Avariel
The Avariel, otherwise known as Winged Folk, are a sub-race of elves with angelic wings. Due to the fascination of other races about their unusual wings, their people decided to seal itself off from the outside world several Ages ago and have rarely been seen since. They are therefore normally isolated from other races, even other elves, with the exception of the sky elves who they maintain an alliance with. They reside in the Spine mountain ridge and their territory covers a large area, though travellers would never know it if they passed through Avariel lands which are patrolled and maintained by Hunters. Those who stray close to the Avariel's city will find themselves facing greater obstacles such as monsters, hazardous weather, and magical challenges which all act as natural defence mechanisms against intruders.
Their rarity and angelic appearance lead to the creation of several outrageous legends related to them. These stories are particular rife in the areas surrounding the Spines, who might sometimes catch a glimpse of the Winged Folk on their further scouting missions. They have also been fuelled by the Warriors, who do not remain entirely separate from the world and have participated in historical battles under a glamour which has hidden their wings. In this way they have posed as a small Elven clan that reside at the base of the Spine.
Biology and appearance
Avariel are very similar to the standard elf. They appear as lithe humans with pointed ears, have long lifespans, and are normally regarded with having a slightly elevated sense of beauty when compared to humans. They also have soothing voices befitting of bards, which has led to the races love of singing, which is their primary form of entertainment. Odd travellers to the Spines have often commented on an angelic song but on never being able to find the source of the music. Unlike their ground cousins, they are slightly more fragile due to their hollow bones which aid with flight.
The wings of the Avariel are similar to that of birds and angels of lore. The wings stretch for almost twice the height of the Avariel. Some Avariel also have multiple pairs of wings - though this is a rarity. Their wings vary in colors and do not always match the Avariel's hair color. However, no two Avariel have ever been known to have the exact same wing pattern. It is through this trait that Avariel are able to identify one another whilst in flight quickly and with precision. Some Avariel dye their wings just as if they were hair.
Due to the lack of historical evidence, it is unknown what a half-Avariel would look like, or even if a female of another kind would be able to survive the birth of a winged child.
The wings of the Avariel are similar to that of birds and angels of lore. The wings stretch for almost twice the height of the Avariel. Some Avariel also have multiple pairs of wings - though this is a rarity. Their wings vary in colors and do not always match the Avariel's hair color. However, no two Avariel have ever been known to have the exact same wing pattern. It is through this trait that Avariel are able to identify one another whilst in flight quickly and with precision. Some Avariel dye their wings just as if they were hair.
Due to the lack of historical evidence, it is unknown what a half-Avariel would look like, or even if a female of another kind would be able to survive the birth of a winged child.
Society and culture
Little is known of Avariel society by the rest of the world. Historical accounts of Avariel encounters describe them as a very proud people that look down on other races - including grounded elves.
The Avariels are ruled by a group called the Elders, who make decisions on behalf of the species. Whilst it is this group who have ultimate say in matters of state, it has been said that they accept petitioning from even the lowest of their society, and weigh up opinions and emotions when carrying out sentences or laws. Their ultimate aim is the protection of their race and currently believe the only way to do so is to keep themselves removed from the politics of the rest of the world. There are Nine who sit on the council and each one represents a different segment of society:
- The Military, represented by Nevarth Ruinë
- The Scholars, represented by Aleanor Ruinë
- The Hunters
- The Medics, represented by Dianthe Sinderion
- The Merchants, represented by Aegon Sinderion
- The Makers
- The Foresters
- The Watchers
- The Elected (the leader who is elected by popular vote)
Avariel children are extremely rare, probably even more so than other elves due to the nature of their wings, and births can be risky. Like with other elves, the more time sexual encounters they have, the less likely they are to produce a child. It is unknown if this would be the case, as it is with other elves, whether their fertility rate would increase if they mated with other races. Once born however, the children go through a standard elfish schooling - learning a miriad of different subjects to an incredibly high degree. Once they are of age, the Avariel chooses a Discipline, which narrow down their schooling to reflect the past they want to take in life. The disciplines are reflected in the nine Elders that represent them
Due to a mix of their isolation and the rarity of children, their entertainment is limited. Avariel's enjoy singing about their histories as a group, but are more interested in physical activity such as typical play. They lack things such as mummers, puppeteers, and other more fanciful forms of entertainment. Their isolation and history does mean that many of the Avariel are xenophobic to many other races.
In other regards, their isolation has made them a lot more advanced than other races, and they welcome both bisexual, heterosexual and homosexual relationships openly. Amongst the older members of their species, mating is for life, however younger Avariel's have recently begun to flaunt this and take multiple partners throughout their life.
There appear to be several customs and social rules unique to the Avariel and their wings. For example, gifting one another one of their feathers is a high remark of respect and honour, and are usually only gifted to people who have performed a life of death saving debt. It is also bad manners to touch one another's wings with your hands, which is seen as reserved only for Lovers.
The Avariels are ruled by a group called the Elders, who make decisions on behalf of the species. Whilst it is this group who have ultimate say in matters of state, it has been said that they accept petitioning from even the lowest of their society, and weigh up opinions and emotions when carrying out sentences or laws. Their ultimate aim is the protection of their race and currently believe the only way to do so is to keep themselves removed from the politics of the rest of the world. There are Nine who sit on the council and each one represents a different segment of society:
- The Military, represented by Nevarth Ruinë
- The Scholars, represented by Aleanor Ruinë
- The Hunters
- The Medics, represented by Dianthe Sinderion
- The Merchants, represented by Aegon Sinderion
- The Makers
- The Foresters
- The Watchers
- The Elected (the leader who is elected by popular vote)
Avariel children are extremely rare, probably even more so than other elves due to the nature of their wings, and births can be risky. Like with other elves, the more time sexual encounters they have, the less likely they are to produce a child. It is unknown if this would be the case, as it is with other elves, whether their fertility rate would increase if they mated with other races. Once born however, the children go through a standard elfish schooling - learning a miriad of different subjects to an incredibly high degree. Once they are of age, the Avariel chooses a Discipline, which narrow down their schooling to reflect the past they want to take in life. The disciplines are reflected in the nine Elders that represent them
Due to a mix of their isolation and the rarity of children, their entertainment is limited. Avariel's enjoy singing about their histories as a group, but are more interested in physical activity such as typical play. They lack things such as mummers, puppeteers, and other more fanciful forms of entertainment. Their isolation and history does mean that many of the Avariel are xenophobic to many other races.
In other regards, their isolation has made them a lot more advanced than other races, and they welcome both bisexual, heterosexual and homosexual relationships openly. Amongst the older members of their species, mating is for life, however younger Avariel's have recently begun to flaunt this and take multiple partners throughout their life.
There appear to be several customs and social rules unique to the Avariel and their wings. For example, gifting one another one of their feathers is a high remark of respect and honour, and are usually only gifted to people who have performed a life of death saving debt. It is also bad manners to touch one another's wings with your hands, which is seen as reserved only for Lovers.
Location
The city of the Avariel, Thyasari, is based in The Spine region. Once there were numerous Avariel cities but these no longer exist, destroyed in the wars with the dwarfs. Thyasari is hidden and only know to Avariel's and Sky Elves, who are their closest allies. It is impossible to reach the city on foot and flight is required. This is how they have kept their people safe and secret for thousands of years.
History
Much of the history of Avariel's can only be found in their home city, however even they do not know the origins of how they gained their wings, though there are numerous legends..
Outsider historical texts describe the Avariel as being more numerous in previous Ages. They also always seemed to primarily reside in the Spine mountain ridge. Few Avariel have made a historical impact outside of the Spine due to their isolationist behavior.
To the Avariel's and their allies, their history is a lengthy one as with any other species. The most recent and notable event however, was what the Avariel's refer to as The Great Closing. The Avariel were in a bitter war with the Dwarves at this time, who were raiding and destroying their outer settlements with their air ships. Sometime within this war however, three Avariel children were abducted from the capital. The Avariel halted all fighting, as their attention turned to finding the children and appealed for help across the world. Nobody, however, answered their call for aid apart from the Sky Elves - the reason for their continuing friendship. After several months of frantic searching, the babes were found scattered across the world: one in human territory, one in dwarfish, and one with their own brethren the ground elves. The bodies were severely mutilated and it was apparent that the children had been abducted to find the source of the Avariel's wings. Horrified, the Elders appeared for an investigation into the tragedy but again, only the Sky Elves backed the decision.
Disgusted with the growing fascination and obsession amongst the other races with their wings, the Avariel's retreated entirely from the outside world and called back the numerous people of their kind who served across the world. Their Capital was never officially put on any maps outside, and it became impossible for anyone to find the group to try and reconcile with them. All roads, signs, and traces of the Avariel were systematically removed from The Spines and surrounding towns they had traded with until it was as if they were merely legends and not a real people.
Despite their inward nature, the Avariel have answered the call to arms for several large scale wars. The winged folk have a unique enchanted armour which allows for the wearer's wings to vanish. In this guise, the Warrior strand of their society have been present on several battlefields over the years, but kept a very low profile.
Outsider historical texts describe the Avariel as being more numerous in previous Ages. They also always seemed to primarily reside in the Spine mountain ridge. Few Avariel have made a historical impact outside of the Spine due to their isolationist behavior.
To the Avariel's and their allies, their history is a lengthy one as with any other species. The most recent and notable event however, was what the Avariel's refer to as The Great Closing. The Avariel were in a bitter war with the Dwarves at this time, who were raiding and destroying their outer settlements with their air ships. Sometime within this war however, three Avariel children were abducted from the capital. The Avariel halted all fighting, as their attention turned to finding the children and appealed for help across the world. Nobody, however, answered their call for aid apart from the Sky Elves - the reason for their continuing friendship. After several months of frantic searching, the babes were found scattered across the world: one in human territory, one in dwarfish, and one with their own brethren the ground elves. The bodies were severely mutilated and it was apparent that the children had been abducted to find the source of the Avariel's wings. Horrified, the Elders appeared for an investigation into the tragedy but again, only the Sky Elves backed the decision.
Disgusted with the growing fascination and obsession amongst the other races with their wings, the Avariel's retreated entirely from the outside world and called back the numerous people of their kind who served across the world. Their Capital was never officially put on any maps outside, and it became impossible for anyone to find the group to try and reconcile with them. All roads, signs, and traces of the Avariel were systematically removed from The Spines and surrounding towns they had traded with until it was as if they were merely legends and not a real people.
Despite their inward nature, the Avariel have answered the call to arms for several large scale wars. The winged folk have a unique enchanted armour which allows for the wearer's wings to vanish. In this guise, the Warrior strand of their society have been present on several battlefields over the years, but kept a very low profile.
Magic
As with all all elves, the Avariel learn spell casting from a very young age. The majority will become well versed and have a natural affinity with one type of spell casting. For their species it is more common to find they pick gifts suited to the skies and stealth.
However some do possess unique powers which go beyond this. This type of magic they refer to as Soul-Magic, for it is a gift born not learned. In essence it means an Avariel is born with another consciousness inside of them. Survival rate is incredibly low when an Avariel possesses these gifts as they can consume and destroy the host. They require rigorous training and discipline to wield.
However some do possess unique powers which go beyond this. This type of magic they refer to as Soul-Magic, for it is a gift born not learned. In essence it means an Avariel is born with another consciousness inside of them. Survival rate is incredibly low when an Avariel possesses these gifts as they can consume and destroy the host. They require rigorous training and discipline to wield.
References
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Contributors:
- Míriel Fëanorna
- Caliane Ruinë
- Smiling One