Sky Folk are a group of Humans found in The Open Sky.
Sky Folk are fairly short in comparison to other human species, adults standing between 4'8'' and 5'6'' on average, their small stature makes them resistant to the constant high winds on their floating island homes. Their skin comes in a range of tones, paler skin is found often on lower islands while significantly darker skin is found on higher islands where UV radiation is much more prevalent, their skin, especially on areas left exposed to the sun is densely covered in freckles.
Their hair is often thick and loosely curled, typically coloured in shades of red and brown, though small numbers of individuals also have black or blonde hair. Their hair is often grown fairly long, though they often wear it tied up. As an adaptation to the cold temperatures of their world, they often have large amounts of body and facial hair. While it can be shaved, few Sky Folk will go to the trouble of going clean shaved, as such, most will have at least a short stubble (Though waxing has become somewhat common in recent years).
An offshoot of their species diverged several hundred years ago after their island, now known as
Skyfall Isle, fell from their world and, in an event that has not yet been understood, ended up in the
Sea of Ondine. This offshoot diverged and became the
Sea Folk.
Culture
Sky Folk natively speak a version of Interworld Common Tounge, their version being comparable to British English. The dialects and accents on different islands can vary dramatically, more remote islands often having incredibly thick accents.
Sky folk clothing is generally designed with function first, design second. Due to the cool climate and strong breezes of their world, they will usually be wearing several layers, often wearing jumpers made from
Cottontop Wool. Bags and satchels are a common sight as most individuals will carry tools with them in case they are needed.
Sky Folk don't have any organised religion, though many loosely follow several common beliefs.
One of the most common beliefs is a deity generally known as the
Starstone Godess. Different communities refer to them as different names and have different concepts for them, though they are almost always portrayed as a being made either purely or partially of
Starstone and being in some manner related to luck.
They often see
cloud whales as semi-divine creatures. The origin of this belief has been lost to time but it is often credited to their immense scale, infrequent appearances and ability to survive in the deep storm layer, which would be a death sentence to any other species. Sky Folk will often gather the highly nutritious
milk that drips from their underside and the hard plates that are shed from their skin. To intentionally hurt a cloud whale is considered a horrendous act, treated comparably to committing the same offence against a person.
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