Dera

Physiology

A Dera stands three or four feet in height, with soft features thin, wiry bodies. They are not physically imposing, but very agile; a Dera has no trouble keeping up with human or elven companions on foot, and can even match them in martial combat by using their small stature to their advantage. They often have brightly-colored eyes in many hues unknown to humans; violet, ruby, and teal are common. Their hair is usually blonde, red, or light brown, though some circles of Dera have raven-black hair, suggesting there were once two subspecies of Dera that have intermixed over time. Their ears have slightly pointed tips, but they differ in shape from elven ears and are not as pronounced.

Culture

For centuries, the Dera have been a proud and noble folk that as a culture, embrace change and diversity. They tend to be bright an optimistic, though culture more than biology influences their world view. Dera are born adventurers, wildly energetic clever despite their small size. Most Dera heroes are either explorers or bards of some kind, usually having travelled the world setting wrongs right ad freeing the downtrodden. Not all Dera ascribe to such nobility, however; as with any people, many reject the customs and traditions of their culture and become sour or cynical. These among the Dera only have their attitude reinforced by the stereotype of their kin, seeing their proud nature as boastful and hypocritical.

The Dera believe they are the direct descendants of the ancient civilization called the Calderi, despite Calderi ruins suggesting the ancient people were closer to elf or human height. Despite their stature, the Dera do seem to have an uncanny knack for the arcane, particularly in primal elemental magic. It is the Dera's strong connection to the elements that provides their home country of Avari with it's powerful magic technology; many Dera can commune directly with elemental beings, and most can at least sense the elements around them. This has provided the majority Dera with a somewhat spiritual outlook on the world around them, feeling they themselves are merely a collection of the primal elements and spirits of the material world.

Race Relations

Most other races have little animosity towards Dera, though they are often regarded as meddlesome or self-righteous. Kobolds in particular dislike Dera and vice-versa; while they share many similarities, most kobolds view Dera as very overly-idealistic and most Dera view kobolds as ignorant to the larger picture of the world.

Religion

While many Dera ascribe to the faiths of other races, most follow a loose faith of the elements, called Lorism. In their faith, the "Lor" is the collection of five points, the four elements of fire, earth, wind, water...and a fifth, representing the "ghost" or, the "spirits". Lorism teaches that all things have each of these elements in different balance from one another, like opposing scales. Only Spirit has no direct opposite, leading to it's opposite being the idea of "nothing", of lifelessness itself.

The traditional holy symbol of Lorism is a a symmetrical cross with a circle drawn in the center, each point representing one of the four base elements while the circle is the flow of spirit.