Research Paper on the Decline of Human Species. Author: Nyssa, royal ambassador of the Dolcet Lamia.
This study, conducted over 50 years includes no fewer than 30 of the most populated human localities which, unfortunately isn't saying much. Rare was the township that numbered more than 3-4,000 individuals and none of them were beyond 10,000. While my colleagues are quick to point out that these numbers are not unusual the species that have similar population statistics also have much longer life spans. The conventional wisdom is that species as short lived as humans reproduce quite often and develop large populations quickly. While human birth rates are comparatively high empirical evidence shows that is not high enough to maintain a stable population hence their decline. For reasons outlined in this paper human beings may actually be the cause of their own demise and unless action is taken quickly I fear the species will become wholly extinct within my lifetime.
To understand the human's plight is impossible without understanding their history which was the first goal of this study. While human society is quite old it is also checkered with long periods of enlightenment followed by longer periods if bloodshed. The most notable example is the time leading up to the Crusade of Nobles which began in 984 and finally ended in 1262. During this time nearly a tenth of the global population of all species was destroyed by constant warfare. I remember little about this time period other than the sense that no matter how many humans we killed more rose to take their place. This anxiety became some intense in us Lamia that we started to genuinely believe they could raise themselves from the dead, a feat we now know is impossible. The cause of these wars began as anti-magic resentment but grew into non-human, blanket aggression. Even though the leaders of this warring period were executed by the Dragon Lauriet it seems the resentment towards non humans remains to this day. The reason this attitude is so unusual is not because of the death of the men who championed it but the fact that, prior to the Noble Crusades human beings were actually quite open with non-humans. They were well traveled and learned and even the Dwarves, who rarely get along with anyone seemed to be enjoying their human visitors. Humans from the north were expert hunters then as now and humans from the south were renown for their skills as artisans and entertainers. While I can attribute the strange change in attitudes to a single cause it's most noteworthy proponent was a man named Pope Gregory the 4th of the Worthington Order. This order rose to power on the promise of expanding human power to the entire globe and it appears that this promise spread among the human populace quickly. Unfortunately, this promise also seemed to promote the idea that humans were somehow superior because they didn't use magic. How this morphed from a false sense of superiority into the anti-non-human bigotry that dominated the later crusades is anyone's guess but nonetheless this attitude seems to still be prevalent in many human settlements, especially the smaller and more isolated ones. The most notable example of this resentment was a young Elf named Elnora who was captured and sent to my cave as a sacrifice. For some bizarre reason the human clergy seemed to think Lamia swallowed humans whole when in fact we don't eat humans at all and cook and eat our food much as they do. It is the resentment from the crusades that has driven these humans into remote villages and I fear is also promoting the ignorance necessary for unscrupulous clergy to warp and twist the human attitudes even further.
Certainly this not the only factor but it is the most significant. In the centuries since the Noble Crusades human relations with other species have been in a constant state of flux but steadily declining. The Dwarves, once the humans closest allies now despise the humans even more than they seem to despise lamia or at least myself. Various skirmishes have broken out and several attempts at a unified human government have failed. Again, various large human principalities exist but these are the exception, not the rule. The overwhelming majority of humans live in the smaller villages of less than 1,500, some of whom are nomadic. I fear that these communities are so closed off as to suffer from some amount of in-breeding albeit accidental. While I have no hard statistics on human migration from the larger cities to the smaller villages I have heard from Elnora, my constant travel companion that moving out of the smaller villages is very much frowned upon. Families that chose to do so are chastised and banished from ever returning to the village again. It is feared that these families, should they return would bring back some kind of pestilence or corrupt the minds of the youth with “blasphemy” and “heresy” or whatever awful label the leadership wishes to attach to knowledge gained outside the hierarchy. Elnora herself was a slave and it is her understanding they treat most elves this way although I have not seen it personally. While I can offer no solutions as yet I do believe humans have hope in their largest principalities, particularly those in the snowy northlands and the eastern deserts. Both of these regions, while isolated by geography exist on major trade routes and see non-human traffic regularly. I myself visited Stormguard, the largest human city in the north and was greeted warmly. In fact a small human child took to riding on my tail and had to be removed by their parent. Despite my shock at being pounced upon I rather enjoyed the child's laughter and couldn't help but glide around in circles as they shouted: "Giddyup!" repeatedly. I hope to see them again someday. Stormguard actually enjoys good trade relations with the Jotuun, the frost giants. This may have something to do with the fact that the Jotuun are visually identical to humans save for being 14 feet tall. It may also have to do with the fact that the Jotuun value fierce warriors and humans are known to be savage combatants. Whatever the reason I postulate that if humans can have such good relations with one non-human species then why not others? They were unfamiliar with Lamia but Elves were well known to the Stormguardians and she found comfort with many of her ilk who were visiting there. Despite their unfamiliarity with my race the humans seemed very curious about me and of course most of their questions were about my abilities as a huntress. Naturally, my skills paled in comparison but I was able to entertain them with tales of science experiments gone horribly wrong. My late husband (who was human, just for the record) always told me it was a good thing Lamia scales were so tough or I would have blown myself up long ago. Humans in the astern lands, while vastly different gave us a similar warm welcome, no pun intended. These humans were quite familiar with Naga and Lamia both but poor Elnora was quite alone as Elves do not do well in the dry heat. These humans were quite taken by her beauty and from what I can guess based on the high levels of noise she made with them in their tents at night the feeling was mutual.
In conclusion the "Human Dilemma" as the larger scientific community has come to call it rests largely on saving the humans from themselves. The mistrust of magic and resentment of species that are not human are problems only they can overcome. Outreach and education are nice ideals but humans by and large prefer to do the talking so I fear these programs are doomed to failure. I myself, attempted to reach out to various human settlements only to be mocked if I was even allowed to enter the walls at all. One such village offered me an audience only to throw various rotten fruits and vegetables at me. I left in disgrace as they jeered at me. Despite my misgivings, however many human settlements are open and receptive and I suggest we focus our efforts with these humans and hope they can reach out to their more isolated brethren. Certainly humans can be taught that living in this world with no magical prowess is perfectly acceptable. After all, we Lamia can perform no magic whatsoever and the Dwarves have given up their affinity for magic in favor of engineering save for a few. Even so, unless they can overcome their hatred of others that are not themselves then we will be forced to watch them die. While it pains me to say this I feel the best solution for the isolationist humans is to let them have their wish and cut them off from civilized society. I fully understand that this will ultimately lead to the death of those communities but in the interest of the species as a whole it will be for the best. We can only hope that in the face of certain extinction they will see the error of their ways and adjust for the sake of their own survival.