Human
From MYSTlore
Humans are sentient humanoid beings living on the surface of Earth, i.e. above the D'ni caverns.
Surface dweller was a common colloquial term the D'ni used for humans. It was typically used in a pejorative manner. Until the years prior to the Fall, the D'ni were unsure whether the surface had sentient inhabitants until Anna discovered them.
[edit] D'ni interaction
Explorers have been speculating on this subject.
There is no recorded contact between humans and D'ni when the latter came to Earth millennia ago. According to Ri'neref's teachings, they chose to seclude themselves in a Cavern in order to learn humility and hard work for adaption.
During the construction of the ventilation system of the cavern, many workers are said to have disappeared, believed escaping to the surface for whatever reason. It is probable that they made unofficially a "first contact" with the surface dwellers. There must have been some interaction and perhaps those rogue D'ni could have taught and instructed the human tribes over the Cavern some technology. This would explain the imager technology possessed by the Amad, when Gehn met them millennia later. It is also equally possible that the rogue D'ni joined their tribes and interbred, leaving some D'ni-blood humans behind.
Whatever happened, the D'ni Council officially would not know what occurs on the surface of their (adopted) homeworld, whether it is inhabited or not. These supposed and unknown ahrotahntee were referred to as "surface dwellers". At some point the Council gave the blessing for an expedition that would create a shaft that would lead to the Surface, for first time after millennia. The Shaft however collapsed and the journey to the Surface was abandoned.
The question would arise years later, and opinions whether contact should finally be made were divided among the Council. Finally, the answer was given to the D'ni without their decision, since a human girl, Anna by chance discovered the Shaft herself and was compromised by the D'ni. Although relationships to ahrotahntee had been made from other Ages, this situation unfortunately brought political complex issues when she was accepted to the D'ni society and married Aitrus, the D'ni man who worked in that very Shaft years earlier. They also had a son, Gehn, the first known D'ni-human offspring. Eventually this made Veovis rebel and with the help A'gaeris, they decided to attack the Cavern, resulting thus to the fall of D'ni.
Anna with Gehn escaped and from now on they lived to the Surface. Gehn grew up to the Surface and met the tribe Amad. He also married a girl from that tribe, Keta, and believed they might be related to the D'ni. The following years would be dominated by Anna's descendants, Gehn, Atrus and Yeesha, who in their ways attempted to restore D'ni and although having human strains, did not make notable interactions. However a notable human had been the Stranger who would discover a linking book to Myst, meeting Atrus and freeing him from a difficult situation, brought to him by his sons. That human would play significant role in Atrus's life by rescuing his wife Katran, recovering the linking book to Releeshahn, freeing the ahrotahn Saavedro, and saving Yeesha from danger.
It is highly possible that, during her ascetic journey, Yeesha had some contact with Native Americans (related to Amad or not) and traded with them.
Eventually any essential contact among D'ni and humans was doomed since Atrus decided to leave the Cavern for good and move their people to another age, Releeshahn. However humans had other roles to play. John Loftin discovered the Cavern and the D'ni city and made expeditions with Elias Zandi. Eventually the D'ni Restoration Foundation was formed, the predecessor of the DRC. The DRC attempts to restore D'ni and make it accessible to the public, exploring ages, investigating them for hazards and make sure everything is safe. Some humans also feel a strange "calling" to the Cleft and discover the now-abandoned Cavern. These explorers heed Yeesha's message and follow Yeesha's Journey, and discover the history of D'ni.
[edit] Humans in other ages
Although biologically and historically "human" refers exclusively to the inhabitants of Earth, it's possible that the general template of human existed in various Ages, even without being related at all; the Ages being separated since their existence).
Atrus in his Channelwood Journal refers to the ancient man of the Age as "human", not just a humanoid. It seems that "surface dwellers" (Terran humans), D'ni, Rivenese, possibly Serenians and many other races, although not related at all, still could belong to the same "human" classification since not only they look identical, but can also interbreed.
