Deas

# Introduction

The Deas are a race of spirits, which reside in a different plane than the Annulus. Occasionally, the abundance of magic in their realm affects the Annulus- specifically, Da'iro. They are worshipped somewhat by the Féni, although their interpretation of them is not entirely accurate. Still, they are able to communicate with the mortal race, and

The "birth" of a Dea (sing.) corresponds to the sprouting of a {ELEPHANT: name for the tree} tree. This is the same species of tree that the Féni build their homes in, which means there is a chance that it was planted on purpose and will be nurtured into a strong, tall tree. Many trees are not given this treatment, however, meaning the Dea attached to it is not given the opportunity to grow as much as some others. This results in a power hierarchy; the taller the tree grows, the more powerful the Dea becomes.

In Deas society, the individuals with the most magical power are the ones that rule. For the most part, the society is structured similarly to some fey folklore; powerful Deas rule over the weaker ones in a certain area, not dissimilar to the fairy courts in folklore.

# Magic

The Deas do not live on the Annulus, and thus don't use the "standard" magic systems. Instead, they have their own unique kind of magic. What kinds of magic one can use depend on the strength of the individual.

All Deas are capable of shapeshifting, meaning they can assume whatever form they please. Small or large, humanoid or not, in (almost) any colour scheme, with any amount and types of limbs. Even the weakest of them is able to move from the size of a mountain to the size of a fingernail in mere seconds. The only limitation on their shapeshifting is that their "skin" colour is always some shade of green, symbolising their existence as nature spirits. Even if they don't actually have skin, their most obvious feature will still be green. Beyond this limitation, the Deas can look as vibrant or as dull as they please, and nearly all Deas shift their colours in colours that suit their moods and emotions.

Similarly, all Deas are capable of sensing magic, though more powerful individuals can identify more details than others. This natural variety can be compared to colourblind individuals, though it is much more common not to have a perfect magic perception. To the Deas, it is considered the seventh sense, while the sense of balance is the sixth.

The more powerful among the spirits are not only able to shapeshift, but are also capable of creating complex illusions and fake realities. This can mean simple, audio-visual illusions for relatively weak Deas, but can also include all six of the senses (touch, hearing, sight, smell, taste and balance). The only sense that cannot be falsely stimulated through these illusions is the seventh sense (explained in #The Eight Senses). Strong individuals are also able to manipulate dreams in the same way they manipulate waking illusions.

Illusions can not only affect the realm the Deas live in. The realm is tightly connected to Da'iro, and so illusion magic often leaks out of the realm and onto the Segment. This can cause hallucinations, as well as vivid dreams, in the entities there. Sometimes, these hallucinations or dreams are even shared by multiple individuals; for example, a whole village of Féni might sometimes see the spirit of the tree they live in, because the spirit in question is hiding themselves from the people in their own realm. (It happens more often than you'd think.)

A rare magical ability is the ability to manipulate emotions. It is considered an advanced form of illusion magic, as it involves a sense that is not usually stimulated with illusion magic. For an individual to have control over seven of the eight senses is incredibly rare, and incredibly powerful; Pavlovian responses can be induced by manipulating emotions. This way, it is possible to completely change a person's opinion of you, simply by forcing them to have the same emotional response every time you meet them.

## The Eight Senses

The Deas use the same five senses as are generally accepted in real life: sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell. In addition to these five, they have three more senses.

The first is the sense of balance. Often, this is considered the sixth sense in the real world as well, but I am including it on this list because people generally talk about five senses, not six.

Secondly, there is the sense of magic. All Deas are capable of sensing magic, although the extent of which they can identify magic varies. This is similar to some conditions in real life, such as colourblindness, but it is much more common for Deas to only be able to identify magic roughly. In other words, they "see magic", but by far the majority can only see blurred shapes and colours.

The last sense is emotions, which are considered to be the "sense of the soul". Deas believe they are able to identify their soul's desires, similarly to how they are able to distinguish colours, and thus see it as a sense like any other.