91% danjir, 7% bar-danjir, 2% other
A race of elusive, quasi-tribal humanoids that pay homage to animal totem spirits instead of Verana or the forces of Light. They are known for their impressive physique, alabaster skin, and vaguely animalistic features commonly in bone or facial structure. Isolationist, but not unfriendly, most danjir seek only to be left alone to practice their ancient martial traditions and their spiritual way of life. Rarely, the danjir will emerge from their tribes to swear undying fealty to an individual who has proven themselves worthy in some way. These vanguards are permanently bonded to the bloodline of their oath-sworn master and serve their bloodline until their dying day. Paragons of the species, known as bar-danjir, are rumored to have the strength of twenty men and to be demigods among men.
Physical Description: The danjir are a statuesque species of alabaster-skinned humanoids. Each one bears a single animalistic trait depending on their totem; avian-totems tend to have more aquiline facial features and a crop of feathers growing from their scalp (along with hair), whereas lupine-totems may have sharpened teeth or nails and wide eyes. These features are usually easily hidden, but the typical danjir is alien enough to identify by their unblemished skin, shimmering hair, and potent physique. Tribal customs dictate that they never cut their hair (which is often a natural blend of two to four colors), though some warriors create fanciful arrangements with it to keep it out of the way. The danjir’s porcelain skin is known to shine like silver in the light of the moon. Their eyes range from a wide variety of colors, but are always startling in its vibrancy. Most danjir seen by the natives of Orlind are dressed in armor of some kind, though when at rest they favor simplistic clothing of hide and leather.
Government: The danjir have never been a populous species, usually split into villages of no more than 500 scattered across Orlind’s highlands. These tribes are often led by an elder, typically the wisest member of the clan who handles all dealings with the outside world and meets with the elders of other clans. Every adult danjir has a voice in their clan’s future. Such ‘town hall’ meetings are usually respectful, and sometimes quite passionate, particularly where external diplomacy is concerned. Otherwise, the danjir tribes are largely communal in nature. Each member gives what he can, and in return receives what he needs.
Economy: The danjir care little of wealth or greed, seeking only what their village needs to survive. Danjir have little in terms of goods to trade, but tales of their legendary prowess have spread to the city-states of Orlind and even beyond. As a result, noble scions and wide-eyed adventurers often make pilgrimages to danjir villages to beseech the elder for a mentor, a bodyguard, or a soldier to lead their troops. Such requests are commonly turned away, though occasionally alliances are forged, typically on an individual basis. Weapons forged by the danjir are highly valued outside of their tribes, but they are not inclined to give their secrets or trade their prized possessions.
Religion/Spirituality: Danjir are especially attuned to the natural world and the land of the fey. They revere their totem spirits as gods to guide them as well as their ancestors, often not differentiating between the two in their rituals. Disruptions in the land, particularly influence of the Taint, are a sure-fire way to rouse an entire danjir village to destroy that threat. Some danjir also worship Verana, seeing her as a faerie queen who guards their arctic homeland (which she essentially is). Danjir burn their dead in grand funeral pyres and engage in short moments of prayer at dawn and at dusk.
Lifestyle: Each danjir is its own person. Though they commonly follow the elders of their clan and have a strong sense of individual duty, they are free to pursue their own wishes so long as they do not interfere with the village’s well-being. Many danjir pass the time with martial drills or sparring. Others hunt, or gather herbs from the wilds to craft poultices and medicine. Still others are drawn to herding their flocks of goats. Often times, a danjir without any drive of his own will be assigned a duty by their elder. More rebellious individuals are often sent away in exile, to return only when they have matured.
Diplomacy: More than anything, the danjir wish to be left alone. Village relationships with the city-states around them tend to be strained for this purpose only. The Muses were the first to pick up on this and have sponsored a scholarly exchange program with a few willing villages, allowing their scholars to live among them and learn their ways in return for showing some danjir the Citadel of Stilled Flame. To no one’s surprise, the visiting danjir took keenly to the muse’s order, and their ranks have been bolstered recently by danjir who seek to purge the land of remnant evil. Recently, the dwarves of Straegenhammar have taken an interest in the danjir as worthy adversaries, and are seeking to establish a sort of military exchange with the tribes. So far the villages are uninterested.
Military/Defense: All danjir are trained in militia defense of their village, a necessity since most share their lands with the frost giants. Danjir are known to strike viciously and without warning, often operating in small shock troops to cause as much destruction as possible before melting back into the frozen wasteland. However the greatest threat the danjir face comes from within. Rarely, a danjir who has committed a grave sin will be cursed by their totem spirit, eventually devolving into a psychotic beastman and doomed to walk the frozen wastes. Those that are not killed quickly are known to ravage the countryside for decades before being slain.
Adventurers: A fair amount of danjir adventurers are exiles, warriors in service to a worthy companion, or simply curious individuals wishing to see the world beyond. Many of them are rangers, druids, or monks, though their lifestyle also lends itself to the way of the samurai (often as ronin). Wizards are rare amongst the danjir, but sorcerers are not unknown. Whatever their purpose for wandering, a danjir rarely leaves his village for personal gain or glory. More often it is a matter of necessity or duty. The world beyond has been known to change the mindset of some danjir though, some developing a great taste for silver and mithral valuables and a life of luxury.
The Bar-Danjir: Paragons of their race with the ability to shift into their totem animal, the bar-danjir recognize that they have been saddled with a lofty fate that precludes the typical danjir urge for privacy. Most bar-danjir travel the land, sometimes acting as bodyguards to mighty kings, but just as often as lone wanderers who breeze mysteriously into a town one night, and are gone by morning. Their motives are inscrutable, and their power is legendary. When one settles in a village, he automatically becomes the village elder and often guides the clan to a specific task or goal. There have been some rumors that the bar-danjir seek to unite the clans and forge a nation of danjir, but there has been no evidence to support this.
Names: The danjir have no surnames, only a given name, and usually a title granted at adulthood. Such titles are given by their elder and commonly change over the course of a danjir’s life to reflect their greatest achievements. Male Names: Admar, Celwik, Jona, Magnus, Pon, Talik, Vass. Female Names: Celsa, Delise, Eiko, Jilis, Rolea, Trist, Vayn. Titles: the Clan’s Shield, the Clever, the Elder, the Exile, the Humble, the Hunter, the Ravencrown.
Geography/Borders: Danjir villages are scattered throughout Orlind, but tend to be located in hard-to-reach vales and steppes. Their settlements are permanent, and demarked by a set of sharpened wood fortifications. They care little for what claims the human city-states make to their land and to this date no danjir tribe has been successfully subjugated by their human neighbors. The danjir breed slowly, seeing childbirth as a solemn and grave responsibility, and their villages rarely grow larger than a thousand able-bodied residents. Some danjir also live in semi-subterranean burrows carved from stone with loving attention to detail.
- Kallinvung – This obsidian obelisk juts straight up from the ground like a blade and lies nearly at the center of the Western Highlands. A known holy site to the danjir, outside scholars have identified a strong connection between the obelisk and the Realms Between. The runes inscribed upon the obelisk depict a historical account of a great war between the local danjir tribes and a clan of voracious frost giants. This site is always tended by a danjir hunter who remains hidden unless visitors seek to deface the site.
- Fenhearth – The village of Celiphas the Elder, purported to be the oldest of the danjir permanent settlements where the ancient hero Fendus swore his oath of loyalty to Aleksandr Mortav. The lands around Fenhearth are considered sacred by the danjir and are protected not only by their own elite warriors, but seemingly by the very earth, snow, and wind. Fenhearth is typically where the danjir tribes invite foreigners to meet and partake of their culture, and as such some of the human culture of Orlind has bled in. An ambassador from the Muses has a permanent office and residence here.
- Duty’s Rest – This extensive field of cairns and burrows is not far from Verana’s Garden and is the purported resting place of Fendus and many other great danjir heroes. Legends speak of many a great and powerful artifact that lies entombed with the heroes of this vale, but it is constantly guarded by an elite force of bar-danjir warrior-shamans. If there was any act that could lead all danjir villages to war, it would be the defiling of this place.
Variants/Rules:
- The danjir are a custom race available to players.
- Bar-danjir are treated as danjir with the Animal Lord template (and generally not available to players).
- Danjir who betray or fail their oathsworn lords are known to contract a divine curse that steadily transforms them into bloodthirsty animalistic man-beasts.
Prominent Figures:
- Celiphas the Elder (Male Bar-Danjir [Wolf] Fighter) – The de facto king of the danjir, Celiphas traces his bloodline directly to Fendus, the great hero from ancient times. He presides over one of the larger and older villages in northern Orlind and is perhaps the most charismatic and outspoken of his kind. Any sort of large-scale diplomacy with the tribes typically goes through him. Once every decade, he summons a meeting between all the tribe’s elders and seers to divine the future and discuss pressing matters.
- Marrus the Undying (Male Bar-Danjir [Bear] Ranger/Devoted Defender) – Ancient and irascible, few know how long Marrus has lived, only that he has single-handedly stood against foes that have felled entire armies. Currently sworn to no lord and the last surviving member of his tribe, Marrus wanders Orlind with seemingly no aim. He is known to lend his assistance to small struggling communities, and is often the first to appear when any hint of tainted influence appears in Orlind. He and Vela of the Muses are old friends.
- Ariss the Open-Eyed (Female Danjir [Snake] Oracle [Ancestors]) – A prominent seer for the danjir tribes and deeply attuned with the spirits of their fallen ancestors. Some say she has a direct conduit to the spirit of Fendus, but when asked she simply evades the question. She rarely speaks and spends much of her time in quiet solitude or providing healing balms and poultices for any who seek her aid, however when she does speak it almost always heralds a great prophecy or prediction for the danjir and those around them.
- Roleika the Cursed (Female Danjir [Eagle Totem] Samurai) – The scion of an infamous bloodline, the female line of Roleika’s family has been cursed with catastrophic bad luck for generations. Malicious and often with a twisted sense of humor, this curse manifests in highly inappropriate and embarrassing fashions. Despite this, Roleika is a humble and devoted warrior who has received training from the Muses and is currently oathsworn to an up and coming peacekeeper in Mortannia.