Darki
Basic Information
Anatomy
Darki are quite similar to other humanoids, with stockier and broader builds than beddari. Darki are short, and rarely grow taller than one and a half meter.
Biological Traits
There are few differences between male and female darki by looking at the exterior, and non-darki usually have a hard time distinguishing one from the other. Female darki tend to have softer edges in their faces and a more curved torso, but with less distinct differences than in other human species.
Genetics and Reproduction
Darki pregnancies last for ten months, or roughly 280 days. Multiple children per pregnancy is extremely rare.
Ecology and Habitats
Darki are semi-subterranean creatures, living inside mountains in underground city complexes where they mine for precious minerals and metals, and have a whole industry built around refining and using these riches. However, a darki can easily get used to living above ground if need be.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Darki are omnivores, and eat both animalistic and vegetarian products. Their natural diet consists of mountain plants, underground fungi and small animals living in and around their caves. Nowadays, it isn't strange to find other things in their diets as well, as trade has introduced foreign food to the mountain cities.
Additional Information
Facial characteristics
A darki face has a more square shape than other human species, with larger and broader noses and ears.
All darki will grow a beard after puberty, regardless of birth gender. The thickness of the beard varies little, and is on the upper end of beddari beard thickness. Beards can grow as long as the darki is tall, and the Maedarki in particular will usually have long styles of beards.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Darki originally come from the Peaks of Heaven, but a small population migrated to the eastern parts of the Frozen Mountains almost two thousand years ago. Those staying behind called themselves the Maedarki, while the ones going north called themselves the Ochdarki.
In later years there has been a small population of darki that has established a community in Elmazar where they keep the Clockwork Gondola running, and produce clockwork items. There's also a small community in Mandural, which has been there for centuries.
Average Intelligence
Darki see themselves as wise and patient, and although they aren't the most quick-witted beings they can use their unending patience to think things through and find a solution in a nice, logical and scientific way.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Due to their semi-subterranean nature, darki have a slightly better darkvision than other species.
Symbiotic and Parasitic organisms
Deep in the mountains there is one parasite that targets only darki. This parasite will cause beard rot to the infected darki, and although extremely rare it's a devastating infection for darki. Patchy beards are scoffed at in darki culture.
A lot of infected darki will seek their luck elsewhere to avoid the stigma of not having a proper beard. Some stubborn indivduals, especially the ones in professions that are hard to replace, still stay despite the heavy stigma and scorn from their kinfolk.
Civilization and Culture
Beauty Ideals
The darki are immensely proud of their beards, and put care and effort into keeping their beards healthy, clean and well-groomed. A darki with an unkempt or missing beard is almost looked at with disgust.
The same goes for clothes, and being dressed properly for the occasion, but not in the same degree.
Average Technological Level
The darki have mastered the science of clockwork, which they guard with their lives. They believe that if the other humanoids get their hands on this technology it will only be used for weapons, which is against the darki way.
Major Language Groups and Dialects
The darki in the Frozen Mountains speak Ochdarki, while the darki in the Peaks of Heaven area speak Maedarki. These two languages are closely related, but most of the time they can't really understand each other since the two languages have been apart for several centuries.
Most darki speak either Northern Asharian or Southern Asharian as well, and the ones with a lot of contact with traders will most likely speak Lenthiri.
Common Etiquette Rules
The darki etiquette is a complex game of being the most polite person in the room, and if that wasn't enough there are both subtle and blatant differences between Maedarki and Ochdarki etiquette.
Culture and Cultural Heritage
The darki as a species are pacifists, meaning they will never use or produce weapons, or fight if their lives aren't in danger. They look at other human species as slightly uncivilized as they need to solve slight disagreements with violence instead of coming to an agreement through words.
They have a cultural drink they can't seem to live without - their whiskey. The darki drink this liquor with great respect, and one small glass can last a whole evening. In fact, it's somewhat a prestigious thing to have one glass last a whole evening for darki, since that's a sign of a superb batch.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
The darki have good relations with the ohrakiz, especially in the city of Elmazar. The darki always feel as the most polite being in the room, while the ohrakiz are strangely flattered by the politeness of the darki.
Darki and inmali aren't the best match since the inmali often find the darki too stuck up in bureaucracy and rules, while the darki think the inmali are uncivilized brutes with dire need to evolve into the modern world already.
The beddari are short lived and rash according to the darki. Still, with the proper precautions concerning trade and communication the beddari can be a decent trade partner.
The darki has little to no experience with the enari and the jahrikiz, although they've heard enough about the former to ever want them anywhere close to their whiskey stores. The general darki impression of the enari is that they have no manners, no morals and no sense of order.
Darki are strong and sturdy, but have surprisingly nimble fingers considering how stocky they are. This make them able to fiddle around with tiny clockwork creations with a precision that's unbeaten by any other species.
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