Aurlûnoren Human

Aurlûnoren Humans also known as simply Aurlûnoren Men are the human inhabitants of the Aurlûnor Velande. They originally were the most dominant people group in Southern Syltör 74,000 years ago prior to Elven arrival. Some are descendants of old Kings that once ruled the region, as well as local tribal chieftens. Modern paleoanthropologists place these people under a supergroup known as the Ghûren (Ancient Men), with the modern descendents being known as Dawou Aurlûnoren.

Prehistory
Evidence of early settlement by Aurlûnoren humans is evident in 75,400BCA, by evidence of old tablets found in modern day Dun. The early peoples were said to have been a nomadic folk, who migrated around predominantly in the Heartlands, and the Fornois Range. The exact origins of the Aurlûnoren Men are unclear, but archeological findings had stated that they could of potentially originated from a similar location as the Proto-Bardonic peoples, but further south. Some theories also suggest that Aurlûnoren Men are offshoots of humans from the south, which would make them one of the only few humans to have any roots that come from the areas south of Haven.

Multiple caves depicting migrations have been found scattered throughout the Heartlands, such as the most famous cave painting known as the Lao Gushi cave, which depicts them coming from a rather harsh environment before settling in the region, though, no further paintings that go past this can be found in the areas surrounding it. Other cave paintings, most notably the Ghûdong cave in modern day Nir Province, depicts them braving the Endless Sea, and fighting sea monsters.

City States
The first proper settlement by Aurlûnoren humans, were likely located around what is modernly known today as the Yu'shen mound. The settlement, known by paleoanthropologists as "Yu'shen A" was built in 15,000BCA. Though not much is known about this particular site, remains of clay housing was found on the site. There has also been multiple other areas of the region such as the multiple hovels belonging to the Yi'yen peoples and thatched huts that were built by the largely sea-fairing Fai peoples.

In the year 11,100BCA, the advent of agriculture by the Aurlûnoren humans, most notably Dawou peoples would see the development of the first city-states. The most notable dominant power of the Heartlands, being the Yu'shen. Other Aurlûnoren Humans would follow suit in developing their own city-states. The Yi'yen people would mostly center around the present day Hloamar, and would spread themselves out throughout the surrounding Ha Anga Bayou. The Nû peoples would split away from the Yi'yen possibly around 11,750BCA, where they would settle around the southern swamps, and wouldn't be until around the year 11,070BCA where they would develop their own settlement in the region, and spread southwards, including into the areas along the Nandan River. The Fai people would found their settlement at around 11,400BCA, and would mostly fish around the coasts. Fai agricultural advancement wouldn't of come until 9,700BCA where they would face conflict with a few Nû people groups through raiding of coastal settlements.

By the time of the Elven Arrival in 11,000BCA, Aurlûnoren humans of the culture of the Dawou has seen a great increase with the number of city-states due to their more advantageous position and their more ambitious power growth. The Yu'shen City-State would effectively have control over fifteen other city-states that would together, form what is modernly known as the "Yu'shen Kingdom". Although it was not a unified state, great deals of power from the Yu'shen rulers had proven to be a formidable force that warded off raiders and invaders, with one account that was discovered in a mound located near modern Sachómar describing them as "resilient, and civilized for a bunch of barbarians that live on hills in great stone walls.".

The Decline and Conquest of the City-States
Aurlûnoren humans would continue to prosper when the Ardol culture of the Celestial Elves expanded north. Inbetween the years 11,000BCA to 8,300BCA, the varying Aurlûnoren human city-states, most noteably the Dawou, would experience a decline in their powerbases. The Yu'shen Kingdom that marked a golden age inbetween 9,600BCA to 8,900BCA would start to see the country start to take in concepts of their now new elven neighbors, who had started to expand their control further beyond modern Tacua Province up north. The more centralized authority would start to see a dramatic increase in Yu'shenic territorial gains, increasing it's power and influence. A series of weaker and more corrupt kings that had came at the end of 8,900BCA, and saw a notable decline in their government. The Kingdom's city-states would start to feel this, as famine started to hit the country, and would see the Kingdom plunge into war against the Celestial Elves settling in what is now known as Sachómar, and would see a loss in territory multiple times, though, it would always end in stalemates, with neither side gaining any upper hands. The hard crashing of the Yu'shen King in 8,300BCA, which was recorded to have been a young boy, would mark the final nail in the coffin for the once glorious Yu'shen city-state. Over 11 city-states would join the growing Sachómarite Kingdom that was enroaching on Yu'shen. The Battle of Yu'shen mound would mark the end of Aurlûnoren human domination of the Heartlands, relegating them below the now victorious and newly established Kingdom of Almador.

The remaining groups would also see a decline and eventual conquest by the Almadorians. Failure of crop yields caused wide spread famine throughout the Yi'yen city-states, which would see revolts break out against the dominating Yi. The conflict of Yi and Yen, which the name sake came from, erupt due to Yi neglecting the Yen people with each passing King, relegating them below them into an unequal union between eachother. This would of been taken advantage of, with the Yen winning over the Yi thanks to Almadorian backing with Maxion's conquest's of the Ha Anga Bayou. The Nû would be invaded by the migrating Kumiho at around 8,000BCA, where they would see their southwestern peoples livers be torn out and eaten by much of the brutal Liyen cave migrants. Subjugation of the Nû by the varying clans of the Kumiho would see them become valuable slave commodities, and would be traded with the Almadorians. Evidence of this would be found by bronze slave shackles in a digsite east of modern day Ruscoliemar. The Fai were affected the least, with many of them migrating to different areas, which leads to the modern theory of the people of Silvay are actually descendants of these said people, as there has been artifacts that belonged to the Fai that are located along a voyaging path throughout the Great Southern Ocean, leading to the isle city of Kumuur. Fai who remained in the region were eventually enslaved by the Kumiho, and traded with the Almadorians, or migrated to other areas in the southern regions of modern day Hampo.

Under Almador
Aurlûnoren humans in the Almadoric period were treated as second-class citizens below Celestial Elves. Many of them were either simple laborers, farmers and merchants, while about what modern estimates would believe, 15-25% of the population were enslaved peoples serving under varying tasks such as hard labor for construction projects, farming for nobility, to be used as throwaway troops in wars, or serving higher lords of the Kingdom. While Maxion was said to have only enslave those who opposed him rather than the ones who joined him, accounts of a freed Dawouic slave, who bought his freedom through fighting against the varying creatures that is in the modern Lûnwirmar arena, described the following, "Both those who were loyal and those who weren't, were enslaved. There was no difference between the two, except treatment. If you were not descendants of a loyal clan, you were treated as a wild animal, if your family was however, you'd be treated as a domestic animal."

Aurlûnoren humans were seen as a valuable commodity in trade, as they were traded with the First Dominion of Ashura despite hostile relations, to Kumiho clans, and were even to be as far recorded to have been purchased as eunuchs for the royal courts of the Dwarves of Erebor, though this is unclear if they had actually served the Dwarven Kings, as sources are often mixed with Brothaic sources, and it's likely that it was actually a tribe that was near the area that purchased them.

The Warring States
The ensuing chaos and break up of the Almadorians would also see the rise of minor Aurlûnoren human princedoms, kingdoms and dukedoms. One of the most notable Aurlûnoren human warlord states was the Yong, which came from a successful slave revolt, supported by the traditionally abolitionist and human sympathetic Locendur clan. The largely Yi'yen people group were well known for the Carin they built in 4500BCA, and a settlement they had made back in 4000BCA known as Jingji, which was recognized by the local rulers of the Locendur, which was a rarity for an Almadoric city-state to even have them be considered on equal ground to Celestial Elves. These new city-states would eventually be consumed by the more larger powers, and the varying treatments of these humans makes it hard to really tell how they were actually treated by the more larger powers, though, the ones in Linye and Melwende were largely considered to have been treated the same way as they were under Almador.

Modern Day
The fall of Melwende and Linye in the year 94BCA would be a major turning point for the varying cultures, with many Aurlûnoren humans siding with the growing power of Sareariel Lelya-Earcala due to her accepting of humans into her forces, as well as those she deemed as "True Almadorians". Unlike Maxion the Conqueror, Sareariel would instead pledge to free all Aurlûnoren humans under her rule of a newly reformed state. In the year 0CA, many Aurlûnoren humans in the Heartlands and around the Ha Anga Bayou, would become subjects of the newly formed Aurlûnor Velande. Unlike Maxion however, Sareariel kept her promise, and the abolition of slavery, ending of the practice of eunuchs and it's outlawing would mark the beginning of what many Aurlûnoren humans would call the "Second Golden Age of Aurlûnoren humans". All the Aurlûnoren humans that fought under Sareariel and those who also opposed her were given equal status to Celestial Elves, and were allowed to be put into government positions.

Over the next quarter of a thousand years, the Aurlûnoren humans would birth many famous scientists, writers, and literature novelists, as well as theologians of the country's dominant religion, Twin Dragon. The most famous of these figures was a man by the name of Guo Yun, a former tax collector, administrator and priest, in his book called, The Fourty-Four Ways of achieving Harmonious Balance, Beautification is Balance, and The Myths of Perfection, and the Beauty of Imperfection. Guo Yun would see the fifth month of the Twin Dragon Calendar be named after him in his honor due to his notable contributions to the growth of the domination of the faith in daily life and philosophy.

Today, the number of Aurlûnoren humans tripled their previous count while they were under Almador. Though they are still a minority, Aurlûnoren humans are respected figures within the government and throughout the Velande. Animosity between them and Celestial Elves decreased over the course of a thousand years, and many would even start to interbreed with them.

Appearance
Aurlûnoren Men are no different from regular humans, with the exceptions of those who might of bred with either Kumihos or Celestial Elves. Their average heights can fluxuate, but an average Aurlûnoren Human male can grow up to be 5'9, while females grow to be around 5'5. Their hair and eye colors tend to fit their environments of either the warm jungles of Tacua Province or the cool mountains of Alvada.

Aurlûnoren humans were famous for their invention of a type of clothing known as the dawoufu, which is worn by a large majority of the population. Their invention would even reach the Kumiho of Hampo Province through slavery and contact, creating their own variant known as a nanbok. They also seem to care a lot about how they appear, and usually, males have a tradition of keeping their beards nice and fresh looking, grooming it and keeping it nice looking. More ragged and gruff appearing males are seen as warriors, soldiers, or that sort. Females on the other hand, tend to try and keep up with their beauty, by applying lots of make up on their faces and wearing the finest garments. Clothing culture is rather important, as Aurlûnoren Men are extremely picky when it comes to wearing appropriate attires to certain events, formal, not formal, and other sorts. For example, it is considered rude to wear a military uniform when walking into a house, or a woman wears very little clothes when walking into a palace or holy site.