What the Other Races Know[]
What is immediately noticeable about Dae’vol society to an outsider is how much of a mystery it is. More is known about any of the other known races than is known about the Dae’vol and much of what is known is conflicting. Diplomatic relations with the Dae’vol have always remained just cordial enough for trade to take place with them, selling both gems and precious metals at decent rates. In return, the Dae'vol often ask for furs, fabrics, slaves or fine luxury items created by humans. They seem especially interested in trading things for books about themselves. This trading relationship is one sided though; Dae’vol merchants always approach human cities, not the other way around. No human has been known to set foot on Dae’vol lands for many years. Their origin and biology is as much of a myth and a legend as their society is. Some claim that they are merely the surface version of the Mefici, others say they are the servants of the Mefici, or their masters. How they feed themselves without a mouth is as much of a mystery as anything else. Some claim they draw sustenance from the air itself, others that they absorb nutrition through their skin in regular baths. What can definitely be said about them though is that their society uses powerful magic, no scrying magic has ever penetrated a Dae’vol city and trying too hard has killed more than one wizard. They never trade for any human-made magic items, claiming they are of little interest to them. Another thing which can be said about them is that they purposely obscure any knowledge of their race. Their merchants are famous liars and have absolutely no problems with spreading conflicting stories about the same issue. Dae’vol merchants are infamous for cheating human merchants in what they consider entirely fair trades. The best advice for any merchant dealing with Dae’vol is to check the wares twice. This cultural difference has occasionally lead to some problems, with Dae’vol merchants being put in jail or even executed over claims of cheating. Dae’vol reactions to this always follow a pattern; Dae’vol will appear to get any Dae’vol out of jail and ensure he is not tested by magi, or the Dae’vol will kill the magistrate, the executioner, the plaintiff and anyone trying to inspect the body, before returning the body to Dae’vol lands. With this reputation, it is no surprise that the phrase “Honest as a Dae’vol” has become a phrase used to describe spinners of tall tales and liars.
Society[]
Dae’vol society is an intricate one, with multiple layers of nobility, clans and families ranging throughout. Every single position in Dae’vol society is said to come with at least four different allegiances. A Dae’vol name is usually a good way to indicate someone’s rank as they come in an order where the first part of a name is their official rank or position, the second is their family name and the third is the given name. One such name might be Dae Vol Menar. With the Dae being a position similar to a merchant or an ambassador. Amongst themselves, the Dae’vol are known as the Dee’Gar (roughly pronounced Deyh Gahr), which translates roughly to the Awakened People. The reason they are named Dae’vol among the humans is that the first Dee’Gar to contact humans were Dae of the Vol family. The Dee’Gar have never bothered to fix this assumption among the humans, because it does not matter to them what they are called. As a people, Dee’Gar are generally lacking in empathy for anyone not Dee’Gar and all have a taste for indulgence which often marks them as decidedly selfish when among other races. Almost all Dee’Gar are raised with an innate High Magic talent. Those few who do not have have it do not live very long as their bodies are unable to sustain them. The vast majority are either Earth or Fire Magi, with those developing other talents often being given places high in the hierarchy of Dee’Gar society. At the head of Dee’Gar society is the Council of Elders, who answer to the giant Mind Crystal which houses the minds of many of the greatest thinkers of the Dee’Gar race.
Physiology[]
Dae'Vol Male as drawn by Night
Dee’Gar are tall and slim for the most part, recognizable by their skin, which goes the gamut from yellow to red, usually with black stripes of varying intensity. A few Dee’Gar end up with an entirely grey skin. Perhaps the most distinguishing feature of the Dee’Gar though is their lack of a mouth and nose where most other humanoids have them. The lower half of their face is left blank save for the odd stripe. Those Dee’Gar who end up with entirely black skin are taken aside and either put to death or work as the Aja’nak, the official assassins of the Council of Elders. Their eyes, much like their skin, can go from yellow to red, with the odd blue appearing seemingly at random. The innate High Magic talents the Dee’Gar possess is what allows them to feed. They take energy from this talent to energize their bodies. Unfortunately for them, while this process is mainly subconscious, it does require them to be in the presence of the necessary element to be fed. Luckily they can go for days without feeding. These bodies are not the natural form of the Dee’Gar, but rather, has been carefully developed over the centuries, mostly in imitation of the other sentient races, though no Dee’Gar will admit to such a thing. They claim to be the first race and see themselves as perfecting the form used by others. Due to this Dee’Gar achieve a lot of stillbirths and children who are born different from how Dee’Gar generally look like. These children are usually killed at birth.
Dae’Vol Lands[]
The Growling Marshes[]
A plain some distance to the south of Andragoria, it is generally somewhat swampy though only very strange life forms find any purchase there. Lightning strikes are so common that no tree grows on this plain and the water is tainted by the ashes raining down from the nearby volcanoes. Crossing the Growling Marshes is considered extremely hazardous and most Dee’Gar avoid it.
Tek-hattn[]
The capital city of the Dee’Gar is a city of wonders. It is built into the wall of an active volcano and the air is too hot and poisonous for humans to handle for very long. The buildings are caves created by shifting the very rock around, all created through the use of High Magic, with expansive wards protecting the city from any unwanted magical intrusion. A large part of the city hangs directly over the molten lava of the volcano, with the volcano itself powering an array of magical machinery. In the central spire, the Mind Crystal is held, protected by some of the most potent spells of protection to be found in Adylheim. Around it is the council hall of the Council of Elders who rule over the Dee’Gar. Tek-hattn has a population of 9,000 inhabitants.
Cria-thu[]
The second large city of the Dee’Gar contains just as many wards and magical machines as Tek-hattn. This one is built right on top of a convocation of a series of very potent leylines, and it is this energy which keeps the island city floating in the air. The large hunk of rock which Cria-Thu is made of floats with giant chains that keep it from drifting away and also offering one of the few options open to anyone wishing to enter the city. Cria-thu has a population of 7,000 inhabitants.