Avian

A birdlike race of humanoids hailing from the planet Avos, their stone structures, simple clothing, deeply-religious nature and rather simplistic battle tactics (primarily consisting of "overwhelm the enemy with thousands of disposable soldiers") make them seem primitive at first glance. But the Avian are very intelligent, and anyone brave or foolish enough to venture into an Avian temple or tomb will find examples of advanced—and deadly—technology, powered by Avolite crystals. These enigmatic power sources are mined solely by the Stargazer priests on their homeworld, and power everything from simple lights to spaceships capable of interstellar travel. Avians have since separated into two factions; the Stargazers, who believe in and worship Kluex, and the Grounded, who reject Kluex and often deny his very existence.

Biology

Not much is known about the true origins of the Avians, due to the Stargazer's strict belief systems wiping out any biological evidence of their own evolution, and baring researchers from landing on Avos. This doesn't stop other races from uncovering critical details, such as their homeworld being mostly a desert planet despite some evidence of vast oceans and flora once dominating the planet.
It is theorized that Avos was once rather green and tropical, and that Avians developed similarly to Earth's tropical songbird's. Unfortunately, major climate change on Avos—likely caused by geologic activity due to the acquiring of a new moon—caused a significant shift in the Avians' development. Much of the dense jungles and vast oceans that once covered the planet were replaced with sweeping savannahs, hot deserts, and brinier seas, meaning Avians had to take a more terrestrial shift in their development, growing more defined legs, and losing their ability to fly.
There is also a dubious theory that Avian's are actually long-removed descendants of Chozo, an ancient avian race with a similar cultural structure. This, however, is conjecture at best.
They still have ability to glide using their feathered arms, but the loss of their full flight capabilities (and their efforts trying to regain it) is a core tenet of the Stargazers, the dominant religion of Avian society. Has binocular sight, binaural hearing, and limited olfaction capabilities.

Appearance

The Avians are large bipedal birds, reminiscent of Terran parrots. They are covered with brightly colored feathers, ranging in colors all across the rainbow, and their heads are adorned with any number of feather patterns one can imagine. Their fashion is variable, but typically primitive in nature, using simple cloth patterns (such as single cloth ponchos, cloaks, and skirts) and large stone and gold jewelry. More elaborate outfits are typically reserved for Stargazer priests. These fashion trends are also found in Grounded Avians, but are less prominent and more incorporated into typical outfits.

History

According to their dominant religion, the Avian once existed outside the mortal plane alongside their god, but grew jealous of the mortals' pleasures. The Avians crossed into the material world, an act punished by stripping them of their ethereal wings, dooming them to be forever flightless. An Avian can only be reunited with Kluex by shedding their mortal body while keeping the truest of faith in their hearts. Ceremonies to achieve this state of pure being include ritualistic sacrifices of captured enemies, and an elaborate procession that culminates in the most devout, chosen by the priests, climbing a tall tower and taking a leap of faith, their spirit breaking free of their mortal prison and flying into the Aether, as their now-discarded body plummets to the ground below.
This bloody theology does not sit well with all Avians however, and a growing number have rejected the words of the Stargazers and the divinity of Kluex. Calling themselves "Grounded", they have taken to the stars and formed their own colonies. Some have crafted terrestrial flying ships and make their lives in piracy, and many others have joined multi-racial organizations like the Pact Worlds.
Getting past their religious history, their societal development was accelerated by the vast quantities of a strange crystalline substance littering Avos known as Avolite. A simple power source and energy weapon, but a much better energy converter, these crystals allowed Avians to rise to space travel much quicker than many other species.

Gameplay

Ability Modifiers: +2 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom, -2 Strength
Hit Points: 4
Size: Medium
Type: Humanoid (Avian)
Speed: 30 ft
Languages: Avian begin play speaking Avian and Galactic, and those with high Intelligence scores can choose one other Language of their Choice.

Senses

Avians have Low-Light Vision and can see twice as far as humans in conditions of low light.

Beak Bite

Avians have a bite attack dealing 1d4 damage. This is a primary attack, or a secondary one when wielding manufactured weapons.

Gliding Wings

Avians have lost their true wings, but their feathered arms can still be used for gliding. Avians take no damage from falling, and while in midair, they may move up to 5 ft in any horizontal direction for every foot they fall, at a speed of 60 feet per round. They may take advantage of updrafts to rise, but they cannot fly. Avians also gain a +4 racial bonus to Fly checks.

Stargazers and Grounded

Modern avians are of two types, the stargazers and grounded. Stargazer avians gain +2 to Knowledge (religion) and treat Knowledge (religion) as a class skill. Grounded avians reject worship of Kluex and gain +2 to Escape Artist and treat Escape Artist as a class skill. This is chosen at character creation, and not changed with in-game developments.

Weapon Familiarity

Avians are trained from birth in weaponry and are proficient with longbows (including composite longbows), longswords, rapiers, and shortbows (including composite shortbows), and treat any weapon with the word "Avian" in its name as a martial weapon.

Roleplay

You Likely...

• Are either a deeply religious Stargazer who prays to Kluex every night, or vehemently hate the Stargazers for defining your species.
• Have a deep connection to your weapons, as they likely have been with you since birth.
• Find a deep curiosity in the world around you, relishing knowledge despite any teachings telling you otherwise.
• Idly whistle and sing when bored, just trying to fill space.

Other Races Probably...

• Find you difficult to approach due to your species' religious fanatic background, doubly so if you are still a Stargazer.
• Feel jealousy towards your planet's vast supplies of Avolite, and feel your species were fast-tracked into space travel without enough precaution.
• Think your ability to speak for long periods of time is interesting, but intensely annoying.
• Find you rather loyal and formidable, in contradiction to your fragile bird build.

Scientific Name
Avis Peregrinans
Origin/Ancestry
Avos
Lifespan
60 Years
Average Height
5.4 ft (1.65 m)
Average Weight
145 lbs (65 kg)