Skreea, the Ether-Owl
An Ether-Owl, or Skreea, is a rare, magical subspecies of owl that is connected to the Ethereal plane. The Skreea are a beautiful animal, appearing in the shape of an owl but incorporeal, made out of magical smoke with only flashes of soluble mass. They glow with a deep purple, and leave tendrils of wispy energy trailing behind them as they fly. For a long time, the Orc Tribes believed that the owls were reincarnations of powerful Warchiefs that had been slain in battle, watching over and empowering their troops. After the Great Unite, and the mixing of cultures and technology that followed, the clans learned more about the birds, and what they actually were. Now, there are many that dedicate their life to training and breeding the Skreea, for a trained one will sell for a large amount within Khag Nozgar, and the races of these trainers/breeders is very diverse.
Khag Nozgar is a rich and diverse city consisting of dozens of different cultures. The aristocracy of the city consists of many intellectual and wealthy people, containing inter-relations and a network of people sharing dangerous information. Khag Nozgar is the forefront for magical studies and trading, containing multiple magical colleges, and some of the most affluent politicians trading valuable secrets. These are some of the people that require the Ether-Owl's particular skills. Essentially, the Skreea act as extremely efficient messenger birds, being able to effortlessly avoid any form of capture or detection through accessing the Ethereal Plane. When extremely valuable information needs to be sent to a college headmaster, an Ether-Owl will be used to make sure the information arrives intact and undetected, ensuring no rivals will learn of it. When a new mineral deposit is found in the Gadrobi Highlands, and the first mining company to expedite it will gather massive profits over others, an Ether-Owl is used for maximum speed and efficiency. Due to the expensive nature of training and caring for such a magical creature, hiring an Ether-Owl for a messaging trip is likewise extortionate and can only be afforded by the very rich. It is not exclusive to the wealthy of Khag Nozgar, and can be hired by anyone with enough coin. However, the training of the Ether-Owls' is closely guarded by Vastrya, not wanting the technique to be learned by other countries, who might try and capture and use the Ether-Owls against them. This is not only because of national protection, as these owls are beloved in Vastrya and the majority of the population want to protect them, as they are native to their land, and a beautiful and peaceful species. Even the Skreea trainers make sure to treat these magic birds well, or upset the people around them and lose business.
Basic Information
Anatomy
The Skreea have the same anatomy as regular owls. Consisting of two taloned legs, two wings and a large head on a smaller body. However, the body is made of incorporeal matter that appears like wisps of purple, magical smoke, leaving soft trails of magic behind them.
Ecology and Habitats
The Skreea's natural habitat are woods located at the base of a mountain range. They hunt for small food within the forests and can scout high up in the sky undeterred. The birds always hold a connection to the Ethereal plane, able to access it anywhere. Because of this, many believe that the Ethereal Plane is there true, native habitat and they are just lost in Velaria.
Additional Information
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
The powerful ability that makes the Ether-Owl invaluable to the people of Khag Nozgar is their connection to the Ethereal Plane. All of these owls are born into Velaria half materialised and half ethereal. This means that they can willingly travel into the Ethereal plane, and due to the overlapping nature of this plane, the Skreea can manoeuvre through and out of the Ethereal plane, into a point of the mortal world of their choosing. In the wild, the Skreea would use this technique to pop into the ethereal plane when in danger, from a predator or other, and could travel a short distance in that plane before reappearing a short distance from where they first disappeared. It is difficult for an Ether-Owl to remain in the Ethereal plane for long due to the Ether cyclones raging across it. However, the Vastryan Orcs have found a way to train the owls and put them to work. A trained Ether-Owl knows how to navigate the Ethereal plane well, and can access very specific points across Velaria, making them a very useful working animal. An Ether-Owl can also use its instincts to materialise parts of it body entirely into the material plane, to pickup and consume food, but also for delivering messages. They can do this at will and it makes them very slippery for possible predators or people trying to capture one of these rare, magical birds.
Genetic Ancestor(s)
Geographic Distribution
Related Ethnicities
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