Easterner
From the Lyorn Records of the Dragaeran Empire
Easterners are most likely plain Homo Sapiens stock, possibly with added psychic ability. They call themselves "humans"—but this can be confusing, since Dragaerans call themselves "human" as well, and do not consider Easterners to be humans at all.
The name "Easterner" arises because the vast bulk of their number live to the east of the Eastern Mountains that form the eastern border of the Dragaeran Empire. There, they have many separate nations and languages, and often war upon each other, and sometimes even dare to attack the Dragaeran Empire itself. There is, however, currently a standing peace treaty between the Empire and the Easterner nation of Fenario, entered into some 500 years before the Interregnum.
Some groups of Easterners have moved west, and settled in the Empire. They sometimes form their own villages, especially during the Interregnum when sufficient numbers of Dragaerans died from plagues and therefore could not prevent this incursion. They also have settled into communities in cities such as Adrilankha; South Adrilankha is known for its large population of Easterners.
Easterners can be distinguished from Dragaerans by height, in that they tend to be significantly shorter in average height — 5-6 feet in contrast to the Dragaeran average of 7 feet. Easterners often tend to have thicker and heavier growths of body hair — in the males, this tends to develop on the chest and most especially on the face; the general term for the hair on the cheeks, chin and neck is called a "beard". This hair is occasionally shaved into ritualistic patterns — for example, when all of the hair is removed except for that occurring above the upper lip, this pattern is called a "mustache", which is favored by Vlad Taltos. Dragaerans never exhibit this trait of hirsuteness, and sometimes use the insulting epithet of "whiskers" towards Easterners. Easterners sometimes lose the hair on the top of their heads as they age; this is called "balding". This is a trait that is almost always restricted to the males of the race, and oddly enough, often correlates with a greater amount of hair growing elsewhere on their bodies, especially the chest and back. Balding, too, is largely unknown in Dragaerans. Easterners also put on far more weight on average than Dragaerans, although this may be because Easterners generally lack the ability to remove excess fat via sorcery.
There are some indications that a slender, clean-shaven, tall Easterner can pass for a Dragaeran with not particularly significant modification of their looks. However, it is generally assumed that observant Dragaerans will easily spot an Easterner in this sort of disguise. (For an example, see Orca).
Probably the greatest difference between Easterners and Dragaerans is not visible to the casual glance: The Easterner lifespan is drastically shorter than that of the Dragaeran. They begin adolescence at the age of 12 or 13, reach physical maturity at 18, are considered adults in their 20s, and in their prime in their 30s. At the age of 80 or 85, when a Dragaeran is just beginning to enter late adolescence or young adulthood, the average Easterner will be entering the decrepitude of old age; very few Easterners live to be 100, and 120 is the very extremely rare oldest age.
Naturally, the shorter lifespan means that Easterners reproduce much earlier than Dragaerans, and at a much faster rate. Very often, at the age when any Dragaeran would still be considered an infant, Easterners will have wed and raised several children themselves.
Dragaerans of the Empire are, with notable exceptions, racially prejudiced against Easterners, with many of the consequences that can imply. Greenaere and Elde Island residents have different, possibly more tolerant, attitudes to the Eastern race, though it is notable that the inhabitants of Greenaere refer to them as dwarfs.
Well-known Easterners include:
Other Easterners mentioned:
