Deer
| Artist | N/A |
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Status | Thriving |
| Lifespan | 180-200 years |
| Average height | 5.5-6.5 ft 167-198 cm |
| Average weight | 80-170 lb 36-77 kg |
Deer spirits are a type of major spirit, and make up approximately 6% of all spirits on Earth. They have existed since Era Dira.
History¶
Nothing for now.
Myths and legends¶
It is said that in ancient times, Dvalinn led an attack on the wolf spirits when they were vulnerable, claiming that the wolves were ravaging the nature around them and could not be allowed to continue. They overwhelmed the wolves and severely thinned their numbers, but just before the battle was won, Garm single-handedly turned the battle around, mercilessly slaughtering many deer spirits in desperation, including Dvalinn.
These events are what led the deer spirits to split into two factions, with most deciding that what they did was wrong and wishing to repent, and a fringe group believing they were in the right and growing bitter and hateful.
Anatomy & physiology¶
All deer spirits inherently have Alignment and Attunement.
Deer spirits all possess a pair of antlers on their head, including those born female. The position, size, and shape of these antlers varies wildly across individuals, but there appears to be an element of heredity with close family members usually having relatively similar antlers to each other. No deer spirits aside from Dvalinn ever grow whitetail antlers, however. These antlers do not produce velvet and do not fall off seasonally. They are incredibly hard to break, but do grow back if broken.
Some deer spirits may also have horizontal pupils, a tail, or animal ears. These features are all somewhat uncommon, and seem to develop at random with no heredity.
They all have extraordinary eyesight, particularly in peripheral vision, and senses of smell several times more sensitive than the average human. Those with animal ears also have heightened hearing, and highly accurate directional hearing.
Life cycle¶
Deer spirits grow at slightly under half the rate of humans, not reaching full physical maturity until 30-40 years of age rather than 15-20. Despite this, they reach mental maturity sooner than humans at the age of 18-20 rather than 24-30, making them quite the anomaly in average society. Most areas of the world that recognize the spirit population have doubled their normal age of consent and minimum age to drink alcohol or use recreational substances for deer spirits to account for this.
Geographic distribution¶
Deer spirits have a strong preference for seasonal forested regions. The majority of deer spirits are found in Shinzen, but they can be found in rural areas with mild climates across most of the world. Meanwhile, the fringe faction is found deep inside dense forests all around the world.
Deer spirits are also common throughout the lush island of Panacea, serving as its keepers and considered vital to the people of Alastor.
Sociology¶
The majority of deer spirits are typically very shy and gentle pacifists who idealize nature and want nothing more than peace and harmony. They are known to be very awkward, but passionate in their interests and very loyal to their friends. Most of these spirits tend to live in suburbs and rural areas near larger cities, where they are often found as outspoken environmental activists.
The fringe faction of deer spirits reject society entirely and choose to live deep in dense forests. Their bitter hatred of all those who exploit nature without giving back led them to become extremely hostile to the vast majority of people who enter their forests uninvited. They have brutally murdered thousands of humans throughout history. While there are accounts of people entering their forests and not only coming out alive, but having a positive experience, the terrible stories are far more widely known.
Because of the fringe faction, deer spirits are commonly believed by humans to be terrifying figures, causing a lot of trouble for the majority of deer spirits, which led them to become so shy and awkward.
It is common for deer spirits to adorn their antlers with flowers and vines for the first week of spring, and leaves for the first week of autumn. The origin of this tradition has been lost to time, but it is continued nonetheless.
Interracial relations¶
The majority of deer spirits hold all forms of life in very high regard and make every effort to live in harmony with everything as equals. The fringe faction, however, reserve their opinions for individuals that give them a reason to form one.