, after 2 years of training, may leave their care. During these 2 years, they are expected to teach the student how a Cleric of their god is to behave, as well as help them along in their acquisition of new powers. After this, they no longer pick their students, and the local Elder or High Cleric determines who they will train, although they are typically given a period of a few months between students. Advancement from this point involves getting permission from the local Elder to design and build a church, at which point the Headmaster is considered a Priest. Priests still take on students, however, they also are in charge of dealing with the public and aiding those in need. Priests are also in charge of making sure that taxes get collected in their area. Upon his passing or retirement, an Elder selects one of the Priests in his area to replace him. Elders are in charge of making sure that the local area is policed, that the Priests are collecting their taxes, and the advancement of Students, Clerics, and Headmasters. The High Cleric is taken in a similar manner, with the High Cleric choosing one of the Elders to be his or her successor. The High Cleric oversees the whole of the operations for their church within Torodan, and is also in charge of dealing with the heads of churches in other empires.

Government:

The Guild Council controls the government, and most political advancement is handled within the guild system. However, certain roles have developed over time, both between and within the guilds. For instance, the Knight's Guild composes most of the official army, while the Mage's Guild tends to have the most judges in it's ranks. The Guilds are run by the Guildmaster, who is the pseudo-leader of the government. Since the Guild Council took over the government, a member of the Mage's Guild has always held this position, however, this is by no means an official standpoint. Guildmasters are elected for 5 year terms by the Guild Council, and may be reelected as many times as the Council sees fit. The Guildmaster's only real power is to veto any measure put forward by the Guild Council, at which point the Council may call for a vote by the Guild Leaders. The Guild Leaders comprise of the heads of each Guild, who run the day-to-day affairs of the Guild. The most important Guild Leaders are the 5 members of the Guild Council, who are voted on by the various Guild Leaders, who may not vote for themselves, and are elected for life. The manner in which a Guild Leader is put into power varies from Guild to Guild. In the Merchant's Guild, it is a 10 year position where the person selected is the one who gained the most yields in the previous decade. In the Farmer's Guild, the Guildmember with the longest term is brought in, although sometimes (slightly) younger people are chosen if the eldest is infirm or mentally unfit. In the Knight's Guild, it is typically done by bloodline, although military service and honor are usually taken into account. The Mage's Guild has not revealed the process by which it's leader is chosen, however what is known is that the position is for life, 12 mages are chosen for selection, and (at most) 1 survives the trial. If none do, it is attempted again. Provincials act as leaders for the various provinces of Torodan, and each guild has a provincial in each province. A new rank has formed as of the past 50 years, with the approval of the Guild Council, called Regionals. As of the past 50 years, Provinces have been divided into Regions, and each Guild has a Regional in each region. Below these are the Chapterheads, who run the various chapters of each Guild. Chapterheads are chosen by the local Guildmembers, who take a vote. Each Chapter has one chapterhouse, and is a member of one Order. Chapters are limited by Region and Province, but may conduct business outside of their area with permisson of the Guild Leader. Many Chapterheads have a commitee of advisors, which range from 1-20 people, as do some Regionals, Provincials, and Guild Leaders. Most towns are based around one guild, although members of other guilds may be present. A town concentrating on training of soldiers or defense of the nation may be run by a chapterhouse of the Adventurer's Guild or the Knight's Guild. However, the town may have a local armor dealer from the Merchant's or Smith's Guild, as well as someone from the Innkeeper's Guild, a few from the Farmer's Guild, and a few members of other Guilds as well. The Guild that founded the town is usually the one in charge of it, but if a town has been abandoned than whoever sets up a new chapterhouse is usually in charge.

Other Societies:

Humans Guilds, being based on profit, have resulted in two groups forming outside of the kingdom of Torodan. The first group is a direct result of the Guilds, while the second is a rebellion against the guild system.

Due to expansion of the guilds, many humans learn to live in other societies, and mingle in well with those societies. This is particularly true with members of the Merchant's Guild and their children. Some humans have gone out into the lands of Orcs and never returned, only for tribes of barbaric, warlike humans to spring up among the Orc population years later. Others join Erae merchants, and can be seen walking among them from time to time. These people are often known as “The Outsiders,” and are referred to in a disdainful light, particularly those who go to the Orclands, who are seen as dirty, uncivilized, and brutish.

The other group are often referred to as “The Water Folk.” Typically worshipers of Rissir, these people travel riverside and show disdain for the merchantile practices of the guilds, preferring to live a communal life. They are often thought to be untrustworthy, and are held in generally the same light as the Outsiders. This perception comes from the fact that the Water Folk do not believe in personal property, theirs or anyone else's. They will share all they have, and take it from the next caravan they see when no one is watching. Especially if it has a guild logo on it, as they frequently do.

Role Play, Costuming, and Make Up:

Humans of Torodan have a tendency to see life in terms of merits, or what one can do. A man without a job is nothing, and a man who cannot do his job well is not much of a man. They see life as a series of responsibilities, which include working, maintaining family, and being true to your faith. When playing one, think about what you do, for your career helps to determine your identity. Other values vary from guild to guild. Mage's Guild members tend to be either political or scholarly, while Knight's Guild members tend to be very honorable and blunt. Humans function best in groups, and are known to be good at banding together when troubles arise.

Humans tend to dress practically for their profession, but are known to wear more flamboyent garbs when the situation warrants it. They also usually wear a symbol showing what guild they are in, if not what order or chapter.

Fortunately, humans have no makeup requirement, unless you already look like some race other than human. (In which case, I don't quite know how to help you, but I am sure you developed some good make up tips by now.)