In ancient times, the Knite Dara were a striking and mysterious people.

Description

Standing at an average of six feet tall, the Knite Dara were humanoid, but their presence felt far more ancient and enigmatic. Their skin tones were either shades of ashen grey, or sometimes a very dark brownish-black, blending with the mountainous deserts and urban landscapes where they thrived. Their eyes glimmered with otherworldly hues—gold, silver, or violet—each shade as mesmerizing as the twilight skies under which they were born. Known far and wide for their exotic attire, the Knite Dara clothed themselves in thin layers of dark leather, draped with silken linens that fluttered lightly with their every movement, like smoke dancing in the wind. These garments clung closely to their lithe forms, creating an elegant yet foreboding silhouette wherever they walked. Despite their imposing aura, they lived around ninety to one hundred years, with most aligning themselves toward good, though their spirituality often leaned toward paganism, revering the spirits of the earth and sky.

A unique physical trait of the Knite Dara was their peculiar lack of body hair, save for a small patch atop their head, which they grew into long, sleek ponytails, though many chose to remain bald. The absence of hair enhanced their eerie, ageless appearance, casting them even further from the realm of ordinary men.

Body augmentation was another hallmark of the Knite Dara. Their faces, ears, and limbs bore elaborate piercings, often adorned with intricate metalwork or gemstones. Some even wore piercings across their chests and forearms, each one a personal emblem of status, achievement, or faith. Headdresses, often shaped like feathers or strands of hair, completed their appearance—each unique to the individual, yet collectively identifying them as one of the Nightborn.

Born of Night

And they were indeed born of the night. Every Knite Dara came into this world during the darkest hour of twilight, when the sun had just dipped below the horizon, and the stars had yet to fully claim the sky. This timing was no mere coincidence; it was a sacred birthright. The Dara required little sleep, their energies heightened when the moon graced the heavens, and the shadows stretched long. They had a natural affinity for the dark, able to sense creatures that lurked within it and detect those that drew their power from its depths.

The Knite Dara wielded more than just a connection to darkness. They could conjure smoke with a mere thought, thick and impenetrable, concealing themselves or their surroundings in an instant. The smoke clung to them like a second skin, ready to be summoned at their will. In addition, they could manifest ash, a defensive tool, which could scatter into blinding clouds or harden into protective barriers, making them formidable in combat.

Homemland

Among the lands they ventured into, the mountainous, tropical savannahs of Vüdos held a particular allure. The peaks of Vüdos rose sharply from the surrounding lowlands, cloaked in dense mists and thick forests, where the air was always heavy with the scent of rain and damp earth. The grasslands that stretched between these towering mountains were alive with color—vibrant green blades swayed beneath golden sunlight, while strange and exotic creatures roamed freely in the distance.

It was here, in this land of contrasts, that many Knite Dara chose to settle. The towering mountains reminded them of the high deserts of Hauth, while the lush savannahs offered new life and possibilities that had been scarce in the arid plains of Zor. For some, Vüdos became more than just a refuge—it became their new homeland, a place where they could begin again, without losing the connection to the old ways. Though they had spread far and wide across the Wildlands, those who dwelled in Vüdos felt a sense of belonging, as if the land itself had accepted them as its own.

Historically, the Knite Dara hailed from the high red desert plains of eastern Zor and the rugged western territories of Hauth. During the middle era of Epoch II: Origins, they began to spread across the Wildlands, carving out new homes in distant, unfamiliar territories. Many eventually found sanctuary in the lush, mountainous savannahs of Vüdos, a land some of them now considered their true homeland. The sweeping, sun-baked cliffs and misty peaks of Vüdos offered them a place where the old and new ways of the Knite Dara could flourish side by side.

Thus, the Knite Dara remained a people both of smoke and of ash, of twilight and mystery, forever bound to the night yet walking boldly in the world of men.