Avaar / Dragons
Servants of the Empyreals: The Avaar
In the shadow of their failure with the Netherime, the Empyreals turned their gaze to a new creation—a guardian unlike any that had come before. Where the Netherime were hollow vessels, their essence filled with mortal souls and their power often corrupted by ambition, the Empyreals sought a purer form of protector. Thus, the Avaar were born. These magnificent beings, clad in gleaming metallic scales, were not empty constructs but mortal creatures uplifted to serve.
The Avaar possess the intelligence of humankind coupled with the instincts and primal nature of beasts. Unlike the Netherime, their creation was bound by humility; the Avaar were designed to live within the mortal world, to guide and protect rather than to rule. By magically binding them and their blood to the tenets of the Starfall Pact, the Empyreals ensured that these guardians would share the same responsibilities and vulnerabilities as those they served, tethered by the same pact that upheld Tariel’s fragile existence.
The Avaarian Clans: A Legacy of Scales
From the moment an Avaar hatches, it is connected to the world and its people in a way unlike any other creature. Their reproduction carries a divine balance—while some eggs hatch into full Avaar, the majority give rise to Avaarians, humanoids who bear the scaled features of their progenitor. These Avaarians form the lifeblood of the Avaar’s clan, serving as devoted stewards and companions.
The life cycle of an Avaar is one of exploration and eventual return. A newly hatched Avaar leaves its nest shortly after birth, embarking on a journey to learn the ways of the world, hone its predatory instincts, and claim its place within the vast wilderness of Tariel. When it reaches adolescence or early adulthood, the Avaar returns to its parent’s clan to lay its first clutch of eggs. The clan aids in the rearing of these young Avaarians until they are mature enough to care for themselves. It is then that the newly formed clan, led by the young Avaar, sets out to carve its own place in the world.
This generational cycle weaves a tapestry of heritage and continuity. Each clan is a microcosm of loyalty, tradition, and shared purpose, bound not only by blood but by the eternal oaths of the Starfall Pact.
Keepers of Celestial Pacts
The Empyreals bestowed the Avaar with a sacred duty: to act as the Keepers of Pacts—mystical intermediaries who empower mortals with divine magic untethered to the Netherime. To fulfill this role, the Avaar themselves became living wells of Anima, their very existence imbued with the souls of their Avaarians. Unlike other mortals, whose souls are swept away by the Leys upon death, the shadows of Avaarians gather within the essence of their Avaar progenitor, creating a wellspring of divine power.
This Anima serves two purposes. First, it fuels the Avaar’s own strength, enabling them to wield divine magic in defense of their clan and the Starfall Pact. Second, it allows them to form bonds with petitioners—mortal knights and champions who swear sacred oaths to the Avaar in exchange for divine power. These oaths are a double-edged sword, granting strength but binding the petitioner to the tenets of their oath.
However, this divine blessing is not without its risks. Should an Avaar stray too far from the Starfall Pact—whether through corruption, hubris, or despair—they are forsaken by the Empyreals. Their metallic scales tarnish into muted, dull hues, and they are transformed into Dragons, monstrous parodies of their former selves. This curse severs their bond with their Avaarians, whose own scales fade, marking them as Dragonborn—beings irrevocably stained by their progenitor’s betrayal.
For the Dragonborn, life is fraught with suffering. Their altered forms are a visible scar, a testament to their parent’s failure, and a source of mistrust among the denizens of Tariel. Many face the impossible choice of remaining loyal to their fallen Avaar, knowing it leads to shame and exile, or abandoning their clan to carve out a solitary, uncertain path in a world that regards them with suspicion.
The Final Betrayal
When an Avaar falls, the reverberations are felt throughout its bound petitioners. The bond forged with its sworn petitioners begins to fracture, their divine connection unraveling as the Avaar begins its transformation into Dragon. For these knights, this severance is not merely symbolic—the creature will gain no more Anima, and will soon run out - meaning their petitioners will lose access to magic and must find a new patron. Most holy warriors dedicate themselves to confronting their former patron. These battles are often tragic, fought not out of hatred but out of a grim necessity to restore balance to the world.
For the Avaarians left behind, the transformation of their progenitor is a living nightmare. The bond that once tied their souls together is shattered, leaving them adrift and marked by the shame of their parent’s fall. The Dragonborn, as they are now called, live as wandering exiles, their tarnished scales a constant reminder of the Pact’s fragility and the price of failure. Few find acceptance; most endure lives of loneliness and scorn, their existence a testament to the perilous balance upon which Tariel rests.
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