The Dowran

The Dowran are a northern folk, never found far from fresh water. Excellent swimmers, they live along riverbanks or the coast of seas and lakes in family groups. Their dense fur, whiskers, and thick tails make them visibly different from humans. They are not a nation themselves, but part of whichever one they live in. Some adaptions may be required of laws designed for humans, as military service or sea voyages are difficult for a people who need to be immersed in fresh water frequently. They cannot natively breathe underwater or live in it, but they will become unhealthy and eventually waste away if they cannot spend some time there.

They have an affinity for the elemental magic of water, little for metal and even less for fire. They have a preference for the totemic path rather than the spiritual, and within this they have an affinity for communicating with water-living mammals, especially otters but also seals, dolphins, and others. They feel they are very much a part of the semi-aquatic world and look to the other life there for inspiration and contemplation. Naiads look on them with favour as almost kin, and their earliest stories suggest this may be historical.

They are clever with their (slightly webbed) hands and skilled with tools, though they prefer to work in natural materials rather than metals that have been purified by fire. It is common for their crafters to see a purpose for a found object and construct an elaborate device around it (for example, a stone with a tapering hole becoming the key part of a measuring device). They are often driven by a desire to find out how things work, and if given a device they have not seen before they are likely to disassemble it to investigate. They are fishers rather than farmers and can eat seaweed and freshwater plants - in some areas they will even cultivate them. They can eat meat but find it distasteful compared to fish.

Their houses are simple but well-crafted of ephemeral materials like wood and earth, and are often built around a well or a spring in the way that human houses are built around a hearth. They do have hearths as well, though they are less concerned with cooking their food than humans are. A typical family group will live in several small houses, with a nuclear family in each one. One adult in each family is usually no more distant than a first cousin to an adult in each of the others. Often the children of a second or third generation will leave to set up a new family group rather than grow the settlement beyond five or six houses. Settlements thus rarely last longer than a few generations.

The Dowran can be found in low numbers anywhere with a temperate or subarctic climate, as long as the waterways are not frozen solid for longer than a few weeks. They like to travel and visit each other, so are more common near river deltas and places where rivers cross. Although they may travel a long way when young, if they form a partnership they are likely to settle close to one of the partner’s original home. Single Dowran, or childless partnerships, are much more likely to travel far, but whole families may go on visits to others within a day or two’s travel.

They are often friendly towards humans, welcome them in their homes, but always seem a step removed. This may be because humans are uncomfortable in Dowran homes, finding them cold and damp, and Dowran find human homes far too dry and often too warm. Humans can also find the Dowran somewhat frivolous, trusting that the future will look after itself. Fishing with nets and keeping livestock can interfere with the water the Dowran rely on, so they prefer to make their homes in more isolated areas.

The desire to know about things can have downsides. Dowran can find themselves in dangerous situations because they ‘just want to know how it works/what is happening’. Trying to inspect a waterwheel in use or an enemy catapult can have negative consequences! If remonstrated with for (yet again) ignoring personal danger, the Dowran tend to laugh it off. Especially if they are uninjured or have found out something new.

Although they don’t refuse to share knowledge, they tend to rely on memory rather than writing things down. Whilst they make excellent Naturesmiths and Artisans, and often skilled Alchemists, they tend to work alone or in small groups.