Angels

An ancient race, with high variation in their forms. Much of their race functions and are revered as priests to the gods, others taking up the role as warriors for their own pantheon. The angels can appear as vaguely humanoid feathered monsters barely resembling their ancestors to mostly human with feathered wings. They are considered a genetic 'cousin' to harpies.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Angels vary wildly in anatomy, with two main divisions- The so called pure blooded, and low blooded. This race has perhaps the highest degree of variation on Terra, to such a point that different regional groupings are in some circles (although none of them Angelic themselves) consider them to be different species altogether. All angels typically have larger ribcages than other humanoids and more prominent chest and back muscles, along with large feathered wings, typically on the back. Angels also have a lesser degree of sexual dimorphism compared to other humanoids, particularly with pure bloods.
Pure blooded angels are their kind's most monstrous and hardly resemble their human ancestors. Numerous eyes, extra limbs, a multitude of wings, and strange magical artifacts surround them, barely held into a corporeal form. Pure bloods are mostly found late in the race's history, with few known beyond myth prior to the War of Black Ash. They typically make up the upper levels of angelic society. Pure blooded angels can lack a head or limbs entirely physically, instead forming them out of aura and magic as an extension of their body.
So called low blooded angels are the majority of their population, and much more resemble the typical humanoid, having two arms, two legs, a human body, and two wings. Generally, low blooded angels have a feathered back and ruff of feathers up and around the neck, but rarely on the chest and shoulders.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Like their society as a whole, the angelic diet is divided immensely depending on class. There are many restrictions on who can eat what an when, although most of these rules of society are often quickly abandoned in areas with a high degree of diversity of other races.
Although as a whole angels are more tolerant of magical foods, these are typically only eaten by the upper class, some of which persist on magical or conjured foods alone to the point they may become ill if they eat something non-magical in origin. Red meat is also eaten exclusively by the highest of angelic society in areas primarily inhabited by angels.
Lower class angels typically make up the bulk of their diet with grains, fish, cheese, and other dairy products with very little for meat other than chicken or pork. Kale, quinoa, barley, and wheat are quite popular. Food available to the lower class is typically seasoned with cheap, easy to grow vegetables and tubers such as roasted garlic, onions, and tubers with salt and mustard being a staple.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Typically, an angelic household is that of one's blood relatives with a matriarch of the oldest still living grandmother, her daughters and their partners, their children, and occasionally aunts and uncles and their own children. This persists through both social groups found within Angelic society, however lower class angels typically have much smaller households and lower class angels are much more likely to move away from their childhood homes to create their own households, not held to such extremes as the upper class.
Angels are very social within their own race and class, however are known for being incredibly rude, disrespectful, and all too commonly outright hostile to others outside these groups, even to their own kind. Their society and culture places so much pressure on maintaining their social ranking, which is incredibly easy to lose, that even being associated with others of a lower ranking can make them an outcast as well. Not adhering to the same values or cultural norms is often seen as a direct attack on one's character, even if they are uninvolved personally and not tolerated by much of 'Pure blooded' society.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Angels are quite skilled naturally in all forms of magic, particularly divine magics.

Civilization and Culture

Beauty Ideals

Angels place incredible pressure on social rank through ideals of beauty in the upper class, favoring pristine skin free of scars and covered in unbroken scripture tattoos with deep personal meaning, usually a history of one's personal experiences and triumphs. To not have these tattoos in the upper class is seen as a blemish, and often the ritual of getting these tattoos starts quite young. Other than tattoos, there is a very strong pressure to not alter one's physical appearance in any way, to look as 'the gods created'. Despite this pressure, cosmetic surgeries are not uncommon, as long as the result is subtle and not talked about.
Lower class angels are much more free to experiment with their appearance and change it however they wish, with body jewelry, non-ritual tattoos, hair dye, and fashion outside of angelic societal norms being much more common and not as ridiculed. In fact, the opposite of the upper class is true, where beauty among lower class angels is all things that actively distance themselves from the upper class.

Common Etiquette Rules

Good hygiene is essential to angelic society and the main pillar of their culture. To appear dirty or unkempt even while alone or in your own home is a slight not only to a person's reputation, but that of their company and neighbors as well.

Common Dress Code

Dress for the so called pure blooded angels is vital, with strict informal dress codes that reflect one's position in society, their ranking, and occupation. Wearing the wrong clothing is seen as a mockery of themselves and associates, and if one is wearing the clothing or attire of someone higher ranking than themselves, an offense to them as well.
Upper class angels typically wear tight clothing such as long trousers for both men and women, simple skin tight but stretchable shirts with open backs, and minimal jewelry. Tattoos are common and often cover large parts of the body and usually are script, telling the tale of their life and heritage. Patterns on clothing are small and minimal with often monochrome pallets in subdued colors like pale yellows and cream, light blue, pink, and light seafoam green.
Middle class angels are allowed a greater variety in clothing, and it become acceptable to wear dresses, jewelry, and have less tattooing for both men and women.

Culture and Cultural Heritage

Angelic society focuses to the extreme on religious ideals and one's class at birth. Regional cults and gods are taken extremely seriously to the point of zealotry, as favoring the 'wrong' god can drop one's status to a lower class. It is extremely hard to move up the social ladder among angels, but quite easy to fall if one doesn't have the proper support network to build themselves back up again. Generally, these support networks are in the form of family, or a shared cult of the regional gods. A division of their race, the 'pure bloods', who are typically the rich and powerful from a few major families are held as almost godlike and to be emulated as much as possible, but with a catch- many rules exist on who, when, and where may participate and doing so wrongly can label someone as an outcast of their social circle.
This gives angels over all a reputation of being incredibly high strung.

Burial and Death Rites

Among angels, the only 'correct' form of burial is for an individual to be buried in the ground with an individual tomb constructed above the grave, with the most complex belonging to those of higher class. No matter one's social status, ranking, or wealth, those who do not receive such a burial are seen as lowly or even criminal. This way of thinking is most prevalent in upper class angelic society, and heavily pressured in regions high in angelic population that no matter the cultural, religious, or racial differences, this practice must apply to everyone. Angels are often very particular with the rules and traditions surrounding their graveyards, in that remains must never be allowed to be moved once they have been buried; moving a body once it has been buried considered disrespectful not only to the dead, but their surviving family as well and taken as a personal insult. Angelic graveyards are often extremely crowded, and given the rules that bodies cannot be moved even if a graveyard is full, graveyards often are covered over with more soil, stacking remains and creating hills. Graveyards are often found at the center of cities and towns, surrounded by walls to keep the soil within them.
Outcasts of angelic society, such as criminals, the poor, or those angels commonly discriminate against such as vampires, werewolves, and demons, are often given quick burials in shallow graves marked only with stones. This is a point of contention between these groups due to their differing cultures and ideals surrounding death and burial. For vampires in particular, this form of burial is considered one of the highest forms of disrespect.
When an individual dies, their body is washed in scented oils and perfumes, wrapped in white linen, and buried among idols and statues of their patron gods. Within angelic families a common conflict is which divine idols their family member should be buried with, often with the individual's wishes overlooked for the ideals of the surviving family. The body, once wrapped, is dressed in elaborate chains often made out of gold, silver, or copper and decorated with scripture and semi-precious gems. The body will be laid to rest nearby the graves of other family members, but never allowed to actually touch their grave or tombstone. Tombstones are most often made out of marble, granite, or for lower class and less wealthy families, concrete, carved with elaborate depictions of the gods.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Angels are known for having a volatile relationship with other races, with many bloody conflicts with Demons, Vampires, and Werewolves in particular. Relationships with the Arachne and Fairies are not typically great either, but outright war not so common.

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Humans

Origin/Ancestry

Divine / Humanoid

Lifespan

200 to 400 years

Average Height

6' to 7'

Average Physique

All angels are known for having a lithe body with minimal fat, lean muscle, and extremely light body weight. Typically they are rather tall with long limbs, most of their silhouette taken up by the wings.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Angels can present with all the same hair, eye, and skin colors as humans, with other variations present as well, more common in 'pure blooded' angels. Pure white, Pure black, Ashen, and even patches of glowing skin in gold, blue, or red are not uncommon in pure blood populations. 'Low blooded' angels much more resemble their human ancestors.