"Heroic Ex-mortals Linked to Time and Bound by Fate" (quoted from the Everlasting, Book of the Spirits, page 245, © 1997-98 by Steven C. Brown)
"Mythic Heroes Linked to Time and Bound by a Higher Destiny" (quoted from the Everlasting, Book of the Light, page 135, © 1997-98 by Steven C. Brown)
The Daevas had been the largest of all the Eldritch races until recently. They are people who have been chosen by some higher power for some greater mission that results in their becoming nearly immortal due to their incredible resilience that is the result of the Apotheosis.
The following quote is being re-printed from page 136 of The Everlasting, Book of the Light, and describes what these amazing beings with strange inhuman abilities:
There are those mortals who are somehow chosen by destiny to become something more than human. They apotheosize (transform) into higher beings- into demigods called Daevas. Daevas are relics of a lost age of myth, heroes, and earthly gods bound (by the very power that grants them immortality) into the service of some greater unknown force. Whenever some grave threat arises, a new Daeva is born and this Daeva feels a soul bond (intuitive connection) to this threat. If she faces it and overcomes it, she surpasses mortal existence and becomes a Daeva. If she fails, she is destroyed or bends to the will of evil and becomes its servant. The trials along the way to godhood or destruction serve as her initiation rites into the Secret World. And in these times of great trouble, more and more daevas are being created as cosmic agents who will serve as warriors of humanity when Doomsday comes.
Daevas are a race of mythic gods and heroes- holdovers from the mythical Bronze Age and Heroic Age- yet they are bound into the service of Destiny, and while Destiny has rewarded them greatly, it has ultimately doomed them. Daevan scholars believe their kind exist as Guardians of Humanity, and though most daevas are self-serving and refuse to buy into such nonsense, they do realize that Destiny often leads them into confrontations with the Forces of Darkness from which they cannot walk away.
The name "Daeva" means many things: "evil spirit" in Zoroastrian mythology, "gods" in Hindu myth, and "hero" or "goblin" in Buddhist myths. Yet even as "gods" they are considered useless gods. They are accorded no worship and are of little importance in the affairs of humanity according to myth. Daevas are, in many ways, like their mythic namesakes (if indeed the mortal myths were not actually describing the daevas themselves) in that they are not great gods who openly rule and guide humanity.
Subtlety has become the tool of the daevas, and while many of them gather and wield power and influence openly, most live secret lives among mortals. In fact, daevas have been influenced more by humanity than they have had influence on humanity. Many daevas live within mortal society, obeying human laws and customs, maintaining false mortal identities, and protecting their secrets from others. Only elitist daevas, who consider themselves superior to mortals, scoff at mortal laws, living only by their own code of honor and the customs of everlasting society.
The daevas' link to Destiny extends into a special form of temporal awareness, called Prescience, by which they can perceive, in varying degrees, what they call the Web of Destiny, as it flows and weaves the future based on every nuance of action or inaction taken by each and every being. There is a Great Darkness arising in the distant future which daevan prescience cannot penetrate. Many believe this unfathomable future marks their own deaths. Regardless of their actions, this Great Darkness does not fade... and it has all daevas worried.
Daevas were the founders and sustainers of the Wisdom of the Ancients- the doctrine immortals live by. They created everlasting society in the shadows of the mortal world, and garnered personal power and wealth almost effortlessly. The daevas established households of great renown within the Secret World, founded in the images of prehistoric households called Ashurae.
Daevas were the most powerful of the immortal gentes until roughly twenty years ago, when many daevas left the earth for realms unknown and never returned. Many believe they attempted a pre-emptive strike on the demons, which would postpone the Final Battle, and they failed. Now all that remains of the once great race are the independent daevas and the remnants of the households held together by only a fraction of their original membership.
Daevas must now face the uncertain future while struggling to maintain order as chaos and death reign supreme.
A large portion of the Daevas developed groups or "Households" (sort of an extended family with similar beliefs and lifestyles), each with its own history and background. There are also many Daevas who are not a part of any of these large households, but instead are referred to as "Independants". The following briefly describes some of the more prominent and widely known Daevan households.
Aesir- these daevas were originally of Norse decent, but now exist throughout the world. They tend to possess very well developed combat skills, and as such can be thought of as similar to the Norse heroes of legend. They are ruthless, but at the same time highly value honor. However they have a dark spot in their history due to their support of the Nazis during World War 2, however they now admit to the wrongdoing of their actions during that time.
Dekans- tend to be a very secretive and well educated group of daevas. The household was originally located in ancient Egypt, and unknown to most, they were responsible for salvaging much of the tomes that were believed to have been lost when the Library of Alexandria was destroyed. They utilize very advanced and ancient magicks. They are a very honorable household that has gone to great lengths to protect humanity, although they do not get involved with controlling any aspects of humanity.
Fir Bolg- are now a relatively small household, as many of their members have left the earth for other realms. They are a very secretive and strange group. They use powerful magicks and tend to be very solitary relative to other Daevan households, as a matter of fact, many of the other households don't completley trust them and often question their motives. This household was originally founded in the Normandy area of France, but they moved to Ireland after being pushed out by other Daevas in power struggles and after hearing about the strange Faerie magicks of Ireland.
Fomhoire- tend to be an arrogant and cold-hearted lot. While they do fight to protect humanity from evil, they do not put much value on the lives of single humans. They are very manipulative and as such often tend to get involved in behind the scenes influence of world powers due to their Machiavellian outlook. They are ruthless and during their early history in the Baltic region of Europe, they were feared. Due to their roving ways they eventually ended up in Ireland. They have a very structured hierarchy and run their household similar to the way that they run many large corporations that they are involved in. They currently reside around the globe, and have positions of power or behind the scenes power.
Huecuva- are a group of Daevas that originated in South America, and were looked upon by the locals of these areas as deities, often even worshiped. They are very protective of the earth and nature, as well as having abilities involving fire and light. They often work closely with Manitou in their battles against the Abominations. They were one of the hardest hit households when the Exodus occurred, loosing over two-thirds of their members.
Kuni-Tzu-Kami- was founded in Japan, and has always had a strong presence there. While they have members around the globe, they are heavily concentrated there. While to the outside they appear to be a strong and centrally run household, they are actually split up into numerous clans, each with its own focus and interests. However if threatened they will come together and deal with any threat as a single household if the need arises.
Maribur- are unusual in that all their members have apotheosized as children. This often works to their advantage since they continue to have the bodies of children despite their immortality. After all, no one ever suspects children of being a powerful and world spanning organization that can fight evil and protect humanity, thus they are able to do things that other Daevas find difficult. They often have adult minions that pretend to be their parents, thus allowing them to keep up the charade. They are fierce in their dealings with the Demons despite their small stature. However unlike the children that they appear to be they are wise and knowledgeable, as well as being very cautious.
Milesians- originated on the Iberian peninsula. They are very disciplined and tenacious, as well as being protectors of holy places. Their faith in the Divine and their frequent good deeds make them one of the most widely respected of the Daevan households. They often work with Questers and even occasional Angels to protect humanity from the evil of the Demons as well as other threats. The biggest marks against them during their history was their support of and involvement in the Inquisition, the Crusades, and the at times brutal activities that lead to the conquest of the New World. They often do influence temporal society and many of their members are in positions of power. They had been an exclusively European household until somewhat recent times, but have greatly expanded who they will accept into the household after suffering heavy losses in the Exodus.
Olympians- are the greek gods and heroes of legend. They still exist, but have taken a less visible roll in temporal society in recent times. However, even now they are one of the household that most heavily influences temporal society. They are a very protective household, going to great lengths to protect humanity, and especially those that live within their own Dominions. They are an intelligent and honorable group, and do what they feel is necessary to protect mortals. They now have members throughout the world.
Semnai Theai- are referred to as the gods of vengeance. They often operate almost like a secret police force dedicated to protecting humanity. While they have amazing abilities when it comes to catching evildoers, if the evildoers are mortals, they turn them over to the proper authorities, however any Eldritch caught by them for evil acts are punished severely by the Semnai Theai themselves. They originated in the same area and shortly after the Olympians and often work with the Olympians, although their methods tend to be different.
Tuatha Dé Danann- are a strong household with great warriors and storytellers, and a love of magic and history. They are a proud people with close ties to the Faeries, Elves, Questers, and few remaining Dragons. They are the only Daevan household that didn't originate from any existing earthly realms, as they came from the Faerie lands that were heavily steeped in magick and that used to lie between Ireland and England but have since drifted completely away from the earthly realms. They had moved to the mainland for a short time, but later returned to Ireland after the Faerie lands disappeared from the earth. They are firm believers in the Pagan ways as well as being active in the battles against both the Demons and the Abominations.
Vanir- like the Aesir, come from northern lands of Europe. They are also proud warriors and fierce combatants. As a whole they are extremely well trained with swords and even refer to themselves as "The People of the Blade". While they originate from the same area as the Aesir, they have fought against them both in the early days of human history (and defeated them, but then made peace with them) and again during World War 2, in which the Vanir supported the battle against the Nazi war machine which the Aesir helped to support. They are one of the major players in the battle against the Demons, being devoted to the defence of humanity.
Independents- While nearly half of all Daevas are not aligned with one of the major households above or the 30 or so lesser ones not mentioned, they are still a viable force as the majority of them also work towards defending humanity and the earth as a whole against the various evil forces that seek to disrupt or destroy it such as the Demons or the Abominations. The biggest difference is that they do it in their own way, without support or backing of a larger organization such as each of the greater households has. However it should be noted that there are several very small groups that are loosely affiliated (groups that comprise of 20 or fewer daevas) that are generally considered to be Independants due to their lack of a large and organized structure.
Abominations: 2-3 These alien and vile creatures need to be dealt with as they are a serious threat to humankind.
Angels: 7-8 They are useful allies, as they fight for the same causes that we do, although they may sometimes go about it in a different way.
Daevas: 2-9* Overall our kind are working towards the good of humanity, however there are those among us who are greedy or that have fallen in league with the forces of darkness and they must be rooted out and their activities ended.
Dead Souls: 3-5 They are the criminals and evildoers of human society, and as such should be punished, however they are being punished by their very state of existence, so it is best to leave them be as long as they are not causing problems.
Demons: 1 Arch enemies! These vile and repulsive beings are evil incarnate and any means necessary must be used to defeat them or disrupt their activities. The more we can do to weaken them now, the more likely we will be in defeating them when the final battle comes at the end of our time on earth.
Djinn: 2-8 Some of them will help in times of need, but most can not be fully trusted due to their very nature. Keep an eye on them and never turn your back on them for their loyalties can change on a moments notice and with little reason or care.
Dragons: 5-7 Overall they can generally be trusted, but always keep that trust with a watchful eye. They will generally help us in our mission, but be wary of them.
Dwarves: 5-7 Very little contact is made with them. They are of little concern.
Elves: 7-8 They generally fight for the forces of good, but some have their own agendas.
Faerie: 4-7 These alien beings have little use for humanity and don't have any care for helping our cause, but neither will they interfere or support the forces of the Demons. It is best to avoid them, as their motivations are often times alien and can not be fully trusted.
Gargoyles: 2-7 Some can be useful allies, but most need to be watched as their ways lead to their own self destruction and as such they can not be fully trusted.
Ghuls: 3-4 They are useless beings that have little care for our cause, best to avoid them as they do with us.
Manitou: 4-8 They are generally useful as allies, but their cause is different and while it overlaps ours to some degree, there are areas where our ideals differ which can cause serious problems. So be cautious when dealing with them.
Orcs: 2-3 They are the cannon-fodder of the Demons and as such should be put down whenever encountered.
Osirians: 4-8 Be cautious when dealing with them as while they generally support our cause, they tend to have their own agendas and can be harsh enemies if our goals cross one another.
Possessed: 2-3 These foul spirits corrupt mortals and should be destroyed whenever possible. However that is more easily said than done, as if they are destroyed the spirit simply moves on to a new host. So they can not be truly defeated in any way that we know of.
Questers: 4-8 They can be trouble due to their ways, but they are fighting for the same cause and will be able and useful allies in the end, but be careful of their activities, as they have been known to cause problems.
Reanimates: While we have pity for these vile creatures, it must be remembered that they are generally the tools of others and are best put out of their misery.
Revenants: 2-5 They are masters of death and the underworld and as such should be avoided and never trusted. They consume the life force from humans and as such cause harm to those who we are here to protect.
Vampires: 2-4 They pretend to be noble and honorable, but they are like the Revenants in that they consume those who we are protecting. They are a disease that feeds off of humanity and as such should never be trusted and destroyed if possible.
Wer: 3-5 They can not be trusted, as they are a major threat to humanity due to their evil ways. They are not much better than the Demons and should be hunted down and destroyed.