Daevan (3.5e Race)

Daevan
Summary::The spawn of a celestial and an infernal or abyssal creature, Daevan have traits of both good and evil bloodlines.

The ancient scrolls tell us that the souls of great mortals, if they are overwhelmingly good, are quickened by the gods to become celestials. So too are souls wholly devoted to evil corrupted by the archfiends into fiendish creatures. In such manner do the heavens and the hells replenish their ranks. But legends also speak of a mortal who had done great evil, yet was later in his life redeemed from his wicked deeds to become a powerful champion of righteousness. Upon his death, his soul too was offered a choice to become something greater. Thus it was that the first of the Deavan came into being.

When fiendish and celestial blood is mixed in procreation, there is a chance that a Daevan will be born. This may be accomplished through certain arcane rituals, but instances of other methods are not unheard of. While two Daevan can give birth to another Daevan, a Daevan and any other creature will produce offspring of the other creature.

Personality and Outlook
A Daevan’s life is one of self-discovery. From birth every Daevan is told that they have been born into the world for a purpose, and it is true. It is said that Daevan are not born by chance, but from need. Every Daevan knows that somewhere there is a problem that they are meant to resolve, somewhere there is a destiny they are meant to fulfill. As a result, most Daevan are adventurous, seeking all manners of experiences in order to find their calling.

Every Daevan also knows both good and evil being partially composed of the essence of both. Daevan find it difficult to explain this concept to mortals, as it is not the same as having a soul with the capacity for both good and evil. It is given to each Daevan to find their own balance between their good and evil natures, and which bloodline they will favor, or if they will favor neither. The decision is personal and not necessarily permanent, and few Daevan will disapprove of a fellow Daevan’s choice. The Daevan are frequently misunderstood. Most Daevan tend to be reserved and guarded when interacting with other races, which is often misinterpreted as arrogance, aloofness, or seen as “proof” of Daevan’s sinister motives. Daevan are slow to trust others, and the reverse is also usually true. Many Daevan amass significant power in the course of their journeys, but very few feel the urge for control or dominion of others. It is almost unheard of for a Daevan to seek rulership over a place or a people, even among those who have strongly embraced the evil aspects of their natures.

Daevan are keen of thought and enjoy learning. They are quick to grasp and understand new concepts and ideas, and most have a knack for languages. Many Daevan enjoy arts that make use of words, such as song, storytelling and poetry. Daevan also tend to enjoy philosophy and literature, and most collect large personal libraries over the course of their lives.

Daevan are functionally immortal, but those who feel as though they have fulfilled their purpose often return to their home plane, never to leave it again. Occasionally Daevan will pledge service to a deity, usually those of a neutral persuasion. If the Daevan finds such service to be acceptable, it is not unheard of for Daevan to serve for thousands of years.

Daevan gestate rapidly, usually in less than a month, and are half the size of a normal newborn human at birth. Rapid growth continues both physically and mentally, which has contributed to the eerie reputation the Daevan have. Few non-Daevan expect to hear a week-old infant carry on a coherent conversation. There is a tale of a newborn Daevan looking up at the midwife who delivered it, and after it’s lungs were clear, focused its eyes on her and asked in a tiny voice, “Why?”

Daevan continue maturing to adulthood in about 18 months. While they soak up knowledge like a sponge during this time, they lack actual life experience, and most Daevan parents keep their children with them for five to ten years while their ‘child’ learns things that only time and experience can teach.

Physical Description
No two Daevan are exactly alike in appearance. All of them appear as humanoids, but that is where the similarities end. Elements of their twin bloodlines manifest in unique ways: golden skin, dark or dusky scales, milky white eyes, glowing red or golden eyes, horned heads, cloven feet, tails, claws, pale white hair or thick black cords of hair, statuesque physiques or slight, unassuming stature. There is one exception: their wings. Upon reaching adulthood, every Daevan sprouts a pair of black-feathered wings. The wings will not sustain a Daevan in flight at first, but with time, training and exercise they become fully functional.

Relations
Those who know of Daevan know of their dualistic nature, and are slow to trust a Daevan who is not in the sworn service of a greater power, such as a demigod or deity. Others are simply fearful of a creature who appears to be a frightening mix of both celestial and fiendish creatures. Consequently most Daevan are slow to make overtures of friendship to other races. However, as Daevan are few in number, most Daevan must eventually associate with other races to some degree.

Daevan get along best with elves, as the longer-lived elves have had more time in which to become accustomed to the ways of the Daevan. They also get along well with races who tend towards the pragmatic, such as gnomes. Humans and Daevan work well together as often as not, though Daevan see humans as impatient and impetuous. Daevan respect the dwarves and their focus on working for the community instead of the individual, but very rarely live among dwarves due to a dislike of underground spaces.

Traditionally, Daevan get along well with most classes except Paladins and Crusaders, who cannot understand how a creature could embrace the evil within them alongside the good, though they will usually grudgingly consent to adventuring with those Daevan who strongly embrace their celestial heritage. Otherwise, a Daevan’s relation to other classes depends on the individual’s own outlook, alignment and class levels.

Alignment
Daevan are treated as having both Evil and Good alignments, as though they had the Aligned Blood trait. Daevan may be of any alignment along the Law-Chaos axis as their own beliefs, philosophy and demeanor dictates.

Lands
When a Daevan reaches adulthood, it chooses a plane it identifies most with as it’s “home” plane (to which it is sent if ever subjected to a banishment spell or similar effect). In cases of mixed parentage this is often the plane of one of its parents. Most Daevan communities are small and close-knit, with the form of governance varying from plane to plane. Daevan communities can be found on planes with mild law and chaotic alignments, such as Arcadia, Ysgard, and Arborea. The largest known Daevan community exists in the city of Sigil.

Religion
Those Daevan who worship or follow a particular deity tend to choose deities that are aligned with their own personal beliefs or codes. Very few Daevan parents will force religious practice on their offspring. Most deities revered by Daevan are neutrally-aligned, as such deities are usually more understanding of the Daevan’s dualistic nature.

Language
Daevan speak Davani, which they freely teach to any who care to learn it. Daevan born from non-Daevan parents may not know the language until they learn it later in life when they meet others of their kind. Most Daevan also speak Celestial, Abyssal and Infernal. Even though most can speak any language through their telepathy and Tongues ability, Daevan take an interest in languages both spoken and written, and their minds are quick to learn new languages.

Names
Daevan have two names. The voya, which is the name given by their parents, and the fhigra, which is chosen by the Daevan upon reaching adulthood. While the voya is usually a Davani name, the fhigra can be of any language, and is usually composed of a concept or idea to which the Daevan feels a connection with. Daevan born to non-Daevan parents usually keep the name their parents gave them as their voya, and choose their fhigra when they feel ready.


 * Voya male examples: Asadel, Firas, Harris, Idris, Mayssin, Reydwan, Sahl, Zawan
 * Voya female examples: Afina, Asalah, Badriya, Daryani, Farra, Irinaya, Maladhi, Rayya, Thani
 * Fhigra examples (both): Ataxia, Honor, Nihlis, Prudence, Regulus, Serenity, Severus, Stern, Temerity, Unity