Humans of Warhammer Online
Warhammer Online Lore

The Beginnings of Humanity

It was after the fall of the great Dwarven realm and the scattering of the Dwarfs amongst the mountains of the old world that dealings first began with the Humans. This was some 3,000 years ago and 4,000 years after the fall of the old Slann. During which time, humanity had developed wholly within the new Chaos-warped world. Few were so heavily influenced by Chaos that they worshipped the Chaos Gods, but undoubtedly the qualities of vigour, aggression, and cultural change that were altogether lacking in the Elves, and only partially present in the Dwarfs, were developed in them to a high degree.

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The Dwarfs watched the first Human tribes struggle upwards from the south, and they occasionally traded with them, swapping skins and furs for metal implements, baubles and occasional services. Humans learned much from these exchanges, but they were fiercely independent, and so their cultural advance took a separate and rapid form. Within five hundred years, Humanity had evolved from naked savages into farmers and herders û barbarians certainly, but mighty warriors, opposed to creatures of evil, such as Goblins. The Dwarfs, so long in danger of being swamped, had found a new ally, and together drove the Goblins out of the Old World, back into the darkness. The deeper forests and mountains remained dangerous, but the majority of the Old World was now free.

The Dwarfs continued to live in their ancestral homes, under constant threat from the Goblins, but far safer than they had been for many years. Whilst Humanity continued to thrive and develop, the Dwarfs retained a close identity with the mountains and mines. Over the next two thousand years, Humanity developed an urban civilisation, and the traditional crafts of the dwarfs were welcomed in the bustling populous Old World. Today many Dwarfs live in Human cities, where their skills in engineering and metalwork make them a handsome living. However, it is still undeniable truth that the Dwarfs are a dying race, their settlements in the Worlds Edge mountains becoming fewer every year, whilst their traditionally slow reproductive rate means that their numbers are constantly dwindling. Worse still, a severe eruption of the northern gateway recently drove many Chaos creatures into the northlands, at the same time corrupting a good many of the Northern Dwarfs, turning them into the foul Chaos Dwarfs.

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The Rise Of Humanity

Humans are a recent addition to the races of the Old World. Only three thousand years ago, primitive hunting bands followed the Dwarfs Northwards and began to settle in the forests of the Old World. At first they lived by hunting wild game, fishing, and collecting natural harvests. Within a short time, however, they had constructed relatively primitive settlements (perhaps in imitation of the stone forests of the dwarfs) and begun to herd cattle. As the various tribes began to carve out territory for themselves, their development was hindered by both their rivalry and feuds, and attacks from the ubiquitous Goblin hordes. Both problems were eventually solved by the emergence of a strong leader in the form of Sigmar Heldenhammer (æHammer of the GoblinsÆ) who unified the Human tribes of the north-eastern Old World and, in alliance with the Dwarfs, finally defeated the Goblin armies, pushing them back into the Dark Lands, thus were the foundations of the present day Empire laid.

Over the next five hundred years, humanity expanded vigorously. The reason for the races rapid ascension may be traced to its origin, at a time when the inter-dimensional gateways were collapsing, releasing a great deal of Chaos material into the world. Although Chaos has the power to mutate and destroy, it is also typically aggressive, changeable, and vigorous. Humanity inherited many of these qualities.

There were many among the race who were doomed to corruption by the creeping Chaos û their forms mutated, their minds and bodies twisted so that new races of abhuman creatures were developed û the hideous Beastmen. But the vast majority remained identifiably Human, and the Beastmen and other foul mutations were driven into the dark woods, or under the ground where dwelt other vile servants of Chaos.

Five hundred years ago, the Empire divided into a number of warring petty kingdoms, largely based around the new cities the Humans began to build. These were still pretty crude by the standards of Dwarfs and Elves, and life remained very hard for the majority û no one expected to live very long, and famine and disease were rife in an age that lacked all but the most primitive of conveniences. Most people spent their entire lives scratching a living from the soil. Building was for the most part in wood, whilst the effort of erecting stone buildings was reserved for some tombs, temples and occasional fortresses. At about this time Humanity developed a coherent written language, although its use would not become even remotely common for another five hundred years.

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