Aarakocra
Making their homes in the mountains and cities of Ostren and Apleau, aarakocra, also known as birdfolk, dislike being called just a bird as it is seen as dismissive and demeaning. Their lineage dates back to the time of dragons when they controlled the world, they too would fly alongside them. Now they live with other humans and races as well, blending in with society and living as others would. They never seem to stay in one place, and those that do perch for life and their next generation may fly out and do as they please. It is common for them to run taverns and go on adventures. Those that don't live within their own tribes.
Basic Information
Biological Traits
Aarakocra up close look very much like large birds of various species. They have many of the physical attributes of birds of their species. They usually have long talons on their claws and their body is covered in feathers.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
As with much of their speech, aarakocra names include clicks, trills, and whistles to the point that other peoples have a difficult time pronouncing them. Typically, a name has two to four syllables with the sounds acting as connectors. When interacting with other races, aarakocra may use nicknames gained from people they meet or shortened forms of their full names.
Gender Ideals
Male aarakocra feathers tend to be brighter and flashier, as to attract a mate as any bird would, while females have more subdued colors. Their colors and plumage relate to their tribe as well.
Courtship Ideals
Mating between aarakocra is similar to the mating habits of birds.
Major Language Groups and Dialects
Common, Aarakocra, and Auran.
Culture and Cultural Heritage
Aarakocra are not bound to the earth so they are free to live their life and fly in the sky. Some tribes only ever land to lay eggs and mate. The resemblance of aarakocra to birds isn’t limited to physical features. Aarakocra display many of the same mannerisms as ordinary birds. They are fastidious about their plumage, frequently tending their feathers, cleaning and scratching away any tiny passengers they might have picked up. When they deign to descend from the sky, they often do so near pools where they can catch fish and bathe themselves.
Many aarakocra punctuate their speech with chirps, sounds they use to convey emphasis and to shade meaning, much as a human might through facial expressions and gestures. An aarakocra might become frustrated with people who fail to pick up on the nuances; an aarakocra’s threat might be taken as a jest and vice versa.
The idea of ownership baffles most aarakocra. After all, who owns the sky? Even when explained to them, they initially find the notion of ownership mystifying. As a result, aarakocra who have little interaction with other people might be a nuisance as they drop from the sky to snatch livestock or plunder harvests for fruits and grains. Shiny, glittering objects catch their eyes.
They find it hard not to pluck the treasure and bring it back to their settlement to beautify it. An aarakocra who spends years among other races can learn to inhibit these impulses.
Confinement terrifies the aarakocra. To be grounded, trapped underground, or imprisoned by the cold, unyielding earth is a torment few aarakocra can withstand. Even when perched on a high branch or at rest in their mountaintop homes, they appear alert, with eyes moving and bodies ready to take flight.
A typical colony consists of one large, open-roofed nest made of woven vines. The eldest acts as leader with the support of a shaman.
Aarakocra enjoy peace and solitude. Most of them have little interest in dealing with other peoples and less interest in spending time on the ground. For this reason, it takes an exceptional circumstance for an aarakocra to leave his or her tribe and undertake the adventurer’s life. Neither treasure nor glory is enough to lure them from their tribes; a dire threat to their people, a mission of vengeance, or a catastrophe typically lies at the heart of the aarakocra adventurer’s chosen path.
Common Taboos
- Being called a bird
- Questioning the idea of cannibalism of other aarakocra when eating plain fowl
- Being confused with kenku
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
Aarakocra have a deep kinship with dragonborn.
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