The Sanlibutan Chronicles

Races of Sanlibutan: The Diwatas

Diwatas

"Beautiful and intelligent beings. Being the purest race to exists. They call themselves descendants of the divine and are proud of their sheer knowledge in magic, science, and arts."

- Nadar, Guide Book of the Diwatas

The Diwatas are among the first beings to live in the mortal realm, eventually settling in the continent of Kalusong. They are the descendants of the Devan Lakambini, the Lord of Purity and from their ancestor, they are indeed proud of their pure nature. The story of the Diwata origin can be traced back to the Mythical Era right after the creation of Sanlibutan. The Devan Lakambini, together with his wife Diwali, agreed to sacrifice their immortality to settle in the world created by Bathala and the other Devans. The Diwatas are neither considered Elves like the Engkantos or Fairies like the Lambanas but rather demigod beings. They can live for a long time, retaining their youthful appearance with immunity to diseases and curses but are still vulnerable to heavy injuries. They are proud of their Devan heritage that the term Diwata means deity or divine.

Unlike the races of Engkanto and Men who changed their appearance based on location or altered by divine beings, all Diwatas are all similar to each other. Diwatas can be described as beings with a light complexion with smooth skin. They have black to golden hair and eye colors ranging from black to blue. They are admired for their beauty that many would refer to Diwatas as the most beautiful of all races. Most Diwatans are taller than Men and Engkantos making them the tallest mortal race. The Diwatan blood color is white.

Diwatas are naturally gifted with magic as magic is in their blood. To say the Diwatas are well adapted in magic arts is an understatement as they also excelled in illusion and restoration magics, as well as in destructive magic making them good battlemages and wizards. Most Diwatas also studied alchemy and astrology as well as physics (note: Science is different in this universe). Diwatas are also good in healing magic and excel in the field of medicine. Furtermore, Diwatas are among the most intelligent of known races, rivaling only the Banwaanon and Dalaketnon Engkantos. They established schools of magic, knowledge, philosophy, and medicine. Their longevity helped them master their crafts that they keep on practicing to further improve their skills. Moreover, the Diwatas also developed advanced technology way ahead compared to the other races.

Diwatan cities are referred to as Deshes which means "city" They built large cities similar to that of the Banwaanons expect Diwatan cities are more expanded. The Diwatan architecture is inspired by Indian and Indonesian cities with large pagodas in temples. The largest Diwatan cities are Deshlaka – the future capital of the Diwatan Empire, Deshpanta – the city of Diwata scholars and thinkers and the home of the University of Kansining, Deshmantra – the city of Diwatan magicians and alchemists, and Deshalyari – the second largest city located in the slopes of Mt. Malyari and is the summer retreat of many Diwatas. They also have coconut and coffee plantations in the southern Riverlands region, rice fields in the central plains, and salt farms in the northern salt marshes. Moreover, the Diwatas established colonies in the frontiers such as Deshgintu located in the Igolot Mountains and where much of their gold and minerals are mined; Deshlerba, a trading post facing the Eastern Ocean; Deshavra, a colony near the border of Ibalon and where they trained their elemental benders; and Deshnila, a large trading post where they used it to conduct a trading relationship with other countries. Before these cities and colonies are independent until they are united by the Diwatan Empire in IE 3000 after the first Diwata Emperor succeeded in uniting all Diwatas under his banner. Not all Diwatas live in large cities as the Horse Lord clans prefer to live a nomadic lifestyle and don't swear loyalty to the Diwata Emperor.

In the First Era, they were the ruling culture that they dominated nearly half of the continent. They already advanced in technology such as the use of levitation magic to climb their tall towers and the use of airships in travel. In warfare, they are known for their discipline and Diwatan soldiers are clad in heavily decorated armor. They also use early cannons powered by fire magic and some even trained Minokawas to be used in battle. Their advancement in technology and culture paved way for future civilization in Kalusong. Furthermore, the Diwatans developed their writing system called Diwansi (inspired by the Brahmi script), over the years the writing changed to become the Kulitan. This would later be adopted by the Kapampangans and the Tagalogs. The Kapampangans used the Kulitan while the Tagalogs modified the ancient Diwansi that soon became the Baybayin.