Avem

## Anatomy & Morphology

The avian are a race of bird like people, much like their namesakes they are covered in feathers, have wings, hollow bones, and a hard beak rather than a soft mouth. Similar to the pterosaur of the late Triassic era, the avian have fingers on the bend of their wings to form a hand, the small and ring fingers are elongated to make up the structure of the wing itself. This allows them both the ability of flight, and the manipulation of objects, however, they have difficulty doing both at the same time. The avian are much smaller in structure to that of a human, being of an average height of 5 feet, their bodies tend to be much thinner and very light, due to their hollow bones, this also makes them one of the more fragile species on the planet. Their heads are very similar in shape to that of an eagle, though there have been variations that encompass various birds of prey, with this they have a completely different language and most struggle to copy the languages of humans due the the difficulty they have with producing some of the sounds. however that has not stopped a few determined individuals.

## Perception & Sensory / Extrasensory Capabilities

The avian senses are much like a bids, they have hearing much the same level as a human, but their sight and smell are much more superior, especially sight. Depending on the bread their sight ranges from seeing things in detail for mile and miles like a hawk or eagle, to having lowlight vision or out right darkvision like the owls. This race also has a sense for magic and can often feel it's eb and flow.

## Genetics & Reproduction

Just like their bird cousins, the avian lay eggs, normally in a clutch of 3 or 4. Mating seems to occur around 40–46 days before the initial egg-laying, then it takes a further 3 months for the eggs to hatch.

## Growth Rate & Stages

The avian have long and lengthy courting rituals, but once completed the pair will mate for life, laying 3 to 10 clutches of eggs depending on personal preferences and at what point in their lives they get together. In their first 20 days, newly hatched chicks are completely dependent on the parents, staying relatively still in the nest. Beyond that they begin getting much stronger and will start to stand and shuffle around more, becoming aware and curious of their surroundings. The chicks are covered in a very soft white down which stays with them for a couple of months, after which it is gradually replaced by the adult feathers needed for both flight and protection from the elements. Fledging occurs about 6 months after hatching with another month before they could be classed as flying properly. It isn't until they are 2 years of age that they will leave their homes, either to hunt for the flock or preform other duties. Their first hunt (not always successful) is proof of their adulthood and on their return they are welcomed in to the flock as full members of the family. On average the avian will live for around 25 years, however there have been known individuals who have lived for 35 years or possibly more.

## Dietary Needs & Habits

The avian are all raptors, they eat primarily meat and need it as their main form of sustenance. They can eat other foods, such as berries and fruit, often used to add flavor to a meal, however they could not survive on such foods, their bodied not evolved to process such matter very well.

## Brief History

The avian, like the elves, originate in the north and have often lived alongside the magically attuned race. They are much fewer in number and always have been due to a shorter life cycle. They live in small flocks that, in the legends, would move and hunt along side the elves, helping to spot and corral prey into the waiting spears and bows of those on the ground. As the elves began to settle and stay in one place, many of the avian joined them taking residence in the highest tops of the tree houses that the elves constructed. However, many more chose to leave and continue their hunts through the forests.

As humans began to take a tighter hold on the world, the flocks that had opted to stay on the move found that there territories began to shrink and the hunters became the hunted as humans seemed to value their large feathers. At this point they had no speakers of the human toung so simply tried to stay away from the small settlements that were often springing up among the trees. This forced the flocks into the mountains where there was precious little food and a lot less space.

Though they tried to settle here, using natural caves and crags as homes, their numbers dwindled to only a few small family groups, all that the the mountains could support. Meanwhile, their brethren with the elves were doing much better, since they had the cities' protection and the support of the more populas race. The avian here also learned what they could of more human speech from the traders that passed through and from the elves themselves.

As the elves abandoned their cities, the magics of the world fading, the avian had little place to go. But with tails of their brethren in the mountains, they, and a few mighty elven druids, set out in search, looking for a new home and maybe a new source of magic.

## Current World Standing

The avian number well in the thousands but they live an isolated life up in the mountains mostly to the north. Helping the great druids they founded the elven outposts and guard the large crystals, all that is left of the magics on the planet. They live beside the elves happily, knowing that under the illusions they were safe from human hunters, or more likely, the scientists of the modern age. However, there are always a few that venture out, these young birds often end up on back streets and with darker parts of human society as the need to hide is always the greatest fear for them, such horror stories that they are told as chicks of humans hunting their ancestors keeping them well away from revealing them selves.