Polar Owls

## Polar Owl

### Physical Description

Polar owls are large white owls that range from just under 4 feet tall to a couple inches over 7 feet tall. They have wing spans that correspond directly to their snowy owl counterparts, about double their height. These owls have sharp talons on the end of their legs to grip onto perches or prey. Although polar owls are almost always white, they can be speckled in an assortment of different colors, especially females and particularly in the summery months. Their feathers seem to shine white in the sunlight, and light blue in the moonlight; they have been traded as ingredients for wizard spells and potions in the past.

Polar owls are, as their name alludes, highly resistant to cold as they exude an excess amount of body heat. This makes cold environmental conditions ideal, and even necessary to some as long exposure to hot weather can kill a polar owl of weak constitution. Polar owls have been known to thrive in icy habitats otherwise deemed unlivable. Flaming polar owls have bodies more acclimated for a variety of climates outside the cold, whereas the snowy subrace is virtually only found in the cold.

### History

The polar owls originally came from the Paraelemental Plane of Ice, from whence they fled the wars between archoelemental Cryonax and the dragon Albrathanilar. Many migrated to the coldest regions of the Prime Material Plane using portals, which they had the power to open at will. This power faded once they left their home plane however. They are believed to be a more beast-like cousin of the more anthropoid owlfolk.

Some roosts of polar owls have managed to escape to the Material Plane, where they are treated as food, but it is better than how they were treated prior. Polar owls have a long history involving almost every creature that has ever existed. They dislike the sun elves as they were caught trying to roast a group of polar owls and denied in right away. They are good trade partners with the dwarves and have set up portals to the elemental plane of air near them to make trade easier. The gnomes do not like the polar owls because they think that the polar owls are to full of themselves and think of their race as superior to anyone else. The polar owls and dragonborn absolutely hate each other. The dragonborn accuse the polar owls of turning the high elves against them. The polar owls accuse the dragonborn of turning the genasi against *them*.

### Society

Polar owls live in parliaments, the equivalent of a human town or village. These parliaments are easily mobile. The leader of the parliament is called the Chief or Judge, according to personal preference. The Chief Polar Owl is adorned with a golden medallion with the iconography of Nador when performing official duties, called the Master Coin, which symbolizes Justice and Wisdom that may or may not be sound and correct (like the flipping of a coin), similar to iconography of Justitia holding the balace scales but always blindfolded.

Polar Owls generally live in ground level buildings fit for large family groups of a dozen or more, depending on the number of times the Lady of the house nests in a short number of season. Polar Owl nests usually consists of up to five eggs at a time, and the hatchlings will often stay with their parents well into adulthood.

When fighting, polar owls favor spell casting and ranged combat, because they do not like to get their feathers dirty.

To polar owls, precision and accuracy are the most important things after history. Once they catch a creature that they consider unreliable, they will remember them forever, and will forever hold a grudge against that creature that is unknown to it.

### Polar Owl Names

Polar Owls are named after their most prominent traits. These words are then twisted slightly to sound more like an actual name.

**Male:** Bruker, Bater, Sliter

**Female:** Grendor, Furallia, Stalia