Although the majority of Terra Nova’s human population is descended from diverse racial origins, the lines have blurred such by intermarriage that they are hardly distinguishable, and all are simply referred to as Terrans. But here the three dominant groups – Elurian, Terrellian, and Terran – are examined in detail, as their unique histories have a great bearing on Terra Nova culture.

 

HOMEWORLD: ELURIA

The largest ethnic group among Terra Nova is said to be Elurian. Modern scholars have come to the conclusion that an interstellar Elurian state once existed for a time before Terra Nova. The exact dynamics of the civilization remain unknown – and it is regarded as far inferior to modern states – but their architecture and remains have been found on worlds distant from their ethnic origin. A remnant of Elurian civilization was destroyed by the mysterious invaders known as the Kresh, from whom the Nebulans claim descent. Such stories are at the core of Terran-Nebulan animosity, though it is mainly considered a cloak over the true philosophical contentions.

Elurians as a distinct group have largely vanished due to intermarrying with Terrellians and truly ethnic Terrans. But the traits most prominent in human Terrans today could be said to be from the Elurians. In all cases they are the basis for comparison to other humanoids – height, body structure, intellect. They are the oldest known human species to have achieved interstellar travel that has remained sovereign (the Oriani were conquered by the Nebulans, and the Graedians are not a single people).

Ethnic Elurians are physically the weakest of the three main Terran groups, but their great advantage is not in strength; they have never delighted in might and war. The Elurian people persisted because of ingenuity. They have a keen intellect and are great pioneers in technology; the craft of science is to them as metalworking is to Akkeans. To aid their intellect is their rapid ability to adapt, as they have no inhibitions of pride in using and enhancing an outside idea (the opposite – complacency – being the greatest vice of Graedians). They are mild-mannered, sincere, and stable in mood. Life is more a joy to Elurians than to other human species, a puzzle to constantly examine. Thus Elurian culture lacked much of the spiritual and mythological depths that Nebulan society possess, and enhanced their technological march to supremacy. This is not to say they are void of myths, however, and some do exist within circles – although they are now rarely told.

HOMEWORLD: TERRELLIA

Had fate been kinder to Terrellia, it might have been its own empire aside Terra Nova. Terrellians were a species come to potential empire at the same time as Eluria. But as fate would have it, disaster struck their homeworld, and though scars still remain there is no record of what caused the event.

Ethnic Terrellians, before their integration into the Terra Nova Empire, were often considered among the most warlike of Terran peoples – and for the Empire’s first few generations, Terrellians served as the vanguard of their armies. They were fleet of foot, slightly stronger than Elurians, sharper senses than those of Graedians, and they had great knowledge of the workings of living beings. In nature they delighted, despite their aggressive tendencies, and they would spend much of their time in forests.

Yet they were proud and stubborn, slow to adapt and unwilling to accept foreign ideas. This partially led to their fall after cataclysm, and made their integration into the Terra Nova Empire difficult and nearly violent. Only the wisdom of their leaders, who bound them to Terra Nova, kept them from utter oblivion. The Terra Nova Empire benefited from the alliance, though probably not as much as the Terrellians. By this union their civilization was remembered and their blood continues on. In the eastern reaches of Terra Nova a love of nature lingers strongly, though the people are changed. And at times children are born to the Empire that have the pride, fiery will, and keen eyes of an ancient Terrellian.

 

HOMEWORLD: TERRA NOVA (BY MIGRATION)

There is some confusion to outsiders when Terrans are referred to as a distinct species. Most outsiders consider the united humans of Terra Nova as Terrans, and so they are; but in a time now largely forgotten and undocumented save in the memory of dragons, there were a people on Terra Nova that lived primitively. These Terran men had migrated to the world under the leadership of Taep Oceuna, but became embroiled in a sporadic conflict with the dragons until finally uniting millennia later.

Ancient Terrans were somewhere between Elurians and Terrellians in appearance and mood. While they were slightly slower and had less skill in senses than Terrellians, they had greater physical strength and a more adaptive nature (likely from living alongside hostile dragon herds). Some ancient stories state that some Terrans had powers not possessed by modern humans of any race – abilities in healing and seeing akin to those of dragons. These hazy stories are largely disregarded as exaggerations of an already resilient and heroic people. Few deny the valor of the Terran race of men, and many have myths and legends regarding them and their champions. Elan still speak of Terran warriors, and Chorodemarii give them both respect and enmity as the beloved men of dragons. Even Nebulans have scattered tales, many of which were preserved from the Oriani.

However, their numbers were always few, and the intermarrying with the rest of Terra Nova’s growing population largely diluted the hardiness of that bloodline. But despite being the smallest group among Terra Nova humans, ethnic Terrans have had the greatest impact. They were an elite group within the Empire for some years, sharing deep bonds with dragons and leading Terra Novan armies to victory. Such glory did they earn, and so powerful the memories of their sacrifices, that modern humans in the Terra Nova Empire simply refer to themselves as Terrans. Unlike the other groups in the empire, some full-blooded Terrans can still be found – though few have positions of power as they did in the youth of the empire. The small pocket that remains of their kind live largely simple lives away from the bustle of civilization.

(Scientists have often cited genetic similarities between Terrans, Elurians, and Terrellians, well beyond simple reproductive compatibility. Though this has led to tantalizing theories that could rewrite galactic history, no in-depth study has been conducted on this matter.)

 

Although the Graedian Confederacy is the economic heart of Aesgar, the universal trade language is Common Elurian. Derived from the cumbersome Old Elurian tongue, Common Elurian was developed before the Elurians became an interstellar civilization but has since spread to virtually every corner of Aesgar as the primary (or at least secondary) language. Its proliferation across Aesgar may be attributed to two factors: rapid Terra Novan expansion and less adaptive rivals.

By some estimations, Graedian or Orian should have been the galactic trade language. But the disorganized nature of the Confederacy and its disinterest in spreading its power and ideals forestalled any such occurrence. The Orians, by contrast, were spreading their language alongside Terra Nova, but their unwillingness to adapt led to their stagnation; as their power waned, Terra Nova’s continued to increase. The Nebulan conquest of the Oriani sealed their fate and that of their language. Both the Graedian and Orian tongues are now considered functionally extinct; in fact, Common Elurian is said to have killed Graedian, supplanting it as the official language of the Confederacy.

The weaknesses of linguistic rivals allowed for Common Elurian to surpass any other language for the position of trade speech. By the time Akreshna began to evolve into its more modern form, Common Elurian was in widespread use across the rest of Aesgar, as far as then-unknown space. With no competition of similar familiarity and strength, Common Elurian was entrenched beyond any doubt, and remains so to the present.