The Century of Winter

Today the world looks up to us, kid, and perhaps rightfully so. But my kind has some dark things in its past, things I'd like to forget, things that I know can't be forgotten.

— Jannette Kavraki, to Soren Pashad

Though the world of Avanima is harsh enough as it is, many birdfolk forget that there are times it has been so much worse. The Century of Winter was one such time. A multi-century period of deep ice ages spanning much of Alvana, it significantly limited the growth of Avani civilization for a long time and affected the course of history long after. It is most notable for how it drove the evolution of the Sialan in western Alvana and, more significantly, the Falco-Kiptrani on the island of Kiptravos.

The Kipravos Famine

One of the main impacts of this ice age came in the form of the Kiptravos famine, centuries of reduced agricultural output on the subcontinent that quickly became so bad it drove the inhabitants into desperation. The inhabitants increasingly turned to hunting prey and eating meat to satisfy their hunger. After generations of hunting, and their physical isolation from the rest of the world, these birdfolk evolved into the modern Falco-Kiptrani.
Over time, the fish and wildlife that the Falco-kiptrani depended on were depleted by the overhunting and the cooler climate killing off vegetation. As the situation grew grimmer and grimmer, these unfortunate Avani began to turn against one another. Cannibalism went rampant, what remained of their society collapsed, and their evolutionary divergence was accelerated as the toughest and most dangerous predators were the few to survive the mass death. After they gained access to sailing from the mainland, the Falco-Kiptrani spread their reign of terror throughout the region. Even as the ice age and subsequent famine came to an end the barbaric practice persisted for nearly 2000 years.
Though the birdfolk of Altowood have long since abandoned most of their cannibalistic tendencies (some overlooked legal exceptions do exist), this period in their history remains a dark period of bloodshed and tragedy. It is something they hold in diligent remembrance to remind themselves what a society can turn to without a strong moral foundation.

Type

Natural