Aarakocra (aah-ra-koh-kra)
The aarakocra are a species of sentient humanoid being which bear some resemblance to birds, though they have six limbs - two legs, two arms, and two wings. An adult typically stands between five and five-and-a-half feet tall, with a wingspan of around fifteen feet.
The word "aarakocra" (rendered A'aRKRA in Draconic script, or aa-rr'kk'rrah in their own script) is understood to be Auran in origin, meaning "those who dance upon the sky".
Basic Information
Anatomy
Aarakocra are warm blooded, bipedal, six-limbed feathered humanoids; most consider themselves kin to birds to about the same extent that humans consider themselves kin to mammals. They have sharp and dextrous talons on their hands and feet, and a pair of wings originating from a double-shoulder. An adult stands approximately five to five-and-a-half feet tall; though they appear powerfully-built, they are relatively light, weighing eighty to one hundred pounds on average.
Aarakocra are sexually dimorphic; those who can fertilise eggs tend to be slightly shorter than others, and have brighter and more colourful plumage (usually in shades of red and orange), whilst the feathers of those who lay eggs tend to be more subdued in shade (usually in shades of brown and grey). These two sexes are often glossed as "male" and "female" by non-aarakocra, though most aarakocra prefer the use of more exact terms in order to avoid inaccurate assumptions being made about their conception of sex and gender.
The biology of the aarakocra allows them to fly higher than almost any other bird by soaring on thermals. They are able to enter and survive the region of the air known as the Rivers of the Sky, where few other species are able to do so - this can be found at around ten miles above sea level over the Spire Isles, and drop as low as five miles above sea level over the frozen southern reaches of Volsanger. The Rivers of the Sky contain fast-flowing and unpredictable air currents which can be used to rapidly traverse the world by those who are able to nagivate them, but which can blow the unprepared hundreds of miles off-course, or cause significant injuries to those who attempt to enter the currents which are flowing too rapidly. When flying at such a height, aarakocra who have trained themselves to do so are able to enter a trance-like state in which their metabolism slows, compensating for the thinness of the air and allowing themselves to remain aloft at such a height for several hours at a time - though doing so is physically demanding and can lead to exhaustion in the unprepared. The aarakocra are not known to be able to breach the Rivers to reach the calmer - but deeply inhospitable - region known as the Frozen Sky that exists above the Rivers without recourse to magic.
Genetics and Reproduction
Aarakocra reproduce sexually, laying clutches that usually consist of two to four eggs, which must be incubated for around three months before they hatch.
Growth Rate & Stages
Aarakockra fledgelings take several years to mature, usually mastering flight around the age of three or four years. They fully mature by the end of their second decade, and can live for seventy to eighty years - though life expectancy is often much shorter due to conflict, accidents, and disease.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Aarakocra are omnivorous, and require a diet high in proteins to thrive; the cuisine of aarakocran-majority cultures tends to reflect this, and usually prominently feature meat, fish, nuts, and fruits where available. Aarakocra are capable of eating raw meat, and even bone, without ill-effect, though few will do so unless they absolutely have to.
Civilization and Culture
Major Language Groups and Dialects
Most of the major cultural groups of aarakocra speak closely related dialects of the same language, which is ultimately a derivation of Auran. These dialects are sufficiently closely-related a that they are mutally comprehensible, and they are likewise mutually comprehensible with Auran, though they lack the magical properties of that language.
Culture and Cultural Heritage
There are several major cultural groups among the aarakocra, of which the Shadowkith, the Snowkith, and the Spirekith are the most well-recognised.
The Shadowkith predominantly dwell in the high desert mountains of northwest Azarach. Intensely private and isolationist even by the standards of other aarakocran cultures, they are understood to have a rather antagonistic relationship with the Hegemony of Parath.
The Snowkith dwell in the Central Mountains of Kataris, where they for the most part enjoy close alliances with the khanates and other successor states of the Urkhaganate. They are generally reckoned as a deeply religious people, extremely pious in their devotion to the Vaati.
The Spirekith are the most widely distributed and least isolationist of the aarakocran cultures, and many are at least semi-nomadic. With strong cultural values that favour travel and trade, they are most commonly found in the Spire Isles but are also often encountered in Aaranak, the Adric Isles, and occasionally in Kataris.
History
Some say that in the distant past the aarakocra dwelled in the Elemental Apex of Air, and that they came to the material realm following some great cataclysm; others say that they were once the slaves of the Ordning of the Giants, brought to the world during the Aeon of Ice and were abandoned after the giants were defeated in the War of the First Alliance. It is perhaps possible that both of these myths are true - though it is also notable that these are theories imposed upon the history of the aarakocra by outsiders, rather than what the aarakocra themselves believe.
Genetic Descendants
Lifespan
Similar to humans
Average Height
5ft. to 5ft. 6 inches.
Average Weight
80 to 100lbs
Geographic Distribution
Related Ethnicities
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