Why and how are Daevi special?

Daevi are the racial offspring of the Mumia and humans: as a race, they stand on the dividing line between immortality and mortality – somewhere between the mythical and the mundane. Nevertheless, even though their appearance separates them from humans, there are more reasons that Daevi are different. The Daevi birthsign is one of the main reasons. All Daevi are born under a mythical sign that determines certain aspects of their lives, but mainly their physical appearance. This birthsign was how the Eight kept track of their half-human offspring and it allowed them to keep the Daevi enslaved.

In ancient times, Daevi could not harm the Mumia who had sired them because of this sorcerous birthmark. As the grasp of the Mumia over their empire weakened, so did this controlling enchantment, ultimately allowing the Daevi to choose the side of the rebellious houses of humanity. To this day all Daevi remain branded in this way, even though none of them have known the slavery of the Mumia.

Before the destruction of the Ancestor World there were eight signs under which Daevi were born. After the Sundering there were many more: with the shattering of Mummujoxuru, these markings were also fragmented. Upon waking into the new world there were more than a hundred mythical signs under which Daevi were born, yet as time went all but one of them disappeared, so at present there is only one Daevi birthsign. In ancient times, birthsigns were a symbol of the Daevi’s enslavement to the Mumia – now they are symbols of their freedom and defiance. It also determines the way they look. Since all Daevi are born under the same symbol now, the Tempest, most of them look more or less the same and bear much resemblance to their human relatives.

Are these Daevi birthsigns constellations? What are they?

It is possible that the original Daevi birthsigns were constellations, but this is unknown. Today, however, they are not. Daevi scholars believe that with the disappearance of the Ancestor World, any constellations governing the distribution of the Daevi birthsigns would be rendered ineffective in the new reality of the universe. Evidence indicates that the Daevi birthsign is at least currently governed by cycles of events in the world. This might also be the reason why there is only one Daevi birthsign at present.

What Daevi birthsigns were there?

At first there were eight birthsigns: each corresponding to one of the Mumia. Their exact nature or names are no longer known. They are not mentioned in any of the surviving accounts of the Ancestor World, and it is thought that unearthing them now and revealing these ancient symbols of enslavement could harm the Daevi more than help them. During the time leading up to the War of Shadows Hammer there were almost a hundred Daevi birthsigns. Most of these bestowed nearly indistinguishable differences in appearance but granted a wide range of inherent spell-like powers. These birthsigns were the first to disappear. Daevi birthsigns that caused unsual physical differences in appearance between the Daevi were the last to go: the Riddle, the Nebula and the Thorn. Daevi with the Riddle birthsign had patches of blazing runes and glyphs burning brightly on their bodies: sometimes on their left or right arm, sometimes on their faces or torsos. Nebula gave the hair of the Daevi the appearance of being made of elemental smoke and Thorn bestowed them with massive sets of horns and claws. None of these infamous traits remain - they were very rare leading up to the times of Tlykarxu’s Tyranny and have since disappeared.

What is the nature of the one remaining birthsign?

The only remaining Daevi birthsign at present is that of the Tempest. Perhaps it reflects the nature of the period the Enclave is currently experiencing but it bestows no special powers. It has qualities of the now extinguished sign of Thorn, perhaps explaining why the Daevi look the way they do at present. It is not entirely sure whether vanished birthsigns can reappear or whether new ones will ever surface. Scholars agree that only time will tell.

In theory, how would a Daevi’s life differ from that of a human?

A Daevi experiences life just like a human. They are born; they grow into maturity, perhaps they produce offspring, they fade during the winter of their life and they ultimately die. They only live slightly longer lives than humans do (perhaps 10 to 20 years), in spite of their immortal heritage. There is evidence that points to their making more distinct choices than humans: choosing between good or evil, shadow and light more quickly. When it comes to moral decisions, their candles burn much more brightly than that of humans, but this might be an inherent flaw rather than evidence of a divine destiny.

Can humans and Daevi have offspring?

There has never been a reported case of the birth of a half-blooded Daevi in the entire existence of the Enclave. Certain historians argue that Daevi were the get of intimate relationships between the Mumia and humans and that as such they are nothing but half-breeds - an unpure race that is entirely incapable of producing anything but mixed offspring - but in spite of their claims Daevi procreate like any other species and produce children that inherit their traits in the same way that humans do. However, when humans and Daevi produce children, the child is either human or Daevi - no middle-form exists.

Do the Daevi have a favorite shardrealm?

Daevis live, much like humans, over all in the Enclave. One place in particular where many Daevi are found is aboard shardships in the Deadspell Storm. It is said that Daevi have more finely attuned sense to the routes that can be traveled through the Deadspell, and while the truth of this is not known, many are very capable shardship captains. Of the upper tier shardship captains and navigators, probably half are Daevi. There are also many Daevi living on Mount of Heroes, working as miners and craftsmen and in Quarterstone plying their trades..

Is there racial prejudice in the Enclave against Daevi?

The Daevi were valuable and productive members of the Enclave long before its inception. They fought valiantly alongside the rebel houses that opposed the Empire of the Eight Demons before the Sundering of the Ancestor World. During the many civil wars that have plagued the Enclave, they have proven themselves to be able soldiers that fought as fanatically for the safety of their society as their human counterparts did. They have also contributed significantly to the other aspects of Enclave life, the sciences, arts, crafts, trade and education. Most of the human populace of the Enclave knows this. They are valued members of society and are treated as equals – if not in some regards as superior beings.