Demani
Called “The Ancients” by humankind, the demani have walked many worlds since before humanity arose. Sharing some long distant ancestor species with humanity (and perhaps with the elves as well), the demani people were the first among the younger ancestries to discover fire, the first to create art, and some say the first to wield magic and worship the gods.
The high elves talk of these achievements as gifts given by their grace to the demani, while the wood elves speak of them as thefts – secrets stolen by the “demi-humans” from the elven people. If there was any animosity, however, the elves of the forest have had literal eons to forgive and forget. In that time, the demani have been joined by other short-lived peoples, and have proven themselves to be capable older siblings.
As a people, the demani are adventurous, creative, and reflective. They are very traditional in their social attitudes, having certain rituals and customs that have persisted for over a million years.
Tall and Lithe
Demani are very much like their human cousins in appearance, although taller and more slender on average. They range in height from around 5 feet at the shortest to over 7 feet tall, weighing between 90 and 200 pounds. The average demani male stands just under 6 feet tall and weighs about 120 pounds, while the average female is a little over 5 and a half feet and 100 pounds.
Demani have faces that are slightly longer and more slender than humans, with large, deep set eyes, subtle chins, and ears that turn up to a very small points. Their skin tone has a similar range to humans depending on the climate, although they also exhibit unusual coloration for a human, including ashen gray, auburn, alabaster, and even honey yellow skin. Hair and eye color tends toward darker coloring, with amber, brown, and black eyes being more common. Some demani have deep maroon, steel gray, or cobalt blue hair as well, with lighter colors being rare but not unheard of.
They prefer comfortable clothing that is well fitted, and often adorn their skin with body paints in intricate swirling patterns, choosing colors that offset their natural skin tones. Body piercings are common in the ears, nose, and eyebrows.
Ancient and Wise
The demani culture has existed, in various forms, for over a thousand millennia. It is uncertain where this ancestry originated, but the stories they tell and the traditions they keep represent an unbroken chain to a time before recorded human history. The demani themselves can live more than two human lifetimes, and this gives them a sense of importance for what remains permanent over time, and a willingness to let go of what fades away that humans, with the urgency of their lifetimes, find hard to muster.
Spires and Sanctuaries
The Unending Legend
Demani Traits
Your demani character possesses a number of abilities that set them apart from other human characters.
Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity and Wisdom scores increase by 1.
Age. Demani reach maturity in their late teens, and live to around 200 years.
Alignment. Being prone to strong community ties and adherence to tradition, the demani tend toward law or neutrality rather than chaos. They are as varied as their human cousins with regards to good and evil.
Size. Demani can be anywhere from around 5 feet to over 7 feet tall, with lithe builds. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Storyteller. Your people have kept the ancient stories alive, passed down by word of mouth since before the word was written. You gain proficiency in either the History skill and one additional language, or with the Performance skill and with one musical instrument of your choice.
Wisdom of the Ancients. You can impart the wisdom of your ancestors by reciting an ancient tale from demani legend. When you spend a hit die to regain hit points during a short rest, you can choose one creature who can hear you and who listens to the tale you tell. That creature can add your Wisdom bonus (minimum 1) to one ability check (active or passive) or saving throw they make, as long as that roll is made before they complete a long rest. You may affect one creature for each hit die you spend regaining hit points. You must complete a long rest before you can use Wisdom of the Ancients again.
Enduring. The product of hundreds of thousands of generations of adaptation to many harsh conditions has made the demani consummate survivors. You require half as much food and water as normal each day, and you gain advantage on constitution saving throws you make to avoid suffering levels of exhaustion.