Alter Aeon The Great Library

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Note - as with any topic, researchers should question the reliability
and veracity of these texts.  The library's aim is to preserve
documents, not verify accuracy.

AABN:  37376
Title: a book entitled "Races of Men: The Suborians"

Suborians are one of the truly ancient and widespread lineages of men in
the world. History is spotty, but legends recount that in the midst of the
grandeur of the Age of Creation, the fortress-city of Ralnoth was founded,
and humankind came into the world. Men multiplied greatly, sending forth
settlers to  establish new kingdoms across the mainland of Atmir. Some even
went through the portals to settle the Westering Isles. Others sailed
across the Northern Ocean and landed on Ramanek, only to fall under the
sway of the Time Dragon.

One bold group blazed a road southward, following an old giant trail, a
path that would become the Great Southern Road. They established colonies
along the way that would blossom into the varied lands and villages of
Avalon. Legends speak of an ancient golden dragon, known as Shenlong, that
guided them to the southern ocean. There, he taught them how to build
ships. They sailed across the Southern Ocean until they settled on the
shores of Suboria.

Once settled, humans began to pay tribute to Shenlong. In return, he taught
them about their new home - its seasons, herbs and resources. In the
sheltered comfort of the Onsen River Valley, they grew in numbers. The drow
that had settled in Suboria grew suspicious of their new neighbors, and
began to conduct raids. In time, they sent forth their armies to
exterminate and enslave the humans.

The humans were ready. With Shenlong's help, they slew the bulk of the drow
forces and scattered the rest. Flush with victory, the Suborians declared
Shenlong the Dragon Emperor, and men and dragons both swore fealty to him.

After the defeat of the drow, men spread across eastern Suboria, settling
in the most hospitable parts. They founded Misuto-Shima Province in eastern
islands, where men lived in old drow ruins. Frontiersmen and trappers
settled in Ishi Province to the west, where they herd camels, goats and
yaks on the steppes to this day. Between them was Yuki Province, where they
planted rice, mined precious metals and built great foundaries in the heart
of the earth. The Order of Harmony was founded and began to spread across
the world.

Isolated from other men, the inhabitants of Suboria's bloodlines were
narrowed and refined, becoming a race unto themselves. They are of average
height and slight of build, tending towards more delicate features, though
the people of Ishi Province have a more robust constitution. Black is their
dominant hair color. Their skin is generally coppery in color, and their
eyes are brown, black or rarely, gray. Some accounts claim that Suborians
are descendants from matings between men and dragons, and that all lineages
of Suborians carry a hint, however small, of a draconic  ancestor. This
legend is not considered particularly reliable to most scholars.

Suboria was largely sheltered from the upheavals and wars of the Age of
Chaos. However, due to the Dragon Empire's limited arable land, they never
became as populous as their Atmiri ancestors. Tribes of giants prevented
them from spreading across western Suboria, and other races of men settled
there, where they long remained ignorant of their reclusive neighbors. An
outbreak of plague and subsequent famine triggered the de-peopling of
Misuto-Shima province. The Suborians made two major attempts to resettle
the southern mainland: once, in the waxing years of the Age of Creation,
and again in the latter end of the Age of Chaos. The first colony failed,
and its scattered descendants became the Quelese, Jali, and Aztec people.
The second colony, Daigaku-Tatami, was so prosperous that it founded
colonies of its own, and established the Kurita Province.