Men

"Though I am repulsed to admit this notion, the realms of men had truly been one of the more steadfast of allies during our turbulent history—Without them, we may be sunken deeper in this bog we are struggling through now….." '' "— Rommath, Grand Magister of Silvermoon City, commenting on the humans shortly before Quel’thalas joined the Horde"The race of Men is a sapient race of beings dominant in the Eastern Kingdoms. Though among the younger races of Azeroth, they are also one of the most numerous and powerful species in the world.

Suggested in recent archaeological discoveries, men have descended from their common ancestor, the vrykuls, an iron-skinned race of guardians created during the ordering of Azeroth. Around 15,000 years ago, with the fall of the Titans, some of the vrykuls believed that their gods, the Pantheon, had abandoned them when the Curse of Flesh started to affect their population. Deemed “weak and impure”, all younglings birthed with the curse were ordered by King Ymiron, the high king of the vrykuls, to be executed. This led to a massive exodus of vrykul population away from the frigid landscape of Northrend to the south where there was warmer climate, under the leadership of the titanic watcher, Tyr, whom eventually settled in a vast swathe of woodland where Tyr had died fighting an “unfathomable evil”, now known as Tirisfal Glades. Some other migrated further south and established tribal settlements there.

The warmer climate of the south had significantly changed the physique of the vrykul: their average height decreased significantly to five or six feet tall, their body hair is reduced, their skin tones became darker, and their physique is observably less muscular than that of their ancestors. The effects of the curse of flesh made the race mortal, which damned, or blessed in some’s eyes, them with a short lifespan of around seventy years.

Men possess a highly developed brain, which enables them to develop abstract thinking, introspection, problem-solving, innovative thinking, and a wide set of emotional and psychological expressions. This, combined with their extraordinary gift in the manipulation of objects, allows men to develop the most marvelous of marvelous of achievements, and, unfortunately, to commit the cruelest of cruelest atrocities. Such a wide variety of differences in action, tied in with other high-level mental processes such as self-awareness, rationality and metaphysicality, is largely regarded as the definition of a “person”, though such a process is also shared with other highly intelligent species of Azeroth, to which some of them are also referred to as “people” by humans, under casual circumstances.

Like most other higher primates, humans are social animals. However, the intelligence and ingenuity of mankind allows them to establish a far more complex society based on an amalgam of cooperative communities, from families to kingdoms. Due to the reliance on social interaction, accompanied by their emotional expressiveness, has led to mankind being one of the most “weak-willed” intelligent races, easily tempted by subjective stimulation such as vain, wealth, power, desire, lust, knowledge and vengeance, thus making them one of the most numerous servants of the Old Gods and the Burning Legion.

Humans are also well known for their natural curiosity of their surroundings, seeking to understand their surroundings and influence them, through science, philosophy, mythology and religion. Such a pursuit of knowledge has led to the development of advanced tools and skills, passed down from generation to generation and building up upon itself. This desire of knowledge has also led humans to establish systematic education rarely seen in other civilizations, and had, in progress of history, led many individuals down an increasingly dark path.

Human beings are short-lived; a human reaching seventy years of age is considered very old and living a hundred years old is considered a remarkable achievement, with an average human being living to fifty to sixty years. Thus men strive to make the most of their limited lifespan and thus strive to push their abilities to the limit to make their mark on the world and establish legacies, this makes men one of the most daring and progressive races in the world, having achieved marvelous accomplishments and create inventions of the wildest imaginations building upon the wisdom of their forefathers. Because of their short lifespan, humans are mostly self-centered creatures and are driven by hedonistic intents, striving to improve life and enjoy the best of it, thus it is often that the nations of men battle one another for resources and wealth, a reason that they are looked down upon and considered “barbaric” by elder races.

Civilization of Mankind
See Civilization of Mankind under the History section.

The Seven Kingdoms
The Seven Kingdoms refer to the seven human city-states that became independent nations after the Empire of Arathor dissolved in around 1,200 BDP. These are:

Kingdom of Alterac - Current Status: Defunct. The Seerese nation of Alterac, situated upon the cold summits of its namesake mountain range, has been through a turbulent history of warfare, political schemes and changes of government. It had been known by many different names throughout its history and it was only recently named Alterac by a house of Aeonic nobles who conquered the kingdom some eighty years ago. After the family was overthrown due to their betrayal of the Alliance during the Second War, the fate of the kingdom remains in question. Alterac is famous for its hardy warriors and superior horsemen, most originating from the nomadic tribes of the eastern plains.

Republic of Dalaran - Current Status: Damaged. Originally founded as a joint effort between the high elves and the men of Arathor as the center of magical study within the known world. The city declared its independence and broke off from the empire due its increasingly strict restraint on magical usage. Ruled and administrated by a magocratic cooperative known as the Kirin’Tor, it remained the center of the arcane academia until it was damaged by Archimonde during the Third War. It has since entered a period of isolationism to repair their kingdom.

Kingdom of Gilneas - Current Status: Active. The Aeonic kingdom of Gilneas, situated upon its namesake peninsula, is well known for its wet climate and vast area of woodland that covers most of its land. It formerly was the greatest source of trapping goods within the Empire of Arathor and its people are renowned hunters and marksmen. It is also the last human nation that practices the Old Way of the Aeonic people. The kingdom remains in isolation after King Greymane renounced his support for the Alliance shortly after the Second War.

Republic of Kul'Tiras - Current Status: Active. The maritime republic of Kul’Tiras is essentially what’s left of the once powerful Boralian Empire, of which’s reign witnessed the full glory of human civilization. Since the fall of the Empire, Kul’Tiras had remained neutral in most conflicts, resolving to prosper through their trade and deter enemies with their powerful naval fleets, while initiating a race of colonization and castellan construction amongst the human realms for more land and resources. The Republic is currently neutral in its disposition and is independent of allegiance.

Kingdom of Lordaeron - Current Status: Destroyed, See Forsaken. The Aeonic kingdom of Lordaeron was formerly one of the strongest human civilizations in the world before its complete destruction at the hands of its traitorous prince. Before its fall it was known as a land of knightly rituals, strict social structure and fanatical religious fervor. It also produced some of the best knights and wines in the world. Lordaeron has left an indelible mark upon human history as modern human cultures are invariably based upon some aspects that originated in Lordaeron. It is now inhabited by a political entity ruled by former undead slaves freed from the grasp of the Scourge.

Kingdom of Stromgarde - Current Status: Defunct. The Arathi kingdom of Stromgarde is what remains of the Empire of Arathor after its downfall. It inherited most traditions of Arathor and practice the culture of the earlier Arathi populations. The Arathis are also known for their fierce foot soldiers and cavalrymen, and their military heroism as well as their powerful mages and shaman. Its national power has significantly fallen after the dissolution of the Empire and after the death of young prince Galen, the future of the kingdom remains unclear.

Kingdom of Stormwind - Current Status: Active. Claiming to be the true remnants of Arathor, the Azerothi kingdom of Stormwind is currently the most powerful human nation. Having adopted many modern ideals and political structure, as well as advanced technologies from their dwarven and gnomish allies, Stormwind currently stands as the leader of the Alliance and regarded as the “Last True Bastion of Mankind”, it has inherited aspects of both Aeonic and Arathi culture and has since become a melting pot of races after the Third War. It also remains the largest human kingdom present day.