Overview
Mankind in Orbis Tertius comprises a braided lineage of related clades, cultures, and city‑folk whose shared ancestry traces to the First Fires and the waters of Lake Khar. This entry follows the scholarly convention of the Mizrham Academies, presenting both biological descent and mytho‑historical descent where the two have indivisibly entwined.
Origins
According to the Stone‑Carvers’ Tablets, the proto‑human stock arose in the basin of Khar during the waning of the Second Rains. Competing traditions place the dawn further south along the Asterati littoral; the consensus model treats these as waves within a broader Polycentric Origin hypothesis.
Foundational myths
- Fire‑bearing Thesis — humanity distinguished by mastery of sacred flame.
- Naming Thesis — humanity as the first makers of true writing (scriptum).
- Guest‑Right Thesis — humanity bound by reciprocal hospitality; a legal rather than biological distinction.
Early branches
Early divergences are reconstructed from funerary typology and loanwords preserved in the Scholars’ Cant. The following tree summarises the academically accepted model:
- Riverine → city‑founders of the low plains; priestly lineages.
- Highland → terrace‑builders; kin‑law strong; famed for iron.
- Steppe → horse‑lords; oath‑pacts; great seasonal circuits.
- Maritime → archipelago traders; syncretic faiths; guild charters.
Homo sapiens
The majority human population of Orbis falls under H. sapiens sensu lato, with regional adaptations and civic gentilities rather than discrete subspecies. Scholars recognise civitates—legal‑cultural bodies that transmit lineage rights independently of blood.
Recognised gentilities
- Lowland Riverine (Gentes Kharensis)
- High Steppe Confederates (Nomoi Altiores)
- Maritime Compact (Foedus Pelagicum)
- Highland Cantons (Pagii Ferrarii)
Divergent offshoots
Hybridisations, covenantal lineages, and the touch of the Greater Powers have yielded notable offshoots that, while recognisably human, possess distinct legal or physiological status in various polities.
- Witch‑marked — lineages carrying hereditary pacts; often matriclanic.
- Salt‑kissed — coastal lines with exceptional cold tolerance and night‑sight.
- Stone‑favoured — miners’ houses reputed for bone density and altitude fitness.
Chronology
| Era | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Second Rains | Proto‑human hearths at Lake Khar | Char and fish‑bone middens |
| Late Dawn | Riverine–Highland divergence | Mortuary differences appear |
| Early Bronze | Urbanisation of low plains | Standard weights and script |
| Middle Bronze | Steppe compacts and horse circuits | Guest‑Right codified |
| High Bronze | Maritime charter guilds | Syncretic rites expand |
See also
Notes
- “Polycentric Origin” here is the Academies’ term for overlapping pulses of ancestry rather than isolated cradles.
- Gentility is a civic status; not a biological subspecies.
References
- Mallory, E. On Man. Mizrham Press.
- Azaria Espinosa, A. Guest‑Right and City‑Law. Acastelada Courts.
- Stone‑Carvers’ Tablets (facsimiles), Vault of Khar.