D’Shunn

“There are two things that you should be afraid of at night, the most important being the faint glow of the D’Shunn you don’t see.” – Ancient Proverb

The name D’Shunn is said to come from an old term for them meaning, “Day Shunned”. The D’Shunn mostly live within the Deeps, with great cities built in caverns measureless to man, upon sunless shores and lightless plains. Their already dangerous home was made more dangerous by the intervention of Kazzok, upon the first Terror’s Breach, when embracing terror and demonic forces, Kazzok flooded the Deeps with monsters and infernal beings. The D’Shunn, resilient survivors, and legendary hunters, survived this punitive attack, but enduring it hardened the D’Shunn culture, honing a competitive nature to a razor’s edge. The fittest survive, say the D’Shunn – and they leave no question as to whom is the fittest to survive.

Said to be distant cousins with the Elves, there is some physical resemblance, most notably the pointed ears that both species possess. In other ways they differ; D’Shunn are known for their pure white hair, and powerful magic within them manifests in an adaptation to life in caverns. D’Shunn have a bioluminescent glow to their skin, and are immune to blindness inflicted by magical means. Physically, D’Shunn are not known to be exceptionally strong, and like elves, their ability to withstand repeated deaths is limited. Aggressively adept in both martial and magical pursuits however, D’Shunn have an innate understanding of how to channel magical energy through mundane objects, and can do so readily. The caverns of the Deeps are perilous, say the D’Shunn – and not for nothing, they would be the most perilous things within them.

RACIAL BONUSES

• Begin with Default Skill Points (SP)
• Begin with 4 Life Points (LP)
• Begin with 2 Resurrections
• Immune to all magical Blindness effects, calling “No effect” (magery, clerical, and innate magic)
• May purchase LP to a maximum of 10 LP
• May purchase the Magery skill for half cost
• May purchase the Catalyst skill for 4 SP
• May purchase the Concentration skill for 4 SP
• May purchase the Channel Spell skill for 10SP (without any pre-requisites)
• Must pay an additional 5 SP for the Spiritual Endurance skill (15 SP total)
• Unable to purchase Exceptional Strength

MANDATORY COSTUMING

• Bioluminescent face patterning (done with reflective paints or glow in the dark paints, etc. You can also use lights in the wig/hair.)
  • Patterning for bioluminescence must look natural, and not resemble symbols or tribal markings
• White wig for hair
• Pointed ears (elf-like)

RACIAL AGING
Youth	Elderly	Aging	Max. Age
25 years	65 years	10 years	165 years

Nations and Lands

The D’Shunn are the primary mortal residents of the Deeps, a vast and cavernous layer of subterranean geography that spans a great deal of the continent of Ariel, and quite possibly a good deal beyond. Although there are smaller settlements of D’Shunn that take their chances with some of the unique and varied threats that otherwise populate the Middle Depths, it is generally agreed that three Great Caverns represent the majority population of the D’Shunn in this part of the world.

• Felhaven is, at last count, the Cavern that has the highest population, and in the last century, also the most mixed reputation. Although Felhaven is known to raid surface settlements for luxury goods and sundries that are more difficult to attain underground, they have also proven among the most willing to treat with surface settlements. As of 2013 A.T., Felhaven had an ambassador in Harodom, negotiating peace (or something like it), and trade for rare gems and minerals. Felhaven’s governance is made up of a concordance of the most powerful families in the Cavern, and a cause for recent strife has been the three representatives on the concordance that are priests or lay-followers of Kazzok.
  
• Serozarran is among the most reclusive of the D’Shunn caverns; while both Felhaven and Mythostar have built something of a reputation for war and raiding on neighbouring surface settlements, Serozarran is aloof, famous for following its own path. Perhaps most tellingly, the cavern contains a massive node, capable of fuelling mages for several city blocks within the heart of the capital of Serozarran (which shares its name with the Cavern), and the mages of the nation are powerful and distant. Although accessible by travellers of the Deep Roads, anyone trying to enter – or exit – the Cavern through the surface access point in the far northwest of Ariel is subject to search and extreme scrutiny by guards famous for their lack of a sense of humour.
  
• Mythostar is infamous for the sack of Darkwood, and the destruction of the Guild Arcane, at the start of the Age of Blood (1135 A.T.). Although D’Shunn forces worked in concert to coordinate attacks on surface nations, Mythostar’s night-hunters were among the fiercest and most daring – a fact that has coloured the Cavern’s reputation with surface nations since. Although some claim it foolish for the elves of Darkwood and Eldersire to maintain a grudge for almost a thousand years, others note that Mythostar did provide troops to the forces of Estovic, when they undertook a campaign of war against the nations to the east of Ariel, pointing to this as proof that Mythostar is not to be trusted. Whatever the case, Mythostar’s ruling families have a disproportionate number of Kazzok and Iccula worshippers; while not everyone who resides beneath the banner of Mythostar approves of this, it has had a distinct impact on the nation’s foreign policies.

Other, smaller Caverns exist as well – some as nation states in their own right, and others as subsidiaries to the larger nations, farming what crops and livestock can be raised in the twilight of the Deeps as tribute, that they might benefit from the defence provided by the aegis of the Great Caverns, when those nations deign to provide it.

History

Arguably the most famous part of D’Shunn history occurred before records of such a matter were kept, and before the modern calendar begins; it is said that the god Kazzok, then a deity of art and music, fell in love with a mortal D’Shunn. What precisely transpired differs from telling to telling, but in some stories, the god’s bride-to-be was set upon by those who believed her claims to be heresy; in others, simple bandits. In either case, she was dealt a mortal blow, and perished, along with their unborn child.

In a rage, Kazzok cast about, seeking an appropriate punishment for such a tragedy, to be visited upon the D’Shunn, for their impiety, their violence, and because he had never before known such pain. Casting his eyes beyond the Curtain, Kazzok made pacts with the infernal beings that dwelt there, serving as their patron and champion in the world of mortals. He filled the already perilous Deeps with nightmares and demons, making the Deep Roads impassible, and for a century, visited ruin and strife upon any D’Shunn that fell to his forces.

But the D’Shunn were nothing if not resilient, and refused to falter beneath the Scream-Bringer’s wrath. Hardening their Caverns and their patrols, they carved their way through the Deep Roads, and working together, withstood a century of punishment. It is said that D’Shunn culture was irreversibly changed by this; there was no peace without the power to protect it, so the already competitive D’Shunn made power a national virtue. Kazzok, impressed by the resilience of D’Shunn forces, extended his blessing to those that would receive it, and so the first clerics of Kazzok in his role as the god of demons and fear were some of the very D’Shunn he sought to destroy.

Bearing Kazzok’s blessing or no, the Deeps were made no safer by the god’s mollification. D’Shunn made war with the surface throughout the centuries following the Tear, seeking treasures and resources to help keep their people strong and resilient against hardship. This led to great difficulties for those D’Shunn who would have happily treated with surfacers, as the reputation of the D’Shunn became tied for some time to these raids and warmaking. Too, D’Shunn became embroiled in ever present strife with the Dwarven clans, acting as belligerents in several of the Wars of Understone.

In recent history, D’Shunn interactions with the surface world have been mixed. In Harodom, D’Shunn were not automatically awarded the status of Yeomen until 2020, and this led to a large contingent of D’Shunn assisting Estovic forces in the war between Estovic, Hammerfrost, Eldersire, Harodom, and Detter. The Bearmen of Estovic were brutal combatants, and D’Shunn puissance with both arms and magic made the attacks far more brutal – including rumours that a D’Shunn successfully assassinated King Haro III. Following the war however, at least one of the Great Caverns opened up diplomatic relationships with Harodom, Michian, and Detter, leading to some trade, and a slow warming of the status of D’Shunn in those nations.

Culture

Like the elves, D’Shunn culture puts great stock in spending time and effort in making something the best version of itself that it can possibly be (sometimes leading both peoples to favour ‘perfect’ over ‘done’). The distinction is in the nature of that perfection; it is said that an elf might well spend a year perfecting a blade so that it best reflects the master artisan’s skill with the forge. A D’Shunn weaponsmith might spend that same amount of time – to make the weapon as honed and perfect an instrument of killing as possible (because, to the D’Shunn eye, that is what the weapon is for). Both cultures take this as a sign that the other does not truly understand the meaning of ‘perfection’.

A lot of D’Shunn culture takes the form of competition. Personal achievement and power carry considerable weight, with the extreme environment of the Deeps leading D’Shunn culture to favour the most capable in their chosen fields, and limited sympathy for those that fall behind. Within a given family, this dynamic differs (even the competitive D’Shunn acknowledge that someone must have time and opportunity to hone skills and become masterful), but merchants seek to squeeze out competitors, hunters vie for the biggest and most impressive quarries, mages seek to uncover the most potent spells and magical secrets, and politics involves a variety of tactics ranging from assassination of an opponent’s character, to a far more literal assassination, all as a means of gaining advantage.

Faith

Though Kazzok sought to destroy the D’Shunn, his acknowledgement of them – and the fact that successfully wielding fear and the power of demonic forces make for considerable advantages in a dangerous environment – mean that the worship of Kazzok is not uncommon in the Great Caverns. This said, the D’Shunn did not become successful by being fools: those who consort overmuch with demons are watched carefully, in case their will has been suborned, and the interests they pursue are more those of the demons than the D’Shunn. Kazzok worship is therefore a mixed bag; a good path to political power, but not a path to trust.

Most faiths have some representation within D’Shunn culture, although the sometimes confined spaces within the cities of the Great Caverns mean that Blythe has a limited foothold in mainstream D’Shunn culture, mostly among the Guild of Brewers and those who use poison in their work. Astrid worship is proscribed, at least in part out of desire by the faithful of Astrid to remain outside of the law. Perhaps appropriately enough, the faithful of Astrid among the D’Shunn tend to be skilled thieves and potent clerics, still pursuing the cultural goal of excellence. Stasa worship is permitted but also watched with a wary eye; command over the undead can be a powerful path, but those that seek to become undead themselves will often turn their hands to murder in comparatively short order.

D’Shunn art, music, theatre, and poetry, vary depending upon the Cavern in which the artist dwells and the schools that they follow, but most share a singular characteristic. D’Shunn art in all of its manifestations is layered, with words having both literal and metaphorical meanings, and art containing subtexts that speak to the true intention of the artist.

Stewards of the Deeps

Some D’Shunn take a different view of the Deeps than as simply a challenge to be survived and overcome. They say that the Deeps hold many secrets – from caches of Golden Age magic and treasure, to monsters that are held in keeping until the world requires a scourge against a greater threat. These D’Shunn seldom go to the surface, but those that have are inveterate explorers, curious about the world and their place within it. Perhaps more telling, their willingness to sync with the world, above or below the surface, means that they frequently gain power quickly. Those inclined to opine upon the subject say that a being that works with its surroundings will often grow faster than those that constantly war with them.

Authored by: Andrew Dunlop
Fantasy Alive Lore Team 2026
Copyright © Endless Adventures Ontario