Darfellan

The darfellan are a fictional race in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.

Publication history

The darfellan were introduced, along with aventi and hadozee, in the Stormwrack supplement book as a minor player race for use in aquatic/watery environments.^[1]

Physical description

Darfellans closely resemble humans, and are 6 feet tall, weigh 200 pounds, and are hulking and muscular with broad backs, powerful arms and wide necks and heads (although in a benign and handsome way, like a physically fit human, not a brutal and ugly way, like an Ogre, Troll or such.) They are an oceanic race, and have webbed feet and can hold their breath underwater for up to 10 minutes. They have very little hair, with only a small bunch on their head that is usually tied up in a top knot. Though physically strong, they are somewhat clumsy, especially when out of the water. The most distinguishing feature of the Darfellan race, however, is their skin. It is a beautiful, glossy, deep jet-black in color, with varying white markings. These white markings hold quite some degree of importance in Darfellan society; the size, shape and location of them identifies their heritage, family group and such. Occasionally a Darfellan will be born entirely black, or much more rarely, entirely white. The birth of such a Darfellan is an omen.

History

The Darfellan were once peaceful hunter-gatherers who dwelt on secluded, undiscovered coastlines and beaches and led a relatively simplistic and uneventful existence. The Sahuagin, a race of brutal, fish-like shark men, however, eventually discovered them and sought to destroy them. An almost 100 year war between the races nearly resulted in the extinction of the Darfellan race, and they are currently very few in number. Surviving Darfellan are lonely, brooding wanderers who seek only to take revenge on the Sahuagin who destroyed their race.

Society

Darfellan are coastal-dwellers who live on foreboding beaches and coastlines in various climates, from the arctic to the tropics. Though Sahuagin genocide has reduced them predominantly to individuals who can be found anywhere, a few scattered villages and family groups still exist in such locations. A typical Darfellan village is located in a coastal cave or among some dunes, either above or below the tideline (Darfellans like to have their feet wet) and consists of a jumble of huts on stilts with such things as tools, weapons, a fire pit, a granary and such scattered around. A dependable food source, such as kelp forest or coral reef is usually nearby. Though the wars with the Sahuagin have pretty much stopped, Darfellan are very careful to hold onto what little they have left, and are very secretive of these such settlements.

Though they once had a rich, vibrant, cultured society, the wars with the Sahuagin have all but wiped out their art, language, religion and other cultural aspects. Even the names and sense of the prominent Darfellan clans which once existed have been lost, and mean anything only to the eldest Darfellan survivors.

Darfellan usually worship a god of the sea, thought most nowadays have turned their backs on the gods. They believe their prayers went unanswered during the Sahuagin wars, and believe predominantly that the gods have abandoned them. They do, however, hold belief in a figure known as the "Deep Dweller", a particularly mighty Darfellan who will someday emerge and unify the scattered remaining Darfellan, destroy the Sahuagin, and restore the race.

Occasionally, as said before, a Darfellan will be born who is entirely black or entirely white and this will be view as an omen. An entirely black Darfellan will be destined to hold a position of importance later in life, while a white Darfellan is a signification of a great event to come, such as the emergence of the "Deep Dweller".

In addition to scattered wanderers and a few lingering tribes and family groups, hunting parties of Darfellan exist wandering coastlines out to kill Sahuagin. Darfellan hold hunters, particularly those who hunt Sahuagin, with high esteem. With their now extinct tribal culture once being caste based, they predominantly judge people via their career, and finding out a person's job is more important than finding out their name. Chieftains and Shamans are the leaders of Darfellan hunting groups and remaining settlements. This tribal culture is said to persist until the emergence of the "Deep Dweller".

Darfellan, in personality, are brooding, mysterious refuges but bold and hardy survivalists. As a player race, they are the ideal choice for a player who wants to play a melancholy character with a tragic past. Darfellan wanderers can journey far from home, but being an aquatic race more adept in the water than on land, are often called back to the sea.

In relations to other races, Darfellan are very hateful of the Sahuagin who almost wiped them out. Merely the presence of a Sahuagin drives a Darfellan into a bloodthirsty rage, and they fight with increased strength and fury. Darfellan sometimes are friendly to Merfolk, Aquatic Elves or coastal humans, and a settlement may establish a trade agreement with them, but they are still quite secretive and keep at arms length from them.

Darfellan speak a language of their own, Darfellan, and may also speak Common or Aquan.

Having not had an organized society for a long time, they are usually chaotic, and with their primary goal being to extract vengeance upon the Sahuagin, they are willing to be either good or evil.

References