Birdfolk
Birdfolk are a diverse and colorful avian race born from the wind-kissed will of Vaeril, the radiant God of Birds, who shaped them in the early days of the world from sky-borne song and stormlight. Each Birdfolk carries within them a spark of Vaeril’s skyward freedom and boundless curiosity—feathered messengers of the open skies, keepers of sacred winds, and stewards of the ever-changing horizon.
Unlike the more beastlike Aarakocra or the owl-kin Owlin, Birdfolk vary wildly in form and plumage, echoing the myriad avian species that soar across Aigusyl’s vast skies. Some are sleek and swift like falcons, others vibrant and melodious like songbirds, and still others noble and proud like cranes or peafowl. This diversity is not merely aesthetic—it shapes their culture, calling, and temperament. Birdfolk communities often group themselves into flights, loose familial or ideological circles aligned with a particular bird aspect or skybound philosophy.
From the cloud-wrapped cliffs of the Stormcliff Heights to the dancing canopies of the Starlit Glaves, Birdfolk build their settlements in places touched by wind and open air. Their homes are airy structures of woven branches, feathers, and wind-chimes, often built into cliff faces, massive trees, or soaring towers. Sound and movement play a major role in their architecture and society—wind currents serve as both communication and song, and their cities often hum with harmonious whistles, fluttering banners, and melodic tones drifting on the breeze.
Birdfolk culture celebrates freedom, expression, and flight—not only literal flight, but the freedom of the Spirit and voice. Music and dance are sacred, with many rituals performed through aerial ballets, synchronized wind dances, and sky-songs that mimic the call of distant birds. Vaeril's clergy—known as Skycantors—act as priests, wind-scribes, and stormwatchers, interpreting weather patterns and birdcalls as divine messages and omens from the god himself.
Many Birdfolk become wandering envoys, weather-mages, wind-riders, or songblessed poets. Others take up the role of scouts, messengers, or skyward guardians, defending sacred roosts or soaring across Aigusyl to carry knowledge and warning alike. Wherever they go, they are seen as emissaries of the skies and bearers of tidings—good or ill.
To be grounded for too long is a sorrow to a Birdfolk. They yearn for motion and open air, and even in earthbound cities, they construct towers and perches from which they can greet the sky each morning. When a Birdfolk dies, their kin perform the Rite of the Skyward Feather, casting their remains into the wind or placing them upon high cliffs to return to Vaeril through the breath of the world.
The Birdfolk live not just for themselves but for the wind, the song, and the sky. In every feather, they carry the echoes of Vaeril’s first call—a divine cry that shattered silence and gave the world its first morning chorus. As long as the skies remain vast and free, the Birdfolk will glide beneath them, ever watchful, ever singing.
