Origin: Calamian
Magical maturity: 92
Maximum age: 700
The deshiven race is a cousin to the elsyven. They have very similar body structures and features. However, their general physical similarities are all they share in common. While elsyven revere wild nature under the sun, the deshiven revere the earth and nature in the dark. These people are underground dwellers, preferring deep subterranean complexes as their homes. They inhabit black caves and winding tunnels under the earth, often creating grand complexes in mountainous and deep valley regions where the light is dim. Deshiven is a race all on its own, with their origins left to speculation.
Deshiven have lithe, wiry, athletic bodies, and very high metabolisms that prevent them from weight gain. They have sharp, angular features, with high cheekbones, sharp jaw lines, narrow chins, and slender noses. Their fingers are long and delicate, with darker thick nails tipping their fingers. Their ears are large and wide, stick out of the sides of their head, and end in a distinct point. Unlike elsyven, they do not point upward but more back towards the back of their head or downward. Their eyes are slightly larger than an elsyven’s, and almost seem to be entirely iris and pupil with very little to no whites showing, making their eyes look very alien. Their pupil is large and black, and because of this, they have good low-light vision. However, they are extremely sensitive to light because their pupils are so large. Sunlight can permanently blind a deshiven if they do not shield their eyes appropriately.
Their skin colors tend to represent stone and earth and can range from marble white to black as obsidian, or in hues of blues, reds, purples, greens, grays, and browns. Their eyes can be just about any color, but brown, yellow, black, and amber are most common. Their hair color can be in varying shades of earth and stone and can be curly, wavy, or straight. Deshiven males are capable of growing facial hair, yet this hair is not thick and grows only around the mouth and chin. Those who do grow their beards tend to groom them well. The deshiven are somewhat shorter than elsyven or humans, males or females never getting taller than 5’ 8” and can be as short as 4’ 5”. Physically, they are quite capable of great feats of agility and speed. Deshiven are capable of having a denser muscled build than the elsyven they are often compared to. Humans would say they have an exotic allure to them, a dark strange beauty.
The average lifespan of a Deshiven is 700 years. A Deshiven does not reach adulthood until they are about 92, and magical maturity at the same age. They tend to age well and only look around fifty years of age at their oldest, with only slight age lines, and even then they still possess a refined ageless look. Given their extended lifespan, the Deshiven take longer to mature physically and mentally. Females carry children for about sixteen months. Deshiven birth rates are even lower than elsyven, which makes their population considerably smaller. Since deshiven has such a small population, their communities tend to be very close. Skinship is very common amongst all deshiven, between friends and family. Humans and deshiven can have half-blood children together called huven. Since huven are capable of birthing full-blood deshiven and have higher birth rates, huven are quite welcome in deshiven society. Deshiven and elsyven can also have children together, called an evien. An evien looks like their elsyven or a deshiven parent, and for the most part, no one could ever tell they are a half-blood. They would in all respects be considered a full-blooded elsyven or deshiven in either society. This, however, is exceedingly rare, since both races have such low birth rates.
Males and females play all sorts of roles within Deshiven society, yet those with the most authority are magus and craftsmen. The deshiven don’t have any one religion in their culture, as they believe a connection to a god is a personal thing. However, they have a collective of magus who act as a council to rule over their communities. The deshiven people can worship any god, but many amongst the deshiven worship Molrivath and Fedroa primarily. After all, they are dwellers of the dark. Because of this, many other societies often view the deshiven as evil.
The deshiven culture values their physical appearance highly and has no sense of shame in showing skin. Their clothing tends to be light and flowing, with cords, laces, metal clasps, and gemstone adornments, with silk and reptile leather being their favorites. Their clothing varies but is always something that entices the eye and enhances the appearance of their form. Their hair does not really play a role in society, and so many wear it in varying styles, from braids and long, to undercuts, and completely shaved. Whatever enhances their appearance, surprises, and delights their fancy in the moment. Given deshiven’s view of art, beauty, and how it plays a role in their society, crafters and artisans are highly revered. So much so that they have just as much a role in their society’s politics as their magus council counterparts. Much of the deshiven wealth comes from artisans, after all. The silk weavers, spin fanciful fabrics from worm and spider silk. The gem crafters, from miners and forger workers.
Because of their underground habitat the Deshiven primarily feast upon items that thrive in darkness, such as fungi, plants, and miscellaneous underground creatures like large frogs, fish, crayfish, and more. They are excellent farmers and breed some of the best mushrooms in all of Auraton. Some surface species of animals have been brought into their region, such as chickens, goats, and sheep. They make their own flatbreads from a wheat-like plant and use their obtained flocks of goats for milk, cheese, butter, and meat.
Deshiven are a race of separatists and tend to keep to themselves. It’s not that they don’t get along with other races well, they just don’t really leave their underground often. In fact, many didn’t know the deshiven had lived in Auraton at all. The deshiven are natives, living in the depths of the mountains long before the people had migrated across the sea. It wasn’t known they were even here until the last few hundred years, as humans began to mine. This is when the deshiven came out, and not necessarily in a pleasant manner. Given this and the views on their society have given them a somewhat bad reputation. This is because of whom they worship, and the fact that they will often trade with whomever they feel like, so long as they are respectful of their city and culture. Even demons and orcs. It has been said that some demons even live amongst them. Their main cities are Havathenoptera and Nebetneru.
The Deshiven’s view the ironwylde as their greatest threat, given both favor underground sanctuaries. They had so far remained far from one another, and intend to keep it so. These two races don’t necessarily hate one another, but they do not have a fondness for one another due to bad blood in the past. Specifically, the deshiven believe the ironwylde forced them out of their original home in Valspar, where Goldshard now sits. It’s been millennia since this event, and no one truly remembers now if it is even true, but there is still some bitterness just the same.
