Kivian Daun
Avg. Height: 5'10"
Avg. Weight: 180 lb
Avg. Lifespan: 100
Physical Characteristics:
Highlanders: | Eyes: | Piercing, deep blue to greenish brown. | Hair: | Shades of blacks, browns, and reds, plus all shades of blonde; men favor beards. | Skin: | Weathered, pale to ruddy skin. | Body Type: | Hale. | Clothing: | Thick rough woolens fashioned into simple tunics and shifts, often adorned with shawls and kilts in plaid weaves reflecting the wearers' family tartans. |
Northerners: | Eyes: | Dreamy shades of light blues, aquas and greens. | Hair: | Usually red or pale blonde hair, some near white. | Skin: | Ruddier complexion. | Body Type: | Shorter than other Kivians. | Clothing: | Heavy furs and leather goods, often decorated with designs of intricate knotwork and stylized animal designs. | Notable: | Tend to be shorter. |
Region: Icyndor, Southern Highlands of Kitzkannaugh, Kuthgard, Laurdia, Noskalov, Peregorne
Languages: Common
Stat Adjustments:
Strength: | 4 |
Reflexes: | 4 |
Endurance: | 4 |
Dexterity: | 4 |
Reasoning: | 4 |
Wisdom: | 4 |
Will: | 4 |
Intelligence: | 4 |
By far the largest and most wide-spread daun civilizations to emerge from the Age of Chaos, the Kivian culture dominates the world stage in both politics and trade. The language known as the "Common Tongue" originates among these people. This language's ubiquitous use among many of the more prominent Thraelian cities has served to extend the influence of its native speakers to nearly every corner of the globe. The cities of Kaezar, Penthras, Hespiatelon, and Vzeik stand as monuments to the tremendous success of their culture.
Originating in the Southern Highlands of Kitzkannaugh on the northern coast of the Kivian Sea, the Kivian daun have ranged southward into Indrejan, and have fanned out northward to populate the snowy steppes of Kuthgard, the rugged mountainous regions of Noskalov and Laurdia, and the frigid wastelands of southwestern Icyndor. While the Great Clans of the highlanders have dwindled in both number and political importance, offshoot Kivian groups have forged vital cultures influenced by the landscape and climate of the lands to which they have sojourned. Among them the kessians of Peregorne, the norgemenn of Noskalv, and the gaels of northern Peregorne and Icyndor have all formed their own distinctive Kivian cultures.
The original Kivian culture is rooted in the highlander people. Fierce and rugged warriors, the highlanders are greatly valued by all cultures for their skills as mercenaries, rangers and soldiers, and they are always in high demand as such. Only the great gharkins surpass them in physical prowess, and few are as skilled in maneuvering the many hills, valleys and mountains of the Kivian regions better than they. Those highlanders who remain close to their ancestral homes do their best to maintain their small farms and crofts while struggling to keep their lands from falling into the hands of an increasing number of foreign and often orcish invaders. Though once as likely to war among themselves as with invading armies, the highlanders are now ruled by a council of tribal chieftains, each of the family clans represented equally.
Highlanders have piercing eyes of deep blue to greenish brown and weathered, pale to ruddy skin with hair colors running in shades of blacks, browns, and reds, plus all shades of blonde. Men favor beards to a certain extent and it is often the custom of both men and women to wear their hair braided. Numerous racial and geographical influences have served to provide this culture with a keen intellect, tremendous resolve and a hale physique. While they are well suited to nearly any profession, they make particularly strong archons as well as formidable warriors. Clothing for most highlanders is utilitarian and designed for warmth. Thick rough woolens fashioned into simple tunics and shifts are the norm, often adorned with shawls and kilts in plaid weaves reflecting the wearers' family tartans. A number of strong druim'dwer traditions have been adopted by the highlanders as well. Many of the deities worshiped by this culture have been appropriated in one form or another from their distant druim'dwer neighbors. Even as the highlanders will freely admit to having borrowed much from other races and nationalities, they proudly lay claim to the invention of the melodious bag pipe.
Kivians who have spread to the extreme northern climates tend to have a greater preponderance of redheads and persons with pale blonde hair, some approaching a paleness akin to the white snow that covers their lands. Their eyes also tend to dreamy shades of light blues, aquas and greens, which the barbaric and greatly feared seafaring Norgemenn claim is due to their close relationship with the oceans. Generally ruddier in complexion and shorter in stature than their highlander ancestors, these hardy northern peoples have largely abandoned the use of tartan fabric, and supplement the usual highlander woolens with heavy furs and leather goods. Often their garments are decorated with designs of intricate knotwork and the Kivians of Kuthgard and Laurdia make frequent use of stylized animal designs, which are woven into their brightly colored fur-trimmed woolens. Carved and embossed with the same stylized animal motifs, their saddles, quivers and leather armor are greatly prized for their beauty, quality and durability. Borrowing skills from their druim'dwer neighbors, the humans of Icyndor and Noskalv have grown in their ability as weapon smiths and armorers, making serviceable though not spectacular weapons.