Kiripo Feather Dust

The kiripo are a people of warm-blooded, feathered reptiles just recently arisen to sentience. Distantly related to parrots, the kiripo are of the type who grow dusty - as opposed to oily - feathers as an adaptation to their more arid environment. While this powdery down is a known allergen for some, it can be incredibly soft and, some say, it has a pleasantly neutral smell to it. As a result, kiripo down is sometimes used as stuffing for cushions, toys and other applications where softness is a priority.

Mechanics & Inner Workings

Feather dust is comprised of a combination of tiny, fluffy feathers and the broken fragments of larger feathers. The fine, keratinous nature of the dust allows it to get into mucous membranes and irritate them, provoking allergic reactions in some. Certain forms of alchemy can enhance the rigidity and sharpness of these tiny particles to create grenade-like weapons that capitalize on this irritating quality. Alternatively, the allergenic properties of feather dust can be suppressed with other alchemical treatments and the selection of fabric with high threadcounts, such as silk, to enclose it.
The scent produced by feather dust is partly the effect of the dust itself, partly the result of kiripo pheromones that are exuded onto all of their feathers during the pinning process, and partly the result of kiripo grooming and hygiene practices. Kiripo are social creatures and take the disposition of their downy coats very seriously, leading to culture of shared grooming activities designed to keep the down fresh, healthy, and clean. The dusty pits where kiripo sometimes roll when their compatriots aren't around can accumulate drifts of down over time if the wind doesn't clear them out first.

Significance

Generally, the kiripo themselves don't attach much significance to their powder down except where it becomes a nuisance in the form of indoor accumulations. They sometimes wonder why the other sentient peoples of the Ten Sword Isles have an interest in that sort of inedible trash, but are glad to take coin in exchange for clean samples. However, in kiripo culture, one place where it does become significant is as a literary symbol for someone who used to be present but can no longer be, such as a deceased loved one; less intellectually advanced in other fields they might be, but the kiripo knack for expressing the rainbow of emotion via story, poem, and song is rarely matched.

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