A race of humanoid Outsiders that were native in the Channelwood Age. Their origin was mysterious, as well as their fate. They are extinct.
History[]
Ages ago, these "humans" lived peacefully on the surface of an island while the Tree-Dwellers lived among the trees, high above the ground. As a result, the two peoples didn't interact.
The island started to experience frequent tremors which quickly grew to unprecedented levels and the island started sinking slowly into the sea. The humanoids sacrificed themselves (although it's unclear how) in order to stop the collapse and many died. The only place left for those who survived were the trees but for some reason they eventually all died out. The tree-dwellers worshiped the humans as heroes or gods, perhaps because of that self-sacrifice to save the island. The last human survivor dwelt among the tree-dwellers, and they were expecting for another like him to come. That endling grew old, he was treated like a god and was staying next to the Tree-dwellers's leader in his enormous hut.
Eventually the Tree-Dwellers found Atrus who linked to the Age after writing a Descriptive Book to it. Once they saw him, were surprised and then fell to their knees worshiping him, and then guided to their village where he met the leader and the last human, who surprisingly could speak Atrus's language. Atrus felt uneasy to be revered as a god like the old man. From him Atrus learned the history of the island and his people, and said that he expected Atrus sooner. He stood with difficulty, blessed the tree-dwellers who were kneeling around him, exited and threw himself down. A procession of tree-dwellers went down the nearest rope ladder and carried his body to the end of a short pier, which they cremated with some potion. During the funeral pyre the surrounding waters mysteriously changed to dull green, and by the next day expanded and remained permanently so.
Following the legacy of the humans, the tree-dwellers continued to respect and revere Atrus, as well as his sons Sirrus and Achenar. Atrus let his sons for some days alone there, with the warning not to take advantage of the respect the creatures had for them. [1]
When the brothers grew up to be evil, they plundered tyrannically, and they established themselves in palaces among the highest levels of the trees. Achenar played as god and used an Imager to command the creatures, torturing and slaughtering them.[2]
Notes & trivia[]
A Channelwood Human?
There are wooden effigies like masks or idols in several places of Channelwood, such as Achenar's Temple. They are resembling African art. As they are humanoid, it is possible that they are remnants of the Tree-dweller's worship of the Channelwood humans.