Avion

Avions are birdlike humanoids found all over the plane. Their history spans thousands of years, having been present even in ancient times. They are a people of oral tradition and great pride, caring deeply about their flock or homeland.

Biology

Avions are medium size, adults reaching a height of 1.7-2.2 meters. Their hollow bones make them exceptionally light, which is part of the reason they are able to fly. Avions are covered in feathers that cover their entire body. These feathers are longer in areas like the back, chest, upper arms and legs, while being shorter in areas like the face. All avions have wings which attach to the shoulders, separated from the arms.

Much of the Avion biology depends on how sedentary their lifestyle is. As an avion begins to settle down, its wings begin to shrink and their feathers begin to gather color from their environment. This means that most migratory avions have duller colors than sedentary ones, which can have a vibrant mix of hues. This eventually affects their ability to fly, with migratory avions capable of flying large distances, even through spaces, and some sedentary avions unable to even glide through the air. In exchange for a lack of flight, sedentary avions become adapted to their home planet, able to survive even in the harshest of conditions. Their lifespan is also affected by settling down, with migratory avions living up to 30 years, and sedentary avions living for over a century. Avions grow up quickly, reaching adulthood within 5 years. An avion born from sedentary parents is neither sedentary nor migratory, but quickly adapts to their lifestyle during adolescence.

Oral Memories

Avions have an incredible ability to memories auditory information, able to recall anything they've heard within the last month. They are also adept at remaking those sounds through their own voice. This extraordinary ability makes them great storytellers, singers, and orators. The words of an Avion can ´, if placed right, have magical properties similar to that of a bard's.

Culture and History

Avions are an ancient species, with records of independent avion cultures dating back all the way to the days of giants and dragons. This partially explains their wide distributions across the plane, being found pretty much anywhere although in small numbers. Despite their age there are few Avion states, and little written information about their history.

Their lack of states can be attributed to their migratory lifestyles, with many belonging to a "flock" of a few families that travel from planet to planet. These flocks tend to survive off trade, collecting various trinkets and baubles that they find on their way to later sell when they reach a larger city. Sedentary avions tend to adhere to only one planet, and as such usually belongs to an already-existing state. There have been efforts in later years to build Avion states by uniting several sedentary flocks under one banner, but these nations are notoriously unstable and internally uncooperative.

Oral Tradition

The lack of written word within Avion culture is no coincidence, as they consider it a cultural taboo. Instead, most of their history is memorialized through songs, tales and other oral traditions. These are often past down in great detail from elder to elder, rarely forgotten. Avions take great pride in their heritage and the stories of old.

Prejudice

There exists a long history of prejudice against the avion people, dating back as far as records can show. Migratory flocks tend to receive nothing but scorn and suspicion when arriving on foreign planets. This is due to Avions having a reputation as untrustworthy cheapskates and thieves. This means that flocks are often relegated to shadier parts of towns for the selling of wares.

Sedentary avions receive much of the same prejudice as their flying counterparts. Often when an expanding state have encountered a sedentary flock of Avions they are seen as backwards and solitary. In the best of cases their people have had to give up their independence but are largely left alone while the planet is developed by their new neighbours. In the worst case they have been conquered, their history burned and either forced to assimilate, or leave to become migratory. A large reason why the written word is frowned upon in avion society is not that it is inherently bad, but that no one can burn that which is sung.