Avari
| Avari | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Creator | Xero |
| Information | |
| Average Height | 180cm-220cm |
| Average Lifespan | 200 years |
| Hair Colours | No Limits |
| Eye Colours | No Limits |
| Skin Colours | No Limits |
| Current Leader | The Etanan Vow |
| Capital | Whitewind Rise |
| Continent | Wyrmeron |
Calling the pinewoods of the Frostfire isles their ancestral home, the Avari are an ancient race of birdfolk unrivalled in the ways of the bow and song. Existing in small, peaceful tribes all across the islands, the Avari are brought together by the Etanan Vow.
The Song of Etana
"Long, long ago there walked a man with golden plumes and eyes of blue fire. Fantastic was his wrath and beautiful was his gaze, for with his arrows he did banish evil from our homeland and sealed a friendship everlasting with the Urson so that we could see a future bright and hopeful in each of us. Our first leader he is, a true and just one at that. It is in our arrows his fury shall sting for he is our Immortal King of the Skies - Etana!"
The Song of Etana is famously sung by both adults and fledglings alike in Avari culture which retells the tale of the first (and only) King of the Avari, the mythological figure known as Etana. He is said to have brought the tribes of that time together into a single united faction that stood valiantly against a great shadow. With Etana as not only a wise and charismatic King but also a fierce combatant and strategic general, the Avari and the Urson would manage to stand tall against the storm and enter an era of peace that would last for many long centuries to come.
"Through storm unyielding and shadows merciless, our king did lead us into victory. Mighty is his bow-arm and powerful is his voice, his holy song did bring back the dawn and cast away demons. Oh he sang, sang so much the mountains and the oceans shook! Sang to his very last breath he did, and when his song ended, we his children shall sing instead! It is in our voices that he shall live on forevermore, for he is our Immortal King of the Skies - Etana!"
When Etana inevitably perished, the Avari did not grieve for him and instead celebrated his life with oral tradition - songs and storytelling becoming their way of upholding their cultures. His bowmanship would also inspire a mastery in archery for future generations to come, leading to Auria's finest bowiers to be bred in their nation. To remember him as the only king of the Avari, a group of elders came together and signed the Etanan Vow, a promise to Etana to keep his people prospering.
Etana would remain the recognised king of the Avari to this day and though he cannot be there in person, his spirit is said to watch over the allied tribes through thick and thin.
Since Etana's age, the Avari have lived a life close to perfection. Their dedication to their aerial superiority meant they were one of the first to take up the schematics of the Fenik-made Skyships and begun to engineer their own, invoking a new age of innovation in the birdfolk under the wisdom of Elder Carus. They would develop a sky fleet so superior some would fear the United Tribes for their potential for conquest, especially when partnered up with the mighty Urson, but the Avari have always shown themselves as pacifists who only wield their weapons for the defence of their homeland.
Their fleet would come to be important when High King Edward Greymoore IV sought to launch an attack on them in 2360, sending his Luxfordian Royal Fleet to invade Wyrmeron full-force only to suffer a pathetic loss against Elder Kura's own fleet. The Luxfordians were tossed off-course and driven into the raging tempest of Voi'Runil where they would eventually become the Fordun.
The Black Comet
The end of the Era of Wars saw the start of Auria's fiercest war in generations - The Grand War. It was during this time that Luxfordia managed to bypass the defences of the Avari and begin a ground assault from the west, leading to the rampant deforestation of the Avari homeland. Still, the Avari and the Urson where confident in their unity and stood their ground against the Human armies.
Then the Dragons made their entrance and with raging flames their destroyed the legendary Avari air fleet and the Urson sea fleet without cease or care, greatly hindering the defensive capabilities of the Avari which would lead to a swift loss of Whitewind Rise, capital of the Avari. Furthermore, murmurrings of a shadowy demon slaughtering the stalwart defenders of Frostfire started to spread during this time, breeding a sense of unease and uncertainty.
Worst of all, the mystical and wise Stormcrow tribes was completely eradicated by a black comet originating from the tip of Whitewind Rise and crashing into the heart of Stormcrow lands to the south. This would result in a complete decimation of their numbers, leaving only a fraction of their population alive.
Rann’Kell, the newest in a long line of hero-figures hailed by the Avari, would also perish in the defence of Whitewind Rise. Stories of his heroism, like a lot of Avari folklore, have begun to fade into ambiguity as the new generation has grown bitter of the past.
Religion and Culture
Avari celebrate the existence of the God of Skies Caelus and his daughters of the four seasons. Though direct prayers are rarely attended to, the Avari regard Caelus with utmost importance and utter his name in many powerful circumstances whether it be of shock, terror or wonder. Avari sing songs and hold grand festivals to celebrate the change of seasons every year to celebrate what Caelus' four daughters gift them with every year.
The Avari also celebrate the existence of Etana, their Immortal king who is said to be the avatar of Caelus himself, through their oral traditions. He has ascended beyond mortalhood and has become a God of sorts for the birdfolk.
Etana is not the only exclusive figure of the divine. There is also the twins Samapati, the Summer's Wrath, and Yatayu, the Winter's Fury, who's story is that of notoriety. Long ago, Yatayu, child of the God of Winter, wished to eradicate the benevolent warmth on Wyrmeron and bring onto it an eternal winter but Samapati, the child of the God of Summer, stood against his brother which led to a great duel in which Samapati lost and Yatayu became victorious. Wyrmeron was afflicted by a great winter across the whole planet but with his waning strength Samapati blessed the isles of Frostfire with his warmth, creating a sanctuary from the biting cold of Yatayu's fury. Samapati is hailed with grief by the Avari, titling him a protector deity who gives them solace in an otherwise merciless world.
Lastly there is the Sage Sura. A hermit that lived on the outskirts of Frostfire, she wielded the sun's radiance against evil. She healed the sick and cured a mysterious sickness that spread the lands at that time. She dedicated her whole life to healing the weak and injured with a magical fire until she herself perished and was laid to rest atop a mountain-top tomb known now as Sura's Peak.
Archery and Naturalism are held in high regard in the culture of the Avari with no birdfolk growing up knowing not how to nock an arrow and let it fly a great distance. While archery is a tradition practiced and trained in by the Avari, naturalism is something of an unwritten form of tradition which they follow throughout their lives as Avari are keenly connected to the wilderness around them and honour it with great fixation. Despite this, Druidism is practiced by few of them due to the Masomo being the only ones who truly knew how to before their decimation, leaving the few survivors of their tribe's destruction with the duty of restoring their people's knowledge of the world.
Avari women are said to be great singers and as such their girls are taught early on how to sing songs of their people, their mythos, the wilds they honour and the Gods they worship. Male Avari are capable of strong singing voices but many do not get the chance to improve it. Avari practice magic through song and music, which is primarily taught by the Nightwake.
Avari craftsmen are renowned across the Galaxy for creating their own form of Engineering in creating vehicles and their Skyships are second best running behind only the Fenik's own models. Avari are the only people in Auria apart from the Veryn who are able to safely travel to and from Voi'Runil by the use of a sacred latern using Frostfire however the use of the latern is harshly restricted to the hands of the Great Rangers themselves who keep its location hidden.
Avari families typically sleep in one united bed known as an Aa'ke, a large hammock-like nest that is hung from the ceiling or wall above the main floor. Aa'kes are stuffed with the feathers of its family members, both current and past, granting both warmth and a sense of bonding with one's bloodline.
The name of an individual is very important in Avari culture. Family members of the deceased often do not share the name of who the dead they honour with people they deem unworthy of knowing.
Society and its Structure
The Avari empire is referred to as the United Tribes. It is a collective term to describe a spiritual link between all Avari tribes, whether near or far.
The highest authority in the United Tribes is a group called the Etanan Vow, which is a collective of the four Elders of the Avari. Much like the House of Dukes in Luxfordia, each individual elder represents a region of Frostfire as well as all the tribes that settle beneath them. These regions typically have a shared ideal and a unique expression of culture and tradition. The current four Elders and their respective regions are as follows:
Elder Zai of Whitewind, eagle-like in appearance and stoic in spirit - they are the military and the government of the Avari tribes. They are the largest of the tribes and most developed too with their city of Whitewind Rise having become their people's capital. The Whitewind tribes are the beating heart of the United Tribes as it is through them that all trade and communication moves.
Elder Bronwin of Great Rock, represented by their bulkier people who act as the builders and harvesters of wood and mineral in the Avari Union, also known as deadly fighters in melee combat. Their tribes practices rituals and challenges of raw physical strength which they hold as a high regard among their numbers. In unity with the other tribes, the Great Rocks aid in constructing both buildings and machine as well as forging their armies with the best armaments and weapons they can make. Avari Phalanxes are trained by the Great Rock, powerful warriors wielding bladed wings to become storms of iron fury.
Elder Selah of Nightwake, taking on the appearance of owl-like Avari that are known for their sorcerers, wielding Arcane in their favour. They were the first to master the wielding of Frostfire and to this day are known as the masters of it, though they openly teach it to anyone they see fit. They provide their united people with spellcraft, teaching any who wish the art of magic through the expression of song. The Nightwake were the first Avari to start practicing Magic when its knowledge was given to them by the Urson two millennia ago with their culture ever revolving around the existence of musical spellcraft.
Elder Vaagu of Stormcrow. They are the followers of Nature as well as the historians of the Avari, known for their Raven-like appearances and knack for cultural history. Though they've recently been decimated by the black comet, survivors of the tribe still exist even if they are very few in number now and many have disappeared into the four winds, many of them have gone to Whitewind seeking sanctuary so they may one day rebuild their broken tribe. They act as scholars and historians for their united people, providing knowledge of the world as well as being the only remaining people who still practice druidism among the Avari. The Stormcrows dedicate much of their time to recovering and restoring the knowledge that was lost when their tribes were razed to the ground and their people slaughtered.
The Tribes
Each individual tribe is led by a Ranger-Chief, a title bestowed to those who have proven themselves in slaying a powerful and dangerous creature, master the powers of Frostfire and recognised by their peers as a worthy leader. Only then may one gain the honours of being called a Ranger-Chief and given the chance to settle their own tribe.
The process of a Ranger-Chief settling their own tribe involves bringing folk from their current tribe to a new location where they would build new homes in unsettled land. A tribe lasts only as long as the life of the Ranger-Chief leading them, thus should the Ranger-Chief perish, so does the tribe end to make room for new tribes. Thus is the cycle of the Avari tribes, an unending process that has seen countless settlements come and go, leaving naught a trace where they once existed.
Other Factions
In the Seiryu Skylands of Serena there is a secluded faction of Avari known as the Chojin. How and when they settled there is a continued mystery yet it is assumed that they travelled to the planet alongside the Urson settlers nowadays known as the Xiong Dynasty.
In the year 2840, the Avari founded the Ritori Postal League (RPL for short) which acts as the favoured means of delivering mail and packages for many throughout the Galaxy. Many Avari take pride in their postal work and dedicate much of their time to keeping messages rolling even at times of war and uncertainty.
Physical Appearance and Behaviour
Avari are a diverse race of bird-like humanoids with their appearances changing rapidly based on what tribe they are from. Generally all Avari are covered in vibrant feathers with beaks for their mouths and winged arms to aid them in taking flight. Their legs starting from their knees are that of talons. Most Avari have long, plumed ears on the sides of their heads.
Those of the Whitewind Tribe take on the appearance of generic bird-species, Great Rock Avari are larger and more muscular in size and generally take the appearance of Eagles, Nightwake are shorter and stockier than Whitewinds and take on the appearance of Owls and lastly Stormcrows take the appearance of ravens and crows, often possessing taller but thinner frames.
Avari are generally joyful and open though they are also prideful towards their own culture and ways of life. They dislike closed-off, stuffy places and prefer to stay out in the open somewhere where they can spread their wings and fly. Many Avari love to sing or play music even on a casual level, oft humming and chirping tunes when doing other activities. Avari are fiercely loyal to their friends and loved ones.
Avari have horrible nightvision and avoid dark areas when possible. The Nightwake Avari have remedied this with permanent magical augmentations.
