Embir

= Embir = Industrious, organized, and extraordinarily versatile, the Embir represent in Armeya what a human represents in Earth. The ancient world of Armeya saw the rise of the Embir as tribal nomads who took quickly to spreading across the western continent, covering its plains and sands far and wide. At first split into eight distinct kingdoms, the Embir would war amongst themselves for territory and resources. It wasn't until the warrior who would later be called Asch Ment rose up and began to forge alliances did any single kingdom seem to fare better than the others. Through his work uniting the people, the Embir came to collect themselves as one people and stand beneath the banner of a unified Empire.

Personality
The Embir vary wildly in talents, with even strange tendencies showing up amidst a single family, such as two parents who are strong warriors giving birth to a weak but insightful child. Though not all Embir are gifted intellectuals (though some are), all share a drive to hone their personal skills in every endeavor; they are the quickest race to learn new and master old tricks and trades, ranging from socializing to athleticism to talents of a shadier bent. The Embir fall into occupations with remarkable ease, and so are able to take on just about any vocation they wish equally well. Overall, the Embir are the most curious and adventurous of the races of Armeya, constantly dissatisfied or bored with their current standing in life and seeking new excitements and personal gain.

Physical Description
The average adult Embir stands anywhere from 4'6" to 6'2" tall, weighing anywhere from 120 - 340lb. Male and female are equally represented in this regard; no single gender has any physical tendencies beyond the other. Their skin tone ranges from soft, pale peach to tawny browns to a darkened or ashy mocha, while their hair could be any manner of reds, blonds, browns, and blacks and in wavy, curly, or straightened styles, and with eyes of most colors imaginable. They are incredibly divided amidst their preference for apparel, with the most lucrative even going so far as to completely replace their style every few Sets; it is very common to see a cornucopia of clothing and bodily decorations within an Embir community. Their artistic and sometimes abstract nature shows easily in their designs, but most commoners could only hope to afford plain garb suited to just getting through the day. The Embir are short-lived, with the oldest and healthiest reaching somewhere between 219-292 Sets (real-world equivalent of 60-70 years).

Relations
Despite their wide arrays of differences, all Embir feel a yearning to have a hand in everything they find interesting. Often this leads to societal integration, where an Embir will find another culture so interesting that he or she cannot resist going to live and love amongst them. As a result, many Embir throughout the Empire have had a member of another race show up somewhere along the family tree. Of course, some Embir may be frightened of the influence of the other races and so may abhor the thought of leaving their own race behind or taking a member of another race into their home.

Alignment
The Embir represent the full spread of ethics and morals that a mortal creature could exhibit. Saints, murderers, and the apathetic can be found living a stone's throw away from one another in an Embir community.

Lands
The territory of the Embir faces change at a constant speed, with older policies that no longer efficiently serve the people being thrown out in favor of something new and promising. The Embir recognize that the longer one of them works at something, the better they get at it, and so it is common to see a younger Embir with some natural talent being placed into a suitable leadership position so that as he or she matures that Embir will live to become an effective shepherd to the community. Almost exclusively, lands that show a majority of Embir amongst the population serve under the banner of the Empire.

Religion
Due to their unification as the Empire, most Embir accept Asch Ment as their patron deity, or at least recognize his sovereignty as the political head of the government. Of course, many Embir choose to worship whichever deity most agrees with their own outlook on life, usually Naneid for her love of family or Vo Q'fimby for his championing of freedom and personal choice. Those who attend the University are almost entirely dedicated to L'Orielan. A rare few could even see the wrathful Shul or conquering Ta Rak Ra as their leader. Some Embir see the interplay of the gods and begin to fear for the world, and so turn to the mysterious Council.

Language
In the ancient days, the Embir spoke wildly different languages that were developed in each of the tribal territories that eventually became warring kingdoms. In modern times, these languages have been forced to intermingle a great deal within the Empire, referred to collectively as "Imperial." The old tongues still exist today as shadows of what they once were, now merely culturally-dependent variations of each other; the Embir of the western lands may speak the same words as the Embir of the east, but their accents would differ greatly. Phrases and words from other languages may occasionally find use amidst the Embir, be they Saelic insights, Balnan swearing, or Ucharic proclamations of beauty.

Names
Titles and names for Embir are, just as anything with them, different from one town to another. Embir who truly appreciate the guidance of Asch Ment have a tendency to name their children with more traditional standards, perhaps borrowing a name or phrase from one of the ancient tribes that shows up in the stories and legends of the history of the Empire. Others may take Vo Q'fimby's philosophy to heart and give their offspring entirely made-up names almost guaranteed to be unique in the world. Still, many may name one another in the words of another culture entirely.

Adventurers
Embir adventurers are the most versatile, surprising, and eager of their people. To adventure as an Embir is to seek wisdom, gold, glory, or anything else so long as it provides meaning to the life of that particular Embir. They want to gain something in this world, be it a foothold in history or just another purse. Defense of their nation, investigation of other cultures, or changing the course of life for another person...so long as something is getting done, the Embir adventurer will take to it handily.

Embir Racial Traits

 * +1 to an ability score of choice, -1 to an ability score of choice. Even at birth the Embir are already diverse. During character creation, you could even choose the same ability score for these choices, thus negating the effect of both.
 * Medium: As Medium creatures, the Embir have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
 * Embir base land speed is 30 feet.
 * 1 extra feat at 1st level, because the Embir are quick to master specialized tasks and varied in their talents.
 * 4 extra skill points at 1st level and 1 extra skill point at each additional level, since the Embir are versatile and capable (the 4 skill points at 1st level are added on as a bonus, not multiplied in).
 * +2 Bonus to a single skill of choice at character creation.
 * Automatic Language: One dialect of Imperial. Bonus Languages: Any (other than secret languages, such as Privoda). See the list of available languages in Armeya RPG for more. Embir mingle with all kinds of other folk and thus can learn any language found in an area.
 * Favored Class: Any. During character creation, an Embir enters play with one bonus AP regardless of the class he/she starts with.