Wax

For a race who is as reliant on their wings as the birdfolk, there is no greater enemy than the weather, especially when race-wide claustrophobia prevents you from taking proper shelter except in ridiculously large buildings.

Usage

The primary function of wing wax is to waterproof the wings without making them stiff. Unnecessary in the Plane of Air, wax is however a must for anyone hoping to fly with feathered wings in any scenario involving water. As such, multiple kinds of wax have been developped to answer to the different needs of their developpers.

Waterproofing and Stifnesss

One of the first thing to look our for when buying wax to waterproof wings is the conditions it is meant to be used in, as they won't offer the same level of protection, but also not the same level of stiffness or comfort. For comfort, it is recommended to go for the lightest options, but these usually won't protect the wings from much more than a drizzle. Stiffer options provide all the way up to storm conditions at the exponentionnal cost of comfort.
Lastly for waterproofing uses are the swimming waxes. Unlike the ones meant ot protect wings in flight, these praise their stiffening qualities as well as their waterproofing ones. Facilitating maneuvers in water, it is much less common, but still generally accessible.

Protection from Other Nuisances

Less common waxes also protect against nuisances of other nature. In Nalore, some residents use a type of wax to keep various insects at bay while they dive within the dense foliage. Waxes in High Perch are advertised to protect against the extrem cold of the mountains as well as from the intense heat for those who would wish to visit the Dwarves underneat.

Glamour

Such a common necessity, wax has been adapted to be a more pleasant thing. Though the vast majority will keep to plain wax, Zephys in particular houses merchants trying to market their tinting and shaping waxes, for purely visual results. Scented waxes have had a lot more success accross generations, with the subtle aromas acting as perfume. Unfortunately, it seems some fools without a sense of smell have managed to create incredibly obnoxious scents, both in type of scent and in strength.

Disponibility

Answering a very real demand, wax is commonly available in every Aarakocran city, and is almost more common than the coins used to buy it in Celetide. Finding the kind of wax suited for the waterproofing of wings is far trickier in settlements that are not populated with birdfolks, or Avariels, though large cities usually see enough feathery traffic to have at least a few specialized shops where it is available. Small and remote, or even large dwarven settlements however pretty much never have any, and any well prepared Aarakocra will bring their own with them before setting out, for fear of having to either use candle wax or end up soaking wet.