OAXELA

"The synchronous worldly enlightenment and equilibrium oaxela attain elevates them to among the most admirable of races... if not for their strange obsession with primitive tribal life." - Historian Ausae Norrek, Lorebound: Exploring Esora p.137, The Serial Historia

Hailing from all over Admira, oaxela (pronounced oh-ah-heh-lah) are a race of bird-like aven humanoids. By far the most ethnically diverse race next to humans, oaxela are a people whose ubiquity has ingrained them into every society around the world, from nomadic tribes to rustic settlers to metropolitan mainstays. As colorful and varied as the birds they resemble, oaxela can be found thriving in every land. Unlike some winged humanoids, oaxela wings sprout off their arms, meaning these folk cannot use hand-held weapons or manipulate similar objects while in flight. Though light and possessing bones easily broken, oaxela outwit adversaries and the environment through patient observation, keen wit, and a natural aptitude for magic of all kinds.

Oaxela live for sixty to eighty years, though a mediator may be granted several extra decades while serving their village’s guardian spirits.

Many young oaxela seek to learn more about the greater wide world. As a people tied intrisically to both the earth and sky, oaxela have an insatiable cuirosity to know. For this reason and more, oaxela might become adventurers.

Possessed of magical talent and faithful to the spirits that guide them, oaxela make for strong divine casters. Their stealth, hunting abilities, and bond to nature also make them excellent trackers and animal trainers. Further, they are connoisseurs of tales and legends. Oaxela will often take up with adventuring parties as bards, druids, monks, rangers, oracles, witches, or shamans. Occasionally, one might find the rare oaxela barbarian or rogue.

Oaxela rarely choose to be party leaders, often instead wishing to be the quiet voice of reason among their fellow travelers.

Basic Information

Biological Traits

Oaxela are typically a trifle shorter than humans, a trait exaggerated by their tendency to stoop. Like the birds they resemble, plumage coloring takes a wide variety of hues and patterns, and varies greatly from region to region – though ethnicities that share a region will often share characteristics. Oaxela eyes range through shades of brown, orange, and yellow, with the rare case of emerald green. Some oaxela even seem to have solid black eyes with no iris at all; outsiders often find this trait unnerving.

Like all aven, oaxela possess hollow bones and a light build; an oaxela can weigh less than half as much as a human of the same approximate size. When outspread, their wingspan is double their height. Their hands are part of their wings, so oaxela cannot use their hands during flight.

Oaxela have no visible sexual characteristics and most light clothing, if any, though this is subject to region and cultural identity. To non-oaxela, gender is detectable by voice and coloring only.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Culturally diverse, oaxela fall into many descriptions. The following describes the oaxlea tribes of southern Esora:

Among the rivers and lakes oaxela build their villages, often high in the old-growth trees. Oaxela always live a life of minimal environmental footprint; they firmly believe that to continue coexisting with the land, they must care for it as it cares for them. As oaxela possess natural flight, their villages can be difficult for non-fliers to access. Some tribes have incorporated local humans; these communities tend to welcome outsiders for trade and lodging.

Oaxela hunting grounds are separated into tribal lands that surround a given community; an individual tribe’s lands may span ten to twenty miles across. Each tribe has a central village and several satellite homesteads that keep watch over its territory. Relations between tribes are generally friendly and peaceful – oaxela believe that issues are solved more effectively through cooperation than violence.

Oaxela are not complete pacifists, however, as like their smaller kin, oaxela are carnivores. Hunters are trained from youth in the ways of night hunting, and most oaxela are proficient with spears and nets. Unlike humans, though, oaxela learn to use weapons with their feet before their hands, since hunting is conducted at night through flight. Also, like regular owls, oaxela prefer smaller quarry such as rabbits, squirrels, and small deer, and they eat their food live.

A tribal village consists of a fairly equal ratio of males to females, around a quarter of which are youth. For every ten tribe members, there is one person on the village Council, at least three of which are elders. The council is led by the tribe’s chieftain, who remains so until death. In some tribes, the chieftain is determined by birthright succession, but often chieftains are chosen by the Council on basis of merit. Overall dynamics of governmental structure can differ from village to village, but most resemble this model.

Civilization and Culture

Culture and Cultural Heritage

Oaxela are a peaceful race. Inherently goodhearted and minimalist, they find themselves in equilibrium with the surrounding natural world and wish this for all other races. Most oaxela fall within lawful good, neutral good, or neutral alignments. Few oaxela are evil, and even fewer are chaotic.

Oaxela spirituality and faith revolves around communing with ancestral, animal, and nature spirits, and understanding the magical energy that flows through everything in the natural world. Many village elders serve as mediators between the living and spirit worlds, and others take the role of elemental wardens, bonding with magic to safeguard tribal lands. Oaxela youth are raised to respect and revere the spirits that provide for them.

Lifespan

60 - 80 years

Average Height

5'6"-5'10"

Average Weight

65 - 90 lbs

Oaxela Racial Traits

+2 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom, -2 Constitution: Oaxela are nimble and wise, but have frail bodies.
Oaxela: Oaxela are humanoids with the aven subtype.
Medium: Oaxela are medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Natural Flier: Oaxela have a base speed of 20 feet. They also have a fly speed of 30 feet.
Low-Light Vision: Oaxela can see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light.
Eagle Eyes: Oaxela can see in detail twice as far as humans in normal lighting conditions.
Linguist: Oaxela begin with their native language plus 1 additional language. Oaxela with high Intelligence scores may learn any language they want (aside from secret languages, such as Druidic).
Fragile: Oaxela have Damage Weakness 2 against bludgeoning attacks.
Stalker: Perception and Stealth are always class skills for Oaxela.
Swift as Shadows: Oaxela reduce the penalty for using Stealth while moving at full speed by 5 and reduce the Stealth penalty for sniping by 10.
Magical Aptitude: Oaxela gain Magical Aptitude as a bonus feat at 1st level.