Avariel
Also known as Winged Elves, the Avariel are possibly the strangest branch of the elven family tree. Sharing more in common with the other avian species their creator, (see Birelannan), than with the other elven sub-species, being more avian in attitude, tendencies, and quite literal look.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Elven humanoid shape, but with wings. Secondary flight feathers can also be found among some bloodlines along the legs, as well as mingled within, or even replacing the hair on the head.
Biological Traits
Avariel tend to be shorter than the standard High Elven variant, but are faster and equally as strong despite their short stature.
Ecology and Habitats
The Elemental Plain of Air. In the Material Plains: High isolated mountain peaks and high lofty towers within cities.
Additional Information
Social Structure
Avariel society
Avariel society is divided into a dual Caste system: Each is ruled by a counsel of six members, and overseen by one chosen by vote from among each Caste as the most talented member: The High Vigil and the Lore Keeper. The Warrior Caste is made up of those who choose to be the shield wall that defends the Avariel people from threats of the outside world. Trained from adolescence in martial tactics and mental fortitude, they are the iron wall that safeguards their people, to the death if the need arises. The Wardens are the main military make up, trained from a young age in groups of 5 to 20 to act and fight as a single unit, they can act independently of one another during times of war unless unified by the High Vigil. Sentinels are selected from those who show the greatest promise in the ranks and given special training to become a unit all to themselves. The elites of the military, they are often used as leaders during conflict, and the chosen guard of the High Counsels and those of high regard and ancient royal lineage. The Scholar Caste is dedicated to the discovery and preservation of knowledge. Based in the Grand Avariel Library, they have records stretching back for the last sixteen thousand years from several Material Plains of existence. Those who follow this path are tutored from a young age in the study of languages and histories, most knowing nearly a dozen dialects by their sixties. All avariels fall into either one or the other of the two castes not due to birth, but by blood, each carrying a specific genetic make up stemming from the bird their ancestors had been awakened from (Often referred to as Croga and Cialmhar). The Scholar Caste takes great care to track the bloodlines of each member of their kin, making sure they are not paired to strongly with one singular bloodline trait, which was known to cause potentially dangerous tendencies (think something akin to roller pigeons).Facial characteristics
Like most Elves, they tend to have very fine features and very little facial eye apart form eyebrows.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Avariel are found almost exclusively in Koria. The remenants of their fallen kingdom that survived their war with the Dragons in The Elemental Pane of Air can be found surrounding Kordairia and the Tundra of Winds. Old pieces of their great spires, and large family mansions can be seen floating on the large flying stones found in the Plane of Air, as well as a massive fleet of Airships.
Average Intelligence
High.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Standard Elven abilities, plus Flight.
Civilization and Culture
History
"One day, while flying among the clouds in The Feywild, Birelannan found a flock of sparrows, and grew sorrowful and lonely for a flock of her own. So she took the sparrows to her home, and there she gifted each who wished it with a part of the spark that had brought her into being. Those sparrows became the first of the us. We are not like other Elves, were were not born of flesh molded into beauty. We had humbler beginnings, and we seek to remember them." ~ A quote from an ancient Avariel scholar, The Great Library of Kordairia, Koria
The Migration
The Averiel were one of the first elves to leave the Feywild, doing so even before The Conflict of the Fey reached its climax. When Birelannan fled the comforts of the Feywild to discover the wideness of the cosmos, her faithful flocks of Avariel came with her, seeking to stay close to their leader and patron deity. They followed her for a time, visiting the Planes, until they arrived at The Elemental Plane of Air. To the first to arrive, it was an eden; a plane of pure air and sky, with winds to carry them aloft forever. They instantly took to the plane and begged Birelannan to stay, which she agreed to do. They began to explore the plane, learning of its beauties and its dangers, and slowly, they began to settle, and began to build homes, then towns, then entire cities among the clouds, resting their foundations on the massive floating stones that littered the plane. They carved out a portion of the plane that they alone controlled. A kingdom of winged elves, with an Elder Fey as its ruler. To the Avariel, it was bliss. But to Birelannan, it became a tedium. She wished to leave, and continue to explore the Planes, not to be tied down to one place forever. She expressed this to the Avariel, and they lamented at her frustration, but begged her not to leave. She stayed, for a time, but eventually even their pleas were not enough, and she left, naming a steward to rule in her stead.A Kingdom of Glass and Air
The newly made royal line called all others to them, and commanded that the Avariel need to build a kingdom of glory and beauty that stretched from one end of the Plane, to the other. For millennia, they worked, building a kingdom that held no equal within the tumultuous Plane, spires of stone and glass that hung aloft to catch the permanent light of the Plane. Using magic they wove together the fragments of earth that floated in the air like chunks of ice on water and built homes to land and rest, ships to move about.
Genetic Ancestor(s)
Scientific Name
Avariel
Origin/Ancestry
Fey
Lifespan
Standard Elven 700-900 years
Average Height
5' 6''.
Average Weight
85 lbs.
Average Length
15 ft. (wingspan)
Average Physique
Lithe.
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
While Avariel can range from ivory white to obsidian black, most of their kind are a soft brown in skin color. Their hair tends to be dark, often with lighter streaks highlighted naturally throughout. Their wings are often colored to match, and carry the same highlights in the feathers as the hair on their head does.
Related Ethnicities
Comments