Tribal bird-people that live in dense and
old forests. They create small tribes and
live peacefully, avoiding any outsiders. But
if outsiders interfere with their matters, they
mercilessly deal with anyone disturbing their
lives. This earned them the label of savages,
scaring away most humans from their territories.
At least the ones without armies.
Each of them
has its own name referring to something special that happened
when it was founded but of course, it is in their tongue.
I tried what I could, but I was unable to grasp even the faintest
glimpse behind their meanings. They have quite normal,
though primitive, wooden houses so the term 'nest' doesn't
qualify here. They can be spotted near the mountains, but to
my knowledge, they are not very fond of chill at their peaks.
They go there only during some rituals and rites of passage for
young shamans. In Deuslair they are mostly seen near one of
the central mountains in
Kallonia, called Truncantop. During
my journey, I met a few of them, and they were surprisingly
civil people. If not for their “birdy looks” and tattered clothes,
you could mistake one for a banished noble or a wandering
merchant.
Elder Kril
That is the title given to the highest-ranking shamans
of the Kril race. They are very sparse with words, preferring to
listen. One thing is certain, though. They are great magicians.
When our convoy got attacked, one Elder Kril—who was my
guest at the time—offered to deal with the attackers. It was truly
a sight to behold. In one moment, the clothed humanoid bird
next to me turned into a towering giant that stood over the poor
bandits. While many ran in panic immediately, a few assaulters
proved to have some guts and tried to attack him. In vain. Neither
their swords nor arrows were able to hit his real body, as they
were only brushing past the imaginary form created by his spell.
That was when he poured his magic into the nearby plants and
entrapped the bandits with overgrown vines. Poor souls. While
his help was more than welcome, their dying screams are one of
the few things I would wish to forget.
The Kril abide by their own moral code
It does not follow
our common sense, so their actions can seem very unorthodox
to us, civilized people. Personal debts and promises are held
incredibly high, while mercy for those they deem unworthy
is nonexistent. Same with the guilt for their actions. While in
a group, they protect the leader, usually a shaman, with their own
bodies if needed. Yet, if they see too many of their people injured
or dead, the leader stops the fight to retreat or surrender. It seems
like they do not hold grudges, as I've never heard of them taking
revenge on anyone. Almost creepily, they just seem to accept
death as a natural flow of life—be it a natural death or not.
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