Editing Doom of Daruma (section)

==Folk of Daruma==

===The Aerii===
''Doesn't Miss a Thing''<br>
'''Typical Lead Approach:''' Quick

The ancient ancestors of the Aerii were a graceful humanoid people who dwelt in high forested valleys of the mightiest mountain ranges of Daruma. These Ancestors were a sublime and erudite people who knew the Gods well, and were favored by them. When the Demiurges came, the Ancestors faithfully aided the Gods in their war, and lost. The Demiurges drove the Gods away from their mountain lands, and subjugated the Ancestors, twisting and punishing them to spite the Gods they once served so well. Using their sorcery, the Demiurges mutated the Ancestors with raptors, and made them serve as scouts, spies, and assassins. They became the Aerii.

But the Aerii were not willing slaves. Rebellions were quickly put down, but the Aerii learned subtlety. Over the centuries, they kept what they could of their lost culture and knowledge through oral traditions, secret songs encoded with hidden meaning, but overlooked by the Demiurges as mundane or innocuous sing-song speech. Much of their ancient knowledge was still lost over time, or changed, but within their limericks and hymns are nuggets of lost truths nestled within shrouds of mystery, innuendo, and oblique references. Not even the most sagely Aerii can all agree what the 'real' truths are in the corpus anymore.

There were many wars when the Demiurges left, and most Aerii withdrew to remote tall mountains and forested valleys. But the wars did not spare them. Their many centuries of service to the Demiurges, however reluctant, caused many of the other subjected peoples to fear or mistrust them. Their numbers have dwindled and their children are few. There are now some people who no longer even have tales about them, or only old stories that have drifted over time.

The Aerii people are humanoid-looking, slim and lithe, but their eyes are those of raptors and their bodies have feathers instead of hair. Long feathers crest their heads, shoulders, forearms, and lower legs. The Aerii can flex these feathers to lay flat against their skin or flare out when alarmed, provoked, emotional, or just too warm. The rest of their bodies are densely covered with feathers almost as fine as the hair on human arms and legs. But what is most striking about Aerii feathers are their properties of color changing and camouflage, and how quickly they heal and regrow. Aerii people seem to melt into woodlands, rocky terrain, stone walls, even tapestries. They are a reserved and studious people, observing everything around them. All qualities fostered by the mutations of the Demiurges. The perfect scouts. '''Contributor:''' [https://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?830056-Closed-Recruitment-Meta-Masters-of-Umdaar-(sorta)&p=21959420#post21959420 spaceranger]

===The Eldyr===
''We Were Here First''<br>
'''Typical Lead Approach:''' Forceful

The Eldyr consider themselves the first race of true beings to exist since the time of the demiurges, and as a result carry that racial pride into everything they do or accomplish. Many are perfectionists, satisfied with their accomplishments and pursuits only at their absolute pinnacle - whether that be cooking, mysticism, or even architecture is irrelevant. Most eldyr stand at around seven feet tall, with males slightly taller and heavier. Both genders are equally adept at both warrior trials and mystic arts, as the eldyr see no point in enforced roles amongst their kind. You are either great, or you are not. Ritual tattooing is a central part of their elaborate ceremonies beneath great statues and temples dedicated to their mythical progenitors, with the markings denoting both renown and the life story of the one bearing them. The eldyr are very Forceful in their ways - they will see their wills done, and woe betide those who try to stop them. To enter one of the nature-incorporating cities of the eldyr is to constantly feel small and weak beneath their glorious power, a sense of complete insignificance only exacerbated by the constant rigorous demand to prove oneself or submit. '''Contributor:''' [https://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?830056-Closed-Recruitment-Meta-Masters-of-Umdaar-(sorta)&p=21955666#post21955666 Pandorym]

===The Sarpa===
''Venom in Mind as Well as In Fang''<br>
'''Typical Lead Approach:''' Clever

The great illusionist Visuki always hated snakes; they were the only thing that she really feared. So, centuries ago when the great Illusionist attempted to raise an army to contest the rule of the Demiurges, they expressed their displeasure by magically fusing her, her family, and her entire home village with the snakes that inhabited their region. 

Since then, the Sarpa (as the snake people became known) have slowly increased their numbers and spread out from their jungle home. Many Sarpa inherited an innate facility with illusion magic thanks to the strength of the magical talent in Visuki's line. All are taught from birth of the importance of gaining knowledge about the world and leveraging that knowledge to improve the condition of their people. Of course, not all of the Sarpa agree with that view - after all, they wouldn't exist were it not for the Demiurges. '''Contributor:''' [https://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?830056-Closed-Recruitment-Meta-Masters-of-Umdaar-(sorta)&p=21956694#post21956694 Iustum]