Deva
A lesser celestial being commonly used by good-aligned dieties as their agents in the Material Plane. They are made from small fragments of those dieties' divine power, and when killed anywhere other than their god's personal demiplane, they reform there. Devas who have become corrupted by the Abyss become rakshasa.
In reaction to the chromatic dragons locking the gods out of the Material Plane, a spell was cast affecting all current and future devas and rakshasa, changing their home plane to the Material Plane. As a result, they are easier to send to the Material Plane, and are the only beings that can only be killed on plane that have a different home plane from their plane of respawning.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Devas appear as human-like men and women of extraordinary beauty or handsomeness with two magnificent feathered wings emerging from their shoulders. Devas bear the mark of their celestial touch through many different physical features that often vary from individual to individual. Nearly all devas are uncommonly beautiful and still, and they are often significantly taller than humans as well.
Although exact appearance varies widely, all devas are marked by patterns of light and dark on their skin. These patterns may vary from more mundane hues like chalk white or black to otherworldly shades like gray, blue, or purple. Either the light or the dark color may be dominant, meaning that a deva might appear as white on blue or blue on white, neither being particularly more common. Whatever the case, the dominant color makes up the regular color of skin, while the lesser shade appears in patterns across the face, chest, and shoulders. The hair of a deva is often the same color as either of the two.
Additional Information
Social Structure
Devas are naturally refined and are drawn towards virtue, rather than sin or neutrality. The typical deva is good, though few could be called meek. However, this is not something that can be taken for granted, and the danger of a deva falling to evil is far greater than that of most races. If a deva falls, they risk becoming a rakshasa, and find it uncommonly hard to find their way back to the path of good. As such, most devas, in spite of finding it easier to be virtuous than most races, are taught to fight against the temptation of evil within their own souls constantly.
Civilization and Culture
Beauty Ideals
Devas do not typically focus themselves on art but nearly all partake in it as a hobby. Although devas rarely meet one another, their art is often marked by similarities across the world, such as angelic motifs. Most deva art is simple but elegant and cerebral, which reflects a deva’s motivation for making art: as a further act of refinement that brings them closer to perfection. Artisans in particular tend to view their work as a form of creation and meditation on their unusual life cycle. As a result, devas rarely make art for profit and giving away their art is a very personal thing, often a gift meant specifically for the receiver's possession.
Similarly, devas take great care of themselves aesthetically, making sure to be at all times presentable. Although devas are rarely given to the wearing of flashy jewelry, they enjoy the use of fine clothes and make sure their equipment is in prime condition. Deva homes are always tidy and clean, although in such way that seems subtly evocative of the Astral Sea.
Common Dress Code
Devas are averse to clothing; when they must adhere to mortal custom, they don simple loincloths or other coverings.
When a deva dies, all parts of their body, what clothes they wear, their weapons, and their other possessions vanish completely, and thus none are ever examined closely.
Average Height
6 - 7.5 feet tall
Related Ethnicities
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