Aarakocra

Sequestered in high mountains atop tall trees, the aarakocra, sometimes called birdfolk, evoke fear and wonder. Aarakocra aren’t bound to the Material Plane. They hail from the boundless and never-ending reaches of the skies, just like their Draconic forefathers.

They are immigrants, refugees, scouts, and explorers, their outposts functioning as footholds in a world both strange and alien to a free spirt such as theirs. Lomia is now home to these free spirits of the sky. Known aarakocra count: Zenid.

## Overview

Aarakocra enjoy peace and solitude. Most of them have little interest in dealing with other peoples and less interest in spending time on the ground. For this reason, it takes an exceptional circumstance for an aarakocra to leave his or her tribe and undertake the adventurer’s life. Neither treasure nor glory is enough to lure them from their tribes; a dire threat to their people, a mission of vengeance, or a catastrophe typically lies at the heart of the aarakocra adventurer’s chosen path.

### Personality and psychology

The resemblance of aarakocra to birds isn’t limited to physical features. Aarakocra display many of the same mannerisms as ordinary birds. They are fastidious about their plumage, frequently tending their feathers, cleaning and scratching away any tiny passengers they might have picked up. When they deign to descend from the sky, they often do so near pools where they can catch fish and bathe themselves.

Confinement terrifies the aarakocra. To be grounded, trapped underground, or imprisoned by the cold, unyielding earth is a torment few aarakocra can withstand. Even when perched on a high branch or at rest in their mountaintop homes, they appear alert, with eyes moving and bodies ready to take flight. They have nothing but pity for those earthbound people forced to live and toil on the ground.

They find it hard not to pluck the treasure and bring it back to their settlement to beautify it. An aarakocra who spends years among other races can learn to inhibit these impulses.

In battle, they prove dynamic and acrobatic fliers, moving with remarkable speed and grace, diving to lash opponents with weapons or talons before turning and flying away. They stray away from melee combat. Javelins are a common weapon, having even developed their own type of javelin called a flight lance.

### Physical description

From below, aarakocra look much like large birds. Only when they descend to roost on a branch or walk across the ground does their humanoid appearance reveal itself. Standing upright, aarakocra might reach 1.65 to 1.90 meters tall, and they have long, narrow legs that taper to sharp talons. They weigh between 45 and 60 kilograms. The average wingspan is 7 meters. Their hands have 3 fingers and a thumb, and their feet are also able to handle weapons or even perform meticulous work such as weaving.

Feathers cover their bodies. Their plumage typically denotes membership in a tribe. Males are brightly colored, with feathers of red, orange, or yellow. Females have more subdued colors, usually brown or gray. Their heads complete the avian appearance, being something like a parrot or eagle with distinct tribal variations. The usual eye colour is black, with peculiar mutations such as yellow, orange or lighter tones.

Aarakocra live up to 30 years, the eldest in all recorded history having reached the age of 45. They reach maturity at 3 years old, but they keep developing mentally until 5 years. During that time they are helped and taught everything their elders know in an attempt to aid them in gaining as much wisdom as possible.

## Culture

### Aarakocra Names

As with much of their speech, aarakocra names include clicks, trills, and whistles to the point that other peoples have a difficult time pronouncing them. Typically, a name has two to four syllables with the sounds acting as connectors. When interacting with other races, aarakocra may use nicknames gained from people they meet or shortened forms of their full names.

### Tribe Life

Most aarakocra live on the Elemental Plane of Air. Aarakocra can be drawn into the Material Plane, sometimes to pursue enemies or thwart their foes’ designs there. Accident might also send a nest of aarakocra tumbling into a world on that plane. A few find their way to such a world through portals on their own plane and establish nests in high mountains or in the canopies of old forests.

Once tribes of aarakocra settle in an area, they share a hunting territory that extends across an area up to 160 kilometers on a side, with each tribe hunting in the lands nearest to their colony, ranging farther should game become scarce.

A typical colony consists of one large, open-roofed nest made of woven vines. The eldest acts as **leader** with the support of a **shaman**, who is usually a cleric. The males hunt, while females craft weapons and tools.

### Laws and Justice

The idea of ownership baffles most aarakocra. After all, who owns the sky? Even when explained to them, they initially find the notion of ownership mystifying. As a result, aarakocra who have little interaction with other people might be a nuisance as they drop from the sky to snatch livestock or plunder harvests for fruits and grains.

Their laws center around the concept of sharing, everything is for the good of the tribe, and while individuals are entrusted with taking care of objects, money, or resources, it does not equal to owning it.

Flight is as natural as breathing for aarakocra, and it is a capital offense to cut someones wings, or render them unable to fly. Many aarakocra who lost their ability to fly, due to old age or other causes, lost their will to live.

### Language

Their languages counts Aarakocra, Auran and Common, but an Aarakocra's voice is not the best suited for speaking common.

Many aarakocra punctuate their speech with chirps, sounds they use to convey emphasis and to shade meaning, much as a human might through facial expressions and gestures. An aarakocra might become frustrated with people who fail to pick up on the nuances; an aarakocra’s threat might be taken as a jest and vice versa.

### Leisure

Nowhere are the aarakocra more comfortable than in the sky. They can spend hours in the air, and some go as long as days, locking their wings in place and letting the thermals hold them aloft.

### Technology and Magic

Aarakocra grasped the art of weapon forging, weaving, leatherwork, tanning, mining, hunting, but do not cultivate the land or grow livestock. They engage in trading with other races, especially with the gems procured from mining.

## Trivia

* Once airborne, an aarakocra leaves the sky with reluctance. On their native plane, they can fly for days or months, landing only to lay their eggs and feed their young before launching themselves back into the air.
* Aarakocra are sworm foes of elemental earth, and they help humanoids fighting earth cults. The aarakocra word for gargoyle is translated as *"flying rock".*
* Shiny, glittering objects catch their eyes, similar to magpies and ravens.
* They worship a god of the winds and sky as their main deity.
* An egg is incubated for 8 months before it hatches.