Cervidians

**Cervidians** are a sapient race in the world of *Delve*, and the only one besides humans that has appeared in the story so far.

The name is derived from Latin: *cervus* means "stag" and the mammal family is called Cervidae.

## Appearance and Customs

Cervidians look similar to humans but with slightly different proportions, they are generally taller and more slender than humans. They have shorter ribcages than a human their size would have. It is likely they lack body hair. Unlike female humans, female cervidians don't possess an enlarged chest area.. Cervidians do not snore.

The most prominent difference is that awakened cervidians of both genders having antlers resembling those of a stag. The higher level a Cervidian is, the more impressive their antlers. Unawakened cervidians just have vestigial nubs on the head, that are much easier to conceal. Cervidian antlers aren’t like deer antlers in anything but appearance; Losing them is equal to losing any other limb, and leads to quick exsanguination.

Cervidians not only carry a symbol of their level on the head, after their death the antlers can be used to raise the level of other cervidians. The antlers can be burnt and the remains dissolved in a substance made from Tel and alcohol, to then be drunk by awakened cervidians of a lower level, which raises their Level Cap. This is obscure and secret knowledge that cervidians chose to forget, but Warden Vatreece revealed the secret to Tallheart.

Cervidians bow their head as a gesture of greeting or making an acquaintance, instead of shaking hands.

Cervidians cannot physically eat meat, even lacking pronounced canines. Their diet however includes various plants and even monsters that are indigestible or even poisonous to Humans, like the Sasu, Crawler Vines and Fungiforms, which they think of as delicacies.

Cervidians experience widespread discrimination from humans. Some humans assume they live a druidic-like lifestyle ("all twigs and nature"). A (weak) racial slur for cervidians is *deer*.

## Background and History

There has once been a Cervidian kingdom in Ekrustia, but it was conquered by the Empire of Adamant about a thousand years ago. When cervidians regained some power about the 2960ies, the Empire under Potentate Fecht started to hunt cervidians down on a worldwide basis, eventually also hitting Cervidian communities far away from Adamant, including communities in other continents, like those of Bellost where Tallheart and Snowlilly lived.

Tallheart and Snowlilly rescued many cervidians in Ekrustia, and formed a new community in the deepest wilderness of the DKE, south of North Harbor and west of Elfield. That village had a population of only 80 cervidians, with only Proudrock being awakened: The community was afraid that some of them might be recognized, leading to all of them being hunted down for the imperial bounty. After the fall of North Harbor, this was exactly what happened when the Menovik family divined the area around their remote hunting retreat, and found the village. With the help of the hired Rustcloak mercenaries, they captured the cervidians and killed Proudrock for his antlers, before deciding to awaken them all and harvest them for antlers as well. This was prevented when Ameliah rescued the villagers.

## Known Cervidians

* Tallheart (high-level Runic Powersmith)
* Snowlilly (adventurer and Tallheart's wife, deceased)
* Proudrock (rescued by Snowlilly and Tallheart)
* Oakheart (Tallheart's father, deceased)
* Imbara (Tallheart's mother, deceased)
* Ogara (Tallheart's uncle from the mother's side; unawakened smith)
* Rush (spouse of Dawnlight, pretty young adult)
* Dawnlight (spouse of Rush)
* Heartwood (daughter of Rush and Dawnlight)
* Ander (Proudrock's father, an old man of possibly 50 years old)
* Stoneriver (Ander's eldest daughter with a rather fierce character, short *River*)
* Camaya (Ander's third child, with a comparatively meek nature)
* Greenbriar (Camaya's little son)
* Skymoon, son of Skymoon (adult but appears younger than Rush)

## References

1. ↑ Chapter 232
2. ↑ Chapter 155
3. ↑ Chapter 117
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Chapter 219
5. ↑ Chapter 221
6. ↑ Chapter 142
7. ↑ Chapter 144
8. ↑ Chapter 51
9. ↑ Chapter 56
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Chapter 217
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Chapter 110