The Strix of Arengold Forest

The Stone Collectors

The Strix are one of the newest races introduced to the Arengold Forest. Created by Filli in 2850, these avian humanoids are some of the few who can live in the tallest branches of the Arengold Tree. The dwellors of the Upper Branches use their wings and talons to defend their nests... And are currently the ones who claim ownership of the rare metals that are embedded within the Arengold Tree.

It is rare that a race doesn't need to interact with the Strix in some way, if they wish to get metals. Many races have positive relationships with the Strix by 3000, and any who don't risk having limited metal resources. The Strix Metal Trade is a gigantic reason why the Elves, Orcs, and Dwarves haven't earned a monopoly over the rare resources. It has also contributed to an exploding growth in metal tools and usage below the Midtrunk, as the Strix grant safe and secure methods to get Metal past the Elven civilization.

Heavily survival-focused, Strix trade for ways to stay warm in the winter, food for all seasons, and interesting trinkets of the tribes. They adore Human Trophies, for instance, as the somewhat tribal symbols that humans have are easy to understand for the Strix. The Human-Strix trade is worrisome to the Orc-Elven alliance, as the humans are the only ones who are aggressive towards the Elves at the current date.

The Strix themselves were granted some smithing capabilities by Dumgarth, which they use to secure their nests and ensure that their homes remain sturdy during bad winters. Their tools of war are less impressive, but some races – such as the Grippli – find their tools to be useful enough to trade for. The Strix tend to favor smaller races, as those are "less likely to betray them" and are less threatening in general.

Despite their relationship with the Warmongering Humans, the Strix remain neutral in the conflict of the Arengold Forest. Their ownership of metal ensures that they remain nearly immune to all outside aggression. If any race attacks the Strix, they will find lethal foes; their flight, placement at the top of the tree, and adept training in archery makes them absolutely impossible to battle, even with talented mages or anti-air archers.

While they have changed significantly in the Arengold Forest, the official Pathfinder 2nd Edition Strix still provide much information that is relevant for the Arengold Forest. Naming structures, general personalities, statistics, and racial feats all apply to the Arengold Forest.