Deshi (Heyday culture)

About the country of Desh
The Mahraj of Desh once stretched from north to south along the entire eastern half of continental Terranuova. Ruled by the Deshi, this prosperous land produced abundant crops and supported large city infrastructures until the cataclysmic opening of the Great Portal and the arrival of Ladinh human and elven settlers.

The creation of the Eastern Basin annihilated three major cities and flooded the surrounding lands with a tidal wave that destroyed the Deshi economy. But foreign disease was the greater hazard. The vast majority of the Deshi succumbed to new illnesses brought by the Ladinh - pathogens that posed no more threat than some sneezing and light fever to humans, but that blazed through Deshi bodies. The lack of resources and the destruction of healing centres left the Deshi doubly vulnerable. Some Deshi may cling on in the wilds of the Heath, of to the far north in the Hot Lands, but their cities now lie overgrown and most modern Ladinhos only know them for the pretty artefacts their dead culture has left behind.

Basic facts
The Deshi racial build is loosely based on the old 3.5e Sharakim template, but with none of the low self esteem and no level penalty.
 * Racial stats: +2 Int, +2 Str, -2 Dex, -2 Con
 * Base speed: 30ft
 * Race features: +1 Natural Armour bonus, Darkvision (60ft)
 * Light sensitive: -1 to Attack rolls on bright sun/Daylight. +1 to Perception checks in shadow or low light.
 * Favoured class: Wizard
 * Alignment: lawful.
 * Not fond of the sea or open water. Deshi can't swim.

Deshi physiology
The Deshi are between 5'5" and 6' tall on average, very muscular, and basically look like very fancy Orcs. Their skin is grey or black, their hair is blue-black and they have grey or black eyes.

Deshi of all genders grow tusks and very small horns or bumps on their foreheads. Their noses tend to be short and their toenails grow thick and tough. All genders share the same strengths and weaknesses - Two tend to be slightly taller.

Deshi culture
Deshi are (were?) complex, fastidious and hospitable. They enjoy pleasing aesthetics and ornamentation in both a geometric and a figurative style. Bas-reliefs and inlaid stone carvings have survived to the modern age, as well as lots of etched and painted pottery. The Eastern Basin's seafloor is lined with thousands of little round pots and potshards, a testament to Deshi agriculture and trade.

Deshi love decoration, on their clothing and bodies as well. The Deshi knew the secret of silk - painstakingly keeping and harvesting cocoons in their underground complexes, then dyeing the delicate fabric vibrant colours using ores, plant dyes and crushed sea creatures from the Archipelagos. Deshi adore gold jewelry, which they wear as decorative rings, chains, tusk aglets and large ankle bracelets. Deshi trim their nails, polish their tusks and anoint their skin with white clay, walnut or henna (depending on their base skin colour).

Where it comes to food, colour is key for the Deshi. They cook with beets, chili, jeera, tree nuts, eggplant and turmeric root. Deshi generally don't eat red meat; they like honeyed locusts and will eat songbirds or eggs. Two-tined forks appear to have been a Deshi invention, so it seems they liked table manners.

Ruined cities
Given that culture's natural aversion to very bright sun, most Deshi cities remained quite heavily planted, with round, mud brick residential dwellings sheltering under a tree canopy or connected with palm-lined avenues. Irrigation channels that once led to great city buildings still dot the Ladinh landscape. The heart of each city complex lies not far underground: at the height of Deshi culture the top layer would have been a stoa or observatory, sitting atop a stepped hill and ornately carved. A central shaft then acted like a giant skylight, bringing fresh air to the complex below.

Each major city would have had a Grand Gallery, supported by a complex of underground antechambers, supply rooms, libraries and chapels. Air vents often ran to the surface for a mile or two around the main shaft. Ladinh children can sometimes fall down them if they're not careful.

Common Deshi names and titles

 * Acarya: gender neutral name for a Wizard or sage
 * Chodhuri: gender neutral name for a city leader

Historic family names:

 * Agarwal (comes from Agar Senn, in the far north)
 * Varmaa (comes from Maajdra)
 * Bedhi (magic using family)
 * Amin (comes from Hot Lands, maybe Lanka)
 * Merotra (comes from Meera)
 * Iyer (mountain family from the Heath)