Stormborne

Name: Stormborne or by human names: Thunderbirds
Deity: The mother, a giant bird creature with two heads. She flew through the world creating storms large enough to topple civilizations or sink entire areas of land. However, she grew lonely even with all the power in the world and is believed to have split herself into two beings to create her first two children. Now, the mother lives within all of her descendants guiding them and never leaving them alone as she had been.
Lifespan: The longest lived Thunderbird was around 7,000 years old but most who live natural lives range from 4,000 to 5,000.
Procreation: A death split. When a thunderbird dies of natural causes they split into two new thunderbirds both left to fend for themselves with little knowledge other than how to survive. They are the size of a hummingbird and cannot shift to human form during this time. It lasts for about 500 or so years as they grow in size and power. It is known as the ‘fledgling’ stage. During this time they are easily captured and killed. By 500 they are at their full size and power. An abnormal death (by being killed accidentally or with purpose) does not cause a death split and results in ‘true death.’ Due to how they procreate, thunderbirds are not born often and are small in numbers. They are considered to be more rare than dragons.
Organization: There is no flock but there are the four leaders, known as the Four Winds, one for each direction, North, East, South, and West. While they can cross into other territories freely the leaders are in control of ensuring that their storms do not overtake the balance of the world, that a rogue does not become dangerous and attack other creatures with malice, and protects those under their charge. It is not uncommon for the fledglings to flock to the leaders for safety. So, a leader is easily identified by the droves of birds trailing after them. The Four Winds are the strongest and oldest. They are known to be very territorial to the other three and will avoid one another unless they are seeking a fight. The Four Winds are always respected by the other thunderbirds due to their age and power and therefore act as a checks and balance system. They call meetings once every 100 years to ensure that their species are thriving and safe with all thunderbirds expecting to attend or give word. They are largely nomadic with periods of ‘settling’ in certain areas or lands. It is not uncommon for thunderbirds to band in pairs of two to five for protection and company.
Language: They speak through mind links when in close proximity to other thunderbirds or humans they are bound to. Otherwise they can call out to one another with high pitched calls that carry over miles when in bird form. Beyond that they are not known for making calls but if they choose to they sound similar to falcons.
Appearance: They look to be large birds and are similar in size to dragons. Their bodies take the shapes of crows, ravens, hawks, and eagles. Their marking patterns can vary however their plumage colors are normally black, blue, gray, with the occasional white, brown, and red markings. There is the rare leucism mutation which allows large swathes of white with the primary colors being secondary. Lastly, A full fledged thunderbird is able to go between a human form and their bird form. An ability they developed with the help of humans that wielded magic.
Strengths:

• Strong and agile
• Excellent sight and hearing
• Can create thunder, lightning, strong winds, and produce clouds.
• Can communicate with birds
• Flight, they are great distance fliers and can have bursts of fast speeds
• Omnivorous and able to gorge and go extended periods without eating

Weaknesses:

• Despite their large size they are still birds and can be pierced, cut, or bones crushed
• Are able to die like any human when in human form
• They are hunted for their prized feathers, meat, and bones. Many believe they are either a delicacy, hold magic, or can end natural disasters
• If you take a thunderbirds feather marking it with the person who is casting’s blood and during the thunderbirds storm recite a spell and gift the bird a name it will bind the bird to you until the spell is undone by burning the feather used for the casting, the caster releasing them, or the caster’s death. *A thunderbird cannot willingly harm the caster with their own magic or physical strengths
• A Thunderbird whose wings have been injured or clipped cannot use their magic nor can they fly.
• Territorial and known to be possessive of places, things, or the occasional person to the point they will refuse to leave even when faced with their own true death
• They constantly build up magic if they do not expend their built up magic at least once a year they will die

Human Forms:

• Human forms are a learned skill that can be obtained after their fledgling stage (500 years) they need to learn how to act, walk, and talk as humans. This includes learning how to use their hands, feet, and yes, even eat or talk properly. The more a Thunderbird shifts the more easily they blend as humans. The less they take human form the easier they may be found out due to not successfully blending in. Many thunderbirds will take human form often due to their ability to have a wider range of taste and being able to enjoy food.
• If a thunderbird is to turn into a human they must twist off their beak and ‘remove it’ with their magic. Doing so will turn their beak into a mask and their feathers will become a blanket. These items must be put on to take back their normal form if they are taken then a thunderbird can be stuck in human form until it is returned. However, there is no easy way to destroy these items due to magical resistance but that does not make it impossible. It just means that normal methods cannot be taken.
• When in their human forms they are strong and agile but can be clumsier if they don’t take their human form often enough, specifically with their hands as they are not used to fingers. Think of a toddler with the ability to lift heavy things or run and move at fast speeds. They become more liable to cause injury to themselves or others.
• Their sight and hearing is still excellent but is at half ability to their natural form. When using their powers in human forms they can still manifest their magic but they cannot produce large powerful storms. At best you might get sudden downpours or a rumbly thunderstorm in their human forms. In short, they cannot produce ones that are destructive in nature. They are better at utilizing their powers individually like creating clouds to create cover as a means to escape when in human form.

History: There are no major historical events proving their existence due to their bones not lasting very long and being difficult to preserve but there are various legends of thunderbirds aiding rulers, conquerors, warriors, and even one legend of a woman who raised them into an army. Most of these legends exist in their homeland Ubuntu. More than a few stories around the world exist that vary in their size, looks, strength, and numbers but are dismissed as stories. Beyond first hand accounts there is little concrete evidence of their lives or history. The thunderbirds themselves have a library hidden that contains all of their history.
They rarely show themselves in bird form to humans beyond a glimpse in their storms but commonly walk amongst humans to explore and eat. Humans have written accounts scattered across the lands of bands of thunderbirds attacking and killing similar creatures to them. According to an ancient scholar’s account the creatures were known as “Phoenixes.” These birds were brought to extinction by Thunderbirds. This remains unverified but there has been ancient pottery and artwork depicting fiery birds alongside Thunderbirds. Overall, little is known about them and one would need to find someone native from Aeshlynr to learn anything in depth about them.

Societal norms/mores:

• Any fight between a thunderbird should take place over sea
• Fledglings are to be nurtured and protected
• They are very physical and enjoy contact with those they trust
• They are very wrathful creatures. A vendetta can be held against entire families and their generations
• All thunderbirds have one of four last names that are connected to the Winds territory they reside in
Mod Note: Only Turtle Island/NA indigenous FCS will be accepted for Stormborne characters.